Leo's legs trembled. He slowly stood up, using all his strength, his eyes fixed on Usopp, his voice shaking slightly with excitement.
"Do you know? Anyone who is turned into a toy is bound by a contract, becoming like a soulless puppet, only able to be driven and unable to resist, reduced to forced labor."
Leo paused, tears streaming down his face.
"But facing the country's first captain to be turned into a toy, Sugar, the Hobi Hobi no Mi user, made a serious mistake at the time, forgetting to make a contract with him.
This single oversight in ten years made him who he is today, making him the only toy in the country able to resist the Donquixote Family."
Leo panted heavily, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
"For ten whole years, the Captain fought alone, single-handedly.
If it weren't for him, those poor toys would cry themselves to sleep every day, bullied like lambs to the slaughter.
Our Tontatta Tribe would probably have been tormented into submission, all of us becoming their slaves!"
Leo clenched his fists, shouting hoarsely,
"If we turn a deaf ear to his cries, this country is truly beyond saving! He is worth all our efforts!
Although no one remembers now, when he was still a giant, his name was Kyros! The strongest gladiator in the history of the arena!
That is our Captain!"
Usopp watched the scene in silence, his expression solemn.
On the second floor of the palace, Trafalgar Law was tightly bound to a chair.
Beside him, Baby5 and Buffalo stood silently by Doflamingo after tidying up their belongings.
Baby5 even considerately placed Law's severed arm back into his lap.
The former King Riku was casually tossed into a corner.
At this moment, Sabo, entrusted by Luffy, quietly appeared on the second floor of the palace, hidden in the shadows, his gaze fixed on Doflamingo.
At the same time, he also saw Sanji, looking lovestruck, peering in through the window, and Violet beside him.
Doflamingo leaned back in his chair with his legs crossed, his arm propped under his chin, his eyes sinister as he stared at Law, and spoke:
"Law! Your goal was nothing more than the SMILE Factory, and it should have ended there.
But how did the Straw Hat get involved with the Tontatta Tribe of Green Bit?
Usohlandor, mentioned by the Tontatta Tribe, is the Straw Hat's sniper king, Usopp, isn't he?
This is definitely not something they could have done on a whim."
He frowned deeply, biting his thumb, and continued,
"How did they get into the underground?
They couldn't possibly know the path; Orochimaru would never reveal it to them."
A hint of doubt and unwillingness flashed in Doflamingo's eyes.
"Also, why did they target Sugar?
At the banquet, I didn't let Sugar show her face at all.
Although I anticipated they were up to no good, why do these guys' actions always precisely advance in a direction unfavorable to me?"
Doflamingo was full of confusion; even though he knew from Orochimaru that he might fail,
when it all truly happened, he still found it hard to believe; everything happened too smoothly, so smoothly that it made him uneasy.
Doflamingo slowly lowered his head, lost in thought, and once again unconsciously brought his thumb to his mouth to bite.
"If all of this is not a coincidence," he murmured to himself, his voice as cold as if squeezed through his teeth,
"then it means they have already discerned the root cause of the problems behind this country."
For a moment, the vast second floor of the palace was eerily quiet.
Only Baby5's gaze was fixed on Doflamingo's hand, which was unconsciously biting his thumb.
Doflamingo noticed the gaze, looked up, his eyes full of confusion: "What's wrong, Baby5?"
Baby5 held the cigarette in her hand that she had been holding in her mouth, her eyes darting, looking at Doflamingo, as if she wanted to speak but hesitated.
After a moment of hesitation, she said softly: "Orochimaru-sama doesn't seem to like you biting your fingers... it's a bit dirty..."
Upon hearing this, Doflamingo's eye twitched violently. He unconsciously rubbed the thumb he had just bitten with his index finger, and some alluring images involuntarily flashed in his mind.
Then, he regained his composure, looked at Baby5 expressionlessly, and said coldly: "I remember he told you to quit smoking, didn't he?"
Upon hearing this, Baby5 froze instantly, as if under a spell, the expression on her face instantly solidifying.
Buffalo, seeing this, let out a strange "kukuku" laugh, laughing so hard that tears almost came out.
But as he laughed, he suddenly remembered that he, too, had been forbidden from gambling by Orochimaru, and he instantly deflated like a punctured balloon, losing all his previous spirit.
In an instant, the scene fell into a dead silence. Sabo on the ceiling, Sanji outside the window, (the duo forbidden from bathing with Orochimaru)
Witnessing the three members of the Donquixote Family suddenly fall silent and recalling their previous conversation, they all, without prior agreement, fell silent.
They understood each other implicitly; everyone seemed to be "kindred spirits" in the same predicament, and that subtle atmosphere quietly spread through the air.
Only Violet blinked her eyes, Orochimaru? Who?
Law, bound in the heart-shaped chair, looked directly at Doflamingo with an expressionless face, his tone calm yet firm.
"I told you long ago, from the moment you captured me, they have nothing to do with me anymore; the alliance has already been dissolved.
I cannot understand any of the things you are talking about."
Doflamingo's gaze was like a torch, fixed on Trafalgar Law, his eyes full of scrutiny and suspicion.
"Are you trying to fool me? Or do you really know nothing?
Then tell me, what were you rummaging through my room for, Law...?"
Law fell silent again, simply staring quietly at Doflamingo.
Doflamingo stared intently at Law, then suddenly chuckled softly.
"Hmph, with this kind of interrogation, if that woman Violet were still here, she could come to a conclusion instantly.
What a pity."
Doflamingo's tone carried a hint of regret.
Then he changed the subject, his gaze shooting towards King Riku, who was tied up nearby.
"Or perhaps, you were instigating all of this, King Riku? The Tontatta Tribe used to work for you, didn't they?"
King Riku lowered his head and ignored Doflamingo.
Outside the window, Violet's eyes were filled with tears as she stared intently inside, murmuring: "Why is Father here?" And at some point, a Toy Soldier quietly appeared beside her, also looking worriedly at King Riku.
Just at this moment of tense silence, the tightly closed door next to King Riku was pushed open with a "boom"... it seemed to be with a bit too much force.
In an instant, everyone's gaze was fixed on the person who entered.
Only a hoarse voice slowly drifted in,
"Doffy... what are you regretting? Are you reluctant to let go?"
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"