Seeing Doflamingo beaten so badly, even wounded to the point of collapse, Violet couldn't help but have mixed thoughts.
"Fuffuffuffuffu… I thought everyone had been wiped out. So you're still alive, Violet."
Leaning back against a shattered pillar, his head covered in blood, Doflamingo showed no trace of rage or bitterness at defeat.
When he saw Violet carrying the Den Den Mushi over, he even managed to grin.
"...It's for you."
Biting her lip to suppress the hatred in her heart, Violet set the Den Den Mushi down in front of Doflamingo.
Back when Doflamingo toppled the Dressrosa Kingdom, Violet had chosen to remain under his command in exchange for sparing her father, the former king.
At first, Violet still harbored thoughts of striking Doflamingo down one day. But the more she learned about him and the terrifying power he commanded behind the scenes, the less she dared to act recklessly.
Now, finally, the opportunity seemed within reach—yet the call from Mary Geoise had shattered her last sliver of hope.
"Click. In this state, I can't exactly answer the Den Den Mushi myself. Would you do me a favor, Violet?"
Just as Violet was about to leave, Doflamingo twisted his mouth into a cruel grin.
He knew full well her heart was filled with grief and resentment, yet even while gravely wounded, he deliberately forced her—his enemy—to hold the receiver for him.
Violet froze mid-step, her hand instinctively brushing against the dagger hidden in her clothes. For an instant, she truly wanted to drive it into him and end it all.
But the ceaseless chirping of the Den Den Mushi reminded her—the consequences of killing Doflamingo would be far more than she or the people of Dressrosa could ever bear.
"Of course…"
Years of enduring torment had honed Violet's resilience. Though she hated him to the bone, she still managed to wear a flawless smile as she lifted the receiver for Doflamingo.
"...Donquixote Doflamingo?"
The moment the call connected, a stranger's voice spoke briefly before being replaced by one that was distinctly older.
As Violet was still wondering who it belonged to, Doflamingo froze for a heartbeat—then burst into wild, maniacal laughter, the kind that tore open his wounds and spilled blood, yet he never stopped.
"Fuffuffuffuffu! The exalted Gorosei, lowering themselves to personally reach out to me, the castaway they once expelled—how utterly shocking!"
His laughter was reckless, unrestrained. He couldn't care less that on the other end of the line was the very highest authority of the World Government.
Violet's grip on the receiver tightened until her knuckles turned white. Only now did she truly understand—Doflamingo's fearlessness wasn't just because he was a Shichibukai.
What she couldn't comprehend was this: how could he dare speak so brazenly, even insultingly, to the Gorosei?
"Don't get too arrogant, Doflamingo. Don't forget who it was that gave you the title of Shichibukai in the first place!"
On the other end of the line, the elderly voice spoke solemnly. If it weren't absolutely necessary, those in Mary Geoise wouldn't have bothered contacting Doflamingo, a fallen Celestial Dragon.
But the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates were coming on too strong. With the might of two Yonko crews combined, and their rampant recruitment in the New World, they looked ready to unite all pirates there to topple the World Government itself.
Over on the Navy's side, Kizaru had agreed to deal with Boros as quickly as possible—but before he even moved an inch, he kept demanding money. He didn't even wait for the World Government to press him, instead constantly delivering long lists of "budget requests" to the Gorosei.
Don't ask him when he'll move against Boros—ask him, and it's: "Ships cost money, recruitment costs money, maintaining bases costs money." Every excuse Kizaru gave sounded perfectly "reasonable."
In the past, that kind of "reasonableness" wouldn't have been grounds to approve any funding. Old warships could be repaired, and even decades-old vessels could be handed down to branch navies in the Four Seas.
But now, if the money wasn't given, Kizaru simply wouldn't act. Ask him why, and it was always the same: no money for repairs, and he's already sent his sailors off to do part-time jobs just to raise funds. The Gorosei were nearly driven to their graves in fury.
As time dragged on, unease began gnawing at them. They even reached out to Doflamingo directly, hoping to confirm through this underworld broker just what was happening in the New World.
"So, what orders do Your Excellencies have for me?"
Doflamingo sneered playfully, deliberately glancing at Violet beside him.
But Violet, steeped in anger and dread, noticed nothing. For the first time, she truly understood just how impossible it would be to reclaim Dressrosa from Doflamingo's grip.
"We've received reports that the black market's stockpiles of weapons have been completely looted. What do you have to say about this?"
The Gorosei's tone was grave. Compared to the scale of the World Government, the black market's arms trade was insignificant—barely a drop in the ocean.
But in such turbulent times, every ounce of power Boros, suspected to be of the D. Lineage, acquired would magnify the threat he posed to them.
Even if the Gorosei didn't believe Boros and his Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates could truly overthrow the World Government, they would not risk even the tiniest chance.
"Where there are buyers, there will always be sellers. Do you see a problem with that, Excellencies?"
Doflamingo shifted into a more comfortable position. Katakuri hadn't shown him any mercy; even he found this battle almost more than he could bear.
"Don't play dumb! We gave you the seat of Shichibukai, not so you could turn against us!"
The Gorosei's voice thundered with irritation. In their eyes, the Heavenly Yaksha was just an unruly dog who occasionally bit the hand that fed him.
Though Doflamingo still saw himself as a Celestial Dragon, he was no longer accepted as one.
"Fuffuffuffu… cough cough! My apologies, Excellencies. But I already sold off every last weapon. You're a little too late."
He broke into another fit of coughing, hacking up blood before regaining control.
"Bastard! Do you have any idea why those madmen are buying weapons in such bulk?!"
The Gorosei's anger exploded. They could tolerate Doflamingo toeing the line, but never crossing it.
"What good would knowing do? What was I supposed to do—refuse Katakuri when he came knocking at my door?"
Doflamingo sighed theatrically, deliberately hiding the fact that he had sold off the stock long ago, trying to make them believe he'd only done so under Katakuri's pressure.
"Don't be clever with us, Doflamingo! Never forget—everything you have now, from your title as Shichibukai to your power, exists because of us. And we can strip it all away just as easily!"
Another Gorosei's voice rang out coldly. They might not care much about a single Shichibukai, but they would never tolerate a former Celestial Dragon like him stepping over the line.
"Oh, how terrifying. I'm just a humble middleman, I could never withstand the wrath of the Gorosei~"
Doflamingo raised his hands in a mock-innocent gesture. Thankfully the Gorosei couldn't see his smug face through the Den Den Mushi, or else they might have burst a vein on the spot.
"We'll overlook your earlier transgressions. But from this moment on, you will restrain the arms trade of the underworld. That madman must not be allowed to build strength through black market channels!"
The Gorosei, in the end, let the past go. After all, true Celestial Dragons were useless parasites, and Doflamingo was at least a capable—if disgraced—outcast.
"I'll do my best. But don't expect me to make any promises."
Under Violet's astonished gaze, Doflamingo responded. Just earlier, he had promised Katakuri that he would expand production at once to ensure the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates received enough weapons.
And yet, now he had agreed to the Gorosei's demand to control the underworld arms trade and stop supplying them.
But after the initial shock, Violet couldn't help but feel a trace of joy. If Doflamingo was hated by both the pirates and the Gorosei because of his constant double-dealing, perhaps Dressrosa might finally have a chance to break free from his grasp.
"Behave yourself, Doflamingo. If you render enough service, we may even consider letting you return to Mary Geoise."
At that moment, perhaps to sweeten the deal, the Gorosei on the other end offered a tempting promise.
The instant he heard it, Doflamingo's face twisted with rage. He would never forget the humiliation of being turned away by the Celestial Dragons when he returned with his father's severed head, begging for reentry into Mary Geoise.
Had this been a face-to-face meeting, the Gorosei's experience would have easily read the shift in his expression. But over a Den Den Mushi, it was harder to tell.
They even mistook it for overexcitement. The one who had made the promise felt smug—so easy, with just a few words, to drive a Shichibukai like Doflamingo to risk his life. The superiority they had lost when dealing with Kizaru seemed restored in this moment.
°°°
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