"Who would've thought that you and your granddaughter would both take part in this tournament. The former king himself, developing a selfish desire for a Devil Fruit… looks like you've really run out of options?"
"But your family is really standing out today. Rebecca actually managed to catch the interest of that man who never needed companions, and even Violet has started to move. That doesn't seem like a coincidence. Add your own actions on top of that, is today some kind of anniversary?"
Although the big commotion in Dressrosa had been caused by Doflamingo himself, the series of unexpected incidents that all happened on the same day made him feel that something was strange.
"You really don't feel a thing, do you? The news you sent out this morning gave us a glimmer of hope, nothing more."
"Making a speech about abandoning the entire nation and then brushing it off as false information… and you Shichibukai are allowed to wreak havoc. The World Government really is rotten to the core."
"Fuffuffuffu, isn't that just your own stupidity? You took an unverified rumor and turned it into your so-called hope? But then again, it fits you; after all, even back then, you believed the words of a pirate."
That night long ago, Doflamingo had appeared before King Riku, threatening him: either hand over ten billion Berries, or Doflamingo would take Dressrosa by force. To avoid the casualties that war would bring, King Riku chose to believe him.
But in the end, Doflamingo used his ability to control King Riku and his soldiers, plunging Dressrosa into a night of bloodshed, and then personally struck down those soldiers, using this method to seize the kingdom's rule.
"Violet, however, is different. She's not like you, she's a calculating woman who never lets her emotions sway her. Looks like she's decided to go all out and take a gamble against me."
"It seems that her courage came from another Shichibukai, Law and his alliance. Too bad for her, she doesn't understand that even among the Shichibukais, there are disparities."
"As for that Straw Hat in their alliance? His bloodline is decent, but it's utterly insignificant here."
"Compared to the monsters gathered in this place, they're nothing but ants."
"Hmph, and compared to them, aren't you just another ant yourself?"
"….You really dare to say that, huh? That's right! Compared to them, I'm an ant too. This sea is that cruel; without enough strength, you don't even have the right to speak."
"But I have my own value. Even monsters compete against one another, and as long as I manage it well, everything will remain within my grasp."
"Such confidence. Gathering so many monsters in one place; one small misstep and you'll set yourself on fire. Why are you doing all this?"
"In the end, it's all about profit. The clash of monsters breeds fear. No matter who gets their hands on the Quake-Quake Fruit, it means another unstable element has been added to the seas.
The more chaos there is, the more wars will break out. The greedy will seek to invade others, and even those without ambition will have to buy more weapons just to defend themselves. Isn't that enough?"
What King Riku said was indeed the risk Doflamingo faced, but such risk came with immense profit.
So far, despite a few small hiccups, Doflamingo believed everything remained under his control. Even if Buggy had taken advantage of the situation to steal part of his earnings, he could always reclaim them later.
Though there were many monsters here, he had connections with the Beasts Pirates, and as an Underworld broker, and with Caesar's identity, he even had some ties with the Big Mom Pirates.
With the identity of Shichibukai, even the World Government and the Marines could be considered allies of sorts. Doflamingo saw no reason to worry.
What he didn't know, however, was that somewhere beyond his sight, an uncontrollable factor had already appeared.
While acting separately, Usopp and Bon Kurei mistakenly entered the Land of Dwarves, which the people of Dressrosa refer to as the Fairy Kingdom of Green Bit.
Their race was extremely gullible; they believe whatever others tell them and won't realize what's happening until they've already been cheated.
At first, they too were deceived by Doflamingo, believing that King Riku was a wicked man, and began to approach Doflamingo with trust.
Later, the Donquixote Family lied to the Dwarves, claiming that their princess, Mansherry, was gravely ill, and ordered them to cultivate SMILE fruits as a supposed cure, thereby enslaving five hundred Dwarves.
This was because the Dwarves possessed an exceptional gift for cultivating plants. They could cultivate all the known plants.
Eventually, the Dwarves realized what had truly happened. According to their king, their feud with the Donquixote Family actually dated back nine hundred years.
To resolve the matter and rescue their princess, the Dwarves joined forces with Kyros, who had been turned into a toy soldier, and together they devised Operation SOP—a plan whose ultimate goal was to frighten Sugar into unconsciousness.
Only by rendering Sugar unconscious could they restore those transformed into toys to their human forms, thereby clearing Kyros's name.
Usopp, who had stumbled into their land by accident, relied on his lies and presented himself as a descendant of Noland.
Noland had once done a huge favour for the Dwarves, and even to this day, his name was passed down among them.
Usopp quickly earned their trust and joined the operation. With Bon Kurei's Clone-Clone Fruit ability, they had already begun a special infiltration mission.
The attack on the toy factory was only a facade, the deeper part of the plan had yet to be revealed.
"Doffy, new intel from Machvise. The Marines have appeared at the Toys House and already surrounded the area."
Pica, who had only just left, returned again. Before he could even finish speaking, Fujitora had already entered, leaning on his cane.
"How quick. So the Marines are already taking action? That was quite a wise decision on your part, Fujitora."
"Don't misunderstand. This old man never said he would help you in your evil deeds.
But when suspicious individuals stir up trouble, of course the Marines will act. Minimizing civilian casualties when accidents occur, this is the reason the Marines fight.
For your head, they may cause reckless destruction. Preventing such misfortune from happening, that is my justice."
Ever since Green Bit, Fujitora's actions had repeatedly disrupted Doflamingo's plans, making Doflamingo increasingly suspicious of him.
"What are you talking about?"
"Though this old man is but a newcomer from the World Military Draft, since I've accepted the rank of Admiral, naturally, there are things I wish to accomplish."
"Such as?"
"Completely abolishing the Shichibukai system. If the incident of pirates trying to usurp a nation had happened in Alabasta, wouldn't that place might have ended up just like this place, turning into a kingdom shrouded in darkness?"
"Do too many evil deeds, and your head will only become more and more valuable, Heavenly Demon."
"Fuffuffuffu. What's this, are you planning to kill me early?"
"Dont be impatient. For now, I merely wish to protect this country. Whatever festering disease is revealed afterward, I'm a blind man; I won't see it. For the time being, we can still coexist in peace."
"But this year is a Levely year. No matter the outcome, the world will surely act."
Fujitora then turned and left once more. Through his Observation Haki, he had naturally sensed the presence of King Riku and Law nearby, yet he neither spoke nor intervened. It seemed he had come only to warn Doflamingo.
"Doffy."
"Don't worry, Pica. That man still seems to be following the World Government's orders."
Doflamingo had already noticed Fujitora's intentions. If the Shichibukai system didn't exist, the Admiral would have attacked him outright. But since it was still in place, Fujitora, despite his disgust for it, chose not to break the rules; he intended to have the system abolished through lawful means before doing anything else.
Even Doflamingo, looking at the string of troublesome matters piling up, couldn't help rubbing his forehead. It seemed he might have talked too big earlier.
Crack! Crack!
Just then, every window in the palace shattered under the force of a powerful wind. Decorations and ornaments fell to the floor, and the gust nearly blew Doflamingo's sunglasses off his face.
"What's going on?! Where is this Conqueror's Haki coming from?!"
As someone who possessed Conqueror's Haki, Doflamingo naturally recognized what this was. Feeling the overwhelming pressure, his heart tensed. Following his gaze out the window, he realized the source of this aura.
With Corrida Colosseum as a center… the sky had been split.
TN: Hey guys, I've picked up a new One Piece novel. You can search it: One Piece: The Undying King.
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