Chapter 90: Wandering Knight Doma
Doflamingo had lost Vergo, his top undercover agent within the Marines. Even with the authority of a Warlord of the Sea (Shichibukai), gaining inside information on the Navy would now be nearly impossible. Thus, he made a drastic decision.
Moving everything from Punk Hazard to Dressrosa was a dangerous gamble.
The production of SAD and Caesar Clown's research involved toxic chemicals and massive risk. A single accident could reduce Dressrosa to ruins, just like what had happened to Punk Hazard years ago. Still, Dressrosa was Doflamingo's stronghold. Placing such dangerous operations there showed how much he valued the artificial Devil Fruit (SMILE) trade with Kaido of the Beasts Pirates.
Doflamingo was even willing to endure the humiliation of having the SAD factory destroyed by Portgas D. Ace—just to keep Kaido satisfied.
In the royal palace atop King's Plateau, Doflamingo stood silently in front of a large window, clutching Ace's new bounty poster in his gloved hand. The window was lined with other bounty posters, each one featuring the mysterious initial "D."
"Portgas D. Ace… a 'D,' huh? Fufufufufu..."
Suddenly, he slammed the poster down on the table and burst into mad laughter. It echoed through the palace hall like the howling of a storm.
Meanwhile, after leaving Punk Hazard, Ace escorted Van Bock and the rescued children for some distance before parting ways.
As he traveled back toward Sun Island, Ace stumbled across a sea battle—two pirate crews clashing fiercely. Among them was a face Ace recognized.
"If I'm not mistaken… the guy with the monkey is Knight of the Sea Doma, right?" Ace squinted at the battlefield and rubbed his chin.
In the original timeline, Doma was one of the 43 division commanders under Whitebeard, having joined after being defeated by Ace. But now, since Ace hadn't yet joined the Whitebeard Pirates, Doma was still an independent pirate captain.
"If I could convince him then, there's no reason I can't convince him now." Ace grinned confidently and revved his small ship toward the fray.
The Rogue Knight Pirates, led by Doma, were a well-known crew in the New World. Their opponents weren't weak either. The ships were locked side-by-side as crews brawled across decks, too distracted to notice the approaching presence of Fire Fist Ace.
Ace lowered the brim of his hat and found a high vantage point to observe the chaos.
"Who are you?" one of Doma's officers finally spotted him and raised a blade warily.
His voice alerted both crews. Even Doma himself stopped fighting to glance over at the newcomer.
"Me? Just a passerby. Don't mind me—keep fighting." Ace smirked and tipped his hat.
But when the pirates saw his face, they froze.
"That's him!"
"'Fire Fist' Portgas D. Ace!"
"What the hell is he doing here?!"
Doma narrowed his eyes. "Fire Fist Ace… What brings you here?"
Ace stepped forward. "Told you, just passing through. But I know you, Doma the Wandering Knight. Meeting you here must be fate. So, how about it? Want to join me?"
The offer came without warning.
Doma was caught off guard. "Are you serious? You expect me to kneel just because you say so?"
Though Doma was a pirate, he had pride. As a respected captain in the New World, he wouldn't surrender to anyone without a fight.
Ace chuckled. "Shame. In that case, I'll just sink both of your ships."
The smiles disappeared instantly. Doma and the other pirate captain turned grim.
"Why are you attacking us? We've got no beef with you!" the other pirate captain demanded.
"Shut up!" Doma barked at him. "We're pirates. We don't need a reason to fight."
Doma unsheathed the twin swords on his back and glanced at the other captain. "Ledo, this guy's not someone either of us can take on alone. Let's team up for now."
Ledo hesitated but then nodded. "Fine."
Such was the pirate world—alliances could form in an instant, even between enemies, when faced with a common threat.
Just as the two were about to face Ace, Ledo betrayed Doma, stabbing him in the side while he was distracted.
Doma stumbled backward, coughing up blood. "Why…?"
"You were too naive," Ledo sneered, flicking the blood off his blade. "Against Fire Fist, I'll do anything to survive."
Doma glared at him in silent fury.
Ledo turned to Ace. "Fire Fist, help me finish off Doma and his men, and I'll swear loyalty to you."
Ace ignored him and looked back at Doma.
"You're the one I want, Doma. Join me, and I'll take care of this guy for you."
Doma gritted his teeth, then straightened up and said, "Fine. But I don't need your help. I'll handle this traitor myself."
He raised his twin swords again, despite his injury. "Let's settle this, Ledo."
Faced with Doma's fury, Ledo paled. But he had no way out now.
An hour later, the Ledo Pirates' ship lay in ruins at the bottom of the sea.
With new injuries and new resolve, Doma and the Rogue Knight Pirates set sail alongside Ace, heading toward Sun Island.
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