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"His target is actually this young man..."
"Gulp! Did that guy in the hood do something to offend Germa?"
The merchants, travelers, and sailors who had been standing near Law and the polar bear hastily scrambled away, fleeing as if they feared being dragged into the conflict even a second later.
"Captain~~~"
Staring at the red figure before him, Bepo couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, glancing uncertainly at the young man beside him.
"A Zoan from the New World? That's quite rare..." After giving Bepo, who was visibly nervous, a quick glance, Itchi fixed his gaze on Trafalgar Law, who appeared to be about twenty years old.
"I wonder what business the infamous Germa 66 has with someone like me?" Taking a deep breath, Trafalgar Law forced himself to remain calm and spoke in a steady voice.
The person before him—several years younger than himself—possessed an absolutely terrifying power. The speed at which he had "sprinted" through the air across hundreds of meters in less than ten seconds was almost unbelievable.
Over the years, while keeping a low profile to evade the Donquixote Family's pursuit, he had kept up with the news. He recognized this individual immediately: not only was he the first heir to the Germa Kingdom, but he was also known as the "strongest spear" of Germa—Vinsmoke Ichiji!
Compared to Nico Robin, the "Demon Child" from the West Blue who was infamous for her 79 million bounty at just eight years old but whose reputation was somewhat inflated, this youth—who hailed from the notorious assassin clans of the North Blue and whose hands were stained with countless lives—was the true "demon."
This was the exact phrasing used by the World Economic Newspaper!
"Don't worry, I don't mean any harm." Itchi raised his hands in a placating gesture, chuckling lightly.
"Then…"
"I'm not one for beating around the bush, so I'll get straight to the point…" Looking at Trafalgar Law, who still radiated caution, Itchi bluntly stated his purpose: "I've come to invite you to join Germa!"
"Invite the captain?"
"Not here for revenge?"
Not only were the people around them stunned, but even Bepo, who had traveled with Law for years, was dumbfounded, thinking he must have misheard.
As for Law himself, his heart sank.
Had his Devil Fruit ability been exposed, drawing Germa's attention?
"Hohohoho..."
Suddenly, a chilling laugh came from the other side of the merchant ship. "Such an arrogant brat—are you trying to take my man?"
An invisible thread shot toward Itchi, who was standing on the ship's railing, moving like lightning.
"Swoosh!"
Two fingers deftly caught the thread mid-air.
Itchi's expression turned icy as he looked toward the other side of the ship, where a figure was rapidly approaching over the sea, more than a hundred meters away.
The figure had short golden hair, purple sunglasses, a pink feather coat, cropped pants, and pointed shoes...
That outfit made Itchi instantly recognize who it was.
"One of the Seven Warlords, 'Heavenly Night叉' Doflamingo, huh? What a coincidence..."
Without showing any courtesy, Itchi swiftly raised his leg and swung it toward the figure hovering above the sea. "So, this is what they call a Parasite String, right?"
"Storm Leg!"
"Whoosh—"
A crescent-shaped slash, over ten meters long, burst forth, slicing through the air and hurtling toward the pink-clad figure.
The sudden turn of events left everyone on the ship utterly stunned!
"A kick-based slash!?" Even Trafalgar Law couldn't help but feel shocked!
But the next moment, his entire body trembled, gritting his teeth in both fear and hatred. "Doflamingo!!"
He would never forget that sinister laugh.
He couldn't believe his luck—it wasn't enough that Germa had found him, but now the Donquixote Family had shown up too.
"Oh, oh… Isn't that a bit over the top..."
Looking at the massive slash hurtling toward him, the pink-clad figure hovering above the sea was clearly startled—not out of fear, but because he hadn't expected the kid, who looked younger than Law, to be so powerful.
"Superhuman Whip Strike!"
His right palm extended backward, shooting out dozens of nearly transparent threads that quickly entwined to form a thick whip-like column, which he lashed out with incredible force.
"Shwing..."
"Boom!!"
The razor-sharp crescent slash collided violently with the whip-like column!
"Whooohh..."
A terrifying shockwave rippled outward.
"Ahh... AHHH..."
"Splash... Thud..."
The entire merchant ship nearly capsized under the overwhelming force of the blast, rocking violently and being pushed sideways by more than ten meters. Many of the crew and passengers aboard, unable to withstand the immense pressure, were flung off their feet. Some fell into the sea, while others crashed into the deck or masts, bleeding profusely and screaming in terror.
"Swish!"
"Hohohoho..."
A silver thread wrapped around the ship's mast, and the pink figure swiftly leapt aboard: "I honestly didn't expect you to be this strong. It seems the World Economic Newspaper wasn't exaggerating after all. No wonder you're called Germa's 'Demon'..."
Showing no concern for the terrified people on the ship, Doflamingo stood atop the mast, staring directly at Itchi and Law, who was nearby. "Hohoho... Law, I've been searching for you for years... It hasn't been easy."
"But I must admit, I'm curious—why have you been hiding from us all this time?"