Just as Eden's group was in a rapid descent from Sky Island, riding on Little Black...
Mock Town.
"Roshio, stop it!"
The great pirate 'Executioner' Roshio, with a bounty of 42,000,000 Beri, was attacking his own comrades and any other pirate in his path like a puppet...
If one looked closely, they could see his eyes had rolled back, his consciousness fading. It was obvious that he was not in control of his actions.
"Damn it, why are you doing this?!"
In the town, countless onlooking pirates and business owners shouted at the man sitting on a barrel not far away, his legs crossed, enjoying the show before him.
"Fuffuffuffu~"
"You ask me why I'm doing this?!"
"No matter how you slice it, that guy Bellamy is one of my men."
"I did, after all, officially lend him the flag of the Donquixote Family."
"And yet, you handed him over to the Marines without my permission. That made me lose a lot of face with the Government..."
"That being the case, it's only natural that I come to you for an explanation."
The speaker had short blond hair, a flowery shirt, black capri pants, and loafers. A pair of dark sunglasses rested on his nose, and draped over his shoulders was a flamboyant pink feather coat.
No matter how you looked at him, he seemed like a complete street punk, a flashy thug.
And yet, the man possessed an unexpected, roguish charm that involuntarily drew the eyes of the crowd.
"Damn you!"
The pirates of Mock Town seethed with fury, but they were powerless against the man before them, their strength being no match for his. All they could do was roar, "Just you wait! When our Queen returns, she won't let you get away with this!"
"Your Queen?"
"I've heard of her..."
"To think she could make scum and ruffians like you work for her so devotedly all by herself. She must be quite capable~"
The man loudly praised the Queen of Mock Town's abilities, letting out a joyous laugh. "Fuffuffuffu! I'd quite like to meet her~"
But then, his tone shifted, suddenly turning serious. He spoke in a cold voice, "The show has begun! Only the true pirates will survive. Those without power, get off the stage! The era belonging to the great and powerful is coming!"
"Am I right?"
"A famous member of the Whitebeard Pirates..."
"No, no..."
"To be precise, a former member of the Whitebeard Pirates."
"The one who plotted the murder of the 4th Division Commander, Thatch. The traitor to the Whitebeard Pirates! 'Blackbeard' Marshall D. Teach."
As the blond man spoke, his gaze fell upon a man with a potbelly and a thick head of short black hair down the street, a cold smile on his face.
"What?!"
"'Blackbeard' Marshall D. Teach? A former member of the Whitebeard Pirates?"
"A scoundrel who betrayed Whitebeard and killed his own comrade?"
"That's Whitebeard we're talking about! How could he dare? Is he insane?"
The pirates on both sides of the street never imagined that the man who had been living peacefully among them, a man who didn't carry the air of a powerhouse at all...
Was actually the infamous 'Blackbeard' Marshall D. Teach, the man who betrayed the Uncrowned King of the New World, Whitebeard.
Though, they had only just learned of this from Doffy's own mouth.
"Zehahahaha..."
"Well, what do you know?!"
"I never thought my name had become so famous!"
"To think that even the great Warlord of the Sea, 'Heavenly Yaksha' Donquixote Doflamingo, knows my story so well. I'm truly flattered."
Marshall D. Teach roared with laughter, brazenly revealing the identity of the blond punk and speaking with immense arrogance.
"Huh?!"
"He's the 'Heavenly Yaksha' Donquixote Doflamingo?"
"That Bellamy guy was actually one of the 'Heavenly Yaksha's' men?"
"Damn it! Who knew he had a Warlord backing him?"
Once Teach revealed the blond punk's identity, another wave of gasps erupted from the pirates on the street...
They couldn't believe that this small Mock Town had suddenly become the stage for two major figures who usually roamed the New World.
"What?"
"Are you here to stand up for that old geezer Whitebeard?"
"If you could take my head to that old man, he might actually take you in as one of his 'sons'..."
"Zehahaha, zehahaha..."
Teach mocked Doflamingo, seemingly never having taken him seriously.
"Fuffuffuffu..."
"You're thinking too much."
"I only came here to pay a visit to the Queen of Mock Town, to see what kind of person could defeat my subordinate~"
After hearing Blackbeard's words, Doflamingo's face visibly darkened. But he quickly started laughing again and looked at Blackbeard, saying coldly, "However, while I have no intention of making a move on you, I can't say the same for others~"
"I've heard that a certain man of considerable strength has chased you all the way from the New World to Paradise~"
"Compared to me, you're the one who should be more careful~"
Doflamingo returned the trash talk Blackbeard had just thrown at him.
"Is that so?"
"If I were you, I'd get the hell out of Mock Town before their Queen gets back."
"I'm afraid when she does return, you'll end up just like your little subordinate, beaten to a pulp!"
"Zehahahaha..."
When it came to a trash-talking contest, Teach had never feared anyone.
"Fuffuffuffu..."
Doflamingo burst into laughter upon hearing Teach's words.
"Zehahahaha..."
Teach laughed just as loudly.
For a moment, the two of them stood in the street, laughing as if no one else existed.
What a disharmonious scene!
BAM!
However, in the next second...
At a speed that surpassed the visual perception of every pirate watching, Doflamingo appeared in front of Teach in an instant, lashing out with an immensely powerful kick.
Any weaker pirate would have likely died on the spot from this single blow.
BANG!
Seeing this, Teach dared not be careless and immediately raised his hand to block.
ZZZZT!
In an instant, a Haki-infused foot and fist slammed into each other, creating a deafening clash.
"What, you want to fight?"
'Blackbeard' Teach stared at the Doflamingo, who was now right in front of him. His eyes sharpened, and a faint dark aura seemed to slowly emanate from his body.
"Fight you?"
"I don't think it's my turn."
As Doflamingo spoke, he retracted his kick and glanced at a nearby rooftop, saying softly, "Since you're already here, come on out! The famous 2nd Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, 'Fire Fist' Ace."
"What? 'Fire Fist' Ace?"
"The great pirate with a bounty of 550,000,000 Beri..."
"They say he's a powerful Logia-type user."
Hearing this, the pirates on the street followed Doflamingo's gaze to the rooftop. There, a young man wearing a sun hat, his upper body bare, sat quietly. Who knew how long he'd been there?
Yes, the newcomer was none other than the 2nd Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, 'Fire Fist' Ace. He had parted ways with Eden's group in Alabasta three days ago. Due to losing the Flame-Flame Fruit, he had set out a day before Eden's group but had arrived two days late.
Though, he could no longer be called 'Fire Fist' Ace, seeing as his fists no longer had any fire.
"Commander Ace?"
Teach looked up at the sound of the voice. When he saw Ace, his expression changed drastically in shock.
"Don't call me Commander Ace."
"That title is for those who know respect. A traitor like you doesn't deserve to use it."
"But you've become the captain of your own ship now, haven't you?"
"Am I right? Captain of the Blackbeard Pirates, Marshall D. Teach."
Ace looked down at Teach below, his voice laced with cold indifference.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The moment Ace's words fell, Van Augur, who had been standing behind Teach, immediately raised his sniper rifle and fired several shots at Ace.
(Note: This Van Augur is not the one powered up by the anime team, who could take out one of Big Mom's Biscuit Soldiers with a single bullet.)
"Heh..."
Ace simply tilted his head slightly, easily dodging the bullets.
He blocked the final bullet aimed at his chest with a finger clad in Armament Haki. (Ace can skillfully use all three types of Haki; after all, he's a high-ranking officer of the Whitebeard crew, though this is a retcon.)
"You idiots!"
"Do you think you can handle Commander Ace as you are now?"
"Scatter immediately!"
"Once Ace uses his Flame-Flame Fruit ability, it'll be too late to run!"
Teach's forehead broke out in a cold sweat as he watched Ace effortlessly block Van Augur's bullets. He roared at his crewmates behind him.
"..."
However, as Teach's voice faded, the members of the Blackbeard Pirates didn't scatter as he had ordered. They stood frozen in place, as if controlled by something.
"Hm?!"
Teach's pupils constricted. In the refraction of the sunlight, he could faintly see what looked like countless transparent strings controlling his comrades' every move.
This ability clearly didn't match the Flame-Flame Fruit he knew. That could only mean...
"You bastard, Doflamingo!"
Teach spun around and roared at Doflamingo.
"Fuffuffuffu..."
"You've made too many enemies, Teach."
Doflamingo laughed wildly. His fingers were entwined with one fine string after another, which were controlling every member of the Blackbeard Pirates except for Teach himself.
"Doflamingo, you bastard! Didn't you say you didn't want to be one of Whitebeard's sons?"
"So what the hell are you doing now?" Teach demanded.
"Teach, you should know..."
"My current business in the New World has connections to the 'Four Emperors' Kaido and Charlotte Linlin~"
"But I have no relationship whatsoever with 'Whitebeard' or 'Red-Haired'."
"I wouldn't mind adding one more 'Emperor' to my list of partners~"
Doflamingo looked at Teach coldly. He had long wanted to cooperate with 'Whitebeard' but never had the right bargaining chip, and he refused to become someone's 'son'. Now, a bargaining chip had delivered itself right to his doorstep!
This trip to Mock Town, although he hadn't found his original target, had turned out to be quite fruitful.
BOOM!
Just as Doflamingo was thinking this, a burst of dark energy erupted from Teach's body. The energy instantly swallowed the parasite strings Doflamingo had attached to the Blackbeard crew members and surged towards him.
"Hm?!"
Doflamingo's sunglasses reflected the ominous dark energy. A hint of caution appeared on his face. Without hesitation, he used his parasite strings to pull the surrounding pirates in front of him, forming a human shield, while he himself somersaulted into the air, landing on the rooftop opposite Ace.
BOOM!!
The moment Doflamingo landed on the roof, the pirates he had used as human shields were engulfed by Teach's ability, instantly absorbed...
As for the parasite strings on his crew, Doflamingo could no longer feel them, as if they had never been there at all.
"Oh?"
"So this is the Dark-Dark Fruit?"
"Just as the rumors say, a strange and bizarre ability."
Doflamingo said slowly, watching Teach freely manipulate the power of darkness.
Clearly, Doflamingo had long heard of the infamous Dark-Dark Fruit.
"Hey! 'Fire Fist' Ace."
"You saw it too, just how bizarre his ability is!"
"Let's team up now and capture them!"
Doflamingo didn't continue his attack on Teach. Instead, he looked to Ace on the opposite rooftop, seeking an alliance.
Doflamingo was confident that no matter how strange Teach's ability was, if he teamed up with the famous 'Fire Fist' Ace, they could easily defeat him.
"Hey!"
"Are you the 'Heavenly Yaksha' Donquixote Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords, the one who teamed up with Kaido to open factories in Wano, causing little Tama to go hungry?"
As for Ace, he seemed to have no intention of cooperating with Doflamingo. Instead, he questioned him.
"Hm, it was indeed me who opened factories with Kaido."
"Of course, the one who actually implemented it was Kaido. I was just responsible for selling the weapons Kaido produced, that's all."
"As for the rest... who is Tama?!"
Doflamingo was baffled by Ace's question. For a moment, he felt his intelligence network was lagging. He had never heard that Kaido, in the process of opening factories in Wano, had abused a little girl named Tama who had connections to a Whitebeard commander.
"Tama is a young girl from Amigasa Village in Kuri, Wano Country."
Ace looked at Doflamingo, providing information about Tama.
"Huh?"
Doflamingo was speechless.
"Enough talk!"
"After I deal with this traitor, I'll talk to you about Wano."
Ace ignored Doflamingo, clearly unwilling to cooperate.
"Zehahahaha..."
"It seems your little plan has completely backfired, Doflamingo. Our pure and innocent Commander Ace, who has never done a single bad thing since setting out to sea, looks down on great villains like you and me!"
Teach roared with laughter at the sight.
As long as Ace didn't team up with Doflamingo, he had nothing to fear.
"Hey, hey! 'Fire Fist' Ace..."
"Are you really going to give up this great opportunity to take down Blackbeard with me, all for some useless village girl from who-knows-where?!"
"Are you insane?!"
Doflamingo was completely and utterly speechless.
In his entire life, aside from the time his own brother betrayed him...
Alright.
And that time his brain-dead father publicly announced he was renouncing his status as a Celestial Dragon... he had never been this speechless.
"Tama is not useless..."
"She is Tama, from Amigasa Village in Kuri, Wano Country."
Ace looked up, glaring at Doflamingo, his voice cold.
"..."
Doflamingo was momentarily stunned by the Conqueror's Haki that Ace unintentionally released.
Or perhaps, in Ace, Doflamingo saw the shadow of someone he despised immensely, someone his subconscious was constantly trying to escape from...
This made him fall silent for a long while before he finally said, "Psychopath! Madman! You're all insane! Insane! What do the lives of those irrelevant people have to do with you?"
"Zehahahaha..."
"So it seems your negotiations have broken down?"
"Then I think it's time we settled this."
Teach laughed heartily, pleased to see the breakdown in talks between Ace and Doflamingo.
"Ara ra..."
However, just as Teach's voice fell...
Snow suddenly began to fall from the sky over Mock Town.
The temperature of the entire town plummeted...
A man in a Marine suit with a 'Justice' coat draped over his shoulders, an eye mask on his forehead, and looking like he had just woken up, parked his bicycle by the pier and casually walked into the streets of Mock Town.
As for the pirates on the street who noticed him, they didn't just feel cold; they didn't even dare to breathe...
They stood frozen in place, not daring to move an inch. They felt they must be dreaming, or that their eyes were playing tricks on them.
This man? How could he? Why would he be here?!
Meanwhile, the Shark Supremo slowly approached Mock Town.
"Hsss~"
"Boss Lady, don't you guys feel cold?"
"Are you sure this is supposed to be summer?!"
On the deck, a man with a cigarette dangling from his lips and naturally curly hair, whose voice sounded like the King of Curses, asked a white-haired beauty who was sunbathing on a deck chair.
"Indeed..."
The beauty, whom the man called "Boss Lady," nodded lightly.
"Not cold at all!"
As for the other person on the deck...
A handsome man with short black hair and flawless features, braving the cold wind, stripped off his clothes, naturally going commando. He crossed his arms, looking completely comfortable as he shook his head.
BOOM!
Elsewhere, about twenty nautical miles from Mock Town.
With a massive splash that sent water flying everywhere, Eden and the others successfully landed.
Ah, no, they landed in the sea.
"Next stop, Mock Town! Full speed ahead to rendezvous with Mirajane's group!"
Eden declared.
Currently, the Mock Town that Eden was heading to had gathered a Warlord, the Blackbeard Pirates, the Whitebeard Commander Ace, and a current Marine Admiral.
As for the Fairy Tail group, on Mirajane and Gray's ship, they were also carrying a future Admiral who was wanted by the World Government, currently homeless, and who, in the original timeline, would have been exceptionally recruited due to his overwhelming strength.
Regardless, once Fairy Tail intervened in this incident, just as 'Newspaper King' Doffy had said, the whole world was about to be thrown into chaos.