Phlesia explained Doflamingo's true identity to Enel and Inuarashi. Since the two of them were on their side, it didn't count as a leak. Still, this matter wasn't suitable for outsiders to know.
They didn't need to worry about leaks, though. When the time came, they could just say they had accidentally crossed paths.
After all, they were all the most talked-about pirate rookies of recent years. Wasn't it perfectly normal for them to have some connection?
Didn't Shanks and Mihawk work together just fine?
Still, Inuarashi was worried whether Doflamingo would actually help them.
This guy had a crooked mouth and wore round black sunglasses—you'd think he was playing the erhu. The old man Inuarashi pushed his sunglasses up and stared for a long time at the "ONLY LIFE" printed beneath Doflamingo's bounty poster.
"Even though he's one of Inazuma's sleeper agents, we don't actually know him that well. Will he really agree to help us?" Inuarashi said worriedly.
"Don't worry, that guy will definitely help." Phlesia said, sounding quite confident. She had heard from Sister Jasmine that Doflamingo was a textbook antisocial personality—the more chaotic the seas, the happier he was. Even if the waters were calm, he'd find a way to stir up trouble.
"We're moving against Big Mom this time. Even if he wasn't part of Inazuma, he'd probably still be willing to help. It's just that we'd have to give up more in return."
"But I heard he's pretty gutless. He definitely won't dare face Big Mom head-on, so we'll have to rely on ourselves when the time comes."
"That's fine. As long as we can sneak into the tea party, that's enough." Enel was the bold one. He was usually far more rational than Buggy, but when it came to guts, he was every bit as fearless.
And so, the three of them gathered intel while searching for Doflamingo.
At that moment, Doflamingo—still in his floral shirt, cropped pants, and Chelsea boots—was standing far across the sea, gazing at a distant island.
—Dressrosa.
"Doffy, we should go." A hunched man, sticky all over and resembling a humanoid slug, shuffled up behind him and spoke slowly.
Doflamingo's face was so dark it looked ready to drip with malice. He didn't leave right away. Instead, he kept his eyes on that country and spoke slowly:
"Did you know, Trebol? This land has belonged to our Donquixote Family for a very long time." Doflamingo's eyes were hidden behind those scarlet lenses, making his true thoughts impossible to read.
What he said was true. It was just that this old history dated back eight hundred years.
The true rulers of Dressrosa now were the Riku Royal Family, a status recognized by the World Government.
And that recognition was exactly what fueled Doflamingo's resentment.
Why them and not him?
Those bastards had refused his request to return to the Holy Land as a descendant of the Celestial Dragons. Yet they recognized upstarts like the Riku family ruling a kingdom that had originally belonged to the Donquixote Family!
Doflamingo felt as if he had lost everything. His status and honor were stripped away, and he was chased across the sea by the Marines like a stray dog.
"Doffy..." Trebol looked at Doflamingo, wanting to comfort him, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.
But Doflamingo himself started laughing.
"Fuffuffuffu... Don't worry. One day I'll come back.
"I've waited all these years for one chance.
"I want to prove myself—not to show how great I am, but to tell the world that what I've lost, I will take back!"
"If it's you, Doffy, you'll definitely succeed!" Trebol nodded firmly. The entire family believed Doflamingo had what it took to become a king. Their years together had forged a deep bond between them.
"Of course. Taking back Dressrosa is just the first step. As long as we follow that lord's footsteps, one day we'll become the new kings of the world."
Doflamingo's mood lifted considerably. He slipped his hands into his pockets and strutted toward the cabin with a light, almost bouncing step, looking like some blue enchantress.
"As for those old kings, I'll be waiting for them to be nailed to their rotting thrones! Fuffuffuffuffu..."
After composing himself, Doflamingo set off again. This wasn't the time for him to settle down. That Marine named Tsuru was still on his tail day in and day out, making trouble for him.
But Doflamingo felt his chance was almost here. He had picked up a scrap of inside information.
He heard the World Government was planning to establish a Seven Warlords of the Sea system. Once you became a Warlord, you'd be an officially sanctioned pirate. Even the Marines wouldn't be able to hunt you anymore.
This status was crucial for Doflamingo. With it, he could truly straddle both the underworld and the legitimate world.
But how to land one of those Warlord positions was still a problem.
"Should I trade that trump card I'm holding?" Doflamingo pondered. He knew certain secrets about the "Kingdom"—that was precisely why the World Government had always been so wary of him.
After all, his bounty poster still read "ONLY LIFE." The World Government feared he might burn everything down in desperation, so they had left him plenty of escape routes when issuing the bounty.
"Forget it. It's too early to think about that. Better to plan how to seize the Heavenly Tribute first."
That's right—Doflamingo had already set his sights on the Heavenly Tribute. The Heavenly Tribute was an enormous sum of wealth.
Why were so many nations not affiliated with the World Government? Because even marshaling their entire country's strength, they still couldn't scrape together the Heavenly Tribute.
That showed just how heavy a burden it was.
And the Heavenly Tribute Doflamingo was eyeing wasn't just one nation's share. He was after the combined tribute of multiple nations.
If he pulled this off, he wouldn't have to worry about funding for the next decade or more.
You had to admit—Doflamingo had guts, and an appetite to match.
The World Government had been collecting the Heavenly Tribute for years. So far, the only one besides him who had dared to target it was Rocks.
Rocks had relied on his own power and strength. Doflamingo was relying on his identity.
But just as he was about to leave, a ship came sailing toward them in the distance.
"Doffy, that flag... it looks like the Buggy Pirates!" Trebol's expression changed and he spoke up at once.
Doflamingo's expression hardened as well. He had crossed paths with the Buggy Pirates back in Paradise. Honestly, he couldn't stand them.
They had no respect for the rules!
"Looks like they're coming straight for us. Trebol, tell everyone—prepare for battle!"
[
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