Chapter 40: The Dongtata Tribe
[Dressrosa · Royal Palace Keep]
Doflamingo sat lazily on the throne with his legs crossed, holding the News of the World in his hand, his sunglasses hanging askew on the tip of his nose, looking like a gangster whose lunch break was interrupted.
"G-5 Vice Admiral Xuanlin Rogge fights alone against Four Emperors Red-haired Shanks! Cuts off his left arm and kills the cadre!"
"Puff——" He spat out a mouthful of red wine, wetting a large area of the newspaper.
"That guy Shanks actually had his hand chopped off??"
He wiped the corners of his mouth, his shoulders shaking with laughter. "This really is 'red-haired' becoming 'one-handed', ah ah ah ah ah!"
He was having a good time, when suddenly——
BOOM——!!!
The entire palace wall was shattered by lightning, and bricks, candy decorations, and even his collection of limited edition sunglasses were all blown away!
"Enemy attack—!!!"
Pica screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice an octave higher than usual.
Diamanti drew his sword and tried to pose, but the scabbard got stuck and he couldn't pull it out no matter how hard he tried.
Buffalo spun his propellers frantically, trying to fly, but ended up hitting the ceiling and falling down in a daze. "Master! I, I tried my best!"
Doflamingo's mouth twitched, "...Stop it!"
He took a deep breath and tried hard to maintain his boss image.
"Ahem!" He forced himself to remain calm, grinning like he was being completely calm.
"Lord Thundergod, you broke in personally...are you here for afternoon tea?"
Enel hovered in mid-air, his thunder wings spread out behind him, his eyes unflinching, "Hand it over—the one with the Healing Fruit."
——The air suddenly became dead silent.
Doflamingo's smile froze on his face, and his fingertips tapped rhythmically on the armrests of the throne, like the death-dealing beat spitted out by Lion Majesty.
Pica and Virgo looked at each other, hesitation and uneasiness flashing in each other's eyes.
The air around them seemed to freeze, as if the heartbeat of Thor's arrival was still ringing in their ears.
Enel looked down at the entire field from above, his thunderous eyes narrowed slightly, his mind net extending silently.
"You creepers who live in the dark world can hide your knives, but you can't hide your heartbeats."
Doflamingo's eyes at this moment were completely gloomy.
He lowered his head and chuckled, then slammed his knuckles on the armrest of the throne. With a "crack", cracks crawled up the corner of the chair like snakes.
"You Marines..." he muttered through gritted teeth, "are you starting to push the boundaries?"
Enel walked down the thunder step by step, and slowly stepped into the center of the palace. He landed silently but the pressure of thunder was as heavy as a mountain.
"This is not a touch, it's a push." His eyes were cold.
"Rogge Vice Admiral only gives you two paths."
"First, hand the person over now."
"Second, let him come in person tomorrow."
The temperature in the hall seemed to drop by dozens of degrees, and even those cadres who were usually arrogant and domineering held their breath unconsciously.
"...That's the one who dared to touch even Four Emperors' red hair."
Diamanti whispered, a rare hesitation appearing on his brow.
Doflamingo took off his sunglasses expressionlessly, revealing his bloodshot eyes. His expression instantly became like the black sea before a storm.
——Then he laughed.
"Hehehe…"
He laughed wildly twice, but said nothing more, as if all his resentment and bitterness were crushed by the oppressive name "Rogge".
He exhaled, gritted his teeth and ordered:
"Bring up Manshirley."
Everyone was shocked.
"Young Master...!" Vergo subconsciously wanted to persuade him, but was suppressed by a cold look like a knife.
"Do as you are told!" Doflamingo shouted harshly, his tone revealing the anger he had suppressed to the limit.
"That fruit is priceless... You Marines are so bold to ask for it."
"But I don't want this place to become a scorched earth tomorrow."
As the soldiers led their men to fetch Mansherry, Enel put his hands behind his back and looked at Doflamingo coldly:
"I'm not here to negotiate."
"I'm just here to inform you."
He glanced at Virgo by the way, and the look in his eyes made Virgo terrified.
The candlelight was dim and the air seemed to be compressed into ice.
Soon, a small figure was escorted over.
She was wearing shackles, her long silver hair had lost its luster, her face was pale, and her steps were unsteady.
At that moment, the only sound that seemed to be heard in the entire palace was her faint breathing.
——The user of the Healing Fruit, [Princess Mansherry] of the Tontata tribe.
"No... I don't want to help them anymore..."
Her voice trembled and she looked around in fear, like a fawn that had strayed into the midst of jackals.
When she saw the god-like man standing in the center of the thunder, she unconsciously took a half step back.
Enel approached slowly, his lightning gradually faded, his golden hair fluttered slightly, and his face was calmer than ever before.
He half-knelt down and said in a low and gentle voice, "My name is Enel, and I'm a Marine."
"We need you—to save a good man who's dying."
"He's Marine, a true justice, who was injured to protect others."
Man Xueli was startled, tears welling in her eyes, but she still shook her head:
"But... my people... they're all still in the dungeon... I saved a lot of bad guys... but they're locking us up too..."
"If...if you are really a good person..."
She looked up and cried, "Please... take everyone with you..."
Enel said nothing, just turned his head.
The thunder has not yet arrived, but the momentum has already arrived.
"You heard it all."
He looked at Doflamingo, and his tone returned to that suffocating pressure: "She didn't leave alone."
Doflamingo's face was grim, and his pupils trembled slightly behind his sunglasses: "...Do you really think I'm afraid of everything?"
Enel stood up, smiled softly, his earlobes vibrating "da da da", and lightning flashed around his fingers:
"Do you count on Kaido? Or Sengoku? Who do you expect to control with the little secrets you know?"
"Want to make a bet? Will Xuanlin come tomorrow?"
The air instantly became like solidified gunpowder smoke, and the entire audience fell into a deadly silence.
The next second——
"...Bring all the Tontata people up here!"
Doflamingo roared, his voice bloodshot.
The palace dungeon opens.
The underground fire illuminated the short figures who had been trapped in cages for many years. They were all ragged, but their eyes were filled with tenacious light.
More than 500 members of the Dongtata tribe slowly walked out of the cage, as if they were welcoming the light they had never hoped for.
Man Shirley cried excitedly: "Everyone is finally free!!"
"It was this Marine brother who saved us, Master Enel!"
Five hundred Dongtata people knelt down, kowtowed deeply to Enel, and shouted:
"Thank you - Enel Lando!!!"
"Justice Thunder God, you saved my clan. I have no way to repay you, so I will follow you till death!"
Enel snorted softly, turned his back to the crowd, and spread his thunder wings:
"Don't give me that."
"Just call me Enel—'Landu' sounds a little itchy."
He waved his hand, and a lightning net floated into the air, lifting Man Xueli and five hundred Dongtata people up, turning them into lightning and rising into the sky!
——"Thunder Extreme·Heavenly Luck Returns!!"
As lightning hurtled through the sky, Man Shirley looked at the trajectory of the lightning and stared at Enel in amazement.
"Are you really here to save us?"
Enel snorted, without looking back: "Rogge asked me to come."
"But now, I don't hate this job anymore."
[Dressrosa · Royal Palace]
The lightning disappeared, and the palace was half destroyed.
The air suddenly shook!
"boom----!!!"
A purple and black intertwined [Conqueror's Haki] rose into the sky!
Doflamingo sat on the throne, and the buildings around him were filled with flying sand and rocks, and the entire palace was shaking!
All the cadres knelt on the ground in fear: "It's the Young Master's Conqueror's!!"
"He's angry—!!"
In the distant sky, there was a flash of lightning.
Enel turned his head and looked down at the ground indifferently:
"Tsk." He sneered, "You still want to pretend to be Conqueror's?"
"Your aura...is not even enough to be the shadow of Lord Rogge's feet."
After saying that, lightning flashed across the sky and flew straight towards [Magnetic Drum Island].