Doflamingo suddenly turned, the crystal chandelier casting fragmented light and shadow on his face. "The factory in Dressrosa…" He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty, "After collecting all the money, abandon everything."
Frenzied footsteps echoed from the corridor, and Sugar timidly peeked out, clutching a doll.
Doflamingo crouched down and stroked her hair, his fingertips trembling uncontrollably: "The Tontattas, especially Princess Mansherry…" His voice suddenly rose, "Lock them in special cages right now!"
As long as the Tontatta Princess was with them, the Tontattas would willingly follow them; their labor was indispensable.
"Yes! We'll go right away."
"Are we really retreating? We…"
"Sigh…"
"Our kingdom, which we've managed for ten years…" The executives of the Doflamingo Family stood at the port, the sea breeze carrying the scent of gunpowder, their faces filled with unwillingness and struggle.
"Should we rob the rich ones?"
"Rob what? If we rob, we'll probably be trending again in less than a minute!"
"..."
Diamante gripped the long sword in his hand, his knuckles turning white from the effort. He stared intently at the streets of Dressrosa, the prosperous scenes they once controlled now a burden they had to abandon.
"Damn it… We've managed this kingdom for so many years, and now we have to flee so miserably…"
Trebol's mucus dripped uncontrollably from his body, his expression shifting, his voice hoarse: "I say, I say… Now is not the time to be stubborn. The Marine's Admirals are not to be trifled with. Even Crocodile fell. If we don't leave, are we waiting for that Kizaru guy to kick us into prison?"
A hint of fear flashed in his eyes; he knew that against a Marine Admiral, they had almost no chance of winning.
Gladius's veins bulged on his forehead. He slammed his fist against the ship's railing, wood chips flying: "Damn it! If only we had more time…"
Pink remained silent. He knew better than anyone that confronting Admiral-level combat power head-on would only lead to complete annihilation.
"Doffy's judgment is correct. Retreating now is the only way to preserve the family's future."
Sugar hugged her teddy bear tightly, her big eyes flickering with unease.
She had never seen the family in such a pathetic state, and even Doflamingo's back seemed tense and suppressed.
She whispered, "Young Master, are we really leaving?"
Doflamingo stood at the bow of the ship, the sea breeze lifting his Pink feather coat. The signature cold smile still hung on his lips, but his eyes were darker than ever.
"Fufufufufu… Don't make such a defeated dog expression. We haven't lost yet."
He slowly raised his hand, pointing to the distant horizon. Punk Hazard, the island shrouded in mist, was their last retreat.
"Our most important factory is there. The production of SMILE must not stop." Doflamingo's voice was low and dangerous. "If we lose it, Kaido's wrath will be more terrifying than the Marine's pursuit."
The family executives exchanged glances, then finally gritted their teeth and nodded. They had no choice but to follow their young master's decision.
At night, in the silent darkness, the ship slowly sailed out of the port. The lights of Dressrosa gradually faded into the distance, and Doflamingo and his family, everything became unknown.
...
Three days later,
The lingering glow of the sunset spilled over the island's port, and the sea breeze, carrying a salty, damp scent, brushed against everyone's tense faces.
Although the fervor of the Shichibukai incident had subsided, countless aid videos filmed by the public were still on TikTok, and the comment sections were overrun with videos tagging nearby Marine.
On a certain island,
On the training ground, Zephyr slowly took off his sunglasses, which had accompanied him for many years, his knuckles slightly white from the effort.
He stood in the center of the training ground, his eyes showing a hint of fatigue but also immense determination. Behind him stood dozens of Marine soldiers, each with an expression of disbelief.
"I'm leaving the Marine." His voice was hoarse yet firm, startling a flock of seagulls perched on the cannon.
"Teacher Zephyr!" Ain suddenly stepped forward, her blue hair wildly swaying in the wind. Her fingertips unconsciously dug into her palm. "Is it because of… Admiral Ron?"
This sentence instantly silenced the entire training ground. Everyone's gaze focused on Zephyr's tense profile.
Zephyr shook his head slightly. It was truly difficult to say this… A complex emotion flashed in his eyes, but eventually, it calmed down.
"No, Ain." There was a hint of weariness in his voice, but his tone was exceptionally firm. "This is not because of Ron, but because of my own choice." He took a deep breath and continued, "I have always been thinking, what is true justice? Is the Marine's justice truly what I pursue?"
The soldiers on the training ground looked at each other. They had never imagined that Teacher Zephyr would say such words. They knew that Zephyr had always been their role model, and his decision was like a bolt from the blue for them.
"Teacher Zephyr, have you… have you really decided?" A young soldier couldn't help but ask, his voice tinged with a choke.
Zephyr nodded, his eyes showing a hint of resolve: "Yes…"
Just then,
A steady sound of footsteps broke the frozen atmosphere.
Ron walked over, followed by several soldiers carrying wooden boxes. Inside the boxes, brand-new smartphones were neatly arranged.
"There's no need to be nervous, everyone." A gentle smile hung on Ron's lips, and the fine lines at the corners of his eyes smoothed out. He personally handed out the phones one by one to everyone, their metal casings gleaming with a warm glow under the setting sun.
"These are gifts for you."
Binz carefully swiped the screen, his pupils reflecting the flickering icons.
"This is…?" Before he could finish his question, Ron had already leaned over to demonstrate, tapping his finger on the screen.
"This is a mobile phone, a popular tech entertainment product in the sea right now." Ron's voice was patient.
Everyone was a bit confused, clearly not knowing what this thing was.
But it looked like a block of iron, what was so entertaining about it?
Were they supposed to play with building blocks?
Ron took in everyone's confusion, smiled, and explained:
"There's a music note icon on it, called the TikTok App, which is our main entertainment software.
Of course, many other entertainment software will be released later.
Open TikTok, first register an account with real-name authentication, and then choose a catchy ID."
As he spoke, he operated the phone, and a registration interface popped up on the screen.
"Next are TikTok's basic functions. See, this way you can shoot videos, and TikTok… can let the whole world hear your voices."
"TikTok also has other functions, such as…" Ron continued to demonstrate, sliding his finger across the screen, showing various features.
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