"Oh?"
Luffy suddenly put down his cup, curiosity sparking in his eyes as he stared at Doflamingo. His sharp gaze lingered for a moment, the previous casual tone replaced by intensity, and he asked suddenly:
"How did you know!?"
Doflamingo let out his signature laugh once more, fixing his gaze on Luffy.
"Luffy-sama, you really underestimate the intelligence network of those of us in the shadows, don't you?"
"That makes sense," Luffy replied, his expression calm.
After laughing wildly, Doflamingo glanced at Zoro beside him as if struck by realization, then continued:
"With your strength, you truly don't need to concern yourselves with trivial matters."
"However…"
"Given how loudly the Starry Sky Pirates acted in Arabasta recently, anyone paying attention could probably have guessed some information, right?"
"Anyone paying attention?"
Luffy immediately honed in on that point, his eyes widening slightly as he asked:
"You mean… there's someone else in the world who knows about this too?"
"Luffy-sama, you really ask the right questions, huh?"
"Isn't it strange that, despite the appearance of the Pluton, the World Government has been completely silent? Isn't that a truly unusual thing here?"
"Hm?"
Luffy's eyes sharpened.
At first, he had been too focused on the diary to consider Doflamingo's implications. Or rather, he had assumed that the Starry Sky Pirates' strength alone meant they didn't need to worry about the World Government.
But now, prompted by Doflamingo, Luffy realized there was indeed something unusual here.
He looked back at Doflamingo, silently signaling him to explain further.
Suddenly, Doflamingo, breaking from his usual arrogance, clasped his hands on the table. His face darkened, and the overwhelming pride that had defined him began to fade, replaced by an inexplicable sorrow.
This was a side of Doflamingo no one had ever seen since he killed his father.
He had never shown weakness—and never would to outsiders.
A low, rumbling voice came from his throat, part venting, part confession.
The madman murmured quietly:
"I don't know much about the other factions.
But I do know of one force that has been instrumental in suppressing the incident."
"The Celestial Dragons."
"The Celestial Dragons…?"
Robin, sitting next to Luffy, whispered softly, her expression thoughtful yet calm, without much surprise.
Luffy, for his part, calmly sipped his milk, setting the cup down, waiting for Doflamingo to continue.
"Hmm?"
The Starry Sky crew's composed demeanor caused Doflamingo to pause in surprise.
Normally, any ordinary person hearing "Celestial Dragons" would immediately drop to their knees.
Of course… Doflamingo knew the Starry Sky Pirates had no reason to fear the Celestial Dragons.
But their casual reaction still unsettled him.
Those are the World Nobles… the Celestial Dragons!! How can they be so calm? Don't they find this strange!?!
Suddenly!
A flash of inspiration crossed Doflamingo's mind.
His previously dark expression brightened with a hint of delight as he asked Luffy:
"Could it be…
that you obtained some information from the Pluton!?"
After Doflamingo finished, Luffy exchanged a glance with Robin, then nodded slightly toward Doflamingo, confirming his question.
Yet seeing their response, Doflamingo fell silent once more.
It was as if a burden had lifted from him, leaving him relaxed and free.
The tavern grew quiet.
Everyone gave the slightly melancholic Doflamingo space to organize his thoughts. Even Chopper, Merry, and Wutian, who had been playing with cake, paused to respect the atmosphere.
"Hoo~"
After a long breath, Doflamingo exhaled sharply, as if trying to dispel the shadows clouding his mind.
He raised his arm, marked with the spiral runes, and the two intersecting black shadows cast by the light made his eyes grow misty. He murmured softly:
"Could it be… everything will end in my generation!?"
Luffy's gaze went straight to the raised wrist. Curiosity sparked:
"What is that?"
In his distant memory, Luffy vaguely recalled the black runes on Doflamingo's wrist.
It seemed related to the Celestial Dragons, though he didn't know the specifics.
He remembered seeing a similar mark on his arm during his time with Shanks, though as a child he was too weak to ask about it.
Of course… he also thought Shanks wouldn't explain even if asked.
Faced with Luffy's question, Doflamingo didn't answer immediately.
His pink feathered coat shivered.
Suddenly rising, he looked down at Luffy—not with arrogance, but with a calm authority.
In a surprisingly gentle tone, he said:
"According to the information gathered by the entire Donquixote family network,
the Starry Sky Pirates' intelligence has always been protected by three parties."
"Three parties!?"
Luffy's curiosity peaked, eyes fixed on the three-meter-tall flaming figure of Doflamingo, waiting for him to elaborate.
Doflamingo raised his hand, palm toward Luffy, repeating:
"Yes, three parties.
The first is the power of the Marine Headquarters."
"To my knowledge, the Starry Sky crew harbors one presence the World Government despises above all else:
The sole survivor of the Ohara incident, Nico Robin!"
"Yes!"
Luffy's voice was firm, fearless. No need to hide it.
Even in the original timeline, Luffy could protect Robin.
He, now stronger, would ensure Robin suffers no harm!
No—he would reclaim everything Robin lost!
However, Doflamingo merely smiled faintly, then added:
"But this information didn't come from the Marine.
It came from the Celestial Dragons themselves."
"What!!? Why would the Celestial Dragons…"
Luffy was genuinely shocked this time.
From the big picture, Robin's existence was undeniably inconvenient for the World Government.
If the Celestial Dragons knew, why was the government so silent?
Luffy also realized the Shichibukai title alone couldn't protect Robin.
Unless…
A glint of understanding passed through Luffy's eyes as he looked up at Doflamingo:
"You mean the Celestial Dragons themselves are divided—into two, or multiple factions."
"No, no, no!"
Doflamingo immediately refuted, then explained what he knew:
"Besides their families, the Celestial Dragons have no factions.
Those who appear publicly are carefully selected by each clan…
…and are the fools and idiots created by the World Government's twisted upbringing."
Luffy squinted, asking:
"What do you mean by that?"
Doflamingo's lips curved into a smile as he replied:
"It means, everything people see is not the truth!
Luffy-sama, the information you obtained from the Pluton… didn't reveal this?"
"No," Luffy shook his head.
"We only got a diary from an ancient person, nothing more…"
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Completed version available on Patreon P@treon(.)com/Veltoria