For a while, the Four Seas remained quiet, yet the first half of the Grand Line erupted with incident after incident.
Pirate ships flying the white lion head flag began plundering vessels near the entrance to the Grand Line. Soon after, they even started attacking small islands and coastal towns.
Every nearby kingdom and faction, including several Marine branches, believed White Lion Sali had grown bored at Twin Capes and decided to vent his frustration by going on a plundering spree. After all, the Seven Warlords of the Sea possessed legal rights to plunder.
The surrounding nations could do nothing but complain. The rare peace that had lasted at the front of the Grand Line for more than a year was clearly coming to an end.
Only then did Sali realize someone was impersonating him.
Furious, he immediately set sail and hunted them down. After several days of searching, he finally caught the pirate crews that were ruining his reputation. Using the Voice of All Things, he quickly learned the truth.
They were subordinates of the Donquixote Family.
Without hesitation, Sali contacted Ash through a Den Den Mushi.
This time the situation was different. Both of them were Warlords, and Sali was not certain whether directly attacking another Warlord would provoke the World Government.
Ash did not care in the slightest.
All he knew was that the Heavenly Yaksha needed a lesson.
Did that little Mingo really think that just because Sali guarded the entrance of Paradise while he ruled at the start of the New World, the distance between them meant he could stir trouble without consequences?
Unfortunately for him, the man he chose as a target had a terrible temper and moved faster than anyone expected.
Ash's reply was simple, exactly what Sali had anticipated.
Crush him.
However, only three days after that call, before Sali could finish wiping out the fake Donquixote crews near the entrance, Wyper contacted them again.
Because Gourmet Island was full of spies and Twin Capes constantly had News Coo circling overhead, the three of them decided to meet again in Skypiea.
The moment they met, Wyper got straight to the point.
After defeating the Pirate Empress, his group had gone to Water 7 to retrieve their ship. To their surprise, the shipyard had already replaced the destroyed shark figurehead without even asking them.
The five of them decided to rename the vessel on the spot.
The Thunder Dragon Gaya.
The shark head had been replaced with a dragon figurehead engraved with lightning patterns. The shipyard workers in Water 7 only laughed and said that as long as the Berries kept coming, anything could be done.
Then the sound of hammering began again.
The refit would take another half month, not because the shipyard was slow, but because acquiring Treasure Tree Adam wood simply required time. While waiting, Wyper's group used the Sea Train to travel along the route and visited several islands along the way.
By the time they remembered the ship again, an entire month had already passed.
When they finally collected the newly completed vessel and sailed toward Jaya, the Thunder Dragon Gaya encountered more than a dozen slave ships in the Long Ring Long Land region.
Knowing how much Ash despised slave traders, Wyper's crew sank every single ship without hesitation and freed several hundred slaves of different races.
Since they had dealt with situations like this many times before, they left the rescued slaves on a small island in Long Ring Long Land. Wyper then contacted Sali. After learning that Sali was still busy clearing out the fake Donquixote crews, Wyper brought Tsuki over to screen the rescued slaves.
Just as expected, three spies from the Donquixote Family were discovered hiding among them.
Even better, the three spies did not know each other, which only proved how terrifying the Heavenly Yaksha truly was in the underworld.
His schemes were flawless.
Unfortunately for anyone targeted by those schemes, they were nothing but trouble.
"Why would the Heavenly Yaksha plant spies near Wyper?" Sali asked, clearly confused. "Wyper encountering those slave ships was just a coincidence."
Ash shook his head calmly.
"Who could have predicted that Wyper would fight the Snake Princess on Amazon Lily at the end of July, accept the Warlord invitation in early August at Water 7, and still be wandering between Long Ring Long Land and Jaya by late October?"
Wyper's face turned red with embarrassment as he scratched his head.
Ash continued, "According to Wyper, those slave ships were clearly heading toward the front of Paradise. But think about it. During the Paradise stage, the biggest slave market is in Sabaody. Why would they bypass it and continue sailing forward?"
Sali's eyes narrowed.
"The Heavenly Yaksha's real target is me?"
"Ninety percent certain," Ash replied calmly. "At their speed, those slave ships would have reached the front of Paradise in about a month. By then you would still be busy chasing fake Donquixote crews, so you would naturally rescue those slaves."
Wyper slapped his palm suddenly.
"And once he rescued them, he would take them back to Twin Capes or his real base. That would allow the spies to enter directly."
Sali let out a cold laugh.
"The Heavenly Yaksha really knows how to stack one scheme on top of another."
Ash smiled slightly.
"The only thing that little Mingo did not expect is that we have two people who can use the Voice of All Things."
Neither Sali nor Wyper reacted to Ash's casual nickname for the Heavenly Yaksha. After all, Ash always spoke like that. He called the Pirate Empress a tsundere girl and even referred to Jinbe as a stubborn fish.
Wyper laughed loudly.
"Even if those spies had managed to reach you, they would have been exposed the moment they arrived. We would not have lost anything."
"We would not lose anything, but I still hate being schemed against," Sali said coldly.
Ash suddenly smiled.
"Catching those spies early is actually a good thing."
Sali and Wyper immediately leaned forward with interest.
"From the fake pirates at the beginning to these spies now, every move from little Mingo is connected. He definitely has another plan prepared. But because we intercepted these spies almost a month early, we have completely disrupted his timing."
Ash's eyes became sharper.
"Leave the remaining fake crews at Twin Capes to Dicken and the others. While Mingo is still preparing his next trick, we attack him directly."
Wyper's eyes lit up.
"Strike first?"
Ash nodded.
"All schemes look powerful on paper, but they collapse the moment real strength appears. Instead of wasting time reacting to his tricks, we should go straight to him and make him feel real pain, both mentally and physically."
Sali listened quietly for a moment, then slowly grinned.
It was a savage grin filled with excitement.
"Schemes are not my specialty. But when it comes to fists, I would love to see just how strong this Heavenly Yaksha really is."
Looking at Sali's expression and estimating Doflamingo's true strength, Ash could only feel a trace of sympathy for the man.
If things went badly for him, the Heavenly Yaksha might truly end up becoming nothing more than a clown.
^_________^
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