New World,
Dressrosa.
This charming place, known as the "Land of Love, Passion, and Toys," appeared on the surface to be full of harmony and joy.
But most people had no idea just how much conspiracy and darkness hid behind that facade.
Outside a residential building,
A low-ranking soldier slipped quietly into the area, glancing around nervously as though terrified of being discovered.
In this seemingly ordinary residential district, there lived an ordinary-looking middle-aged man.
"King Riku-sama, Princess Viola asked me to deliver a message to you…"
"What did you say???"
Upon hearing the surviving soldier's words, the deposed King Riku, who had fallen into despair after his country was stolen from him, suddenly raised his head.
"The Donquixote Family is preparing at full force. It seems they are getting ready to welcome a very important figure."
"Is it a Celestial Dragon? No…"
Instinctively, Riku's first thought went to the times during his reign when he was forced to carefully host those Celestial Dragons whenever they descended from the Holy Land to "play" among commoners.
But then he thought about Doflamingo's… unique identity, and immediately dismissed the possibility. Instead, a far more terrifying name surfaced in his mind.
"Could… could it be… that ruler of the seas…"
Despair filled his face.
Under the Donquixote Family's overwhelming strength and bizarre abilities, he already had no power to resist. And now, if yet another legendary figure were to arrive…
It was over.
Dressrosa was finished…
"Princess Viola also asked me to tell you this: in these times, you must take care of yourself… and restrain our former comrades. Do not provoke the Black Emperor under any circumstances…"
"She's enduring the humiliation of staying by Doflamingo's side only to wait for a chance in the future — an opportunity to overthrow the Donquixote Family's rule. But if we anger the Black Emperor…"
"Then Dressrosa will never recover!!!"
...
"Hey, Baby 5, can you solve this math problem?"
On a ship shaped like a flamingo, sitting on the sofa in the main seat on deck was a tall, handsome man. A little girl sat in his lap, and a seagull perched on his shoulder.
Beside him, a blond man in a suit sat nervously, closely watching the young maid standing in front of them — terrified that Baby 5 would accidentally anger Orin-sama.
Luckily, thanks to years of experience as a maid, Baby 5 behaved very obediently in Orin's presence. In fact, she seemed to have won quite a bit of his favor.
At this moment, sitting on Orin's lap, the little girl pouted, furrowed her brows, and stared intensely at the math problem in his hand.
It was a simple two-digit addition and subtraction exercise, but for Baby 5 — who had grown up in a bandit's den where even literacy was a struggle — it was genuinely difficult.
She stared at the problem on the paper for a long time, her expression growing gloomier.
"I'm sorry, Orin-sama… I… I can't figure it out."
Orin wasn't surprised by her answer. After all, just moments ago, the little girl's face had already turned bright red from trying so hard.
Still, he decided to test something… Baby 5's hidden weakness.
With a faint smirk, Orin reached out, patted her little head, and said slowly:
"I need you to solve this problem for me, Baby 5."
The moment she heard those words, Baby 5's eyes instantly lit up, and a bright, happy smile blossomed across her face.
"I… I'm needed by Orin-sama!!!"
"So, for 46 + 72…"
"The answer is 118!!!"
Hearing the correct answer, Orin immediately burst out laughing and ruffled the little girl's hair playfully.
They always said people could do anything when pressured enough — and sometimes, that was really true!
Seeing Orin in such a good mood, Doflamingo, who had been drinking from a bottle nearby, also allowed himself a smile.
Impressive, Baby 5.
"Orin-sama, if you like her, Baby 5 can stay by your side to serve you from now on."
Perhaps in his eagerness to please, Doflamingo suggested anything he thought might make Orin happy — after all, there was no downside for him.
But Orin simply waved his hand dismissively.
"A maid this small? I'm not exactly into babysitting. I'll think about it when she's grown up."
He patted the little girl's head and sent her off to fetch him some juice.
As Baby 5 ran off cheerfully, Orin's gaze shifted to Doflamingo.
"Hey, Doffy, I heard in the last report that you recruited a scientist?"
Doflamingo's hand paused mid-swig, surprised that Orin would ask about this, but he replied honestly:
"That's right. The guy's name is Caesar Clown. He used to be part of Lu Feld' MADS research team, but after wandering around for a while, he eventually came to work for me. Right now, he's conducting some preliminary experiments."
Orin nodded.
He'd read about this in the reports, including Caesar's initial plans regarding artificial Devil Fruits and the funding required for them.
He also knew about MADS, but unfortunately, by the time Lu Feld had joined his side, the organization was already gone.
He'd dealt with Vegapunk, Judge, and even Stussy before…
But Caesar was the only one he hadn't met.
The reason Caesar chose Doflamingo among so many possible powerful patrons wasn't hard to guess — Doffy had the money, the influence, and the same twisted personality. But above all, Orin's name alone must've played a big role.
"By the way…"
"After Caesar joined me and began his research, the Beasts Pirates reached out to express their interest in the artificial Devil Fruits. But I refused their offer to cooperate."
"And recently, the first batch is about to mature. I suspect… they won't just sit back and watch."
Thanks to Orin backing him, Doflamingo wasn't particularly worried — the Beasts Pirates wouldn't dare openly cause trouble on his territory.
Still, he had some concerns.
They might resort to… other tactics.
A surprise attack to kidnap Caesar.
Or a covert attempt to steal the artificial fruits.
"I see~"
Orin didn't seem particularly interested in artificial Devil Fruits as a whole.
If he had to say, the only one he cared about — even slightly — was the Pink Dragon Fruit.
But even then, his principle was simple: his things belonged to him alone.
Even if he threw them in the trash, he wouldn't give them away to anyone else.
To put it bluntly — even if Kaido himself came in person, he wouldn't get a single fruit out of Dressrosa.
"So, who do you think the Beasts Pirates will send if they do come?"
A sharp gleam flashed in Orin's eyes, and his fingers twitched slightly.
The thought of Kaido — increasingly close to his peak — actually excited him a little. After all, in the original timeline, Kaido was one of the strongest individual fighters ever shown.
Peak Kaido had the qualifications to make Orin take him seriously in battle.
Doflamingo thought about it for a moment, then gave his assessment.
"I'm not completely sure, but recently, the Beasts Pirates have gained a new high-profile officer. My guess is Kaido would send him…"
"???" Orin raised an eyebrow.
"The one they call the monster… Drought Jack!"