"Hey, don't ignore me!" Helmeppo protested, trying to get their attention.
"Oh, it's Captain Axe-Hand Morgan's idiot son!" Luffy, Nami, and Zoro all said in unison, a statement that immediately made Helmeppo wince. That was a dark chapter of his past he could never live down.
"I know I was a total jerk back then," Helmeppo said, wiping away tears, "but I've changed!"
Koby quickly interjected, "He really has! Helmeppo is a sergeant just like me now. Please, everyone, don't make fun of him."
Since Koby vouched for him, everyone gave the guy a break. Luffy and Koby began catching up, though there wasn't much to talk about besides Koby's new life.
Koby told them how he met Garp after they left Shells Town, how he and Helmeppo were brought to Marine Headquarters to train, and how they even had the chance to participate in the Summit War. He briefly described his admiration for Luffy.
Luffy, Zoro, and Nami were all surprised to hear Koby had been at Marineford. They realized that even if they had seen him at the time, they probably wouldn't have recognized him. In the heat of the battle, they had only been focused on fighting and escaping. It was a miracle that Koby had survived that terrifying battlefield.
"I'm going to keep training hard," Koby declared, "and one day, I'll be a Marine Admiral!" He then immediately tripped over himself and started waving his hands frantically. "I'm sorry, I'm so conceited for saying that! I'm still so weak."
Luffy didn't see anything wrong with it. "Why are you apologizing? That's great! If you want to fight me, you'll have to be an Admiral!"
Koby stared blankly at Luffy for a long moment. He still looked up to this man so much.
Garp had truly come to see his grandson, not to arrest the Straw Hats. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't. A two-on-one fight with Luffy and Carl would surely end in Garp's defeat.
While the Straw Hat crew was meeting with Garp, Law was in his submarine, having a one-on-one conversation with Doflamingo. Doflamingo was the one who initiated the call.
Law held several hearts in his hand, and a piercing scream echoed from the Den Den Mushi in front of him. "Hey! What do you want, you scoundrel!" Doflamingo yelled.
"I'm calling to ask you something, Doflamingo. You gave me fake news. Did you not think about the consequences?" Law asked, completely fearless now that he had a powerful crew backing him. What did it matter if Kaido was behind Doflamingo? The Straw Hats had just chased Kaido away!
Doflamingo gritted his teeth. "Okay, I was wrong. Can you let Diamante and the others go first?" Doflamingo, for all his arrogance, knew when to back down.
He couldn't ignore the lives of his crew. Not only was Diamante an important fighter for his Family, but he also needed to ensure the loyalty of his other members by showing he would do whatever it took for his family. If he didn't solve this problem, his Family would crumble.
Law slightly loosened his grip on the hearts. "I'll let them go for now, but I'm keeping their hearts. You're going to officially resign as a Warlord. This time, I want to see real news. If you try to trick me again, I won't be so polite. You know, a heart is very fragile."
Doflamingo was cornered. As arrogant as he was, he needed the protection of a Warlord. Without it, Fleet Admiral Sengoku would surely launch an attack on Dressrosa. Even with the recent war, the Marines had more than enough strength to wipe out the Doflamingo Family.
But if he didn't agree, Law was serious. "Fine! I'll resign as a Warlord immediately, and this time it's for real. But you have to give me Diamante's heart right now! They are my important family!"
"Master Doffy!" Diamante and the others were moved by his words. In their eyes, Doflamingo was willing to give up his status as a Warlord for them. They saw him as a true family man, while Law was nothing but an ungrateful, heartless traitor.
Law just smirked to himself, saying nothing. If Doflamingo truly cared about his family, why did he kill Corazon, his own brother? In Law's eyes, Doflamingo was nothing but a cold-blooded actor putting on a show for his subordinates.
Law knew that if he told the others the truth, they wouldn't believe him anyway. "I'll be waiting for your news. Once I've confirmed that you've resigned, I'll return their hearts to you. You have my word."
He hung up the Den Den Mushi. He wasn't worried about Doflamingo playing tricks. Even if Doflamingo won this little game, his family would be finished when the Straw Hats arrived in Dressrosa. For now, Law was just testing his strategic skills.
Law put the Den Den Mushi away and called Kaku over. "Have you contacted Lucci and the others? What's going on with the World Government?"
"The old man has already reached out to Lucci," Kaku replied. "The World Government is putting all the blame for the Marine's defeat on Sengoku, and he's stepping down as Fleet Admiral in a few days. He nominated Kuzan as his successor, but the World Government hasn't made a decision yet. They've also chosen to keep the massive Impel Down prison break a secret."
Law simply nodded. He wasn't surprised. As a strategic thinker, he had carefully considered the political situation, and the World Government's actions were exactly what he'd predicted. The only variable was who would become the next Fleet Admiral.
"Well, let's take it one step at a time," Law said to himself. "We haven't even entered the New World yet, so there's no need to worry too much." Law had complete confidence in the Straw Hats. The newspapers had said they were a crew with "double kings," just like the Roger Pirates were with Roger and Rayleigh. He knew a crew this powerful wouldn't lose to any other force.
Law left the submarine to find the Straw Hats. Just in time, the Franky Family rushed over, announcing that the Straw Hats' new ship was ready and that they'd all been called to the shoreline to see it.
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