The Dawn, at least dozens of kilometers away from Dressrosa. At this distance, Rosen didn't sense any danger. He knew Viola's Giro-Giro Fruit could see very far.
But he also knew that no Devil Fruit ability could be used 24 hours a day. Plus, Doflamingo likely didn't know their target, so theoretically, the chance of being discovered shouldn't have been high.
But unexpectedly, they were spotted from this far away.
Moreover, there were several small islands near them. Enel had sensed human presences on these islands earlier but hadn't paid much attention. After all, where there are islands, there are people. That's perfectly normal.
And only when Rosen's ship entered the area between the three small islands did Doflamingo appear. That was quite telling.
As Doflamingo's words fell, over a dozen pirate ships of various sizes emerged from the three nearby small islands, surrounding them from all directions.
Daz Bones and the others immediately entered combat readiness.
Though the start wasn't ideal, they were not afraid. They didn't believe one Shichibukai had the ability to take them down. On their ship, there were currently more than three individuals no weaker than Shichibukai level.
"Don't rush to fight, Sand Crocodile. How about we make a deal? Join my forces. I'll plead for you, pay some price, and buy your life from the Beasts Pirates. What do you say?" Doflamingo was confident, as if victory was assured.
"You think these few broken ships can destroy us? You overestimate yourself." Rosen remained unmoved. Though he said that, Doflamingo wasn't a fool. There were likely other arrangements.
"By myself, it wouldn't be enough. But surrounding you are two of the Beasts Pirates' Three Calamities: Jack the Drought and Queen the Plague, plus many ability users. Perhaps you can escape, but your subordinates, I think, are doomed." Doflamingo watched the approaching ships, gradually tightening the psychological pressure on Rosen. At least in his own view, that's what he was doing. After all, Sand Crocodile should know how to adapt to the times.
"Doflamingo!" Law glared at Doflamingo with predatory eyes, wishing he could slice him into pieces immediately.
"Law, long time no see. I have to thank you for delivering this great gift to my doorstep. You've worked hard." Doflamingo taunted.
"Bastard!" Law nearly lost control.
"You see, what can an impatient brat give you, Sand Crocodile? You and I joining forces, that's when we'll truly have a place in the New World. What do you want? Weapons? Fruits? Money? I have all of that. That brat still smells of milk, he can't give you anything. Think it over. They'll be here soon." Doflamingo kept tempting Rosen.
Rosen wasn't in a hurry to fight either. They weren't very close yet, making it hard to judge which direction was weaker. Since they had fallen into a trap,
His first reaction was definitely not to fight, but first to break free from the enemy's advantageous encirclement, then choose a situation favorable to him to engage.
"Sounds pretty good." Rosen took out a cigar, lit it, and said calmly. Doflamingo was indeed an ambitious man. In this situation, he still wanted to recruit Rosen.
Unfortunately, though his aptitude was decent, perhaps having been a merchant too long, he had forgotten many things. Relationships based on mutual benefit aren't the only way to live.
And he had lost many extremely powerful Devil Fruits in his life. Otherwise, his overall strength might be even greater.
The Gold-Gold Fruit, the Op-Op Fruit, and the now-defunct Flame-Flame Fruit. His own strength is considerable, but it's likely the fruit's ceiling limited him. Even though he had awakened his fruit, he couldn't become one of the very top tier.
The String-String Fruit, no matter how one looks at it, isn't an overwhelmingly powerful fruit. Though Doflamingo developed it well, that can be attributed to him being a strong fighter who can extract powerful uses from a not-so-strong fruit.
If it were a fruit with a higher base, like the Flame-Flame Fruit or the Magma-Magma Fruit, perhaps with his aptitude, developing it to its limit might make him no weaker than Admiral Akainu.
But there are no what-ifs. And though it's regrettable, an enemy is an enemy. This was the price for Rosen saving Bonney. And Doflamingo wouldn't just hand over the SMILE factory.
"I have what you want, and I can provide what you need. If you want to establish a foothold in the New World, I can help you." Doflamingo continued.
"But..." Rosen suddenly said.
"But what..." Doflamingo's smile froze slightly, because this word indicated that things might not develop the way he wanted them to.
"Law is my ship's doctor now, and he saved one of my crew. So no deal." As Rosen's words fell, Doflamingo's face turned grim.
"There's no need to remember favors as a pirate. Are you really that confident you can survive this? Take a good look at the forces around you. Dressrosa's elite troops plus the Beasts Pirates. Even a Marine Admiral surrounded like this would find it hard to escape death." Doflamingo's words were by no means an exaggeration.
Currently, Doflamingo's side has at least 8 individuals with Vice Admiral-level combat power (ranging from average Vice Admiral to top Vice Admiral). Under him, there are Trebol, Pica, Diamante. Most of the other combatants are no weaker than Rear Admiral level. Even those slightly below that level are still outstanding ability users, otherwise unqualified to be his officers and family members.
As for Queen's side, the 5 Headliners he brought all have combat power reaching Vice Admiral level. One of them, from the Flying Six, is at top Vice Admiral level. Additionally, over a dozen of the Gifters have combat power around Rear Admiral level.
Finally, the over one hundred Gifters have combat power fluctuating around the level of Captain or Rear Admiral. Some special ability users might prove useful in unexpected ways at any time.
Besides these, there are at least eight large pirate ships loaded with 5,000 of Dressrosa's strong royal soldiers, all equipped with the strongest firepower.
Doflamingo is an arms dealer. If he truly prepares to deal with a force, the weapons and equipment he can bring to bear will be the finest.
Just these forces alone could match, or even repel, a Buster Call from the Marines.
And if you add Queen, Jack, and Doflamingo himself, three of them together could potentially assassinate an Admiral, just as he claimed.
Now looking at Rosen's side: currently, only Daz Bones, Law, and the sea cow have reached Vice Admiral-level combat power. Law and the sea cow only barely meet the threshold. Valentine hasn't reached it yet.
The only ones who can stand tall are Enel, who has Admiral-level destructive power with his lightning, though his actual comprehensive combat power is high quasi-Admiral, and Robin, who is at quasi-Admiral level, plus dozens of subordinates.
The gap in numbers and strength is huge. Robin and Enel together could be held down by about four to five Vice Admiral-level fighters. As for Daz Bones, Law, and the sea cow, if they can handle three Vice Admiral-level fighters, the gap remains large.
If calculated as above, it means Rosen would have to face Queen, Jack, Doflamingo, plus 5,000 royal soldiers with excellent weapons and equipment, and 150 Gifters.
Because the enemy's eight Vice Admiral-level fighters alone could almost tie down all of Rosen's current subordinates. This would be an unprecedentedly tough battle!
Rosen released his Observation Haki. He felt a pressure he had never experienced before. The enemy's strength was immense, far exceeding his expectations.
"Prepare to break through. Head to the three o'clock direction." Rosen hadn't been bickering with Doflamingo for no reason. He was waiting for the enemy to get close enough to judge the weak point for a breakthrough.
In an ambush, if you can avoid fighting, you avoid it. As soon as Rosen realized they had been exposed without knowing the enemy's numbers, he knew they needed to retreat first. Fighting a battle without intel was too disadvantageous.
But Doflamingo wanted to fight. In the current situation, he held an absolute advantage. There was no way he would let them go easily.
(End of chapter)