"Boss, it's done!"
"That fast?"
"Of course. With Boss Kuzan and me here, there's no problem at all." Mock's den den mushi showed a confident grin. "There was a small snag, but I still managed to lure that bunch right over to Boss Kuzan."
That snot-nosed punk, doubting the strength of the East Blue Overlord? Acting all cautious like that.
But the moment they reached the docks, Boss Kuzan froze the ship and the men in one go.
Then he added cheerfully, "Oh, right, Boss, what do we do next? Boss Kuzan said he's not interested in this anymore and asked what the hell you're planning."
"Not interested? We're already at this point and he wants to quit?" Hearing this, Dante didn't seem bothered. Still smiling, he said, "Tell him he probably doesn't want the World Government finding out he attacked pirates under the protection of a Shichibukai for no reason, right?"
'We're this deep in and he wants to run?' he thought.
What a joke.
Either they took down Donquixote Doflamingo, or Kuzan would have to go back and accept punishment.
After all, as a Marine Admiral, he'd just made an unprovoked move against pirates under a Shichibukai's protection.
"As for what comes next..." Dante's eyes narrowed. "Mock, it's time for you to go throw yourself at your Doofus Bro."
As soon as he said that,
Mock's face on the den den mushi went blank. But before he could speak,
The snail's expression shifted, turning into a scowling Kuzan den den mushi. "What the hell are you up to, brat? Sending this guy to defect to the Donquixote Family? Are you planning to pull another Alabasta Kingdom stunt? I'll admit, last time exceeded my expectations, but Doflamingo isn't Crocodile. Based on what you've said, you know damn well this kid is no match for him. Even with Bartholomew Kuma, it's still the same."
"I have to remind you: if you can't take down Doflamingo quickly, you'll be the only one who loses. That guy's status is complicated."
But in the face of Kuzan's warning,
Dante just kept smiling. "That's why we still have you."
The moment those words fell,
Silence.
Kuzan's expression on the snail turned even more irritated.
He still snapped back irritably, "You know I can't move on Doflamingo without solid evidence."
"No problem. You can't move against Doflamingo, but..." Dante paused slightly. "You can move against the East Blue Overlord."
The Kuzan den den mushi stiffened. Then, as if realizing something, it frowned. "You sure about this?"
"Relax. Just wait."
"Oh, I'll be waiting, don't you worry," Kuzan drawled. Dante's words finally set him at ease, but his tone stayed lazy and annoyed. "And if I get chewed out for this, I'm telling them it was your idea."
"..."
Before a scowling Dante could respond,
*Beeep, beeep, beeep~*
Kuzan happily hung up the den den mushi.
'That'll teach you to use me like a pawn, brat,' he thought.
At that moment,
Boss Kuzan had already hung up. Mock, watching curiously, leaned his head closer. "Boss Kuzan, what did the Boss say just now? I didn't get any of it." He scratched his head. "So what am I supposed to do now?"
"What to do?" Kuzan's face showed a warm, friendly smile as he patted Mock's shoulder, then his expression flipped cold. "Run. Unless you're waiting for me to arrest you."
...
Meanwhile.
At the Marine 16th Branch.
Dante put away the disconnected den den mushi, his eyes sinking into thought.
Since Mock had already made his move,
Then next...
He turned to the side, looking at Viola, who was watching him with a complicated expression. He smiled. "I'll have to trouble you again, Princess Viola."
Called by name, Viola snapped out of her thoughts, giving him a strange look. She nodded. "Don't worry. I know what to do."
She had to admit... even now, it still felt unreal.
That terrifying Donquixote Family was about to be wiped out just like that? The most terrifying of them all, Donquixote Doflamingo, wasn't down yet, but at this point, she believed in this man.
Doflamingo was doomed.
Her feelings were complicated, not for the Donquixote Family, but because she'd come here intending to seduce a Marine Captain, yet ended up working with that very same Captain to destroy them.
At this moment, even she couldn't help sighing over Doflamingo's rotten luck. But then she remembered the suffering of Dressrosa, and her mood brightened. She pulled out her den den mushi, dialed a number, took a deep breath, and said softly:
"Doffy..."
On the other end.
Staring at the Viola den den mushi in his hand, Doflamingo's lip stiffened. A bad feeling pricked at his gut.
Sure enough,
Before he could speak,
The Viola den den mushi, wearing a pained but resolute expression, said, "We failed."
Failed again?
Doflamingo's eyelid twitched, his face instantly turning overcast. His grip on the den den mushi tightened. "Are you kidding me, Viola?"
He had sent both Trebol and Diamante.
And they only held out for three days?
And still lost?
Was Bartholomew Kuma really that monstrously strong?
"Don't tell me the only one who escaped was that damn East Blue Overlord again."
"What the fu..."
Seeing the Viola den den mushi fall silent, Doflamingo couldn't hold it in. He erupted into a stream of curses.
Again, only the East Blue Overlord had escaped.
He was starting to wonder if someone was trolling him.
He drew in a long breath, forced down his rage, and stared coldly at the den den mushi. "Viola, tell me exactly what happened."
Under his questioning,
The Viola den den mushi went quiet.
Only when Doflamingo was on the verge of losing patience did she sigh. "I'm sorry, Doffy. I don't know. I couldn't gather any intel this time."
"You don't know?" Doflamingo's voice turned even icier. "Is that Corrupt Marine Captain still not your plaything?"
"I'm sorry."
"Forget it." Doflamingo rubbed his forehead, as if something had clicked. He let out a helpless sigh. "Looks like that Corrupt Marine really doesn't know what's going on this time. But then what did happen?"
"Do you need me to keep investigating?"
"Keep investigating? No. You can come back."
"But my mission..."
"Mission? The mission failed," Doflamingo cut her off impatiently, then drew another slow breath. "It seems the waters of this so-called Weakest Sea are deeper than I thought. The mistake was in my plan."
As he spoke, something else came to mind.
"Forget that Corrupt Marine. I have other matters to attend to. Hanging up."
Without giving Viola a chance to respond, Doflamingo snapped the den den mushi shut. He sat in silence for a moment, then expressionlessly dialed another number. Once it connected, his expression turned cold.
"East Blue Overlord, this time you owe me an-"
Before he could finish,
The East Blue Overlord den den mushi beamed excitedly. "Doofus Bro, I was just about to come to you!"
Before the utterly baffled Doflamingo could say a word,
The East Blue Overlord spoke again, his voice full of fury. "Sorry. We ran into a Marine Admiral on the way."
'The hell? A Marine Admiral?'
A Marine Admiral? Hearing that, the fire that had been burning inside Doflamingo was abruptly snuffed out. He froze.
Not Bartholomew Kuma, a Marine Admiral?
Before he could press for details,
The East Blue Overlord went on. "And it's not just your officers..." He sighed, his tone heavy with grief. "All my crew died, too."
Then, suddenly, his voice flipped to excitement. "But it's fine. That guy has already walked into my trap!"
"Your trap?"
"That's right. Listen, he's still chasing me right now! Wahahaha!" Mock's unique laugh rang out. "He thinks I'm just running, but I'm not running away at all. I'm luring him to a certain place."
Doflamingo's mind went blank for a second.
Luring him... somewhere? In his mind, Mock's earlier line echoed: "I was just about to come to you."
A sharp sense of dread stabbed through him.
He hesitated, then asked, "And that place is?"
"Your place, of course!"
"You son of a WH-"
Before the utterly stunned Doflamingo could give voice to the storm in his head,
The East Blue Overlord shouted excitedly, "I'm almost there! Once I get to you, the two of us together can definitely take down this Marine Admiral!"
"...Get lost."
"Uh... I'm almost there!"
===============
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