At this moment, Doflamingo, far away overseas, was lazily leaning back in his chair, his red sunglasses obscuring his eyes, yet unable to hide the unruly smile playing on his lips.
Suddenly, he sneezed without warning, his body trembling slightly.
He slowly took off his sunglasses, rubbed his high nose bridge with a hand, and murmured to himself in a charmingly magnetic voice, "Hmm? Did that ancestor miss me?"
The next second, he seemed to remember something, his narrow eyes widened slightly, and a hint of annoyance and regret flashed in his gaze.
He remembered the bag of extra-spicy senbei he had specifically prepared for Orochimaru, a "gift" he had carefully selected.
Doflamingo narrowed his eyes, and the image of Orochimaru eating that senbei began to uncontrollably appear in his mind.
That person, usually so cool and distant, his thin lips would be red from the spice, perhaps even with tears in his eyes from the heat, and those always indifferent eyes might glisten with moisture, showing a hint of fragility amidst his stubbornness.
Just thinking about it made Doflamingo's heart beat a little faster, and his throat couldn't help but feel dry.
"Tsk, what a pity," he sighed softly, his voice full of regret, yet with a hint of secret desire.
"I had wanted to properly admire that alluring sight, but I left too hastily and missed it."
He leaned back on his throne, a greedy glint in his eyes, his tongue lightly licking his lips, as if he had already tasted the spicy and unique flavor on Orochimaru's lips.
"It doesn't matter, there will be another chance. Don't make me wait too long, Orochimaru…"
However, Doflamingo was probably destined not to see the Orochimaru with red-rimmed eyes and tears of grievance from the spice.
At this moment, Garp's face was flushed, and he was continuously spewing flames from his mouth, thoroughly tormented by that bag of extra-spicy senbei.
He stuck out his tongue, trying to relieve the burning sensation in his mouth, while drinking the water Orochimaru handed him, and secretly cursing in his heart that when he saw Doflamingo, he would definitely teach that guy a good lesson.
So, what Doflamingo might be waiting for was not a crying Orochimaru, but very likely an enraged "spicy grandpa" who wished he could beat him black and blue.
Garp would not easily swallow this "spicy anger," and he would certainly let Doflamingo know who was boss.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru watched Garp's appearance from the side, a hint of an imperceptible smile flashing in his eyes, wondering if Doflamingo would also show an amusing expression like Garp currently was if he knew the situation.
And Garp was thoroughly bothered by that bag of extra-spicy senbei, his heart full of anger towards Doflamingo, yet he couldn't find a suitable reason to discipline Orochimaru, who stood by his side.
After all, Orochimaru wouldn't lie about a bag of senbei; he merely handed it over. The one who truly prepared this ridiculously spicy senbei was Doflamingo.
Thus, this anger, with no outlet, was inadvertently transferred to Luffy and Sabo.
Garp kicked open the door, stood before the two with his arms crossed, like a volcano about to erupt.
"You two brats!" his voice boomed like a bell. "Is this how you watch your younger brother? And what about Ace! What is he doing at Whitebeard's all day long!"
Luffy scratched his head, his straw hat wobbling with the movement, his large eyes looking innocently at Garp, his face clearly asking, "What did I do wrong?"
Before he could react, he and Sabo were grabbed by the neck by Garp and taken away.
Luffy had always been slow to understand complex emotions like this. All the way, he didn't figure out why Garp was so angry. He could only be carried along like a bewildered little pitiful thing.
Occasionally, he would struggle and howl a bit, only to be met with a harder punch from Garp. Helpless, he could only obediently endure, simply bearing this undeserved calamity.
Sabo was different. His heart was filled with his affection for Orochimaru, and he had intended to find a suitable moment to clarify the matter with Garp, to openly declare his feelings.
But who would have thought that everything would be disrupted by an inexplicable fit of anger? Now he was anxious, yet firmly controlled by Garp, with no chance to explain.
A moment later, on the sunny, Chopper trotted on his short legs, looking worried as he carried a first-aid kit, carefully applying medicine to Luffy and Sabo.
Luffy grimaced and cried out in pain, his face still bearing red marks from Garp's discipline.
Looking at Sabo, his face was swollen like a pig's head, and his once handsome appearance was almost unrecognizable.
Chopper looked at Sabo's miserable state, his round eyes full of confusion, and he mumbled softly, "Sabo, why were you beaten like this?"
Sabo gave a bitter smile, and just as he was about to speak, he pulled at the wound on the corner of his mouth, wincing in pain and sucking in a cold breath.
He had considered getting beaten by Garp as a way to make his intentions clear, but he hadn't expected such a brutal beating. Did he even use Haki?
If it weren't for the Animal-Type Devil Fruit enhancing his physique, Sabo would have suspected he was done for.
How did Dragon survive this lifetime?
Garp, meanwhile, watched Sabo getting medicine, huffing with anger, his arms crossed, his chest heaving violently, seemingly still upset about what had just happened.
Poor Sabo, at this moment, was still completely bewildered, totally unaware that he was simply being made a scapegoat.
He was convinced that Garp was furious because he had mentioned his affection for Orochimaru, which was why he had been dealt with so severely.
Sabo allowed Chopper to apply the medicine, still pondering how to explain his feelings for Orochimaru to Garp once his anger subsided, to show that it wasn't just a fleeting whim.
Little did he know, the source of Garp's anger was actually Doflamingo's bag of fire-breathing senbei.
Sabo was still thinking about how to phrase things to make Garp understand his feelings for Orochimaru, completely unaware that he was merely an innocent casualty of this "senbei rage."
Garp had actually long anticipated Sabo's feelings. Over the years, he had watched Sabo and Orochimaru interact, and Sabo's gaze towards Orochimaru had never been innocent.
Especially two years ago, Sabo's eyes held a fervent affection, tender and lingering, which anyone paying attention could perceive.
Luffy and Ace, those two fools, didn't count.
Garp was angry not because Sabo liked Orochimaru, but because after being burned by Doflamingo's senbei, he had nowhere to vent his emotions.
And poor Sabo spoke up at that moment, wasn't that just walking into the crosshairs?
When Garp calmed down and saw Sabo, who was swollen like a pig's head, he felt a little guilty.
He cleared his throat, breaking the oppressive atmosphere on the sunny, and apologized very straightforwardly.
"Sabo, Grandpa lost his head just now, I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I'm sorry."
Sabo was stunned, not expecting Garp to back down first. His eyes welled up, and just as he was about to speak, Garp raised a hand to interrupt him.
"Grandpa understands what you're thinking. If you like him, go for it. Not that you'll necessarily catch him."
Sabo's pig-like swollen face grew even darker. What was this? Was this an apology? This was mockery!
Luffy, listening from the side, was completely bewildered. He scratched his head and asked, "Who does Sabo like? What's going on?"
Luffy's unintentional jab made the group of people secretly listening burst into laughter, and the previously oppressive atmosphere suddenly lightened considerably.
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