Impel Down, Level 6: Eternal Hell
Because he had surrendered without a fight, Doflamingo was spared the full restraint. Instead, he sat with only Seastone shackles binding his ankles, enjoying a luxury rarely afforded in the abyss: a newspaper.
He stared at the page for a moment, stunned, before throwing his head back in a raucous fit of laughter.
"Fufufufufu! I knew that man would become a thorn in the Marines side eventually. I just didn't expect it to happen so soon. I can hardly wait to see him again!"
The corners of his mouth curled into a knowing, sinister grin.
"The Overlord of the East Blue... Mock. No, I suppose I should call him Hargon D. Mock now! To think he carries the Will of D as well. This is getting more interesting by the second!"
"It might not be long before you meet him right here."
An elderly woman sat on a folding chair just outside the iron bars. Her gray hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail, revealing a calm, weathered face. She watched him with a gaze that had seen decades of piracy rise and fall.
"You should behave yourself in here, Doflamingo."
"You really don't know how to read the room, do you?" Doflamingo beamed at his old rival through the bars. "I'm cheering for the monster of the new era, Tsuru-san!"
"He is just another pirate, as despicable as you are," Vice Admiral Tsuru sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. "Though I have to admit, you aren't wrong. The man has caused Marine Headquarters a significant amount of grief."
As the two traded barbs, a low, gritty voice rumbled from a nearby cell.
"The Overlord of the East Blue... Mock? Let me see that paper."
"Oh?" Doflamingo turned his head toward the shadows where another figure sat, feet shackled, a cigar glowing faintly in the dark. "Curious about him too, are you? Crocodile!"
Before Crocodile, still clad in his black and white striped prisoner uniform, could respond, Tsuru interjected.
"Of course he's curious," she said dryly. "After all, Marine Headquarters really ought to thank Mock. If it weren't for him, neither of you would be sitting here right now."
Silence descended upon Level 6.
Crocodile stared at the wall.
Doflamingo's grin froze.
The Marines were as despicable as ever.
The silence lasted only a moment before Doflamingo broke it.
"Fufufufufu! I almost forgot about that minor detail." He let out that signature laugh again, resting his hands on his knees with a sneer. Throwing the paper aside. "Rest assured, I will thank him properly when the time comes."
Crocodile, quickly snatched the paper floating, let out a cold snort. He scanned the article, with blank expression.
"This man is my opponent," he muttered.
But when his eyes landed on the photo, a picture radiating confidence, he froze, his gaze sharpening into a glare.
"I will kill this man personally."
"You two can stop dreaming," Tsuru snapped, looking at the two former Warlords who seemed entirely devoid of self-awareness regarding their current predicament. "You are never leaving this place. So behave yourselves. Besides..."
Her tone dropped, becoming grave.
"If he were to escape, it wouldn't just be Headquarters with a headache, the World Government itself would be in a panic."
"Fufufufufu!" Doflamingo leaned forward, his interest piqued. "It seems... something happened that didn't make the front page. Care to enlighten us? I might be very grateful."
"Your gratitude is unnecessary. Just sit there and be quiet." Tsuru waved a hand dismissively, then sighed again, her brow furrowing deeply. "There is a rumor circulating. They say this man is... the Pirate King's biological son."
"What?!"
"What the hell?"
The confusion was mutual. Even Doflamingo and Crocodile looked blank.
"It is only a rumor, but I am not lying to you," Tsuru said, spreading her hands helplessly at their dumbfounded expressions. "The World Government and the Marines are in absolute turmoil over it."
She recalled Garp's reaction. When they had confronted the Hero of the Marines with the rumor, Garp had frozen, stunned. Then, just as quickly, he had reverted to his silly grin and started loudly crunching on rice crackers, refusing to say a word. That reaction alone had made the brass even more suspicious. If anyone on the sea knew where Roger's bloodline was, it was Garp.
"Fake!" Crocodile snapped out of his daze, frowning. "The Pirate King didn't look that stupid! Mock can't be his son!"
He had witnessed Roger's execution at Loguetown. The Pirate King had possessed an aura, a presence. He certainly didn't look like *this* guy.
"And he's bald!" Crocodile added with disdain.
"Fufufufufu! I saw the execution too," Doflamingo chimed in, recovering his wits. "Wasn't Roger just a fool in the end? Arrogant and foolish, it actually sounds quite a bit like this guy. Maybe the apple didn't fall far from the tree, it just grew a little crooked!"
His laughter returned, but his eyes behind the shades turned serious. "The Pirate King's son... I didn't expect him to hold such a card."
"The Marines haven't confirmed it yet!" Tsuru interrupted, annoyed that they were already accepting it as fact. "Whether it is true or not, we will investigate. If he truly carries the blood of the world's most evil pirate, the Marines will judge this so-called East Blue Overlord exactly as they judged Roger back then!"
She stood up, straightening her coat and brushing off invisible dust. She glanced at them one last time.
"The pleasantries end here. I have work to do. Because of this man, the entire organization is in chaos. I'm warning you, stay quiet."
Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked away, hands clasped behind her back, ignoring Doflamingo's enduring grin and Crocodile's stony expression.
Once she was gone, the two prisoners withdrew their gazes from the corridor and unconsciously looked toward each other.
"Fufufufufu! I can't wait to get out. A monster of the new era, is it?"
"He is my prey."
Their voices overlapped, low and cold, echoing in the damp darkness.
"The son of the Pirate King, the Overlord of the East Blue, Hargon D. Mock!"
--**--**
Meanwhile, somewhere in the East Blue.
Aboard a Marine 16th Branch Warship.
Dante sat on the deck, clutching a newspaper, listening with a dumbfounded expression as Viola recounted the latest intelligence reports.
He blinked. Then he gasped, the air rushing into his lungs.
"Where did this rumor even come from? Son of the Pirate King? Who made that up? How can people's imaginations run this wild?!"
He paced the deck, waving the paper. "I just had Mock go out to attract the World Government's attention! He was supposed to toy with the Marines, keep their eyes off our operations here in the East Blue! Even if he got caught, as long as he didn't do anything too crazy, the worst outcome was Impel Down!"
Dante slumped, shaking his head in despair. "But now? Son of the Pirate King?! It's over! No hope! We're absolutely doomed! If they catch him with that label on his head, they won't just lock him up, they'll execute him immediately!"
Viola watched her boss's meltdown, considering the implications. "Do we need to contact Mock?" she asked thoughtfully. "Perhaps tell him to be more careful, or find a place to lay low..."
"What are you talking about?"
Dante spun around, cutting her off instantly. His expression of panic vanished, replaced by a mask of righteous, stern authority. He straightened his back and looked her dead in the eye.
"The 16th Branch of the East Blue Marines does not know, nor have we ever associated with, any 'East Blue Overlord'!"
"Huh?"
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