'Holdem? Isn't he dead? Why is Doflamingo telling him to load the carts? He...'
In the pitch-black factory, Black Maria's face remained expressionless, but her heart was shaken.
Only now did she realize why Caesar trusted this former Seven Warlords of the Sea so much.
Just from a simple phone call, he had detected something amiss in Morley's words.
Then, using weapons as a pretext, he set a trap with the deceased Holdem!
Sure enough, Morley had fallen right into the trap.
In terms of shrewdness, Morley was no match for Doflamingo.
Without even thinking, Morley replied in Black Maria's voice.
"The weapons will take a few more days. There's been a malfunction in the factory here, and we're rushing to fix it. Once it's done, I'll notify Holdem to load the carts."
From the other end of the Den Den Mushi came Doflamingo's slightly annoyed voice.
"What? Of all times for a malfunction, it had to happen now when everyone's waiting for the goods. Fine, fine, but you need to hurry. Caesar is pressing hard—you know how his temper is."
After grumbling a few more words, Doflamingo hung up.
"Phew... that was close." Morley let out a long sigh but kept the Den Den Mushi in his hand, showing no intention of returning it to Black Maria.
"Don't worry. As long as you stay here quietly, we won't harm you," Morley said to Black Maria before returning to the corner.
He reached down and pulled at the ground, lifting a palm-thick layer as if it were a soft blanket, draping it over himself.
"Betty, I'm sleepy. I'm going to nap for a bit. Wake me up in the middle of the night, okay?" Morley yawned.
"Mm, rest easy. I'll handle things here," Betty replied, sitting beside Molly and closing her eyes again to rest.
In the darkness, Black Maria seemed to grow drowsy as well and slowly lay down on the ground.
"That Doflamingo... he definitely noticed something was wrong here. If that's the case, perhaps tomorrow, I'll see that man again."
Thinking of the towering, imposing figure of Caesar, Black Maria's heart fluttered, and her body grew warm.
As long as that man arrives, no matter how many enemies Wano Country has, they won't stand a chance!
...
In Doflamingo's study on Whole Cake Island, his expression had completely darkened.
"Something's happened in Wano Country!"
Doflamingo stood up and began pacing back and forth in his study.
He recalled that his last communication with Hiyori's side had been just two days ago.
"So this means the incident in Wano Country coincided exactly with our pirate conference in Totto Land? Which faction would dare cause trouble there while the Beast God Pirates were preoccupied?"
The combat forces left behind by the Beast God Pirates in Wano Country weren't particularly strong.
Aside from Ulti, Page One, and Black Maria, there were only Kiku and Shinobu by Hiyori's side.
These two remaining members of the Nine Red Scabbards had been assigned as security at the weapons factory.
That is, in the town of Bakura.
"The fact that the enemy could use Black Maria's den den mushi means something happened to Hiyori's side. In other words, the enemy's strength is great enough to instantly defeat Ulti, Page One, and Black Maria, leaving them no time to notify us."
Doflamingo frowned, unable to imagine who would be bold enough to stir up trouble in Wano Country.
The World Government?
There's no need.
What could Wano Country possibly have that the World Government would want?
Previously, all the Marine Admirals had already been mobilized.
Even Akainu, who was supposed to guard the Holy Land Mariejois, had sneaked out.
The Revolutionary Army?
Did they want to stir up a revolutionary wave in Wano Country while Caesar was too busy to pay attention?
Unless they'd lost their minds, there was no way they'd attempt something like that.
The Revolutionary Army always checked whether a kingdom had powerful backers before causing trouble.
Wano Country was under the protection of the Beast God Pirates—anyone thinking of stirring trouble there would have to consider the consequences.
Doflamingo racked his brain but couldn't figure out which faction might be behind this.
In the end, he had no choice but to immediately call Caesar via Den Den Mushi.
"Something happened in Wano Country? Hold on, I'll be right there."
On the other end, Caesar hung up after saying that.
And so, after waiting in his study for about ten minutes, Doflamingo heard a loud tremor in the courtyard and rushed outside.
Sure enough, Caesar had arrived.
Accompanying Caesar was Kaido.
Caesar reverted to his human form and frowned.
"Doflamingo, what's going on? Why did you say Wano Country is in trouble?"
Kaido also furrowed his brows deeply.
Doflamingo exhaled heavily and quickly explained the inconsistencies he had noticed during the earlier Den Den Mushi call.
"That's how it is. Although the voice on the other end was indeed Black Maria's, she didn't even know that Holdem had already died in the Flower Capital. That's impossible, so I believe something must have happened in Wano Country. As for which faction is behind it, I have no clue."
"Hmm, that is suspicious. I remember before leaving Wano Country, I specifically ordered King, Queen, and Black Maria to return to the Flower Capital to confirm the list of fallen Beasts Pirates members."
Caesar nodded slightly, clenching his fist as an overwhelming aura radiated from him, pressing down on Doflamingo like a mountain.
The pressure he felt now was nothing compared to what he had experienced from Beckman.
Doflamingo realized he probably couldn't withstand even a single strike from Caesar.
"Wororororo, maybe I should skip Elbaf for now and go to Wano Country with you?" Kaido suggested to Caesar.
Caesar shook his head. "No need. Though my current strength hasn't reached the level of my calm, blood-empowered state, fusing with a second Devil Fruit has made me far stronger than before. On these seas, aside from that sneaky Imu who's been hiding in the shadows, I don't believe anyone can stand against me now. You and Linlin should head to Elbaf—assembling the Giant Army is just as important."
Caesar didn't bother hiding his words from Doflamingo.
When Doflamingo heard that Caesar had fused with a second Devil Fruit, his mind was utterly blown.
The Beast God Caesar, with just one Devil Fruit, was already an almost invincible existence—forcing Sengoku the Buddha to self-destruct his golden form and overpowering the Marine hero Garp.
And now, he had consumed a second Devil Fruit?
Doflamingo couldn't even find the words to describe the shock he felt at that moment.
"Doflamingo, these next few days, assist Katakuri in handling the integration of the newly joined pirate crews. Kaido and Linlin will be busy capturing the entire Giant race, so it might take them a while. Oh, and tell the Marines to hurry up with the Germa 66 delivery. Let Akainu know I'm losing my patience—don't make me come to Marine HQ myself!"
Caesar finished speaking and immediately soared into the sky, transforming once more into the golden-winged bird.
With a single flap of his golden wings, he sliced through the night and vanished from Doflamingo's sight.
Doflamingo felt his throat go dry.
"Capture the entire giant race? Form a giant army? This..."
He recalled how the Marine Headquarters, in their efforts to curry favor with the giants of Elbaf and gain their combat strength, directly granted the rank of vice admiral to any giant who joined the Marines.
The Marines at least knew to use diplomatic tactics.
But Caesar? He just sent two former Emperors to raid their homeland.
And wipe them out completely!