Regarding the plan hatched by the Five Elders and the World Government against Doflamingo, currently, none of the Donquixote Pirates had the slightest inkling. Even Doflamingo himself hadn't anticipated that the Five Elders would go so far as to dispatch two Admirals to deal with him.
They truly held him, Donquixote Doflamingo, in high regard!
Undercurrents were surging!
The CP9 units, having received their orders from the Five Elders, spread out like flowing mercury, seeping into every nook and cranny, rapidly blanketing the entirety of Paradise as they diligently tracked the Donquixote Pirates' movements.
Although CP9 prided themselves on their stealth, believing they went undetected, there are truly no walls in this world without cracks. Such a large-scale operation by the World Government naturally aroused the curiosity of certain interested parties. Coincidentally, the White Dove intelligence network, hidden within the fabric of society, was one of them.
Under Doflamingo's support, White Dove had also developed rapidly. Perhaps the ruffian leader you see on the street holds a White Dove identity; perhaps even your bedfellow has been recruited by White Dove. There were even White Dove agents within the Marines and the World Government.
However, for the time being, none of this concerned Doflamingo. They were already on their way to Erergo Island.
Life was meant to be enjoyed, so that a sea voyage wouldn't become tedious.
A long voyage inevitably led to a scarcity of food, especially fresh water – an indispensable resource for anyone sailing the seas.
They were still some distance from Erergo Island, and the Donquixote Pirates' food supplies were gradually hitting rock bottom. Although they hadn't reached the point of starvation – after all, the sea was rich in resources and wouldn't let people go hungry – Doflamingo and his crew were about to vomit from eating so many "fish feasts" and were in dire need of a change in their diet.
Several days later, the Donquixote Pirates finally arrived at Erergo Island.
"Alright, brats! Go ashore and relax a bit!" Doflamingo, after arranging for resupply tasks, gave his crew, who had been sailing for a long time, a break – to get massages, relieve their loneliness, and comfort their "good brothers."
"Thank you, Young Master!"
"After so long, I can finally let loose!"
"Beautiful ladies, here I come!"
Hearing Doflamingo's command, the crewmen cheered joyfully, their enthusiasm immense, as they headed off in groups of three or five towards the holy land in their hearts.
It had to be said, there were truly many such places in this world. No matter the island, if you looked carefully, you could always find traces. After all, for the sake of survival, what could bring in money faster than this?
One lies down, it's over in a few seconds, money and goods exchanged. Just thinking about it felt easy.
Muddling through in darkness, people are often forced by circumstances. There are some things you are unwilling to do, but ultimately, under the pressure of unseen pushers, they have no choice but to submit, obey orders, and live as the person they least want to be.
"Sister Ibes, Baby 5, Monet, want to go shopping on the street together?" Robin also extended a shopping invitation to the other girls on the Ark.
"Perfect, I was thinking of going for a look too," Ibes replied to Robin with a gentle smile.
"Shopping? Then I'm really looking forward to it!" Monet's eyes lit up upon hearing Robin's words. After all, a woman adorns herself for the one she admires. She also wanted to dress up more beautifully for Doflamingo; that way, the night's fire would burn a little brighter.
Monet was certainly looking forward to it!
Only Baby 5 didn't reply. Robin, thinking Baby 5 hadn't heard, asked again, "Baby 5, aren't you going?"
"I… I want to stay with the Young Master!" Baby 5 wasn't very interested in these things, and besides, she didn't really get along with Robin and the others.
"Well then, alright! What a pity. Bepo, you come along too!" Robin sighed, expressing her regret, then immediately went to summon her free labor.
"I… I want to eat delicious food, I don't want to go shopping," Bepo said, pointing at himself, voicing his true feelings.
"Bepo, won't there be delicious food with us? You should know, Big Brother Doffy gave us control of the Donquixote Family's finances! When it comes to money, they don't have as much as we do, oh! Stick with me, and I guarantee you'll eat well," Robin said with a warm smile, coaxing this innocent little cutie, Bepo.
"Oh! O-okay!" Bepo, hearing Robin's words, replied somewhat shyly.
"Then we're off!" Robin quickly departed with the two women and one bear, off to try on the beautiful clothes on Erergo Island.
Doflamingo watched them leave with a smile on his face, then turned his gaze to those who hadn't left.
"What, aren't you planning to go relax?" Doflamingo inquired.
"Not interested! With this kind of time, I'd rather train a bit more," Law replied coolly.
Hearing Law's words, Doflamingo nodded and didn't press him further. He then looked at Enel, Diamante, and the others, receiving mostly similar answers.
Ever since witnessing Doflamingo unleash his divine might, their hearts had been unsettled. They didn't want to waste this time and also wanted to guard the Ark Maxim's safety. After all, with so much gold on board, it was very tempting to those lawless elements!
"Well then, I'll go take a look myself!" Doflamingo quickly leaped off the Ark, landing steadily on the ground, with his little "hanger-on," Baby 5, following close behind.
"Young Master! Where are we going?" Baby 5, who had been tagging along with Doflamingo, asked curiously.
"No destination. Wherever we end up, that's where we are," Doflamingo gave Baby 5 an answer.
"Oh!" Baby 5, not receiving a satisfactory answer, was somewhat helpless and replied with a pout.
Doflamingo paid no mind to Baby 5's little temper, walking ahead on his own, with Baby 5, the little shadow, escorting him all the way.
Strolling leisurely, Doflamingo led Baby 5 past various street stalls. After eating fish for so long, it was time to improve their diet. Doflamingo took food from a vendor, paid the money, and then gave half of it to Baby 5.
"Delicious!" Baby 5, her mouth stuffed with food, still didn't forget to offer a review.
Doflamingo was very pleased to see Baby 5 in this state.
And so, the two of them went along, sampling from all the street vendors. Baby 5, for her part, ate very happily.
However, poor Bepo was currently transformed into a human Jinchuriki for carrying things, diligently obeying the commands of the three women without complaint. They really weren't treating Bepo like a person!
Alright, Bepo wasn't a person to begin with, but who orders a bear around like this! They truly weren't treating Bepo like a bear. He didn't get a single bite of delicious food, broke out in a sweat, and, to top it off, was ganged up on by cute shop assistant young ladies and "taken advantage of" a few times.
Time spent strolling always passed quickly. The streets were bustling with activity, and various trivial matters were a common sight. Doflamingo was like a passerby in the mortal world, observing humanity with neither joy nor sorrow.
"Uninteresting! Let's go, Baby 5. It's about time we headed back," Doflamingo said, looking at the noisy street scene, yet feeling out of place among them.
"Oh, oh!" Baby 5, her mouth still full of food, quickly followed.
Doflamingo, with his little pendant Baby 5, was on his way back to the Ark when he encountered a certain individual.
It was none other than Red-Leg Zeff. It turned out Zeff was leading his underlings to this island to gather supplies. Doflamingo was drawn by their conversation; he hadn't initially recognized Zeff, as Doflamingo generally didn't pay much attention to ordinary people.
"Captain, the ship docked over there is so luxurious! It's all gold! If we…" One of Red-Leg Zeff's men hadn't even finished voicing his thoughts before Zeff interrupted him.
"Say no more. That's an existence we cannot afford to provoke. Didn't you see the mountain of corpses piled up beside it? It's normal to have greed, but we don't have the fate to take it!" Red-Leg Zeff, ever clear-headed about the realities of the world, had a very good grasp of his own crew's strength.
"Captain, I… I understand," the subordinate, as if remembering something, had cold sweat beading on his forehead. His greed was instantly suppressed by fear.
"Quickly, finish resupplying! It's time to set off. The Log Pose for this island is already set; no need to delay here any longer. We also need to hurry and see the sights of other islands," Red-Leg Zeff urged.
"Alright! We've been wanting to move forward for a while now! It's time for our Cook Pirates to make a name for themselves on the seas!" The members of the Cook Pirates cheered upon hearing their captain's words.
Little did they know, Doflamingo, who had just passed them, had overheard their conversation.
Doflamingo stopped in his tracks, muttering, "Cook Pirates?"
Baby 5, busy gobbling down food behind him, bumped into Doflamingo's long leg due to his sudden stop.
"Young Pffft-aster! Your thigh is too hard! It hurt when I bumped it!" Baby 5, her mouth stuffed, rubbed her forehead with her small hand, mumbling her complaint.
"Baby 5, isn't it rather that you're too weak?" Doflamingo, seeing Baby 5 like this, found it rather amusing. She couldn't manage herself and yet blamed his leg for being hard.
"I!" Baby 5 mumbled indistinctly, then fell silent, knowing she was in the wrong.
Doflamingo didn't pursue the matter further, leading Baby 5 towards the Ark Maxim.
Upon returning to the shore where the Ark Maxim was docked, their attention was immediately drawn to the corpses beside the ship. It was just as Red-Leg Zeff had said: the dead were piled up like a mountain! Strewn across the shore, they had dyed the seawater red.
Doflamingo felt no pity for these people who had succumbed to greed. Overestimating themselves, yet wanting to obtain things beyond their reach – that was courting death.
Baby 5 also didn't react much; she was used to such scenes. Now, she could even eat with relish amidst corpses.
Doflamingo returned to the ship and asked whose handiwork this was; the killing intent was almost comparable to his own.
Upon hearing it was Law, practicing, Doflamingo praised him.
"Law, well done! Since they dared to offend us, they are our enemies. And enemies, of course, must not be spared, not a single one," Doflamingo said, looking at Law with approval, endorsing his actions.
"Enemies, of course, must not be spared, not a single one!" Law said coldly. Having slaughtered so many people, his heart felt not a ripple of disturbance.
Hearing Doflamingo's words, Law didn't feel the slightest bit complacent just because he had dealt with some small fry and received Doflamingo's praise.
He knew his path was still long! The world was vast, and their enemies were very strong. He didn't want to remain so weak.
"Very good!" Enel also looked at Law with satisfaction, indicating that Law was very much to his liking, truly worthy of being someone Doflamingo valued.
Doflamingo walked to the edge of the Ark, looked at the town on the island, and said cryptically:
"Later, a good show is about to begin."