Chapter 389: Candy Minister
If it were just Ian and the other Warlords causing trouble on Dressrosa, perhaps Doflamingo might still have a chance to salvage the out-of-control situation.
For one thing, if Sugar could turn those people back into toys, once they lost their memories, no one would remember the toys' identities, and the storm could quickly subside.
But... don't forget, there was another important figure at the port: Marine Admiral Aokiji!
Aokiji had been staying on the ship, but when Jinbe and the others returned with the slaves kidnapped by the Donquixote Family, he could no longer sit still.
He hadn't forgotten how Ian had stormed Mary Geoise over those slaves. Now, with a slave trading incident erupting on this island again, Aokiji felt he needed to go ashore and investigate personally.
However, when he arrived on the island, it happened to coincide with the toys suddenly turning back into humans...
Aokiji had witnessed the entire process firsthand. He had visited Dressrosa before while traveling on his bicycle and had seen those moving toys, but back then, he hadn't thought deeply about what they really were.
Now, seeing those toys transform from fluffy dolls into living people, the impact on Aokiji was immense.
As he walked, he saw former toys crying and embracing their families, sending a chill through his heart.
Just then, Aokiji's Den Den Mushi rang—a call from Marine Headquarters.
The World Government officials and CP agents who had reverted to human form had already reported the situation to the World Government and the Marines. The sheer number of reports shocked the World Government, unsure of their authenticity, so they passed the matter to Fleet Admiral Sengoku, ordering him to dispatch troops to Dressrosa for investigation. When Sengoku received this order, he remembered that Aokiji was currently with Ian on Dressrosa, and his heart sank. He quickly called.
But just as Aokiji was about to explain what he had seen on the island, the Den Den Mushi suddenly lost its signal.
Aokiji looked up at the sky over Dressrosa, where countless threads were gradually converging.
The massive Birdcage had appeared!
At the site where Ian and Doflamingo were fighting, Doflamingo had finally withdrawn the small Birdcage that had only enclosed the two of them, replacing it with a much larger one!
Realizing the situation was spiraling out of control, Doflamingo no longer cared about the consequences. He now wanted to cut off all external communication from Dressrosa, preventing the World Government officials from leaking what was happening here.
The Birdcage could block the Den Den Mushi's radio waves, so when it rose, everyone on the island trying to communicate with the outside world found their signals suddenly cut off, no matter how loudly they shouted.
This was the awakened ability of Doflamingo's String-String Fruit. Ian couldn't stop it; he could only watch helplessly as the Birdcage closed over Dressrosa's sky.
But releasing the Birdcage wasn't the end. Doflamingo suddenly pointed a finger at the sky, and countless fine threads burst from his fingertip, shooting upward before curving and falling toward the ground in all directions.
Amid the chaos on the island, many people were struck in the neck by these threads. The next second, they uncontrollably began attacking those around them, even if it was their own family—crying as they raised their weapons...
By isolating the radio waves with the Birdcage, Doflamingo prevented the outside world from learning the truth. Then, using Parasite Threads to control the island's inhabitants into mutual slaughter, he planned to later manipulate public opinion, blaming the incident on a small group of rioters. With the protection of the Celestial Dragons, he was confident he could downplay the matter.
Of course, this was all predicated on him surviving Ian's assault and turning Admiral Aokiji into a toy, erasing everyone's memory of him...
So, while Doflamingo was desperately trying to salvage the situation, to Ian, he was merely struggling in vain.
Boa Hancock stood behind Ian, both of them staring grimly at Doflamingo. With the small Birdcage gone, Hancock could now join the fight.
Licking the blood from his lips with his tongue, Doflamingo found the situation troublesome. He knew he now had to face two Warlords, and if he delayed any longer, Jinbe and Fujitora would arrive, adding to his problems.
He could no longer rely on his executives; the gap in strength couldn't be bridged by numbers alone.
Just as Doflamingo was pondering a way out, a booming vibration shook the ground, and a massive shadow emerged behind him.
Doflamingo turned his head and burst into laughter: "Fufufufufu! It seems even the heavens are helping me! Jack, you couldn't have come at a better time!"
Ian and Boa Hancock, however, narrowed their eyes in alarm.
A colossal mammoth appeared in their view, its eyes bloodshot and crimson. Behind the mammoth followed a group of Beast Pirates members.
As it approached, Jack the Drought slowly reverted to his human form, still towering and muscular. The iron jaw on his chin was gone, revealing sharp teeth. He said to Doflamingo, "Dofla, looks like you're in trouble! What about your deal with Kaido?"
"Can't help it—someone's interfering!" Doflamingo cackled, spreading his hands. "Looks like I can't deliver today!"
"I don't care!" Jack growled, his bloodshot eyes glaring at Doflamingo. "I need the goods today, or I can't report back. Since someone's blocking the way, I'll just kill them!"
"Fufufufufu! Such courage!" Doflamingo pointed at Ian and Hancock. "Those are two Warlords, you know!"
"What nonsense! Do you know who I am!?" Jack roared. "Of course, it's war!"
With that, he charged straight at Ian.
The moment Ian saw Jack the Drought appear, he cursed inwardly. He never expected the Beast Pirates to be on this island too.
Jack was either reckless or insane—the title of Warlord didn't intimidate him at all. Without hesitation, he rushed into battle.
He was practically the perfect enforcer...
Jack reached Ian and stomped forward, cracking the ground beneath his foot, then threw a punch at Ian.
Ian said nothing, sidestepping the punch, and swung his Thousand Cherry Blossoms horizontally, slashing at Jack's arm.
A grating sound echoed as Ian's Armament Haki-coated blade clashed with Jack's Armament Haki-covered arm, even producing sparks—a testament to the intensity of their Haki.
Meanwhile, Boa Hancock engaged Doflamingo again, the two locked in a fierce exchange of blows...
Since Jack the Drought had appeared, could another member of the Four Emperors' crew be far behind?
At an underground port on the southern side of Dressrosa, Nico Robin, Matthew, and Dorry were hiding behind a stack of wooden crates, cautiously peering ahead.
Not far from them, a strange group had appeared. Their leader was a flamboyantly dressed man with a hat adorned with swirling rainbow patterns and lollipops stuck around its brim. He was slender, with a long nose and tongue, and carried a crooked staff that looked like a candy cane.
In the middle of this group, Ace, Sabo, and their companions were sitting on the ground, surrounded. They couldn't move because a strange, transparent syrup had coated them, forming a hard film that immobilized their entire bodies.
Ace and Sabo were struggling fiercely. Ace even tried to turn into flames to melt the film, but strangely, the areas covered by the film couldn't be elementalized.
"Mahahaha! Don't bother struggling! This is sugar syrup infused with Haki!" the leader laughed, his long tongue lolling to the side. "Even if you're a Logia user, once I catch you, there's no escape!"
Ace ignored him and kept trying to break free. Sabo, calmer, smiled and said, "I didn't expect to run into the Big Mom Pirates here. Who are you to Big Mom?"
"Allow me to introduce myself!" the man twirled his candy staff and cackled. "I am Charlotte Perospero! Big Mom's eldest son and one of the 34 ministers of Totto Land—the 'Candy Minister'! A pleasure to meet you all!"
"Why is the Big Mom Pirates here?" Konenai, sitting back-to-back with Walnut, asked in surprise upon hearing Perospero's introduction.
Perospero walked over to Konenai, lifted her chin with his finger, and said, "Ah, what a beauty! You're from the Dragon Hunter Pirates, right? I only recognize Fire Fist Ace. Who are you?"
Konenai ignored him, turning her head to shake off his finger.
Perospero didn't mind and said smugly, "We're here because someone asked for our help!"
As he spoke, Vinsmoke Yonji appeared in everyone's view...