"Giving you a chance?"
Orin walked forward with his hands in his pockets, leading Mihawk, Crocodile, Kuma, Enel, and Doflamingo.
Moria hesitated for a moment but clenched his teeth and followed as well.
Not because he wanted to — but because there was only one path leading to the reception hall.
Orin stretched out his hand. Doflamingo froze for a second before realizing he was expected to hand over a cigar from his suit pocket.
But Crocodile's hand was faster. She casually pulled out a cigar from her coat and handed it to Orin.
Then she gave Doflamingo a sidelong glance, full of challenge and disdain.
Doflamingo gritted his teeth.
This damn crocodile woman…
Just as he was about to grab his lighter from another pocket, a sudden spark of electricity burst in midair.
Enel snapped his fingers. A few hundred volts of discharge were more than enough to light the cigar instantly.
Doflamingo: "…"
Orin slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, turning his head toward Doflamingo, whose expression was stiff and uneasy.
"Hey, Doffy, as the first Shichibukai I placed my hopes on, I don't think I've treated you badly, right~?"
Orin wasn't exactly disappointed in him. The thing was, Doflamingo had been twisted since childhood, and he often acted in ways that weren't entirely honest.
Using the Hobby-Hobby Fruit the way he did had crossed a line. He didn't like to report his moves, and several major underworld bosses had mysteriously vanished recently. Orin knew they'd had conflicts with Doflamingo in the past.
Business competition was fine. But making someone vanish without a trace? That kind of shady tactic… Orin didn't like it.
He hated being kept in the dark by his subordinates.
"Y-Yes… Your help is something I can never repay, even in this lifetime…"
Doflamingo lowered his head, not daring to resist.
"Well… forget it."
"Once the meeting's over, I'll head to Dressrosa myself. Make sure you find a way to win back my favor, Doffy…"
In the dim light, Doflamingo couldn't read Orin's expression clearly, but that slight relaxation in his tone made him overjoyed!!!
"Because if you can't make it up to me…"
"Then you'll atone with your life."
"Please rest assured."
Seeing Doflamingo bow his head, Orin said nothing more.
Truthfully, he wasn't that upset. If he were genuinely furious, Doflamingo — this so-called man born to rule — would already be half-dead.
Orin had just said it harshly on purpose, to keep his subordinates in line.
As for Doflamingo, the crisis was temporarily defused, but he knew he wasn't completely safe yet.
Walking at the back of the group, he quietly slipped a Den Den Mushi from his coat.
...
At the same time…
Inside the royal palace of Dressrosa.
"Hey!!! Law, what's with that scary look in your eyes?!"
"Shut up!!!"
"Uuuuh…"
A few brats were roughhousing together. As reserve officers of the Donquixote Family, they had been receiving strict training since childhood.
Training was tough, and on top of that, they constantly suffered beatings and pranks from Corazon.
The other officers nearby didn't intervene. They just watched like it was free entertainment, enjoying the chaos.
It was at that moment—
"Beru-beru-beru…"
The Den Den Mushi on the table suddenly rang.
All the officers' attention shifted at once.
"Huh? Is that Doffy calling?"
Diamante frowned at the distinctive Den Den Mushi, clearly puzzled.
"Did something happen? He just left a few days ago."
"No idea… You brats, quiet down!!!"
Trebol barked at the kids, then picked up the receiver.
The image of a man in red sunglasses and a pink feathered coat appeared — but most importantly, his mouth was turned down.
Whenever Doflamingo spoke to family members, he was either expressionless or smiling. If the corners of his lips went down, it was never good news.
"Moshi moshi, Doffy, what's wrong?"
Doflamingo, still at the back of the line, spoke in a low voice, clearly displeased.
"Something came up unexpectedly. You all need to prepare immediately…"
"Orin-sama will be visiting Dressrosa soon."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
Trebol was actually delighted that the Boss's Boss was coming. He thought Doflamingo looked so serious simply because he wanted to prepare perfectly for Orin-sama's arrival.
"No… Trebol, this could decide whether the Donquixote Family survives or not!!!"
"You'd better take this seriously. Very seriously!!!"
The weight of his words sank in instantly.
"Eh!!!"
All the officers panicked. Cold sweat ran down their foreheads, and Trebol's hands trembled as he held the receiver.
"W-Why?! Aren't we Orin-sama's biggest business partners?!"
Bad move. The moment he mentioned that, Doflamingo nearly exploded.
Veins bulged on his forehead. If he weren't walking in Orin's entourage right now, he would have roared in fury.
"That's exactly the problem!!! Orin-sama is furious that we used the Hobby-Hobby Fruit without informing him!!!"
"You've been living with a ghost in the house without even knowing it!!!"
Gulp…
Everyone swallowed hard, exchanging uneasy looks.
A ghost in the house?
Impossible. Only a handful of core members even knew about Sugar's existence!
Still, since Doflamingo had given the order, no one dared slack off. The entire family immediately began preparing to give Orin-sama the perfect travel experience.
Not far away, one of the kids frowned, having only caught part of the conversation. He leaned toward Baby-5 and whispered:
"Who's coming? Why is everyone so scared?"
This was Law, whose young mind was just as twisted as Doflamingo's had been at his age. He had the same destructive urge to ruin everything.
Naturally, he was very curious about someone who could terrify everyone like this.
"You were mean to me earlier, so I'm not telling you!"
Baby-5 pouted, still holding a grudge over Law's earlier glare.
"…"
Left with no choice, Law copied what the others were doing.
"Please, tell me."
Sure enough, that trick never failed.
"Ah~ being needed feels so good~ Fine, I'll tell you. That's Doffy-sama's Boss — the true ruler of these seas—"
"Orin-sama~"
"Orin… -sama?"
A man who could make the entire Donquixote Family bow their heads?
From that moment on, the name Orin was deeply etched into Law's heart.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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