After everything was settled with Arlong, Doflamingo leisurely returned to the Grand Line with the fish-man crew.
Although he had been beaten and lectured by Doflamingo, Arlong was now very respectful towards both him and Diamante. It wasn't just because of their strength, but also because Doflamingo had shown him a bright path forward.
To Doflamingo, it had been a mere waste of breath, but to Arlong, it represented a bright future for all fish-men. So, for the next seven days, the Arlong Pirates did their utmost to satisfy every need of Doflamingo and Diamante, not just out of respect and fear, but also because they now saw them as benefactors.
Seven days passed slowly. The Arlong Pirates, with Doflamingo, returned to the Grand Line. Thanks to the Log Pose, Doflamingo didn't need to hop from island to island and set a direct course for Water 7.
Passing Reverse Mountain once again, Doflamingo gave it a thoughtful look. The Pirate King's doctor, who had guarded the lighthouse, was no longer there. Only the lonely whale, Laboon, remained, continuing his vigil, waiting for the Rumbar Pirates to return. This time, however, there was no one to comfort him.
But after the last incident, Laboon had learned his lesson. He knew who he could mess with and who he couldn't. If he couldn't handle someone, he would flee in a panic. After all, he no longer had a protector.
As the pirate ship passed through the Twin Capes again, Laboon saw Doflamingo sitting leisurely on the deck. It was like seeing a demon. The whale fled in terror, not daring to linger for a moment, afraid Doflamingo would cause him trouble.
Doflamingo, however, paid him no mind. He had no reason to bother with a whale. Otherwise, with his strength, wouldn't capturing one be an easy task?
Doflamingo and Diamante stood at the bow, gazing out at the sea.
"What a beautiful sea," Doflamingo remarked with a sigh.
"Indeed, it is. Remember, not long ago, we dealt with a great enemy here," Diamante added.
"Red-Hair? I have to admit, he was indeed a great enemy. If he hadn't died, he would have surely been a huge problem for us," Doflamingo said slowly, looking at the sea where Shanks had met his end.
"No matter how big the problem, once we've dealt with it, it's no longer a problem, is it, Dof?" Diamante asked.
"Fuffuffuffu. Indeed, Diamante. You're right," Doflamingo agreed, a rare occurrence.
"Red-Hair, oh, Red-Hair. I suppose I picked a good resting place for you. The strong devour the weak; that is the unchanging truth of this world. If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for being too weak," Doflamingo said, lost in thought as he stared at the water.
"Dof, speaking of Red-Hair, the remnants of his crew are still out there. Do you think... we should hunt them down and finish them off?" Diamante asked thoughtfully.
Hearing the question, Doflamingo returned from his reverie.
"The remnants of the Red-Hair Pirates?" he mused.
"What are your orders?" Diamante waited.
"Forget it. There's no need to trouble them now," Doflamingo replied after some thought. "With their captain and first mate dead, the Red-Hair Pirates are no longer a threat. Besides, that's not our goal right now. We need to get to the New World as soon as possible and establish ourselves. That is the true battleground for the strong. Paradise is too easy."
Diamante considered this and found it made a lot of sense. He nodded and said, "Mm, you're right, Dof. There's no need for us to go after the remnants of the Red-Hair Pirates. They're probably doing everything they can to hide from us right now."
"Let them hide. They'll show their faces again one day. That will be the time to eliminate them," Doflamingo said with a cold laugh.
"True. Let's hope they don't hide like cowards for the rest of their lives. That would be far too boring for us," Diamante agreed.
Then, Diamante's gaze fell on Doflamingo's waist. He noticed that Gryphon was gone. That sword was Doflamingo's trophy; under normal circumstances, he would never part with it.
"Um, Dof, where is your sword?" Diamante asked, his curiosity piqued. The discussion about Red-Hair had reminded him of Gryphon, a testament to their victory in that battle.
Seeing Diamante's inquisitive look, Doflamingo answered casually, "I gave it to a young boy. I hope he'll give me a surprise one day."
"You gave it away?"
A large question mark appeared over Diamante's head. That was a treasured sword, capable of clashing with the Supreme Grade Blade, Yoru. And he had just given it away so easily.
Seeing Diamante's incredulous expression, Doflamingo couldn't help but chuckle. He put on a serious face and said, "I don't need it anyway. I saw a promising young talent and gave it to him. I hope he can achieve his dream of becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman. Besides, you don't need it either, do you, Diamante?"
"I... indeed. Even without Gryphon, I can still forge a black blade. I can still become a great swordsman," Diamante replied with conviction. Since it was already given away, he could accept it. What's lost is lost. But now he was immensely curious about the young man Doflamingo held in such high regard. Not just anyone could catch Doflamingo's eye.
"Mm, I believe in you," Doflamingo said, patting Diamante's shoulder with certainty.
"A great swordsman... I will definitely achieve it! Mihawk, next time, I won't lose so miserably," Diamante said, his confidence bolstered by Doflamingo's encouragement. His eyes were filled with determination as he looked at his leader.
The pirate ship left the Twin Capes and continued its journey.
The sea was never short of passing vessels: pirates flying their jolly rogers, merchant ships, self-proclaimed righteous Marines, and even the dogs of the World Government—the slave ships.
On the third day after leaving the Twin Capes, near Laetoli Island, Doflamingo and his group had the good fortune of encountering a World Government slave ship. This was a rare sight. Even most pirates, upon encountering a slave ship, would steer clear. They knew the power of the World Government and didn't dare to attack, fearing they would bring great trouble upon themselves.
"Arlong-san, there's a ship flying the World Government flag ahead!" Hachi, who was habitually in the crow's nest scanning the horizon, reported immediately.
"A World Government ship?" Arlong repeated, savoring the words.
"Boss, what should we do?" Chew and the others asked, looking to Arlong for a decision.
"Move closer. So what if it's a World Government ship? We'll have to face them sooner or later. What's there to be afraid of?" Arlong replied after a moment's thought.
"Then... boss, should we inform those two?" Chew asked in a low voice.
"Them? Forget it. We can't let them look down on us. Let this ship flying the World Government flag be the start of our journey of revenge!" Arlong's eyes were fixed on the distant slave ship, as if it were their path to a brighter future.
"Revenge!"
"Revenge!"
His men roared, every one of them worked up into a frenzy.
Doflamingo and Diamante, who were still in their cabin, naturally heard the cheers outside. But they weren't interested. Whatever Arlong and his crew wanted to do was their business. As proper pirates, they had to be responsible for their own actions.
Aboard the slave ship, Sam and his crew also saw the approaching pirate vessel.
"Captain, what should we do? Those pirates seem to be heading straight for us!" his men quickly sought Sam's guidance.
"What are you afraid of? We're with the World Government. More than that, we work directly for the noble Celestial Dragons. Do they dare to offend us?" Sam scolded them, looking as if he were disappointed in his useless crew. "Haven't pirates charged at us before? But the moment they hear we serve the Celestial Dragons, don't they all retreat in fear?"
"Haha, the captain's right! Those gutless fools piss themselves the moment we mention the Celestial Dragons' name!" his men laughed knowingly, completely underestimating the approaching Arlong Pirates.
"Who is this pirate crew?" Sam asked.
"Judging by the flag, it looks like something called the Arlong Pirates. The captain seems to be a fish-man," one of his men said, studying the jolly roger and trying to recall the wanted posters.
"What did you say? A fish-man?" Sam's eyes lit up, and he stared intently at his subordinate.
"Yes, definitely a fish-man," the subordinate confirmed with a nod.
"Haha, this is perfect! I was just worried I wouldn't have any good-quality goods to deliver to the Celestial Dragons! And now, such fine cargo is delivering itself to us! The heavens are smiling upon me! I'm destined to be rich!" Sam exclaimed with joy.
Hearing his words, his men also cheered, looking at the Arlong Pirates as if they were mountains of gold and silver.
"By the way, what's their bounty?" Sam asked, calming down from his excitement. He decided to probe their strength first. If they were stronger than him, he would have to make other plans.
"I think it's only twenty million Beri!"
"Twenty million Beri? Are you sure?" Sam's eyes widened.
"Positive!"
"That's great! We can definitely take them! Men, prepare for battle! Capture these fish-men!" Sam commanded with a grand wave of his hand.
The Arlong Pirates versus the slavers. The battle had officially begun. Who would emerge victorious was still unknown.