The pillars of the global underworld shattered under the weight of the morning news, sending shockwaves across the four seas and the Grand Line.

News Coos dropped papers onto decks, balconies, and battlefields. The resulting silence was absolute. For over a decade, the stability of proxy wars, weapon trades, and black-market networks relied on a single pivot: Donquixote Doflamingo, operating under the alias 'Joker.'

In the war rooms of the New World, kings and rebel leaders stared at the front page. The headline read: DONQUIXOTE DOFLAMINGO ABDICATES! WARLORD TITLE AND DRESSROSA THRONE RENOUNCED!

The sudden abdication left a void. Nations whose militaries were sustained by Joker's armaments fell into panic, realizing they were now defenseless. Rebel uprisings found their supply of gunpowder cut off. The gears of the world, lubricated by Doflamingo's criminal empire, ground to a halt.

---

At the New Marine Headquarters, erected within the fortified waters of the New World, the atmosphere was tense. Officers gathered around the illuminated table in the briefing room.

Commodore Brannew stood at the podium, clicking through bounty posters and maps. "The geopolitical landscape is plunging into instability," Brannew reported. "Doflamingo's resignation has paralyzed our underworld tracking network. Furthermore, the alliance between Monkey D. Luffy and Trafalgar Law complicates matters. Law's actions constitute a betrayal of his Warlord contract. His expulsion from the Shichibukai is currently being processed."

Brannew brought up the photograph of Luffy and Law. "How do we respond before this alliance strikes their next target?"

Sitting at the head of the table, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki remained motionless, hands clasped beneath his chin. A trail of cigar smoke rose from his lips. His eyes were cold.

"A pirate will always be a pirate," Sakazuki rumbled. "Allowing those rats into the Warlord system was a mistake from the beginning. They use our laws as a shield while plotting crimes. I care nothing for Doflamingo's panic. But I will not tolerate the Straw Hat brat and Law making a mockery of our jurisdiction."

"Fleet Admiral," Brannew said. "Should we mobilize a fleet from the G-1 branch to intercept them?"

Sakazuki exhaled a cloud of smoke, looking out the window toward the harbor. "There is no need to waste fleet resources. I have already dispatched Admiral Issho and World Government has sent CP0 agents there. They will ensure this alliance is crushed before it can take its first breath."

---

On the waters of the New World, the Thousand Sunny cut through the waves. The morning sun illuminated the grassy deck where the crew had assembled.

The Strawhats, along with Kin'emon, Momonosuke, and Trafalgar Law, stood together.

Law stood near the center mast, fingers tapping against the sheath of Kikoku. He looked toward Ben, who was leaning against the railing with his arm around Robin's waist.

"Ben-ya," Law said. "We need to verify our leverage. Bring out Caesar Clown."

Ben offered a casual wave of his hand. The space in front of him rippled, tearing open for a fraction of a second.

With a loud crash, Caesar Clown tumbled out of the empty air, smacking face-first onto the deck. He scrambled to his feet, gasping for air, eyes wide with terror.

"What is that place?!" Caesar shrieked, clutching his head. "I have been running all around for eight hours! Where am I?!"

Caesar stopped, his eyes adjusting to the light. He looked around. He was surrounded on all sides. To his left stood Franky; to his right, the Elbaf Giants looked down at him. In front of him stood the Straw Hat Pirates.

"Ah..." Caesar gulped.

Ben stepped forward, a sharp glint in his eye. "Don't do anything stupid, Caesar. And keep your voice down."

Caesar clutched his head, remembering the punch Ben had delivered in the laboratory. He swallowed hard and shut his mouth.

Law stepped forward, his boots clicking against the wood.

"Trafalgar!" Caesar hissed. "You traitor! You broke your word! You were supposed to protect my operations!"

Law didn't answer. He extended his left hand.

"ROOM."

The blue sphere expanded, enveloping the two men. With a flick of his hand, Law executed a spatial extraction.

"Mes."

Law's hand passed through Caesar's chest, popping a cubic block of flesh cleanly from his body. Inside the block, a heart was beating.

"GYAAAH!" Caesar screamed, clutching his chest.

Law caught the cube. "From now on, you do as I say. Otherwise, you will be dead."

"You wouldn't dare!" Caesar stammered. "Joker will kill you!"

Law pressed the heart inside the cube lightly.

"AGH! STOP! IT HURTS!" Caesar collapsed to his knees, weeping. "I'll do whatever you want! Just don't squeeze it!"

Before Law could stow the heart, his Den Den Mushi rang.

Purupurupurupuru...

Law pulled out the golden-framed receiver. The snail's features shifted, mimicking Doflamingo's grin and sunglasses. Law clicked the hook.

"Trafalgar," Doflamingo's voice purred. "I have done as told. My resignation is global news. Release Caesar. Immediately."

"We will conduct the exchange tomorrow afternoon," Law replied. "At three o'clock, you will find Caesar Clown on the southeastern beach of Green Bit. Come alone."

"Green Bit," Doflamingo laughed darkly. "A quiet place. But hand over Caesar unharmed, or there will be dangerous consequences."

"The terms are set," Law said, ignoring the threat and cutting the call.

"Listen closely," Law commanded, unrolling a map of Dressrosa onto a wooden barrel. "The exchange on Green Bit is a cover. Doflamingo will try to ambush us. While he is distracted, our objective is to find and destroy the SMILE factory. Its exact location is currently unknown, so we must—"

Law paused, looking up from his map. His jaw tightened as he took in his audience.

Luffy was picking his nose, staring blankly into the sky.

The four Elbaf Giants were yawning, bored.

Zoro was leaning back against the mast, snoring.

On the other side of the deck, Sunny, Merry, Bonney, and Momonosuke were playing tag, laughing.

Brook was sitting on a bench, tuning his violin.

Franky was hunched over his workbench, drafting a new invention.

Sanji was staring at the sky, thinking about what to cook for breakfast.

Ben was flirting with Robin, whispering in her ear while she smiled.

Only Vivi, Nami, Usopp, and Chopper were actually listening.

A vein popped on Law's temple in frustration. He slammed his hand onto the barrel. "ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!"

Luffy snapped out of his thoughts. "Yes, yes! We will go to Dress Roba and defeat Doflamingo!"

"It is Dress Rosa!" Law shouted.

"Roba, Rosa, same thing," Luffy laughed, his stomach letting out a growl. He clutched his midsection. "All this planning has me starved. Sanji, what are we having today?"

Sanji turned around. "I have prepared sandwiches!"

"I want a cotton candy sandwich!" Chopper exclaimed, hopping on his hooves.

Merry ran over. "Uncle Sanji, I want a chocolate sandwich!"

Sunny followed. "I want a spicy sandwich!"

Bonney shouted from the deck. "Sanji, don't forget the pizzas you promised!"

"Hai, hai!" Sanji smiled, taking their orders.

Law stood by the barrel, a tick mark on his head. He crossed his arms and shouted, "I hate bread!"

Realizing what he had just said, Law developed a horrified expression.

Ben tapped his shoulder to console him. "Welcome aboard the Thousand Sunny, Trafalgar."

Ben walked off with Robin, his hand on her waist. "Hey, Sanji! Turkey and cheddar on mine!"

They all sat down to eat breakfast.

---

After eating, the atmosphere turned serious. Kin'emon stood up, bowing his head to the crew.

"There is a truth I must share," Kin'emon said. "Our journey to Dressrosa is vital. A comrade of mine, Kanjuro, is captured there. He helped us escape when we wash ashore, drawing the enemy's attention to ensure Momonosuke and I could get to Punk Hazard. He is incarcerated in their dungeons. I will be searching for him."

Luffy grinned, adjusting his hat. "Don't worry, Kin'emon! We will help you find him!"

"Thank you!" Kin'emon wept.

---

Once lunch was finished, Ben walked over to Momonosuke, who was practicing his sword swings.

"Momo," Ben said. "Will you give me a small sample of your blood?"

Momonosuke got scared, stepping back. "Blood?! A needle?! I refuse!"

Ben smiled. "I want to study the Devil Fruit you ate on Punk Hazard. It might help us later."

Momonosuke looked at Kin'emon. The elder samurai nodded. "Momonosuke, Master Ben has saved us. Show no fear."

Momonosuke squeezed his eyes shut and extended his arm. "Very well! Do your worst!"

Ben reached into his spatial dimension, pulling out a syringe. He drew a sample of blood quickly and painlessly.

"All done," Ben said, capping the vial. "You're a brave samurai."

Ben went to his research lab, locking the door behind him.

---

In the quiet of his lab, Ben pulled out the Mato Mato no Mi, which he had extracted from Vander Decken.

"System," Ben said. "Feed on the Mato Mato no Mi and roll the template gacha."

The system chimed.

[ALERT: Consuming 'Mato Mato no Mi'...]

[Initiating Character Template Gacha Roll...]

The display spun with golden light, stopping on a familiar silhouette.

[ROLL COMPLETE! Unlocked Template: GOJO SATORU (Jujutsu Kaisen)]

[Synchronization: 1%. Unlocked: Limitless, Six Eyes.] 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Ben felt the change immediately. A spatial distortion crystallized around his fingers. The Six Eyes began feeding him raw atomic and energy data from the room.

Excited, Ben turned to his workspace. He pulled out the Logia Numa Numa no Mi and the Zoan Sara Sara no Mi, Model: Axolotl. He took samples from both fruits to study their structures before storing them safely.

With a flick of his fingers, Ben opened a spatial portal and stepped through.

---

Ben stepped out of the portal directly into Monkey D. Dragon's office in Baltigo.

Dragon sat behind his desk. He didn't look up, used to Ben's sudden arrivals over the last two years. "It has been a month since you came, Ben. How have you been?"

"Not much," Ben said, sitting down. "We went to Fish-man Island, then Punk Hazard. We were busy."

Dragon nodded. "How is Luffy?"

"You know him," Ben said. "Eat, fight, sleep, repeat."

Dragon smiled.

"How many kingdoms have we liberated?" Ben asked.

Dragon pulled out a ledger. "With the help of your inventions, which improved living conditions over the last two years, we have brought several minor kingdoms under the Revolutionary Army. We are keeping it a secret for now."

Ben nodded. "We are going to attack Doflamingo next. He will likely be defeated and sent to prison."

Dragon's eyes narrowed. "Joker. If he gets imprisoned, the whole underworld will be in turmoil."

"That is why I hope your army is ready," Ben said. "Once the illegal arms stop, the wars will be searching for a new dealer. Before they make a bargain with someone else, get ready to pounce and liberate as many islands as possible."

Dragon nodded. "I will take care of it. I will send Kuma, Sabo and the others to different islands to be ready in position. Once the arms supply stops, we will liberate them."

"What are Kid and Killer doing now?" Ben asked.

Dragon smirked. "After you wiped their memories and dropped them here, they trained with our recruits. They slowly climbed the ranks and now work directly under Sabo. They still have their wild habits, but Sabo keeps them in check. I gave Kid his fruit back, and he has been making waves."

Ben chuckled. He placed the Numa Numa no Mi and the Sara Sara no Mi on the desk.

"Make good use of these," Ben said. "One is for storage, the other for regeneration. Even if limbs are cut, they will regenerate back. I don't know to what extent the body regenerates internal organs, but it makes them hard to kill."

Dragon secured the fruits. "Thank you, Ben."

Ben waved his hand and teleported back to his research room to continue his experiments.

---

In Dressrosa, the sun shone on the vibrant streets, but the citizens were in a panic. Groups gathered around fountains, clutching newspapers and crying over Doflamingo's abdication.

Up in the palace, the executive officers of the Donquixote Pirates were lounging. Trebol hovered near the window, laughing his wet laugh.

"Nee, nee, Doffy!" Trebol gurgled. "The citizens are crying! They think the kingdom is ending!"

Doflamingo stepped out onto the sunlit terrace, his pink feather coat snapping in the wind. He adjusted his sunglasses, his lips curling into a sinister smile.

"Let them cry," Doflamingo purred. "They understand nothing. The moment the Straw Hats and Law step onto Dressrosa... they are entering a slaughterhouse."