In the New World, on Dressrosa.
Inside the castle on the King's Plateau, Doflamingo stood by the window, gazing out over the entire kingdom.
A long, long time ago, Doflamingo had already planned to take over Dressrosa. However, in his initial vision, Dressrosa was merely meant to be a place to supply him with funds and to facilitate the circulation of black market goods. Doflamingo didn't have much affection for this country, which his ancestors once ruled, nor did he care what kind of treatment its people received.
In the original story, while Doflamingo brought prosperity to Dressrosa, that prosperity was underpinned by terrifying, dark oppression. Anyone who dared to step out of line would be turned into a toy in this country, becoming labor that he exploited and was forgotten by the world.
But now, Doflamingo's mindset was much better, and he wasn't quite so dark. Starting from nothing and slowly pulling this place back from the brink of bankruptcy and decline—that feeling was actually quite enjoyable.
"Power, status... money. They truly are wonderful things," Doflamingo murmured softly, looking at the scenery outside the window. After a brief pause, he continued to talk to himself: "But you people don't deserve to enjoy them. You don't deserve to sit on those high and mighty celestial thrones... Just wait. One day, I will bring an end to you."
Just as Doflamingo was immersed in his hatred, a slightly jarring Den Den Mushi rang out. Doflamingo instinctively reached for his pants pocket, but the next second, he froze. The jarring sound was not coming from the regular Den Den Mushi he kept in his pocket.
Realizing what it was, Doflamingo quickly turned around and walked toward a table, following the source of the sound. He pulled open the table drawer and saw a bat-like Den Den Mushi squawking inside.
"This is..." Doflamingo's eyes showed a hint of surprise.
This was the special Den Den Mushi issued by Mariejois for the Warlords of the Sea. If this Den Den Mushi rang, it meant a Warlord of the Sea had to fulfill their duty. Normally, it was difficult to refuse a call of duty from this Den Den Mushi, as Mariejois might revoke your Warlord of the Sea status as a result.
Although he hadn't been a Warlord of the Sea for long, Doflamingo had gathered relevant information before. Theoretically, the Warlords of the Sea had hardly ever seen this Den Den Mushi activated over the years.
"Why is it suddenly so busy now that it's reached me?" Doflamingo muttered, displeased. He picked up the Den Den Mushi and answered it, but did not speak.
The other end of the Den Den Mushi also seemed to be silent. The atmosphere became eerily quiet for a moment.
Doflamingo looked at the Den Den Mushi, stroking his chin, feeling extremely strange. What the hell is this? Why call and not speak? Is the way I answered the phone wrong? But I don't have experience! Could there be some kind of secret code? Did I forget to pay attention to that?
However, Doflamingo was also capable of holding his silence. If you don't speak, I won't speak either. You'd better hang up, and I'll just pretend you dialed the wrong number. Let's not trouble each other!
After about a minute passed, just when Doflamingo was thinking about pouring himself a glass of red wine and going back to look out the window. A grim voice finally came from the Den Den Mushi.
"You're just as annoying as ever, Doflamingo..." the grim voice said sullenly.
Doflamingo didn't recognize the owner of the voice immediately, and his expression was strange. Who the hell are you?
The person on the other end was Crocodile. However, Doflamingo and Crocodile hadn't seen each other in over a decade, and they didn't communicate much on a daily basis. Doflamingo wasn't crushing on Crocodile to remember his voice so specifically.
After a moment of hesitation, Doflamingo asked tentatively: "Who is this?"
Crocodile's expression on the other end of the Den Den Mushi stiffened. What happened to our love-hate rivalry? It wasn't like this when you were chasing me—no, when you wanted to cooperate with me! Have you turned your back on me now that you're a Warlord of the Sea? Your not recognizing my voice makes me look awkward! Don't I have any face left?
For a moment, Crocodile looked at the Den Den Mushi, unable to decide what to say, unsure of how to proceed.
This, in turn, made Doflamingo feel more unsure. Now that I think about it, the voice does sound a little familiar? Is it someone I know?
Fortunately, Doflamingo was a man of manners and didn't subject Crocodile to any further embarrassment. Or perhaps, his upbringing was slightly better, as he eventually asked again: "My apologies. I've been preoccupied with too many things lately and may be a bit confused. May I ask who you are?"
This provided an opening for Crocodile. The look on Crocodile's face on the other end of the phone eased slightly, but he still gave an arrogant scoff: "Hmph, Crocodile..."
Doflamingo was genuinely surprised this time, freezing for a moment before bursting into a wicked laugh: "Fuffuffuffuffuffu, Crocodile... Speaking of which, it's been seven, eight years... maybe even longer since we last talked, hasn't it? Interesting, truly interesting. Why would an arrogant fellow like you suddenly contact me?"
Before Crocodile could speak, Doflamingo added: "Is there something you need my help with? Fuffuffu, if you ask, I might listen..." His tone was highly mocking, like a person saying, You used to ignore me, but now you're not good enough for me.
Hearing this made Crocodile's scalp tingle. Without a doubt, if Doflamingo were standing in front of him, the two would already be fighting.
"At least you should learn to respect your seniors, Doflamingo," Crocodile said coldly.
"Is that so? Then what instruction do you have for me, senpai?" Doflamingo asked with a wicked smile.
"Look at the Den Den Mushi in your hand, Doflamingo. As a senior Warlord of the Sea, I can instruct you... For example, being a Warlord of the Sea isn't as easy as it looks..." Crocodile said.
Doflamingo's expression became a bit more serious now, and he said: "Stop wasting my time. What exactly do you want?"
"Hmph," Crocodile scoffed, then continued: "Alabasta. People from Mariejois are summoning the Warlords of the Sea to carry out a mission. I am one of them, and so are you, along with two others."
Doflamingo was confused. My Dressrosa is still under reconstruction, and I have a pile of things to deal with. Where do I have the time to clean up your mess in Alabasta?
But before Doflamingo could speak, Crocodile added: "This time it's the Highest Authority."
This made Doflamingo unable to voice his intended refusal. Although he had only recently become a Warlord of the Sea, Doflamingo understood the necessary protocols. The Highest Authority meant that the person issuing the order had the power to truly strip him of his Warlord of the Sea status.
No way. He had only just managed to become a Warlord of the Sea, by both cozying up to the Marines and seizing power in a country. He was counting on the Reverie in 1516 to openly ascend to that damned Mariejois, which once barred him, as the King of Dressrosa, to show off and vent his anger.
The high-and-mighty bastards up in Mariejois were not particularly friendly with him, Doflamingo. If they truly got an excuse, Doflamingo had reason to suspect they would indeed abolish his Warlord of the Sea status.
Crocodile sensed his silence, and his mood brightened. Seeing Doflamingo in a predicament was inexplicably delightful.
"It seems you understand what this means and what your situation is," Crocodile said with a wicked laugh.
In reality, he was simply leveraging the advantage of asymmetrical information to mislead Doflamingo. It was indeed the Highest Authority, but it was granted to Spandine. Spandine clearly wouldn't be angered by Doflamingo's refusal, but the current atmosphere Crocodile created in the conversation made Doflamingo feel that this was an assignment that Mariejois had specifically requested him to take.
"What's happening in Alabasta that requires the Warlords of the Sea to mobilize?" Doflamingo didn't respond directly, but asked for clarification.
"Originally, nothing much. Like you, I merely wanted to complete a pirate's coup d'état here. But then those bastards from the Revolutionary Army jumped out and made a mess of things. At the same time, the people high up in Mariejois, for some crazy reason, seem to be targeting the Nefertari family. They need a black glove to carry out these actions, and we are that black glove..." Crocodile explained. He omitted many key details, as there was no need to tell Doflamingo everything. However, his words were generally truthful.
Doflamingo had collected himself by now and said with a wicked laugh: "To put it simply, the mess you created is now going to force everyone to help you clean up?"
"Is there something wrong with your comprehension, or has your brain turned dull after becoming a Warlord of the Sea?" Crocodile mocked coldly.
"Fuffuffuffuffuffu, stop pretending, Crocodile. I know what kind of person you are..." Doflamingo replied with a laugh.
"Are you coming or not? Should I refuse on your behalf? I'd be happy to refuse..." Crocodile sneered, as if he genuinely hoped Doflamingo would refuse.
The more he said this, the more Doflamingo became suspicious. He paused and said: "Then I'll go. Alaba…"
But before he could finish, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open, startling Doflamingo slightly. He looked up at the doorway. It was a beautiful girl with light green hair. By her attire, she looked like Doflamingo's secretary. In fact, she was his secretary, Monet, a user of the Logia-type Snow-Snow Fruit.
Doflamingo frowned slightly: "What's the rush?"
At the same time, he covered the Den Den Mushi.
Monet couldn't spare a moment for an apology, but she saw Doflamingo's special Den Den Mushi, so she whispered subtly: "Young Master, there is news regarding that Devil Fruit the important figure asked about..."
A flicker of brilliance appeared in Doflamingo's eyes: "The Logia one?"
"Yes!" Monet first affirmed, then silently mouthed: "Dark-Dark Fruit!"
A smile spread across Doflamingo's face, and his mood seemed to brighten considerably. He said: "If I can make that important figure happy, these problems are no problem at all, heh heh heh heh..."
After saying this, he waved his hand at Monet, then uncovered the Den Den Mushi and said: "I won't be going then. Refuse for me, Crocodile. I don't care who else goes; I have more important things to do right now. We'll talk again when there's a chance, fuffuffu..."
Then, without waiting for Crocodile to speak, Doflamingo abruptly hung up the Den Den Mushi. That confident, cavalier attitude—he had powerful backing!
On the other side, in Alabasta, Crocodile stared at the disconnected Den Den Mushi, completely dumbfounded. What the hell? This script is wrong! Why aren't you following the convention?!
After a moment of thought, Crocodile gave a disgruntled, arrogant scoff: "Hmph, I wasn't expecting this bastard to come anyway!"
He could only be arrogant about it. What else could he do? Should he call Doflamingo back and beg him? Don't I, Crocodile, have any face left?
A love-hate relationship, indeed...