Doflamingo lay unconscious in a forest, his condition unknown.
Meanwhile, Enel, having left the battle before Doflamingo, followed the directions of a Vivre Card and found his way to the Donquixote Pirates.
For the past several days, under Diamante's leadership, the Donquixote Pirates had been in high spirits, capturing numerous pirate crews and pressing them into service. When Enel arrived on the Ark Maxim, they were in the middle of discussing the finer details of their impending attack on Dressrosa.
Thud.
Enel, his face a little pale, landed on the deck of the Ark and was immediately spotted by the crew members.
"Lord Enel, are you alright?" a subordinate asked, rushing forward and preparing to support the weakened god.
"Where are Diamante and the others?" Enel waved him off, indicating that he was fine and not yet so weak as to need help walking.
"Lord Diamante is in the conference room, discussing matters with the others," the subordinate replied respectfully, retracting his hand.
"Take me there."
"Yes, sir."
Inside the conference room, all the top executives were gathered. In addition to them, seven or eight pirate captains stood off to the side, waiting patiently for their orders.
"What are your thoughts?" Diamante asked the room.
"We could have them begin the attack now," Robin offered, glancing around at the others after stating her opinion. "We haven't heard from Brother yet, but we can't afford to delay. I think we should let them make the first move, as long as they don't cause too much of a scene. When Brother arrives, we can sound the horns for a full-scale invasion."
"I have no objections. I think what Robin said is for the best," Ibes said in support.
"And you?" Diamante turned his gaze to Gladius and Pica.
"Diamante, you can make the decision. I'm good at fighting. This stuff, not so much," Pica said, making a rare contribution.
"I agree with Lord Pica," Baby 5 added, raising her hand with a slight smile.
"Hehe, that's our Baby 5," Robin chuckled.
The others shared a laugh, while the subjugated pirate captains remained frozen in place, not daring to move.
BANG!
The door to the conference room was forced open. Enel strode in, holding Doflamingo's severed arm.
Diamante was about to yell at the intruder but stopped short when he saw it was Enel, swallowing the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
"Lord Enel, you've returned," Monet was the first to greet him.
The others looked at Enel with curiosity.
"Mm," Enel nodded lightly and found a seat next to Law.
"Enel," Diamante started, wanting to ask what had happened, but the words caught in his throat.
"Lord Enel, that... is that..." Monet stammered, pointing at the arm in Enel's hand.
"You're not mistaken. It's exactly what you think it is. It's Doffy's arm," Enel said, his voice weak and lacking its usual flamboyance.
"How is that possible? The Young Master's arm..." Baby 5 covered her mouth, her wide eyes blinking in disbelief.
"Lord Enel, please, tell us what happened," Law urged.
Enel looked at the faces of the executives around the table. Concern was etched on every one of them, which was a comforting sight.
"Yes, Enel. What happened? How did Doffy's arm get severed?" Diamante finally asked.
"Doffy cut it off himself," Enel stated calmly.
A collective gasp filled the room. Everyone sucked in a sharp breath. What could have possibly happened to force Doflamingo to sever his own arm to survive?
"Then what about Doffy? Is he alright?" Ibes asked.
"Doffy told me to leave first. I expect he's shaken off Whitebeard and the others by now. I think he's fine. I checked his Vivre Card before I got here; it's not in any danger," Enel explained.
"That's good to hear."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief knowing that Doflamingo was safe.
"'Them'? Besides Whitebeard, who else was there?" Robin, having calmed down, keenly picked up on the implication in Enel's words.
"Beasts Kaido and Big Mom," Enel said flatly.
"Why would they get involved?"
Everyone was confused, unable to understand the situation.
The standing pirate captains, however, were scared half to death by the news.
Kaido, Big Mom, Whitebeard... what kind of monsters were they? They were the undisputed rulers of the New World. Compared to them, these captains were like ants to elephants. To think that a rookie pirate crew had managed to draw the attention of three of the Four Emperors... it was, in a strange way, an honor.
"Law." Enel turned his attention to the surgeon.
"Lord Enel."
"I'm entrusting Doffy's arm to you. Right now, you're the only one who can save it," Enel said, looking at him intently.
"Lord Enel, don't worry. I will make sure Mr. Doflamingo's arm is reattached flawlessly, good as new," Law promised.
"I'm counting on you." Enel stood up and patted Law's shoulder encouragingly.
"You can."
"So, what were you all discussing?" Having finished his report, Enel turned his attention back to Diamante and the others.
"It was Doffy's plan. We were just discussing whether or not to invade Dressrosa," Diamante explained.
"Well, you can continue your discussion. I'm going to get some rest."
With that, Enel excused himself, leaving Diamante and the others staring at each other in silence.
"Alright, let's solve the problem at hand," Diamante said loudly, bringing everyone back to attention. They all settled back into their seats, waiting for his command.
"I think Robin's proposal was a good one. We'll have them make the first move," Diamante ordered.
"Agreed."
With the unanimous support of the executives, Diamante turned his gaze to the assembled captains.
"Gentlemen, from now on, we'll be relying on your assistance," he said with a wide smile.
"Not at all, not at all. We are honored to serve the Donquixote Pirates," the captains said in unison. They had no way out now; their only option was to follow the Donquixote Family to the end. Whether for their own survival or for the promises Diamante had made them, they had no choice but to press forward.
"Hahaha, very good. I have faith in you. Haven't we worked well together so far?" Diamante laughed.
"That's only thanks to your help, Lord Diamante," the captains replied politely.
"Rest assured, we will deliver on everything we've promised you."
Diamante walked over to the captains and clapped them on the shoulders in a gesture of encouragement.
With the matter settled, the executives of the Donquixote Family dispersed to their own duties.
Diamante walked to a room down the hall and knocked politely on the door.
"Enter."
A low voice came from inside.
Creeak.
Diamante stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.
"Vergo, it's been a long time," Diamante said to a figure standing in the shadows.
"It certainly has. I can't believe so much time has passed," Vergo replied, his voice tinged with nostalgia.
He then removed the hood that was obscuring his face, revealing a familiar face to Diamante.
At some point, Vergo had secretly boarded the Ark, and Diamante was the only one who knew.