"I am the commander of the Tontatta Kingdom, Leo! You were sent by Doflamingo!"
Despite being captured, Leo still showed hostility.
"Doflamingo?" Sabo was surprised.
"Huh? Weren't you?" Leo was also taken aback.
Sabo shook his head. "I know Doflamingo—the king of this country, one of the Shichibukai. Do you hold some kind of grudge against him?"
Hearing this, Leo immediately became furious. "He's not the king of this country—he's nothing but a despicable pirate!"
---xXx---
Dressrosa, Royal Palace.
"The Straw Hat crew has arrived, and now there's a huge commotion throughout the city."
Trebol spoke with his nose dripping.
Doflamingo sat on the throne, his expression gloomy.
He recalled what had happened yesterday.
When he arrived at Punk Hazard, Vergo had been killed, Caesar was missing, and two Admirals were fighting to the death on the island.
He didn't dare remain there for long and returned to Dressrosa that same night.
"Straw Hat Luffy has disappeared, while the others are shopping on Valentine's Avenue," Diamante snorted coldly.
"Trebol, what do you think we should do?" Pica, whose body was enormous but whose voice was shockingly thin, asked, "That guy killed Vergo! If he doesn't pay for it, how can we honor Vergo—my hero?"
"Vergo's death wasn't in vain."
Doflamingo crossed his legs and grinned mockingly. "Even if we're talking about Straw Hat, he killed one of mine first, so calm yourselves."
That's what you call 'not in vain'?
Diamante's face remained expressionless.
"Don't provoke a Yonko. They're not monsters you can defeat so easily," Doflamingo said casually.
He, too, was saddened by Vergo's death.
If you asked him whether he wanted revenge—of course he did.
If he had the strength to get it.
"Since they're already here, there's no escaping this. Trebol, send someone to meet them and prepare a banquet in the palace!"
Doflamingo ordered immediately.
"How about using that? Let Sugar turn them into toys!"
"Don't do anything unnecessary!" Doflamingo broke into a cold sweat.
These people were truly clueless.
His Devil Fruit powers were not omnipotent.
"Contact Monet first and gather some intel."
"Understood, I'll go now."
As they discussed countermeasures—
---xXx---
Elsewhere.
On Valentine's Avenue, someone was trying to reach the Straw Hat Pirates before anyone else.
A dancer in revealing clothing with a red flower in her hair.
Former princess of Dressrosa, now an assassin of the Donquixote Family's Trebol Army.
Violet hid in a back alley, observing the Straw Hat crew from afar.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I've decided to find Luffy. Where did he go?"
With her eyes closed, her vision expanded like that of a bird soaring through the sky, viewing the entire city at once as she searched for the Straw-Hatted pirate.
This ability was called Clarividência—Clairvoyance.
She could perceive everything within a 4,000-kilometer radius centered on herself.
The drawback was that such a wide area made things less precise; to find a person, she still needed to search manually.
"I've checked the entire city, but I still can't find him… the only place left is there!"
Violet extended her sight all the way to Green Bit, in the north.
Finally, she found Luffy.
---xXx---
"Doflamingo stole the kingdom?"
Sabo asked in disbelief.
What the dwarf Leo described was completely opposite to everything he had seen and heard in Dressrosa.
Koala pondered aloud, "Doflamingo is a broker in the underworld, and he's sold plenty of weapons to them."
"He turns anyone who opposes him into dolls."
A person transformed into a toy loses the ability to be recognized by anyone who has a bond with them—the moment they're turned, everyone forgets they ever existed.
Sabo's expression twisted in disgust. "And this is how he plans to rule the kingdom?"
Luffy laughed. "Revolutionary Army, huh? So what are you going to do about it?"
Suddenly, he looked toward the sky.
"What is it, Luffy?" Sabo followed his gaze.
There was nothing in the sky.
Even his Observation Haki didn't pick up anything unusual.
Luffy stood up, still staring upward.
Sabo's Haki couldn't detect it—but Luffy's could.
"Someone's spying on us."
As he said it, Luffy more or less guessed who it was.
He smiled at the sky.
"Let's go, Sabo."
Sabo hesitated for a moment, then released Leo and the others. Bowing his head, he said, "If everything you said is true, the Revolutionary Army will never stand by and do nothing!"
---xXx---
In a random alley.
Violet froze, trembling with sweat.
"He found me?"
Straw Hat Luffy had suddenly looked up at the sky and smiled directly at her.
But Violet wasn't afraid.
"Either way, this is an extremely rare chance—and no one can save this kingdom except Straw Hat Luffy!"
Violet clenched her fists, whispering nervously, almost without realizing it.
"Yohohoho… lovely lady, why are you trying to meet our captain?"
A ghostly, chilling laugh came from behind her.
Violet stiffened.
Slowly turning around, she saw a face—or rather, a skull.
"Ahhh!" she screamed, immediately covering her mouth.
"You scared her, Brook," Usopp said.
Carrying a backpack full of medicine, Chopper asked, "What did you say just now? Something about saving this kingdom?"
Only then did Violet notice Chopper, and her eyes sparkled.
"The Straw Hat Pirates' pet tanuki!"
"I'm a REINDEER!" Chopper shouted, pointing at his own antlers. "Look at these! What do they look like to you?!"
Violet turned to Usopp again. "The long-nosed man of the Straw Hat Pirates!"
"I'm the king of all snipers!"
"Great, then please listen carefully—Straw Hat Luffy must beware of Sugar's ability!" Violet warned frantically. "If he gets hit, it'll all be over!"
"Huh? What do you mean? Who even are you?"
"I am…"
---xXx---
Royal Palace.
Doflamingo ordered his subordinates to leave and personally picked up the den den mushi to contact Kaido.
He reported everything that had happened.
"… What do you want!?"
The den den mushi mimicked Kaido's rough tone, full of disdain.
"Kaido, Caesar has been captured by the Straw Hat Pirates. I'm afraid producing this month's batch of artificial Devil Fruits will be difficult."
"I'll go to Dressrosa myself!"
The call ended abruptly.
Doflamingo still didn't feel safe. He didn't want to be killed by the Straw Hats—
But he also didn't want to abandon everything he'd built and run away.
Suddenly, he received another call.
Doflamingo frowned in confusion.
Once he answered it, the voice on the other end made his expression turn grim.
"Doflamingo, is Straw Hat Luffy in Dressrosa?"
That voice… Fingarland.
Doflamingo's face twitched slightly.
"The government just received the report. Do whatever it takes to keep the Straw Hat crew there. We're on our way—we can't let them escape!"
"Furfurfur… you want me to risk my life to help you solve your problems?"
Doflamingo sneered.
He didn't want to get dragged into this.
Between the God's Knights and Straw Hat Luffy, who was the enemy and who was the ally?
Was that even a question?
Of course… Straw Hat Luffy!
(End of Chapter)