The Newborn Army did not, in fact, belong to the official standing forces of the Great Kingdom.
As the name implied, it was simply a force composed of "new blood." This didn't mean its members were necessarily young, only that most of them were desperadoes Doflamingo had recruited with money.
In the simplest terms—mercenaries.
A band of slaves who sold their lives for coin!
Even so, in the New World, they were a force that could not be ignored.
As the leader of this faction, Doflamingo had risen with the tide, transforming from a sea-going marauder into a regional warlord, a power second only to the Four Emperors.
However, the Four Emperors of the New World now existed in name only. The sole remaining Whitebeard Pirates also had an ambiguous relationship with the Ghidorah faction.
All of this information was already imprinted in Fujitora's mind, which was why his face darkened the moment Doflamingo appeared.
"Fuffuffuffuffu…"
"My purpose here is simple—I just want to capture that brat."
Doflamingo, grinning oddly, glanced at Luffy and said slowly, "After all, I'm only following orders. I'd appreciate it if you kept your sphere of influence in check."
Though phrased like an explanation, the threat in his words far outweighed the courtesy.
As he said, this was a matter between pirates, and he hoped this Marine admiral could understand where his boundaries lay.
"Your target is the 'Straw Hat Kid,' then?"
Upon hearing this, Fujitora turned his clouded eyes toward Luffy, a pensive look forming on his face.
He held some admiration for Luffy, but as Doflamingo had pointed out, at this moment he was acting as a Marine—not as an individual.
If he were to intervene, he would have no plausible excuse.
"So it's me you're after, huh!"
Like a blockheaded fool finally catching on, Luffy stood up and said to Fujitora, "Old man, it might get dangerous here in a bit, so you should probably leave!"
Even after realizing he was facing a Marine admiral, he still wore that same silly grin.
Only someone as thick-headed as Luffy could act like this.
Zoro, watching his captain, almost wanted to cover his face in embarrassment and pretend he didn't know him. But with so few people in the bar, there was no point in pretending.
He stood and stepped behind Luffy, hand resting on his sword hilt. The moment things went wrong, he'd draw in an instant and lock onto his target, his hawk-like eyes sweeping over the people at the door.
Although, like in the original events, he had been sent flying to Dracule Mihawk's island, things had not unfolded exactly as before.
After the loss at Marineford, Mihawk returned to his island and, upon meeting Zoro, did not torment him as in the original story.
On the contrary, he had gone all-out in drawing out Zoro's full potential.
Having endured this ordeal, Zoro's strength had long since surpassed his original counterpart—reaching even the level he had during the Onigashima battle in the original timeline.
That hawk-like gaze put immense pressure on Doflamingo's crew.
Even Doflamingo himself was slightly surprised, sparing Zoro a few more glances.
What a monstrous crew… even their members were this strong?
Still, surprise was all it was. Compared to Doflamingo's own overwhelming power, it was not enough to trouble him.
"Let's go find a place to fight!"
"I want to send you flying!"
In the tense, suffocating atmosphere, Luffy suddenly spoke to Doflamingo.
"Fuffuffuffuffu… what an arrogant brat."
Because of certain connections—colleagues and even superiors—Doflamingo didn't display the same cruel malice he had in the original story. Still, he gave a strange chuckle and nodded in agreement.
"Fine. Let's head to the King's Plateau."
With that, he left the bar with the officers of the Donquixote Family.
Fujitora was momentarily taken aback. From what he knew, Doflamingo was not someone who agreed so readily.
It wasn't hard to deduce that the one who wanted Straw Hat Luffy captured was a high-ranking figure of the kingdom—and among those who could command Doflamingo, there were only a few.
Every one of them, without exception, had deep ties to Luffy.
He could reason that far, but a deeper, more perplexing question emerged—
Why did they want Luffy brought back?
Was there some unspeakable secret? Or… was there something hidden about this boy himself?
Fujitora wasn't the type to overthink. If he couldn't figure it out, he simply stopped trying.
He rose, tossed a stack of Berries onto the counter, and left without a word.
"Hey, old man—thanks!"
Luffy called out cheerfully, then turned to Zoro. "Come on, let's go to that, uh… whatever plateau!"
And so, the two left the bar right after Fujitora.
They charged off in what they were sure was the right direction—never mind that the royal palace, the symbol of Dressrosa, stood far behind them.
They simply believed that running forward would get them to the King's Plateau.
"Captain, what are they doing?"
In the now-quiet alley, a bipedal white bear watched the two vanish and tilted his head in confusion.
Having tracked Doflamingo to seek revenge, Law furrowed his brow deeply.
"Straw Hat probably has his own plan," he muttered. Stepping from the shadows, he looked toward the opposite direction—toward the real King's Plateau.
"Let's go. Doflamingo—your head is mine."
The wheel of history turned, time ticking away.
On the King's Plateau, all idle members of the Donquixote Family had gathered. At first, Doflamingo stood under the blazing sun.
But as time passed, the heat became unbearable. He ordered a lounge chair and a parasol brought to him.
Lounging in the shade, he waited. One hour passed. Then two. Veins began to bulge on his once-neutral expression.
"Boss… it kinda looks like we've been stood up," Trebol said, picking idly at his nose as he glanced at the empty expanse ahead.
There's a saying—if you see through something, don't say it out loud.
Saying it ruins the fun.
That was exactly Doflamingo's state of mind now. It was obvious he'd been stood up—and by the pampered son of one of the kingdom's leaders, no less.
Was this… petty revenge?
Was that really appropriate?
"ROOM!"
Just as Doflamingo was pondering how to deal with Luffy, a cold voice rang out.
A transparent hemispherical dome abruptly expanded outward, centered on the group.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Blades flashed—several Donquixote Family officers were instantly dismembered, staring in shock at their severed limbs.
"Law!"
Doflamingo's already sour expression darkened further. He sprang up, and at the very instant he did, the lounge chair beneath him was neatly dissected by a flash of white light.
"Surgical Blade!"
As he rose, Law's voice rang out again. In the next instant, Law appeared before him, an arc of energy flashing from his hand, aimed straight for Doflamingo's heart—
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