"Just as I thought… Doflamingo had already noticed us."
Looking at Baby-5 and Buffalo waiting early at the Dressrosa dock, Sherwin wasn't surprised in the slightest.
After all, ever since entering the New World, he hadn't switched the Dodo Advance into its Valstrax form and flown straight toward Dressrosa. Instead, he followed the direction of the Eternal Pose, wandering from island to island along the way.
If Doflamingo still hadn't picked up on their movements under those circumstances, then he would have been captured by Vice Admiral Tsuru years ago.
"So? You're about to meet your former young master again. You must be feeling pretty excited, right?"
Sherwin chuckled as he patted the shoulder of the man beside him.
"Yeah… I'm so excited I want to kill him immediately."
Law body trembled slightly, his eyes fixed ahead, filled with killing intent. But soon, he restrained that murderous aura.
Although he wished he could eliminate Doflamingo on the spot, after hearing Sherwin plan, Law agreed that this approach would deal Doflamingo an even heavier blow.
As the Dodo Advance docked at Dressrosa port, Klee Meow and Haibara Meow rode on Sherwin and were the first to disembark, with Trafalgar Law following close behind.
Baby-5, who had been waiting at the dock, immediately stepped forward and questioned them warily, "What are you here for— What are you doing here?! Trafalgar Law!"
However, before she could finish, she noticed Law behind Sherwin and cried out in shock.
Then she saw Law glare at her fiercely.
"Eek—!!!"
Memories from her childhood instantly resurfaced. Baby-5 let out a mournful cry instinctively, tears welling up in her eyes as she hurriedly hid behind Buffalo.
"You're still just as afraid of him as before…"
Buffalo sighed helplessly, then looked at Law with a complicated expression, as if he wanted to say something, yet for some reason held his tongue.
Sherwin had no time to watch some old friend reunion. With an arrogant expression, he shouted, "Where Doflamingo? He knows I've arrived and still doesn't come to greet me personally? He sure thinks highly of himself."
"That right, that right! How dare he neglect Brother Sherwin? Careful or Klee Meow will blow him up with bombs again, meow!"
(=`Д=)
Sensing the foul emotions lingering throughout this country, the little Felyne impression of Doflamingo dropped even further, and she joined in the clamor.
"At this moment, Young Master has already prepared a banquet in the royal palace, awaiting your presence."
At that moment, a green-haired woman wearing thick, high-prescription glasses stepped forward from the side.
This was… Monet?
Since Monet had not yet revealed her harpy form and was wearing bottle-bottom glasses that concealed most of her looks, Sherwin hadn't noticed her at all before.
But once she spoke, Sherwin recognized her from the familiarity he had from the manga.
"A banquet? Is it better than the food made by my Sanji Meow? If not, I'm not going. I'm not used to eating food that tastes bad!"
They had come to Dressrosa to stir up trouble in the first place, and Sherwin truly had no interest in sharing a meal with Doflamingo.
More importantly, he still needed to get in touch with the person Morgans had sent. He had no time to exchange empty pleasantries.
So after firmly refusing Monet invitation, Sherwin waved his hand and lied through his teeth with a straight face, "I'm just traveling around and happened to pass by. I'm not here to see Doflamingo. Don't get in the way of my gathering material!"
"That right, that right! Brother Sherwin travel guide hasn't been updated for a long time. I've been waiting to read it!"
Sherwin had only made up an excuse on the spot, yet Bonney seized the chance to urge him for an update.
The thick-skinned Hunter simply pretended not to hear her. He reached out, pushed Buffalo aside, and swaggered into the city with a large group of Felynes in tow.
Monet hesitated for a moment but ultimately did not step forward to stop them. As for Baby-5 and Buffalo, who had once been easily captured by the Investigation Team, they did not dare make any move at all.
As Sherwin and his party disappeared around the corner in grand procession, the three of them quickly left the port and headed toward the royal palace to report back to Donquixote Doflamingo.
…
"Just passing by? Fufufufufu… You've got some nerve saying that…"
The Heavenly Yaksha face darkened as he suddenly clenched his hand, crushing the glass in his grip into fragments.
If Trafalgar Law had not been standing beside Sherwin, he might have believed it. After all, Sherwin usual pattern of behavior was to wander everywhere aimlessly, and whenever he arrived at a place, he liked to explore the entire island from top to bottom.
Besides, the fact that Sherwin was the "Traveler" had long ceased to be a secret. If he said he had come to Dressrosa to gather material… it was entirely possible that he really had come for that purpose.
Yes—if there hadn't been a Trafalgar Law by his side.
"Young Master, how about I go and eliminate that Hunter?"
Among the executives, the youngest—Dellinger, the Fighting Fish half-fishman—volunteered eagerly.
Having been adopted by Doflamingo since childhood, he had no reverence whatsoever for any so-called Mermaid Princess. In fact, because of the discrimination he had suffered in his early years, he harbored resentment toward Shirahoshi instead.
"Shut up at once, you idiot!"
Jora, who had practically raised Dellinger with her own hands, hurried forward to clamp a hand over the boy mouth and dragged him aside.
"This isn't your place to speak! Stand quietly over there and obey Young Master orders!"
Faced with Dellinger puzzled expression, Jora naturally could not say in front of Doflamingo that the Donquixote Family was no match for the Felyne Investigation Team. So she could only forcibly silence him.
Even so, it had already struck a nerve in the Heavenly Yaksha proud and sensitive heart.
Several veins bulged across his forehead, and it took considerable effort for him not to vent his anger on Jora.
"Huff…"
Doflamingo let out a long breath, forcing himself to calm down first.
"Violet, you're in charge of monitoring Sherwin and his group. The moment there any unusual movement, report to me immediately!"
He gave an order to a black-haired beauty dressed in a flamenco dance outfit, then added in a sinister tone, "I advise you not to entertain any other thoughts. Don't think that just because that old man King Riku is hiding, I won't be able to find him."
"I-I understand…"
Violet bit down hard on her lower lip, her voice and body trembling slightly.
Seeing that Violet was still so fearful of him, Donquixote Doflamingo nodded in satisfaction.
What he didn't know was that Violet trembling wasn't from fear at all, but from suppressing the excitement in her heart.
With the pride of the Heavenly Yaksha, if he truly did not feel wary of the "Hunter" Sherwin, how could he possibly issue such a blunt threat, and even do so in front of the other executives?
To avoid letting Donquixote Doflamingo notice anything amiss, Violet bowed to him, then quickly turned and walked outside.
She absolutely had to seize this rare opportunity.
...