"In other words, from the very beginning, Doflamingo had already calculated that we would come to Dressrosa," Franky said, rubbing his chin.
At least, that was how it seemed based on the information provided by this man.
"Even if we didn't come, Ace and the others would have," Meiser said. "So no matter which group is lured in, Doflamingo doesn't lose."
Whether it was capturing the Straw Hat Pirates or the Spade Pirates, it would be a huge win for Doflamingo.
"I just wonder if our Straw Hat Pirates are enough for Doflamingo to reclaim his title as one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea," Meiser muttered to himself.
Given their value, it should be close enough.
"Are we still going, then?" Merry asked worriedly.
From the current situation, it seemed the enemy had already prepared for them to fall into the trap.
"Why wouldn't we go?" Meiser said. "Don't forget our purpose for coming here."
"Besides..."
At this point, Meiser paused, then pointed at Luffy, who had an eager expression on his face, and continued, "Do you think this guy would give up?"
Luffy was not the type to stay quiet, so he didn't think he would give up on checking out the colosseum.
Merry looked at Luffy and fell silent.
What Meiser said made sense; Luffy definitely wanted to go.
"When are we going?" Luffy asked.
"Luffy," Merry said, "aren't you afraid? This time it's a trap."
"Afraid?"
Luffy looked at Merry in confusion and said, "Aren't we supposed to go grab the Diamond-Diamond Fruit? Why should I be afraid?"
This matter had been decided from the start, so why should he be afraid?
"That's true, but..."
"Alright, we're here," Meiser said with a smile, patting Merry's head to show she shouldn't worry about such things.
Seeing that even Meiser said so, Merry didn't say anything more.
"So when are we setting off?" Luffy asked again.
"Don't be in such a rush, I'm not done asking questions yet," Meiser said, rolling his eyes.
Why was this guy always so impatient?
After a somewhat helpless mental complaint, Meiser turned back to the man in charge and said, "Tell me, why aren't you afraid of the Marines?"
"I recall this morning's newspaper mentioned Doflamingo resigning from the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"Did you not read the paper?"
"No, I did read it," the man in charge said. "I was quite scared at the time. After all, without the title of a Warlord, we become enemies of the Marines."
"But the people above said we don't need to worry about such things. They said not to fear the Marines because they won't catch us, so I stopped being afraid."
Though he didn't know why, since it was the Young Master's order, they, as subordinates, had to follow it.
As for the Marines?
Anyway, those Marines hadn't made a move against them, so there really was no need to worry.
"It seems things are exactly as Meiser thought," Franky frowned. "The Marines have indeed reached an agreement with Doflamingo."
Otherwise, the Marines would have no reason not to act against someone who had lost their Warlord title.
"Hmph, that despicable Doflamingo!"
Luffy showed a look of dissatisfaction; he clearly loathed anyone who plotted against his brother.
If he got the chance, he would definitely send that bastard flying!
"So what now?" Merry said. "Are we still going?"
"Of course," Franky said. "We're currently hiding in the shadows, so it's quite convenient to get things done."
Since they hadn't been exposed yet, the plan could still proceed.
Then, he looked at Meiser and continued, "Meiser, you..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he realized something was off. Why did Meiser's expression look so strange?
"What's wrong?"
"That Marine might have already discovered us," Meiser said.
"Huh?"
"How is that possible?!" Franky retorted. "According to what you said, that man is a Marine Admiral."
"If he really discovered us, wouldn't he have made a move?"
Although he hadn't fought a Marine Admiral, he knew what kind of monsters they were. Would such a person really not act?
It was clearly illogical.
"Then tell me, why did he say those words when he left?" Meiser countered.
Franky was stunned for a moment, then fell silent.
True, if the other party hadn't discovered their identities, why would he have said that?
"Is it possible he just took us for ordinary pirates?" Merry said naively.
"Then here's the question: assuming he didn't know who we were, how would he know we were pirates?" Meiser asked back.
Merry opened her mouth, momentarily unsure how to argue against that.
Indeed, if he didn't know who they were, how could he be sure they were pirates?
It couldn't be that they just had a "pirate vibe," could it?
That was too far-fetched and unreliable.
"Meaning, that Marine Admiral knows we are the Straw Hat Pirates?" Franky asked in shock. "How did he see through us?"
"I'm not sure," Meiser said. "Maybe he has some special ability."
"Like a special kind of Observation Haki."
"Special Observation Haki?"
Luffy first showed a look of surprise, but after remembering the man was likely a Marine Admiral, he became more accepting.
Yes, if the opponent was truly at the Admiral level, it was normal for them to master a special kind of Observation Haki.
He just didn't know what kind of Observation Haki it was.
As he thought about it, Luffy recalled the things Rayleigh had told him before and fell into deep thought.
"What is special Observation Haki?" Franky asked, puzzled.
"You know that Observation Haki can sense presence, right?" Meiser said.
"I know."
"Good." Meiser nodded, then explained, "Well, some people's Observation Haki has very special capabilities."
"For instance, they can predict the short-term future, have an incredibly large sensory range, or even have the ability to read minds."
"Wait, hold on!" Franky looked at Meiser in shock. "Are you sure someone can read minds?"
"At least that's what Uncle Rayleigh said back then," Meiser shrugged.
He had been very curious about it too, but Rayleigh hadn't gone into detail, only mentioning someone called the Red Count.
That person possessed an Observation Haki that could hear the voices of people's hearts!
The details weren't provided.
Meiser had thought back then that perhaps Rayleigh didn't know much about it and couldn't explain it in detail, so he hadn't pressed further.
"If Uncle Rayleigh said it, then it must be true."
Understanding Rayleigh's identity, Franky immediately believed Meiser's words. He then wore a look of wonder and continued, "I didn't expect such Observation Haki to actually exist in this world."
It was truly astonishing.
"This sea is very vast," Meiser said. "So it's not strange for such people to exist."
"Then did that man just hear our inner thoughts?"
"I'm not sure about that," Meiser shook his head. "But I'm more inclined to believe he used some other special means to sense something."
"Special means..." Franky recalled the Devil Fruit Ability the man had displayed earlier. "The power of the Gravity Fruit?"
"Hard to say."
Recalling the scene when they met him, Meiser said, "In normal circumstances, the Gravity Fruit shouldn't possess such power."
After all, the Gravity Fruit manipulated gravity; it shouldn't have scouting capabilities.
But considering the concept of Devil Fruit Awakening, Meiser wasn't entirely sure.
"Then how did he recognize us?" Franky asked, puzzled.
Meiser shook his head; he couldn't figure it out either.
"Could it be that our physical characteristics exposed us?"
Merry tilted her head up and said, "Like Zoro's swords."
"Zoro's swords?"
"Yes." Merry nodded. "There probably aren't many people coming to Dressrosa at this time with three swords hanging at their waist besides Zoro."
Hearing this, Meiser's mouth twitched. He really hadn't thought of that.
Franky looked at Merry in a daze. Could it be that they had overcomplicated things?
But... thinking carefully, it wasn't without merit!
Even though they were in disguise, Zoro was still carrying three swords, so there was a real possibility of being discovered.
Plus, Doflamingo and the Marines had likely exchanged information... It made sense, all of it made sense!
However, after figuring it out, Franky felt a sense of relief instead.
"Actually, this is for the better," Franky said. "At least we can be sure he doesn't have mind-reading powers, so our plan won't be exposed."
"Hard to say," Meiser frowned. "Who knows if he's deliberately pretending not to know?"
Even if Merry's point made sense, they couldn't confirm whether Fujitora's Observation Haki had special abilities, so they couldn't reach a definitive conclusion.
"Saying that is really bad for morale," Franky said, feeling a bit pained.
It made him feel as if they had no secrets at all.
That was a very uncomfortable feeling, hey!
"So, is your morale crushed?" Meiser asked back.
"Not really."
"What about the others?"
Franky blinked and looked at Luffy, then at Merry. Seeing that neither of their expressions had changed much, he shrugged. "Alright, it seems no one is discouraged."
"Then that's that."
Meiser rolled his eyes and said, "Besides, we can't abandon the plan just because of this."
"Don't forget that Robin and Usopp have already set off."
Abandoning the plan now would put Robin and the others in danger, which was not what he wanted to see.
Furthermore, they wouldn't give up on the Diamond-Diamond Fruit, so they had to continue with the plan.
"Then let's continue," Franky said.
Ultimately, they couldn't be sure if the Marine Admiral possessed mind-reading abilities, so they had to proceed.
As for the part about being recognized...
As Meiser said, would they stop just because they were recognized?
There was no point in worrying about it, so they might as well keep going.
"But he is a hidden threat after all," Merry said worriedly.
Having their identities known by the Marines was never a good thing.
"I know, but there's no need to worry too much. At worst, I'll just expose myself and fight our way out with everyone," Meiser said.
Even though the opponent was a Marine Admiral, he didn't feel any fear. After all... he really wasn't afraid of an Admiral.
So, the plan would be executed as intended.
Since Meiser put it that way, Merry gradually relaxed.
True, with Meiser's strength, he really didn't need to fear a Marine Admiral, so she didn't have much to worry about.
Franky laughed and said, "That's true. Then there's no need to care about that guy."
"Besides... it's not certain that he really has mind-reading abilities."
This time, the others didn't object but nodded in agreement.
However, a thought crossed Meiser's mind...
"If he really has mind-reading abilities, then he could sense who I am," Meiser muttered to himself.
In that case, the man might call for reinforcements.
But it didn't matter. Even if he wanted to call for help, it would be impossible to gather enough Admiral-level combatants in a short time.
And their operation would only take a few hours to conclude, so there wasn't much to worry about.
Of course, it wasn't impossible for Kizaru, the Admiral with the fastest support speed, to arrive first.
But if he did come, Meiser would know that the Marines had discovered he was still alive, and he would immediately take his companions and leave.
Thinking of this, Meiser nodded, reaffirming his thoughts.
"What do we do with this guy?" Franky asked, pointing at the man in charge.
"Is that even a question? Of course we eliminate him," Meiser said without hesitation.
Now that the man knew who he was, he had to be silenced.
Then, Meiser pondered if there were any other details he had missed.
After confirming there was nothing else to ask, he activated his Earth Release Technique, sinking the man in charge into the ground and burying him completely.
Having done this, Meiser clapped his hands and said, "Alright, handled."
"Let's go then," Luffy said. "I can't wait to join that duel tournament!"
He just didn't know what the tournament would be like or if there were many strong people.
"I think it's better if Meiser goes alone," Franky said. "That way—"
"No!" Luffy said without hesitation. "I want to participate too!"
Franky: "..."
Looking at Luffy's stubborn face, Franky didn't know what to say for a moment.
This captain was such a selfish bastard!
"Don't worry, even if they know Luffy is in the colosseum, they won't move prematurely," Meiser said. "At least not until Law completes the deal with Doflamingo."
After a pause, Meiser continued, "Besides... with us at the arena, we can draw the maximum attention from the Donquixote Family."
"You're participating too?"
"Of course," Meiser said as if it were obvious. "If I'm not there to watch him, who knows what kind of trouble this guy will cause? It's better if we go together."
Luffy was far too reckless. The probability of him causing trouble if left alone was high, so it was better if the two of them went together.
It would also give him a chance to look around there for any sign of the Diamond-Diamond Fruit.
If he could find it, one objective would be complete.
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