The dark underworld of the New World had always been controlled by a few major players—arms dealing, intelligence, slavery, smuggling… These shadowy transactions were often more brutal than the wars waged on the seas.
Due to Rhett's involvement, the plot had changed, and Tesoro had entered the underworld earlier than expected. Over time, a name had silently devoured parts of the underground realm—the "Golden Emperor" Tesoro.
On the surface, he was a business tycoon controlling casinos and entertainment industries. But in the shadows, his golden tentacles had reached deeper—black market auction houses (though not dealing in slaves), underground intelligence networks, and even secret arms trafficking within the Navy.
This had given Tesoro enough capital to corrupt both the World Government and the Navy. Once you'd done business with him, it was possible that gold dust had entered your body, or your secrets had fallen into his hands. Otherwise, Tesoro wouldn't have been so confident in telling Rhett that he could convert his resources into combat power when necessary.
While Doflamingo had started preparing ever since Rhett killed a Celestial Dragon, his family's rise was still in its infancy, dabbling in small-scale operations and accumulating funds in Paradise (his current influence wasn't yet significant enough to attract Tsuru's attention).
They thought there were still gaps in the New World's underground industries, unaware that Tesoro had already monopolized over thirty percent of the underworld's transactions, controlling nearly twenty-five percent of the world's wealth.
Those seemingly unclaimed "shadow industries"… were also part of Tesoro's grand scheme.
Tesoro pushed open the door to the captain's quarters, his expression relaxed.
Rhett was lounging with his feet up, playing "Rock-Paper-Scissors" with Laboon.
"Laboon, I played paper, and you played rock. I win," Rhett said with a grin, looking at Laboon.
Laboon glanced at his fin and nodded, pulling out a small dried fish from his little pouch (which Stella had sewn for him).
"Yo, Boss Tesoro, you're in a good mood today?" Rhett chuckled, counting the dried fish he had won. Salty and spicy, the flavor was quite satisfying.
Tesoro didn't respond directly, instead tossing a stack of documents onto the table. "Captain, our underground operations have been attacked. They've taken the bait."
Rhett raised an eyebrow, glancing through the documents. "Doflamingo? That flamingo guy?"
"More accurately, his family," Tesoro said with a cold smile. "They've been active in Paradise, but now that they've gained a foothold in the New World, they're trying to dip into the black market. But obviously—" He pointed to the defaced Donquixote family emblem on the documents. "They don't know whose territory this is. In other words, they've bitten the hook. Though, if they're not complete fools, they should've realized it by now."
Let's shift our perspective to Doflamingo.
"What did you say?!" Doflamingo crushed the wine glass in his hand, red liquid dripping between his fingers.
Trebol nervously handed over a document. "A-According to our investigation… the underground ports and casinos we've recently seized… all have traces of 'Golden City' behind them."
Diamante's expression also darkened. "We specifically targeted 'unclaimed' businesses!"
"Fufufufu…" Doflamingo's laughter was icy. "'Unclaimed'? No, we've been played."
He finally understood—Tesoro had done this on purpose.
Those seemingly neglected shadow industries were nothing but bait!
Tesoro was fishing, and they—the Donquixote family—were the fools who'd bitten the hook.
"Dofla, it's not too late to pull back…" Trebol said cautiously.
Doflamingo's fingers twirled a thread of string, his eyes dark behind his sunglasses.
No, they'd already invested too much effort and resources into securing these territories. Retreating now would leave the family with no foothold in the New World!
"Continue," he said coldly. "If Tesoro wants to play, we'll play big."
Long before the Donquixote family's rise, Rhett had already set his sights on Doflamingo.
"That kid's pretty interesting," Rhett said, sitting on the deck. "Crazy, ruthless, and fond of scheming… perfect for handling 'dirty work.'"
To be honest, Rhett quite admired Doflamingo. In the original story, we saw things from Luffy's or Law's perspective—kill my family, humiliate my friends, enslave an entire kingdom, he deserved to die.
But if we viewed things from Donquixote Doflamingo's perspective—his foolish parents abandoned their power, and he rose from the bottom, building the Donquixote family and becoming the Joker of the underground black market. Then, with his ambition, he became the king of a nation, toying with the World Government and the Navy. He's practically the protagonist of a revenge story.
Take the birdcage in the story—even Admiral Fujitora could only hold it back. I won't comment on his strength.
Doflamingo's character and morals were indefensible, but let's be honest, some dirty work required people like him. You can't expect everyone everywhere to be reasonable.
What Rhett wanted wasn't just to be like Roger, who only had the title of Pirate King. He wanted to become the world's greatest wielder of the "Face Fruit" power.
If you're just strong, people will avoid you. Rhett wanted to envelop the entire pirate world in a blood mist, becoming the strongest in every aspect.
Tesoro adjusted his glasses. "So, you had me 'set the bait'?"
"Exactly. He won't spit it out," Rhett grinned, blood mist swirling around his fingers. "Let him seize it, let him gloat. When he's bitten the hook the deepest—"
"We'll reel him in. Let's see if they're smart enough."
Rhett didn't pay much attention to Doflamingo after that, letting him frolic for a while. After a few days, Doflamingo clearly didn't disappoint Rhett.
"Fufufufu… Rhett's reaction is too 'mild.' He's not usually like this," Doflamingo said from his throne, his family members standing below.
"If it were anyone else, they would've retaliated by now."
Trebol asked cautiously, "Dofla, do you mean… they're doing this on purpose?"
"No, they're 'observing,'" Doflamingo's smile grew sinister. "Seeing if I'm worthy… of becoming their 'tool.' Does he really not fear capsizing in the gutter?"
He guessed correctly.
Rhett was indeed evaluating—was Doflamingo worth recruiting? And honestly, he wasn't afraid.
After all, if Doflamingo turned out to be too useless, Rhett wouldn't even bother. He'd wait and see what kind of surprises Doflamingo would bring.
As Rhett pondered his future plans, a small coffin drifted into view from afar??????
Wasn't Little Hawk supposed to be roaming the seas alone, randomly sinking pirate ships?
Hawk Eyes: Those who've seen me rowing a boat must die.
The coffin-like boat approached the Bluma Jackson, its prow bearing a solitary figure—a black trench coat, sharp golden eyes, and an exaggerated black sword gleaming coldly in the sunset.
Dracule Mihawk.
The man who had yet to become the "World's Greatest Swordsman" stared intently at Rhett on the deck.
"Hey hey, this look…" Rhett squinted, a smirk forming. "You're not here to challenge me, are you?"
Rhett couldn't help but marvel at the people of the sea. Based on his years of sailing experience—
Enel sat cross-legged on the mast, sneering. "Another fool who doesn't know his place."
Lina gripped her rapier, whispering a warning. "Captain, his sword aura… it's dangerous."
At her current level, Lina definitely couldn't beat Mihawk.
But Rhett suddenly grew excited, blood mist swirling around him. "Finally, someone interesting!"
Spar it is!