"Why are you screaming?? Viola!!!"
At that moment, a figure draped in a pink feathered cloak walked in through the main gate. From afar, the piercing scream reached him, giving him an uneasy feeling.
On the way here, he had prayed that Orin would come out for fun and not run into any trouble, so as not to ruin his mood.
So when he saw Viola blushing deeply, covering her cheeks and screaming, his first instinct was to scold her, his expression darkening.
Why did it have to be Viola?
At this moment, she had nothing about her beauty to tempt Doflamingo, and the two hadn't started any romantic involvement.
What Doflamingo valued more was Viola's eyes—the fruit ability she possessed.
Paramecia-type: Glare-Glare Fruit, capable of reconnaissance over vast distances, able to see things thousands of miles away, and even read hearts—no thought could hide from her.
These abilities could be extremely useful at times.
"It's nothing, Dofla…"
Orin spoke then, coming to Viola's rescue.
"Maybe she was just startled by me."
Hearing Orin say this, Doflamingo paused, his mind piecing things together, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Good…
Orin hadn't been offended.
"As long as you weren't offended, Orin-sama. The palace has prepared a lavish dinner. Please, join me."
Stepping aside, he watched Orin appear on the shore, water droplets disappearing from his body, a suit automatically in place. His figure vanished in an instant, and Doflamingo didn't even flinch.
He only silently looked at Viola, hesitated for a moment, and once he was sure no one was watching, tugged his fingers.
Using a thread, he pulled Viola into a corner, whispering to her.
"Viola, you just used that move on Orin-sama, didn't you?"
Pulled into the corner, Viola panicked slightly at first, but when she heard the question, her panic shifted into embarrassment.
"Well…"
Doflamingo seemed not to notice Viola's flustered reaction. At this moment, his mind was entirely on whether Orin was satisfied with his hospitality and whether his earlier displeasure had disappeared, making him a bit impatient.
"Hey… you saw it, right? Then tell me quickly, Viola!"
Faced with Doflamingo's pressing question, Viola couldn't speak the truth and hastily made up an excuse:
"Just… just now Orin-sama was wondering why dinner hadn't started yet. He was already hungry."
"…Really?"
Doflamingo released Viola's hand and frowned. He had doubts, because from his impression, Orin wasn't the type to care about such things. When did Orin become so gluttonous?
Yet he couldn't find any obvious flaw in her story; after all, it was indeed around dinner time.
"Fine… I'll believe you for now, but let me warn you, Viola,"
Doflamingo's expression darkened, the corners of his mouth curling downward. Red reflections flickered faintly on his sunglasses, giving him a fierce aura.
"Don't think that Orin-sama's arrival changes anything. The era of King Riku is over. The current king of Dressrosa carries the name Donquixote!!!"
After the threat, Doflamingo left.
He needed to join Orin for dinner and check if the chefs had made any mistakes.
…
"Caw—"
The Seagull King was a little annoyed.
Standing on the table beside Orin-, several children kept staring at it. One boy, one girl, and a chubby little boy.
If Orin weren't here, and if they weren't on his side, the Seagull King would have attacked them long ago.
"Look, look! It's the mail-delivering seagull!!!"
"This one's different from normal seagulls… it looks cooler and bigger too…"
"Are you two idiots? A seagull is just a seagull! What could be different!!"
Law had his own opinion. He clearly thought the Seagull King was no different from other seagulls, just a little strange-looking.
Listening to their chatter, especially Law's disdainful words, the Seagull King's eyes reddened, and the hash marks on its forehead multiplied.
Bang bang bang—
In an instant, three steaming hot lumps appeared on the heads of the three children.
Especially Law, who already had one from Orin's earlier impact; now another appeared symmetrically on the other side, like horns.
"It hurts!!!!"
The three children held their heads, collapsed to the ground, tears about to spill.
The adults present didn't intervene.
After all, it was just some kids getting hit—it was Orin's pet.
"Caw caw caw caw… Even the pet has such power. Truly deserving of Orin-sama, huh?"
Doflamingo, seated beside, watched the scene and delivered a timely compliment.
Orin's lips curved into a slight smile as he put some of his meal on a small plate for the Seagull King, letting it eat with them.
The Seagull King didn't hesitate; after bowing its head to Orin, it confidently claimed the seat opposite Doflamingo—the other secondary seat—leaving it unusable for anyone else.
This drew glances among the family members, exchanging silent looks, but no one dared speak.
The family had a long-standing hierarchy and order of seniority.
Although it was just a pet, even for Orin's pet to take a primary seat and sit on equal footing with Doflamingo seemed inappropriate.
Yet no one dared challenge it under Orin's authority.
Even Doflamingo, sitting across from the Seagull King, didn't show any displeasure. Instead, he enthusiastically introduced Dressrosa's specialty dishes to Orin.
The Seagull King considered itself far superior to the so-called "officials" present, feeling no psychological burden.
It openly held its fork, placing its chosen food on its plate, utterly ignoring the family's gaze.
Meanwhile, Orin and Doflamingo paid no attention to this. While everyone focused on the Seagull King, the two discussed Virgo, the Navy mole.
"When the Shichibukai gathered in Marinford, I saw him. Truly talented—he learned Armament Haki effortlessly with just a little guidance."
"Caw caw caw caw… It's an honor to receive Orin's instruction in Haki."
But before long, they were interrupted by a sudden movement. Both looked over.
On the dining table, two forks stabbed the same dessert.
One held by Diamante, the other by the Seagull King.
In that moment, the air seemed to spark with friction.