Chapter 16 — You Came Here to Rob Me, Didn't You?
King's Plateau — Donquixote Doflamingo's Castle.
The massive iron gate—once a proud symbol of the Donquixote Family's dominance—now lay twisted and broken across the courtyard, reduced to nothing but a pile of warped metal.
BOOM!
Akira lowered his leg, a faint trail of smoke still rising from his boot.
"Tch."
He clicked his tongue, his tone filled with mild disappointment.
"This gate… its quality's awful."
"Even the liquor storeroom door back in Onigashima—made by your father—was sturdier than this."
"Completely unsatisfying."
"Akira!"
At his side, Yamato slung the massive Hassaikai over her shoulder, eyes sparkling with excitement.
"So this is the place you were talking about—the base of that guy called 'Mingo,' right?"
Her sea-blue eyes gleamed with battle lust.
"Looks like there are plenty of people here to use as sparring partners!"
"Perfect!"
She tightened her grip on the spiked club, her energy flaring like a wild storm.
Three days of "training" aboard the ship had left her more dependent on the Armor of Will than even Akira himself.
Now, whenever she saw another living being, all she could think was—
Another ten-second physical enhancement target!
"Don't rush," Akira said, holding out a hand to stop her.
"We're here to trade, not to wreck someone's property."
"Eh…"
Yamato's disappointed groan made it clear she didn't agree, but she reluctantly lowered her weapon.
— — —
Meanwhile, inside the throne hall of the castle——
"Fufufufufufufu!"
Doflamingo sat sprawled across his throne, the pink feathers of his coat draping elegantly over the marble floor.
A vein pulsed violently at his temple, twitching in rhythm with his rising fury.
"Who?"
"Who dares?!"
"Who dares to kick my gate down in my territory?!"
His voice echoed coldly through the grand hall.
"Joker!"
A wet, sticky voice oozed from the corner of the room.
Trebol slithered into view, his slimy form glistening as he bowed.
"Joker! There are two people outside… and they're really dangerous!"
"They had the nerve to destroy your castle!"
"Should we…"
His grin twisted grotesquely.
"Kill them?"
Doflamingo stood abruptly.
His handsome face twisted into an ugly mask of rage.
"Trebol! Diamante! Pica!"
"All three of you—get out there!"
"Drag those two bastards here!"
"I'll make them into wall decorations!"
"Yes, Joker!"
From the shadows, three figures stepped out.
The top executives of the Donquixote Family.
"Fufufu! Two fools who dare challenge Joker?" Diamante smirked, tapping his rapier against the floor.
"Let's see who these idiots—"
Before he could even finish, darkness swallowed his vision.
A huge shadow loomed over him, blotting out the light.
The last thing he saw—was the tip of a gigantic spiked club.
"Too weak."
Yamato sighed in disappointment, sticking a finger in her ear lazily.
"What kind of 'sparring partners' are these? So pathetic."
"I'm already getting bored."
Akira had already told her that these people were either enemies or irrelevant lackeys.
Which meant—they were perfect for strengthening exercises.
"Ice Fang!!"
Yamato gave them no time to react.
Her attack—amplified twentyfold by the Armor of Will and powered by the full force of Kaido's original Hassaikai—
burst forth like a divine thunderclap.
BOOOOM!!!
No screams.
No defense.
Trebol, Diamante, and Pica—
the Donquixote Family's three top officers—
didn't even see how Yamato moved.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The trio flew backward faster than they'd appeared,
crashing through walls and pillars before slamming into the far end of the throne room.
They slid down, eyes rolled back, foam spilling from their mouths.
All three were out cold.
"…"
"???"
Inside the throne hall, Doflamingo's signature laugh—"Fufufufu"—
stuck halfway in his throat.
His sunglasses slid halfway down his nose.
He stared blankly at the wall where his top officers now hung limply like broken puppets.
His mind froze.
"O-one hit…?"
"All three of them… down?!"
"This… this has to be a joke!"
The anger vanished from his face—
replaced by a creeping chill that ran down his spine.
He turned stiffly, his smile twitching.
Through the settling dust, two figures slowly emerged from the sunlight.
A man and a woman.
The man wore plain black clothing, his face calm, absentmindedly cleaning his fingernails.
The woman beside him carried a massive, spiked club that radiated menace.
Her steps were heavy. Her aura… crushing.
And together, they walked into his throne room as if they owned ihi
Doflamingo's pupils shrank sharply.
"A spiked club…?"
"That shape—" His breath hitched. "That's… a replica of Kaido's Hassaikai?!"
A chill ran down his spine as his thoughts spiraled.
"Don't tell me…"
His heart sank to the pit of his stomach.
"—Beasts Pirates?!"
The very name stuck in his throat like ice.
He knew exactly what it meant for Kaido's people to show up in his territory.
Still, he raised his hand and flexed his fingers. Thin, near-invisible strings shimmered faintly in the air around him.
Even if they were from Kaido's crew, that didn't mean he could let himself be humiliated on his own island.
Besides, he had never seen these two before. Their faces weren't on any wanted posters.
Most likely, they were just underlings—small fry.
He could fear the likes of Kaido's top three Calamities, but for two unknown soldiers?
Absolutely not.
"Who the hell are you two?!" he barked.
"Fufufufufu…" His grin returned, wide and confident again. "Whoever you are, to cause a commotion in Dressrosa and dare challenge me, Donquixote Doflamingo—"
Before he could finish, the black-haired man finally looked up.
His eyes were calm—too calm.
But the way he looked at Doflamingo… it wasn't as if he was facing an enemy.
It was how someone might appraise the balance of a bank account.
Then, with quiet composure, he spoke.
"If you really want to fight me," he said flatly,
"I suggest you think twice."
"…"
That voice.
That tone.
Doflamingo froze.
The killing intent that had been boiling off him vanished in an instant—
like a balloon pricked by a needle.
His expression twisted, confusion flooding his features. His mouth trembled slightly.
"T-that voice…"
Of course he recognized it.
How could he not?
For years, all his trade routes with Wano—the SMILE factories, the Seastone smuggling lines—had always been handled through one particular person.
The man directly beneath Kaido's three Calamities.
The one even the Beasts Pirates themselves called the Chief Administrator—
Kaido's true right-hand beyond the disasters.
The "Fourth Calamity."
Akira.
Even though Doflamingo had never met him face to face, every time he had spoken to that voice through a Den Den Mushi, he could feel the weight behind it—
the suffocating aura that nearly made his chest cave in.
He had bribed this man countless times through secret channels, offering immense sums just to keep his trade stable and secure.
And now—
the one man he never wanted to meet in person… was standing right before him.
"A-Akira-sama?!"
Doflamingo's voice trembled uncontrollably.
But Akira didn't respond.
He didn't even glance at the three "flies" still stuck to the wall.
He simply walked past Doflamingo, each step echoing heavily across the throne hall.
When he reached the magnificent throne at the end of the room—the seat symbolizing absolute power in Dressrosa—he stopped.
Then, without hesitation, he sat down.
BOOM.
Leaning back lazily, he rested both legs on the table in front of the throne.
"Not bad," he murmured.
"But the chair's a bit stiff. Not very comfortable."
The tone was calm, but to Doflamingo, it might as well have been a divine decree.
Shhkk—!
At Akira's side, Yamato stepped forward, her presence cutting through the air like a blade.
She rested the massive Hassaikai on her shoulder, eyes gleaming with ferocity.
The pressure pouring from her body—magnified twentyfold by the Armor of Will—crashed into Doflamingo like a tidal wave.
It felt as though an entire mountain had dropped onto his chest.
"Ghh…"
He struggled to swallow, cold sweat pouring down his forehead and soaking through his pink feather coat.
And at that moment, he realized something terrifying.
The woman who had just singlehandedly flattened three of his executives—
was only this man's bodyguard.
"What the hell…"
"That damned Kaido—he's still hiding monsters like this under his command?!"
Doflamingo forced a smile onto his trembling face—
a smile that looked more like a grimace of despair.
"Akira-sama!"
"Why trouble yourself to come all this way personally?"
"If I had known in advance, I would have welcomed you at the harbor myself!"
Akira stared down from the throne, eyes half-lidded and voice cold.
"Save the formalities, Doffy."
"Let's not waste time. I'm here for business."
"B-business?"
Doflamingo blinked, then immediately perked up, forcing a grin.
If it was business, then it wasn't war.
If it was trade, that meant negotiation.
And negotiation meant… profit.
"Yes! Yes, of course, Akira-sama!"
"Whatever you need—just say the word! No matter the scale, I can handle it!"
Akira yawned, his voice lazy.
"Not much, really."
"Just… one shipload of Seastone."
Sssssss—!!
Doflamingo inhaled sharply.
His entire body went rigid.
A whole ship of Seastone?!
That was enough to arm the entire navy of a kingdom!
No wonder this man was called the Fourth Calamity.
Whenever he dealt through Akira's channels before, he was lucky to receive a ton or two—
and that already required endless bribes and middlemen.
But now… Akira had come in person, bringing an entire ship of it?!
Doflamingo's brain spun rapidly, calculating profits.
A grin began to creep across his face as he rubbed his palms together.
"Akira-sama! This is an enormous transaction!"
"At market price, that's worth no less than one billion Berry!"
"But since it's yours personally—allow me to sweeten the deal."
He raised one finger, smiling cunningly.
"1.1 billion Berry! I'll add a hundred million as a personal courtesy!"
It was a generous offer—or so he thought.
But Akira only smiled faintly.
Then slowly shook his head.
"Doffy…"
"I don't think you understand the situation."
The smile vanished.
He raised two fingers.
"One price."
"Two billion Berry."
"…"
"???"
Doflamingo's grin froze. His face twitched.
"Two billion… Berry?!"
"Akira-sama, you… you must be joking!"
"That price is impossible! I—I can at most—"
BOOOOOOM!!!
Before he could finish, Yamato's Hassaikai slammed into the floor right in front of him!
The marble cracked and exploded—a crater spreading across the throne room as shockwaves blasted through the air, sending Doflamingo's feathered coat flapping violently!
"If Akira says two billion Berry—"
"Then it's two billion Berry!"
Yamato roared in a voice that shook the room, mimicking Akira's calm tone but dripping with raw power.
"Where did you get the guts to argue?!"
"Say another word, and I'll smash you and this entire castle into dust!!"
"…"
Doflamingo froze in place.
His eyes darted between the smoking crater on the floor and Akira—
who still sat there leisurely, smiling faintly from the throne.
And in that instant, he finally understood.
This wasn't a trade.
This wasn't a negotiation.
"…Damn it."
He swallowed hard, sweat dripping down his chin as realization sank in.
This man—
He didn't come here to do business.
He came here to rob him.
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