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Chapter 75 - Chapter 75: A Monster Beyond Understanding; The Dream-Fulfiller

Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 3 in the outlaw zone.

"Has the Golden Lion… gone too?"

Rayleigh held a bottle in one hand and today's World Economy News Paper in the other, his eyes full of remembrance as he read the headline.

Then he murmured with a touch of sorrow and helplessness, "Sorry, Hachi… that kid isn't someone an old man like me can handle."

Just as Yami had guessed, Rayleigh and Shakky did indeed have Hachi's Vivre Card.

After Hachi's death, they quickly discovered the card had burned away.

When they investigated Cocoyasi Village and learned what the Arlong Pirates had done for years, they couldn't bring themselves to seek revenge out of pride.

Rayleigh's plan had been to wait until Yami reached Sabaody, observe the man, and then decide whether to teach him a lesson—or kill him.

But then… he learned the man had escaped from an Admiral's hands, and that the girl bullied by the Arlong Pirates had become a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user.

Now, the man's entourage also had a Float-Float Fruit user.

Rayleigh abandoned the idea of avenging Hachi.

That brat—and that crew—were destined to be the trendsetters of a new age.

Like Rayleigh, others mourned the once-rival Golden Lion: Garp, Sengoku, and Shanks.

Of course, Shanks could be set aside.

Unlike Rayleigh and Garp, Charlotte Linlin and Kaido—who had once sailed alongside Shiki—wore complicated expressions, as did Wang Zhi, who occupied Beehive Island.

"MaMa~ MaMa… Shiki, that guy is actually dead? What a pathetic way to go!" Charlotte Linlin sneered—was it mockery or rage?

A comrade and foe she once had to look up to exiting the stage in such disgrace—she felt even that was unworthy of him.

But she didn't know: for the Golden Lion, such a death might have been a release.

Otherwise, in a few years he would have been beaten by a super rookie who'd debuted only months ago—that would be the true disgrace!

Feeling the same unworthiness was her little brother, Kaido.

But sharper than Linlin, Kaido guessed part of the truth. "There's no way Shiki died so miserably. Someone took him down."

"That brat may be the culprit."

Gourd in one hand and a small paper in the other, Kaido stared at Yami's photo with sober eyes. "Does the Dark-Dark Fruit, besides sealing other Fruits, hide some unknown secret?"

New World, aboard the Moby Dick.

"Without us noticing, another old remnant of the past is gone. How many old fellows haven't I seen in decades?" Whitebeard sighed, eyes distant.

One by one, the members of the Rocks Pirates flickered through his mind, along with rivals and enemies from the previous era.

But then, most of those faces blurred and slowly faded away.

Unknowingly, his own life was nearing its end.

He had strode through three eras, called the world's strongest man—the uncrowned king—and yet, in the end, he had grown old.

The aging Whitebeard didn't even notice, in a corner of the Moby Dick, one of his earliest sons muttering like a madman:

"Impossible—it can't be a coincidence… That brat must have discovered the secret of the Dark-Dark Fruit!"

The Rumble-Rumble Fruit and the Float-Float Fruit being eaten by maids in the same crew couldn't be explained by coincidence or luck.

Without doubt, Yami knew the method of Devil Fruit rebirth—and the hidden secrets of the Dark-Dark Fruit.

There, Teach broke down yet again.

It had always been his script!

And then, one day, someone else stepped in… and fulfilled the dream!

"Mufufufu… This article is hilarious. They think Perona or I am the Float-Float user."

Reading the World Economy News Paper, Carina couldn't help her distinctive giggle. "Once they realize Master is a multi-fruit user, their faces will be priceless."

"A textbook case of being misled by common sense."

Robin didn't laugh; she analyzed coolly. "It also means that once the Boss's multi-fruit physique is exposed, he'll become the target of the entire sea."

"At that time both underworld and overworld will move against us—some will even want him dead—because they'll fear the Boss might become a monster beyond comprehension."

At that, the three girls fell briefly silent.

Yami nodded to himself.

One reason he'd rushed to seize the Door-Door Fruit and the Zoom-Zoom Fruit right after obtaining the Dark-Dark Fruit was an intense lack of security.

Even after gaining those two Fruits—and the crucial More-More Fruit—he still didn't dare reveal his multi-fruit physique lightly.

Because back then, while he could protect himself, he lacked strategic means and couldn't intimidate the superpowers.

If the World Government and Marine Headquarters had truly resolved to eliminate him, he might have escaped—but it would have been hard to save Carina and Robin.

Now that he had the capital to flip the table, he could finally relax—exposure or not, whatever.

Two days later, without any speed boosts, the Pegasus finally reached the Kingdom of Dressrosa.

Because they descended from the sky to the harbor, the Pegasus instantly became the port's main attraction.

Word had spread for two days; anyone who read the paper—pirate or civilian—recognized the flying ship with the winged-horse crest.

News of Yami's crew reached Doflamingo at once.

"Fufufufufu… So your first stop is my turf? Such a clear route—and such a polite, gentle landing. Looks like business has come to my door."

In the villa on the King's Plateau, Doflamingo let out his wicked, unmistakable laugh as he studied several photographs.

"Doffy, how should we receive them?"

At his side, Diamante posed the question.

"A Dark-Dark user, a Rumble-Rumble user, and an unidentified Float-Float user—these are no ordinary VIPs."

Doflamingo muttered with a hint of envy, then said to Diamante, "Go invite them up to the King's Plateau. Be courteous."

"Understood."

Diamante nodded. He would have done so without being told.

Those who fled the Grand Line—the ones frightened by legends like the Golden Lion—were losers.

No one knew better than he how fearsome these top-tier ability users were.

Watching Diamante leave, Doflamingo turned his gaze back to the photo of Yami's team. After a moment his face darkened. "A pity Viola is dead. Otherwise I would have had her use the Glare-Glare Fruit's mind-reading to see which one is the Float-Float user—and why they're here."

"Who could slip into the King's Plateau, kill Viola without a sound, and remove the body perfectly, leaving not a trace?"

Little did he know—it was the handiwork of those very 'VIPs.'

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