Doflamingo stared silently at the Marine Admiral before him.
He hadn't expected the Marine Admiral to arrive so quickly.
Of course, even though he had issued the bounty only moments ago and the Marine Admiral showed up immediately after, Doflamingo remained completely unflustered.
"Fufufufufufu~"
That familiar, distinctive laugh echoed once more.
"As expected of a Marine Admiral known as a monster. I didn't think even Pica would fail to delay your advance." Doflamingo gracefully swirled the wine glass, sitting boldly on the throne as he looked at Kuzan, a smile still on his face. "Although I knew those useless fools couldn't truly stop you, I had my family alter the Royal Palace's layout. By my calculations, you shouldn't have reached this place so quickly."
"Yeah, you're right. I really shouldn't have arrived that fast. I was quite troubled by it at the time," Kuzan nodded, then added, "But someone happened to guide me."
"Someone guided you? Who?"
As Doflamingo voiced his confusion, before Kuzan could answer-
Suddenly, an enraged shout rang out from behind.
"It was me! Doflamingo, I've come for revenge!"
Sensing the disturbance behind him, Doflamingo's expression tightened. Yet in the blink of an eye, he vanished from his throne.
Countless strings instantly bound the figure before him, yanking him to Doflamingo's feet. He stomped down hard on him.
"Ah, that was close, I almost ended up in trouble there."
Looking at the suddenly appearing one-legged warrior, Doflamingo paused, then seemed to realize something.
"Fufufufufufu, is that you? That swordsman from back then!" He laughed. "So you were the one who led the way. How should I thank you?"
As he spoke, he kicked Kyros away with brutal force, then rubbed his own head.
"What a headache. Ever since I ran into Mock, it feels like bad luck has just kept piling up one thing after another."
"…"
"Forget it. Let's not talk about that annoying guy for now." Doflamingo turned back toward Kuzan. After complaining briefly about the string of mishaps, he seemed to shrug it off, smiling again. "I hear my family received quite a bit of care from you."
"No need to thank me," Kuzan replied indifferently, accepting it outright. With his usual lazy tone, he continued, "So, how about coming with me now?"
"Oh, right. I almost forgot, you're here to arrest me." Doflamingo nodded, flashing his white teeth as he spread his hands. "Speaking of which, my position as one of the Shichibukai has already been revoked. How troublesome."
"As long as you understand that."
"I understand perfectly. But…" Doflamingo let out another "Fufufufufufu" and stepped down from beside his throne, hands in his pockets, loafers tapping lightly on the floor. He bent forward, looking down at Kuzan as if from above. "As a Marine Admiral, you should be well aware of my relationship with the World Government. As long as I haven't been taken down, the World Government won't truly move against me."
"Yeah, that's quite a hassle," Kuzan said, rubbing his head lazily. "Since you don't plan to surrender, I guess I'll have to do this myself-"
However, before Kuzan could finish-
"But…" Doflamingo, hands still in his pockets, had already walked up to Kuzan. Behind his sunglasses, his gaze locked straight onto Kuzan as he smiled meaningfully. "I surrender."
Kuzan froze, staring at Doflamingo in surprise. He hadn't expected him to surrender just like that, without even fighting.
As Doflamingo stepped closer and Kuzan realized he wasn't joking, a delighted expression spread across his face.
"Really? That's great news!"
"I'm not lying. At this point, resisting would be pointless anyway." Doflamingo kept his hands in his pockets, letting out his signature laugh. Though he was turning himself in, he didn't seem the least bit anxious. "Fufufufufufu. Besides, fighting you would be quite troublesome."
Still-
Seeing Joker acting so obedient, Kuzan's happy expression gradually faded back to calm. He looked at him and asked, "What are you really planning?"
He knew all too well how dangerous this man was.
There was no way he'd be this cooperative without a reason.
"I'm not planning anything. I truly want to surrender." Doflamingo spread his hands, smiling in a harmless way. "Relax. At this stage, I won't do anything reckless."
If Sugar had been found, he might still have had a chance to gamble everything against this Marine Admiral.
But now-
Everything had happened far too suddenly.
Mock had abruptly brought a Marine Admiral with him. Sugar had been suddenly captured. And then… this Marine Admiral had come knocking at his door.
With a Marine Admiral here, there was no way to keep Dressrosa's secrets hidden anymore. Rather than being dragged down in disgrace, it was better to surrender like this.
"Only…"
*Click*
Just as Doflamingo was about to say something, he lowered his head and stared at the Seastone Handcuffs now locked around his wrists, his expression blank.
Were Marine Admirals all this straightforward nowadays?
He had said he would surrender, but he hadn't even made his conditions yet, so why were the cuffs already on him?
Before he could say anything-
"Since it's genuine, thank you very much!" Kuzan said with satisfaction as he looked at the stunned Doflamingo. He slowly removed the leather gloves from his right hand, let out a heavy sigh of relief, and spoke cheerfully. "I thought I'd have to fight after all. Good thing I borrowed a pair of Seastone Handcuffs. I didn't expect it to be this easy. Honestly, there's been too much trouble lately, it's been giving me a headache. Thanks for cooperating. Considering that, once we reach Marine Headquarters, I'll personally apply for a single-occupancy cell for you, so you can live a bit more comfortably inside."
Then he looked at Doflamingo in confusion.
"By the way, what were you about to say just now?"
Doflamingo fell completely silent.
With his status and his level as a pirate, was there even a need for this guy to apply for a private cell?
Aside from a heavily guarded single-occupancy cell, what other option could there possibly be?
Still, thinking of his plan, he took a deep breath and kept smiling.
"There's one more thing I'd like to ask of you."
"Is it troublesome? If it is, can I refuse?"
"It's not troublesome at all. You could even say it's part of your job." Doflamingo's eyes flickered with a dark glint as he spoke calmly. "I hear you chased the East Blue Overlord all the way from the East Blue to get here. Perhaps I can help you capture Mock."
Before the slightly bewildered Kuzan could respond, Doflamingo continued as if he hadn't noticed.
"Though he's just a pirate who recently left the East Blue, I'm sure Marine Headquarters finds him quite a headache as well. So, what do you think of my plan?"
"Not interested."
"I figured as much. Fufufufufufu. How could an Admiral of Justice possibly cooperate with a pirate like me?" Doflamingo said with a smile, as though he'd expected the refusal. "Even though I anticipated this, it's still a bit disappointing. I really can't stand that guy right now. I was hoping you'd find me some company, after all, life at sea can be terribly boring."
"Find you some company?" Kuzan seemed to recall something. The unexpected smoothness of things had put him in a better mood. Stretching lazily, he said, "You don't need to worry about that. The Marine has already found you a companion."
Doflamingo froze.
They really had?
Who?
Monet? Or Pica?
That made sense. Even though he had told Monet to escape on her own, now that he himself had been captured, how could they possibly avoid it? Besides, there weren't many members of the Donquixote Family still qualified to be imprisoned in the same place as him.
Before he could ask-
"You know the base commander of the G-5 Branch Base, Vice Admiral Vergo, right?" Kuzan said casually, without hiding anything. "That's right. He's been arrested."
Doflamingo's previously calm expression turned to scowl.
Even Vergo had been caught?
He had been counting on Vergo if he ever needed to escape from the Marines.
In a dark tone, he asked, "How did you discover him?" Then he paused slightly, as if guessing something. "Don't tell me it was Mock again?"
"Figures. Fufufufufufu. Looks like Marine Headquarters had been prepared all along."
At that moment, it was as if Doflamingo suddenly understood something. Though he still let out his distinctive laugh, it sounded far more ominous than before.
"Marine Admiral-"
Before he could finish-
"I-"
Kuzan felt a headache coming on. He thought Doflamingo had uncovered his secret and was about to say something.
"Turns out you were targeting me from the very beginning! Using the capture of Mock as a pretense, while secretly investigating me instead. No wonder! No wonder everything kept going wrong for me. I thought I was just unlucky." Doflamingo suddenly burst into laughter, his mood brightening. "Sugar's sudden accident, everything being exposed, it all gave you the perfect excuse to arrest me. Am I right, Admiral Kuzan?"
"...You make it sound really convincing."
"Looks like both Mock and I were played by you." Doflamingo laughed again. "Fufufufufufu. How interesting. But…" He looked at Kuzan with a cold smile. "You'll regret it. I can already see it, that shameless Mock will, eventually, stir up chaos that will shock even the Marines!"
No. Aside from calling him shameless, you got everything else wrong.
Just as Kuzan hesitated over whether to stop Doflamingo from continuing his rambling-
"Of course, I can also help the Marines a little." Doflamingo smiled elegantly at Kuzan. Seeing Kuzan about to speak again, he cut him off and continued. "Don't worry, I'm not asking you to release me. I'm just planning to add a bit of fire to this rotten world. Fufufufufufu."
A chill crept across his face as he spoke.
"I really look forward to meeting him."
===============
Dear Readers and Fans,
For those eager to dive into next chapters earlier before others, I invite you to join us on Patreon. By becoming our Patron, you not only gain access to exclusive advanced chapters but also help us continue this endeavour and expand it further.
https://www.pat reon.com/8Ashes8
(no space)
You can read upto 7 Chapters in advance.