Morning Edition

Kuzan's arrival stops Doflamingo at the instant Smoker's life is about to be taken. The G-5 Marines gasp in recognition: "AH... AOKIJI...!!" Kuzan raises a hand, and cold spreads across the battlefield. Doflamingo is caught in the freezing force, ice and frost exploding around him while the Marines stare in shock. For a moment, the former Admiral's power freezes the scene itself. Smoker lies wounded in the snow, the Marines are scattered and terrified, and Doflamingo's body is covered in ice. The sound effects carry the sharp violence of the freezing, but Kuzan says almost nothing; his presence alone is enough to turn the momentum. The page makes clear that Doflamingo was not merely interrupted by another fighter, but by a man whose strength and history make even him pause.

The ice detonates outward. Doflamingo breaks free from Kuzan's freeze in a burst that sends shards and snow across the battlefield. The Marines cry out, and Baby 5 and Buffalo, still reduced to helpless heads, shout in alarm, "YOUNG MASTER" and "YOUNG MASTER!!!" Doflamingo survives the freezing, but the blast shows that Kuzan's intervention was real enough to stop the execution. The battlefield becomes a white storm of shattered ice, the figures around Doflamingo thrown back by the force of his escape. He stands damaged but not defeated, proving why both men are dangerous: Kuzan can halt him instantly, but Doflamingo can force his way out and remain standing. The encounter shifts from attempted murder to a standoff between two powers who both understand the cost of continuing.

Doflamingo launches himself away from Smoker and lands at a distance, breathing hard. Kuzan watches him without moving, his expression unreadable behind his glasses. Smoker remains on the ground between them, alive only because Kuzan intervened. Doflamingo does not rush back in. He is still furious, but the sudden presence of the former Admiral changes the terms. The page is quiet compared to the violence before it: Doflamingo on one side, Kuzan on the other, Smoker collapsed in the snow. The silence matters because neither man needs to explain what a fight between them would mean. Doflamingo has failed to silence Smoker immediately, and Kuzan has made it clear that Smoker is not someone Doflamingo can kill without consequence.

The Marines realize Smoker survived and cry, "SMO-YAN." Another voice says in relief, "TH... THANK GOODNESS!!" and someone explains why he is still breathing: "HE WASN'T FROZEN THROUGH AND THROUGH...!!" Doflamingo faces Kuzan and says, "I DON'T MUCH FEEL LIKE FIGHTING YOU... FLUFFLUFFU!!" but his threat remains: "BUT IF I'M UNABLE TO SILENCE THAT MAN HERE AND NOW... I'LL HAVE TO CHANGE MY PLANS!!" He demands, "TELL ME ONE THING." Then he asks the question that matters more than the fight itself: "YOU... NOW... WHAT'S YOUR GAME!!? KUZAN!!" Kuzan stands apart in the snow, no longer an Admiral but still impossible to ignore. Doflamingo is not afraid in a simple way, but he is cautious enough to choose information over battle.

Doflamingo laughs and withdraws without giving the battlefield what it expects. Around Smoker, the G-5 Marines call out, "HEY, HEY," "CAN I GET SOME HELP OVER HERE?" and "AYE AYE!!" while Doflamingo's "FUFFUFFU FUFFU!!!" trails behind him. Smoker admits, "I HAVEN'T HEARD GOOD THINGS," and Kuzan's silhouette moves away across the snow. From a distance, the former Admiral looks like a lone traveler, and the narration around him calls him "THE FACE OF A MERE WANDERER..." but also "AND THAT OF A MAN WITH DETERMINATION." Doflamingo, Robin, and another watching figure are shown as the thought lands: "THEY'RE QUITE DIFFERENT!!!" Kuzan is no longer a Marine, but he has not become ordinary either. His path has changed, and that makes him harder to read.

Kuzan speaks to Smoker beside the frozen ruin of Punk Hazard. "FROM THE START..." he says, "I WAS NEVER UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THE WORLD GOVERNMENT WAS THE END-ALL BE-ALL." Smoker, half-conscious and bandaged by the Marines, admits, "...I... WAS ABOUT TO DIE." Kuzan continues with the perspective of someone who has left the official structure behind: "EVEN WITHOUT MARINE AFFILIATION, ONE CAN ACCOMPLISH MANY THINGS." He adds, "AND THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT BECOME CLEAR AFTER LEAVING THE MARINES BEHIND..." Smoker asks the obvious question: "BUT WHY DID YOU COME...?" Kuzan answers with a strange mix of humor and gravity: "FUFUFU... HMM... SEEMS THAT WHAT BROUGHT ME HERE WAS FATE." Then he gives the real answer in simple words: "...TO SEE YOU."

Smoker presses Kuzan about what he is doing now: "...BUT HOW DID YOU KNOW TO COME HERE?" Kuzan says, "HMM? AM I RIGHT?" and then names the suspicion directly: "YOU MUST HAVE A CONNECTION WITH THE UNDER-WORLD." The idea shocks the Marines: "A... A FORMER ADMIRAL... WITH THE UND-" but Kuzan does not deny that his path now brushes hidden forces. The men finish treating Smoker and shout, "OKAY!!" while one tells Kuzan, "IF YOU'RE DONE FIXING HIM UP, THEN SCREW OFF!!" Kuzan calmly introduces himself over a Den Den Mushi connection: "IT'S ME, SMOKER." When Smoker, exhausted, answers, "IF THAT'S WHAT YOU SAY..." the scene has shifted from rescue to warning. Kuzan may have saved him, but he is also carrying information from places the Marines cannot see clearly.

Kuzan warns Smoker not to underestimate Doflamingo after this. "ANYWAY... DON'T TAKE YOUR EYES OFF OF DOFLAMINGO," he says. "HE'S A SHICHIBUKAI AND THE CURRENT KING OF DRESSROSA." He tells them to "CONTACT SAKAZUKI AND TELL HIM TO MOBILIZE THE ADMIRALS," because "THINGS COULD GO FROM BAD TO WORSE, AND FAST..." Kuzan explains why Doflamingo is not like other pirates: "BUT HE'S DIFFERENT FROM THE SNAKE PRINCESS OF THE KUJA. A PIRATE WHO SETS HIMSELF APART FROM THE OTHERS IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE..." He calls the situation "THE MOST DIRE" that Sakazuki and the new Marine Headquarters may have faced. When the Marines protest, "HEY!! YOU GUYS!! THE FACT THAT WE MET..." Kuzan silences them with a finger to his lips. "IT'S A SECRET THAT WE MET YOU, GOT IT!!" they understand. One asks, "...WHAT WAS IT AGAIN," and another answers, "I FORGOT. WELL, WHAT-EVER."

That night, out at sea, the Sunny pushes through the darkness. The crew worries that no pursuit has appeared: "IT'S ALMOST DAWN, AND NOBODY'S SHOWN UP!!" Someone says, "THINK THEY'VE LOST OUR TRAIL!!?" and another imagines the scale of the search: "HOW MANY THOUSANDS WOULD BE IN THE SEARCH PARTY!? HOW MANY TENS OF THOUSANDS!!?" Law's threat to Doflamingo still hangs over them. Brook sums up the terrible choice: "RESIGN FROM THE SHICHIBUKAI OR TANGLE WITH AN EMPEROR... WHAT A CHOICE..." Usopp is frightened but practical: "NO NEED TO WORRY, SINCE WE GOT THIS ARMOR AND THESE HELMETS FROM KIN." Others insist, "THAT'S RIGHT, THAT IT IS!!" and "THERE'S NO WAY IT CAN REST EASY!!" Luffy and the others are distracted by Kin'emon and Zoro sparring. Kin'emon yells, "YOU! DRAW YOUR WEAPON...!!" Zoro snaps back, "AND FACE ME!!" while someone asks, "ISN'T DOING THIS ON THE SHIP A BIT DANGEROUS?"

The ship is still awake long after midnight. Sanji asks, "STILL GOING AT IT HUH... WELL, WHO WANTS A MIDNIGHT SNACK?" and offers, "PIZZA." Luffy and Usopp misunderstand the timing and cheer, "MIDNIGHT SNACK! WHAT ARE YOU MAKING?" while Brook calls back, "LIKE I SAID, YOU'RE WRONG!!" Kin'emon is still shouting at Zoro, accusing him of dishonoring Wano: "WANO WAS IN AN UPROAR OVER THE DEFILING OF THE GRAVE OF ITS HERO!! AND THE CULPRIT WAS YOU!!" He cries, "I'VE MISJUDGED YOU! THAT INCIDENT THAT HAD THE WHOLE COUNTRY IN TEARS..." Zoro fires back, "AM I, NOW!! WHAT ABOUT THAT, AT YOUR WAIST!! IS THAT NOT THE INFAMOUS SWORD 'SHUSUI,' OF THE GREAT SWORDSMAN, RYUMA!!" The crew reacts with "WHA!!?" Meanwhile Luffy asks Nami, "PIDA!? IS THAT MAN MAKING STRANGE CUISINE AGAIN?" and wonders if Momonosuke is asleep. Nami says, "OH, HE'S IN THE BATH WITH ROBIN."

The news that Momonosuke is bathing with Robin detonates the men's composure. Sanji, Brook, and Kin'emon scream, "WHAT DOES THAT BRAT THINK HE'S DOING!!" In the bath, Robin holds the child gently and says, "AH... PERFECT TIMING." She asks, "KINEMON-SAN, DO YOU HAVE THE BOY'S KIMONO?" The men outside are far less calm. They shout, "HOLD STILL WHILE I CUT YOUR TOPKNOT!!" and accuse him, "TAKE ADVANTAGE OF BEING A KID, WILL YOU!?" Usopp sums it up: "THAT'S PRETTY SNEAKY!!" When the chaos spills into violence, Nami steps in and crushes them with a blow, shouting, "YOU PEOPLE!!! CUT THAT OUT! WHO GOES AROUND BULLYING CHILDREN!!?" Kin'emon protests from the pile, "YOU'RE WRONG, NAMI-SAN!! THAT'S NO MERE KID..." but Nami is not interested. The page keeps the tone comic, but it also shows Momonosuke already exploiting the crew's assumptions.

Momonosuke's innocent act works perfectly in Robin's room. Nami says, "THAT WAS SCARY, THAT IT WAS, M'LADY..." and then, correcting herself, "EH M'LADY!? NO, STOP IT, GO ON..." Robin smiles as she says, "THIS KID... MOMO-CHAN IS SO CUTE. HE GETS TO SLEEP IN MY ROOM." The men outside are devastated: "WHAT!? THE 'SECRET FLOWER GARDEN' THAT IS A WOMAN'S ROOM!?" They roar that "HE'S A LOWDOWN DIRTY BRAT, THAT HE IS!!" Momonosuke glances back with a smug "GRIN," making it obvious that he understands exactly what he is doing. Usopp and the others try to stop him: "...WE CAN'T BE SURE THEY HAVEN'T FOUND US YET...!! DOFLAMINGO!! IF YOU'RE COMING, THEN COME ALREADY!!" One immediately contradicts himself: "ACTUALLY, DON'T COME!!!" and another pleads, "NO, NO WAY I'M SLEEPING...!!" The night drags on under nervous watch.

Dawn finally approaches. Law watches the horizon and says, "NOTHING STRANGE ON THE HORIZON," while someone nearby yawns, "FUAH HHHHH HHH..." Kin'emon lies awake, still brooding over Momonosuke: "THAT PERVERTED BRAT... RIGHT ABOUT NOW, HE'S... WITH NAMI-SAN AND ROBI-CHAN... THAT BASTARD." He cannot sleep: "I... I CAN'T BRING MYSELF TO SLEEP!!" Inside, Nami and Robin do sleep, with Momonosuke nestled between them and a smug "MMPH" on his face. Morning breaks with Brook's music: "IT'S MORNING YOHOHOHOHO AW YEAH," and he calls, "PAPER'S HERE HEY COME ON." The newspaper bird arrives over the sea. Law immediately considers the stakes: "IF HE DID IT, GREAT. IF NOT..." The entire night's uncertainty is about to be answered by the morning edition.

The newspaper confirms that Law's impossible demand has been met. The headline screams: "DONQUIXOTE DOFLAMINGO 'RESIGNS FROM SHICHIBUKAI'!!" and the crew reads the second shock: "AND HE'S ABDICATED THE THRONE OF DRESSROSA!!?" The Straw Hats gather around the paper in disbelief. Someone says, "HE REALLY QUIT!!" Brook fumbles the politics, asking, "TH... THRONE!!? HE WAS A KING TOO!!?" and then, "KING!? KING OF THE BIRDS!?" The crew's reactions are comic, but the news is enormous. Law's plan has forced Doflamingo to abandon two pillars of power in one morning: his legal status as a Warlord and his position as king of Dressrosa. Robin observes calmly, "I THINK IT'S ACTUALLY OMINOUS THAT THINGS ARE GOING SO SMOOTHLY..." Her caution cuts through the excitement. A man like Doflamingo giving up this much cannot be taken as simple victory.

Law studies the paper and judges the result with cold satisfaction: "NO, THIS IS GOOD." He explains that Doflamingo chose the only path open to him: "THIS WAS HIS ONLY OPTION...!!" Caesar screams from captivity, "JOKER...!! TO GO TO SUCH LENGTHS, FOR ME... SHURORORORORORO!!" Luffy notices another problem in the paper: "BUT WHY DO THEY HAVE OUR FACES HERE TOO!?" The answer is the headline beside their wanted images: "SHICHIBUKAI TRAFALGAR LAW AND THE STRAWHAT CREW HAVE FORMED AN UNPRECEDENTED ALLIANCE." Another caption reads, "IT IS UNKNOWN HOW THE GOVERNMENT WILL JUDGE LAW ON THIS." The crew stares at the page in shock, "HUH?" while Luffy grins beside Law's image. The alliance is no longer private strategy. The world knows, and that means every power watching the New World can now react.

The news spreads "ALL OVER THE WORLD." The papers shout the same shock: "WHAT THE HELL! CHECK OUT TODAY'S PAPER!!" and "DOFLAMINGO HAS QUIT THE SHICHIBUKAI, LAW AND STRAWHAT HAVE TEAMED UP." Someone adds, "AND THESE GUYS TOO!!?" The next bombshell is the alliance among three more Supernovas: "KID!! APOO!! HAWKINS!!" The paper explains that "THE 'KID PIRATE CREW,' THE 'ON AIR PIRATE CREW,' AND THE 'HAWKINS PIRATE CREW' HAVE ALSO, AT THIS TIME, FORMED AN ALLIANCE." Luffy wonders, "THEM TOO!! WONDER IF THEY'RE PLANNING THE SAME THING." Law refuses to be distracted: "THEIR BUSINESS IS THEIR OWN... WE'LL PROCEED WITH OUR PLAN. FOCUS ON DOFLAMINGO..." Elsewhere, citizens talk about the Worst Generation: "OVER THESE TWO YEARS, THEY - THE PROBLEM CHILDREN REFERRED TO AS 'THE EYE OF THE STORM' - HAVE COME HERE," and now "THEY'VE STARTED TEAMING UP, ALL AT ONCE!! WHAT ARE THEY PLANNING FOR THE NEW WORLD!?"

Law explains what Doflamingo's answer really means. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT A BIG DEAL THIS IS? BY SIMPLY KIDNAPPING CAESAR..." he says, Doflamingo has, "IN A SINGLE NIGHT, BOTH GIVEN UP THE POSITION OF KING THAT HE'S HELD FOR 10 YEARS" and "THROWN AWAY HIS RIGHT TO PLUNDER AND PILLAGE AS HE PLEASES AS A SHICHIBUKAI." Caesar is the key: "HIS 'ANSWER' TO US IS EVERYTHING HE'S DONE IN ORDER TO RETRIEVE THIS ONE MAN!!" Law adds, "BY RETURNING THIS GUY, OUR DEALINGS WILL BE COMPLETE, BUT..." In Dressrosa, the people are in chaos. The page declares, "DRESS-ROSA," then, "IN RESPONSE TO DOFLAMINGO'S SUDDEN ABDICATION," and "THE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN THROWN INTO CONFUSION." Citizens cry, "YOUR HIGH-NESS!!!" and "KING!!" Meanwhile the Den Den Mushi rings again and again: "PURU RURU RURU RU!!" Law sits by the receiver, then clicks it off, ending the chapter with the sound of a new call waiting.

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