Near the waters of the Gates of Justice leading to the Great Prison, Impel Down, a ship gradually materialized upon the tranquil surface. It didn't surface from the depths; rather, it shimmered into existence as if it had been invisible.
On the deck stood a short man dressed in a deep purple padded coat with a katana strapped to his back. He wore a hoodie pulled up, though strangely, a baseball cap was tucked underneath it, and he sported small tinted sunglasses. Vigorously shaking a spray-paint can, he gestured with his fingers, speaking in a rhythmic, rap-like cadence: "Yeah, yeah! Mission accomplished, de-su!"
This was Psycho P, user of the Color-Color Fruit, capable of freely copying and transforming objects into any color he desired. He was a subordinate of Treasure, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Others present on the ship included Baby 5 and Buffalo, subordinates of Doflamingo (another of the Warlords), and Tanaka, a subordinate of Tesoro, the world's wealthiest underground emperor who had currently established a partnership with the two Warlords.
Setting aside the minor subordinates, one man stood out most prominently.
A tall, gaunt man in a black-and-white striped prison uniform, distinguished by two goat-like horns on his head and a face prone to exaggerated expressions—the evil scientist, Caesar Clown.
It was this team of disguise specialists from the Donquixote Alliance that had successfully broken him out of the Navy's prison ship.
Their objective: the technology Caesar held in his hands.
Alucard claimed Vegapunk, while Doflamingo secured Caesar, that was the calculation made by both sides. However, Doflamingo's ambitions went far beyond that.
"Young Master, Caesar is out."
Buffalo grinned, showing his buckteeth, as he spoke into a Den Den Mushi that shared Doflamingo's distinct features: curved telescope-like eyes and pink feathered skin.
"Fuffuffuffu... Well done, you guys. With this, I can completely solidify my status as the Emperor of the New World's Underworld."
Sitting in a lavish room within the world's largest entertainment city, Gran Tesoro, Doflamingo laughed triumphantly. Beside him, Tesoro, who was currently flanking himself with three dancing girls, remarked dissatisfactorily, "Hey, Joker. Shouldn't the 'Dark Emperor' be me?"
The third member of the alliance, the Warlord Treasure, sat nearby on a billiard table.
"Hmph."
Doflamingo ignored Tesoro's remark. After issuing the withdrawal order to Buffalo's group, he hung up the Den Den Mushi.
"This will allow us to put a leash on that mad dog, Kaido. Lately, that guy's appetite has been growing; genuine Devil Fruits can no longer satisfy him," Doflamingo said, turning to the other two.
Originally, the Donquixote Alliance's agreements with the three Yonko (excluding Whitebeard) were as follows:
Alucard the Immortal: An annual tribute of 10 billion Berries.
Big Mom (Charlotte Linlin): A blood alliance.
Interestingly, this blood alliance was originally intended to be a marriage between Tesoro's top cadre, Dice, and a woman under Big Mom named Lola. This had been the plan just a few days ago.
To be honest, the Donquixote Pirates were currently a powerful group in the New World, second only to the Yonko. Their greatest weakness lay in the fact that these three leaders were not of one mind; they were merely using each other.
Even so, the power they wielded was truly immense.
Big Mom had high expectations for this marriage, believing that by securing the combined strength of Doflamingo, Tesoro, and Treasure, she could surpass Alucard, Whitebeard, and Kaido in one fell swoop.
However, the plot thickened: the young lady... had run away from the wedding.
Since the issue originated from Big Mom's side, Doflamingo felt they held no responsibility. After repeated negotiations, they decided to sign a "Sweets Agreement," providing 100 tons of desserts to Big Mom every month as the new treaty of their alliance.
Finally, there was Kaido. The original estimate was five Devil Fruits per month, to be purchased by the Beasts Pirates.
But five a month was a heavy burden even for Doflamingo, who specialized in the fruit trafficking business. Lately, Kaido had gone even more "mad," suddenly demanding ten fruits a month, threatening to send men to wipe out Gran Tesoro if he wasn't satisfied.
This had pushed Doflamingo's people to the edge, cursing Kaido as a "mad dog."
However, that problem was now considered solved by the Artificial Devil Fruits Caesar had developed, or as Doflamingo put it, "the chains to leash Kaido."
With this, all three Yonko of the New World had cooperative ties with the Donquixote Alliance. As long as they could navigate these waters perfectly, no faction would dare move against them.
Except for one person still hiding in the shadows, constantly increasing his strength while secretly targeting Doflamingo's head: Trafalgar Law.
The Captain of the Heart Pirates, a subordinate crew of the Immortal Pirates.
Regarding this, Doflamingo had already received an answer from Alucard and no longer feared that Alucard would assist Law in his vendetta.
Just then, Tesoro's trusted subordinate, Baccarat, walked over. As she prepared to whisper in Tesoro's ear, he waved his hand.
"These are all allies. Speak plainly, Baccarat."
"..."
Both Doflamingo and Treasure snorted inwardly but were tactful enough not to say anything.
"Latest news: Dr. Vegapunk has been kidnapped by Alucard," Baccarat stated directly.
"And the Navy's losses?" Doflamingo asked.
"G5 Base Commander Gilbert was killed in action. Vice Admiral Vergo is in critical condition... he should survive," Baccarat said, her last words laced with hesitation.
"Jararara~~"
Treasure grinned. "The genius scientist the Government values most has been snatched by Alucard. I wonder what those bastards in the Government will do now?"
Treasure, who viewed Alucard as the target he must surpass, was delighted to hear that the Government and Alucard might go to war.
"Whether they go to war is still an unknown. I'm looking forward to this show," Tesoro remarked, raising a finger.