The roars from the Coliseum echoed into the streets as chaos unfurled throughout Dressrosa.
Outside the arena walls, Law stumbled through rubble-strewn alleys, clutching at his side. His plan to bait Doflamingo had gone terribly wrong. Every breath stung. His mind raced. I have to reach the meeting point... regroup...
But before he could take another step, thin glowing strings laced through the air.
"There you are, Law."
Doflamingo hovered midair, standing on taut threads in the sky like a puppetmaster god. He grinned, descending like a vulture.
"You didn't think I'd let you escape so easily, did you?"
Law tried to activate Room, but Doflamingo snapped his fingers. The strings caught his wrists and ankles, suspending him helplessly.
"I warned you not to play hero," Doflamingo sneered. "Now I'll break you."
A sickening crack echoed as Doflamingo squeezed, targeting Law's chest.
At the same time, in a busy thoroughfare near the palace...
Zoro ducked under a collapsing awning as civilians screamed and scattered. A cane tapped the ground calmly nearby.
"You. The one with three swords," came a mild voice.
Zoro turned to see a blind man leaning on a shikomizue blade.
Fujitora.
"I've heard rumors about your captain," Fujitora said. "He causes quite a stir."
Zoro grinned. "He tends to do that."
"I suppose you're just as troublesome."
Without another word, Zoro drew two blades, clashed with Fujitora, and the ground cratered. Gravity surged. The fight escalated quickly as Zoro struggled against the Admiral's immense power.
"This guy's no pushover…" Zoro muttered.
Back underground—
Robin and Usopp crept through tight passageways flanked by tiny warriors of the Tontatta tribe.
"Are you sure this will work?" Usopp whispered.
Leo nodded fiercely. "We take out Sugar, everyone turns back. The factory, the toys, the kingdom—it all falls!"
They peered through a crack in a large metal door. Inside was a candy-themed office, bizarre and unsettling. Sugar sat at the center, eating grapes with a blank stare.
Usopp's jaw trembled. "That's the one? She's the monster?"
Robin gave a sly smirk. "Time to make her snack... unforgettable."
Back on the Thousand Sunny—
Giolla cackled as the world twisted into abstract art.
"Your beauty lacks imagination!" she screamed.
Nami slashed her clima-tact through the air, countering with a cyclone burst. "I'm getting really tired of being someone's sculpture!"
Brook slid across the deck, fencing with Giolla's warped tendrils. "Madam, you have no taste in music or art!"
Chopper defended Momonosuke, who looked traumatized.
"I don't like this island!" the boy shouted.
"Me neither!" Chopper agreed.
They battled chaos with chaos, trying to snap Giolla out of her power-fueled madness.
Back in the Coliseum stands—
Kael leaned on the stone railing, watching as Rebecca won D Block. Her hands shook. She looked near tears despite the applause.
"She doesn't want to be here," Kael muttered.
"She's fighting for someone," a voice said.
From the shadows, a cloaked figure moved toward Luffy. He stopped only inches away.
Luffy blinked, confused. "Huh?"
The man pulled back his hood. Blond hair. Goggles. A scar over his eye.
Luffy gasped. "...Sabo?!"
"You're alive?" Luffy said, voice cracking.
Sabo embraced him. "It's been a long time, Luffy."
Meanwhile, underground again—
Kin'emon, Kanjuro, and Kael huddled near a small escape tunnel that Kanjuro had found.
"Are we sure about him?" Kael whispered, glancing toward Kanjuro.
"He's my friend," Kin'emon said.
"That doesn't mean he's safe," Kael replied flatly.
"We're all broken pieces now," Riku added solemnly. "But when the pieces come together... we might yet fix the kingdom."
Kael said nothing, eyes heavy with doubt.