"Fufufufu... As expected, nothing escapes you, Lord Kaido," Doflamingo said with a confident smirk. "That's right, I've received the summons."
The exchange between the Yonko and the Warlord left everyone else at the banquet stunned and confused. Kaido simply grinned.
"These are all my people, Doffy. There's no need for secrets here."
Doflamingo smiled and nodded, then dropped a bombshell that silenced the entire hall. "The Marines are preparing to go to war with Whitebeard."
"What?!" The word echoed from multiple people at once. Queen's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"Hey, what are you talking about, Joker?" he demanded. "Since when did the Marines grow a spine like that?"
Doflamingo slowly explained, "You all remember what happened three months ago, right? The commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' Fourth Division was killed, and the Second Division Commander, 'Fire Fist' Ace, went after the traitor."
Everyone nodded, recalling the news.
"Well," Doflamingo continued, "that situation has now been resolved. 'Fire Fist' Ace failed."
"Failed?" King interjected. "Are you saying Ace was defeated by this traitor from his own crew?"
"That's right. The man's name is Marshall D. Teach, also known as Blackbeard. Half a month ago, he defeated Ace in a duel. Then, he handed the captured 'Fire Fist' Ace over to the World Government as a gift, on the condition that they make him one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
Jaws dropped around the room.
"What a cunning bastard!" Queen roared, glancing over at Caesar and Judge. "Even more despicable than you two!"
The insult instantly infuriated Caesar and Judge, but with Kaido present, they didn't dare retaliate.
King, however, spoke thoughtfully. "Marshall D. Teach... Blackbeard... I feel like I've heard that name before. I never expected him to be hiding such ambition."
"Fufufu, he's a clever one," Doflamingo added. "In a single move, he gained the protection of the World Government and the title of Warlord. He now has the power and prestige that every pirate dreams of."
"So what do the Marines plan to do with Ace?" King pressed.
"After half a month of deliberation, the Marines and the World Government have made their decision," Doflamingo revealed. "They're going to publicly execute him. The news should be hitting the papers within a few days."
"A public execution!" King exclaimed, his eyes widening.
Queen, on the other hand, looked ecstatic. "I see, I see! Big Brother, this is our chance!"
Doflamingo turned his gaze back to Kaido. "Lord Kaido, does this mean you're interested in joining the fray?"
Kaido glanced at him, a sly smile spreading across his face. "Someone asked you to ask me that, didn't they?"
A few drops of cold sweat trickled down Doflamingo's forehead, but he didn't try to deny it. "That's right. As expected of you, Lord Kaido. Those old men in the World Government are very worried you might join the battle."
"Worororo! Tell them not to worry," Kaido boomed. "The Beasts Pirates have no interest in that fight. The more brutal the war between the Marines and Whitebeard, the better. The more of them that die, the better. We will simply reap the rewards."
Kaido's words were a great relief to Doflamingo. He now had a simple answer to bring back to his contacts.
King, however, looked curious. "Big Brother Kaido, what rewards are you talking about?"
"Worororo, it's simple," Kaido explained. "Whitebeard is old. He's not the 'World's Strongest Man' anymore. It's time for him to give up the territories he's been holding onto for so long. Queen! Eneru! It's time to show me the results of your training."
The ever-eager Jack and the battle-hungry Eneru both lit up at the command.
"You two will lead the vanguard!" Kaido ordered. "Ulti, Sasaki, Page One, Reiju! Each of you will take command of a fleet and attack Whitebeard's territories. Take as much as you can for me!"
"No problem, Big Brother!" Jack shouted, accepting the order without hesitation. "Leave it to me! I'll conquer all of Whitebeard's islands!"
Eneru, however, paused in thought. "Big Brother Kaido, the main attack won't be for a few days, right?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I want to go back to Sky Island for a bit," Eneru explained. "I need to bring my God's Guard here. These samurai from Wano are a bit difficult to command."
"Worororo! No problem. Go on." As Eneru prepared to leave, a cunning smile appeared on Kaido's lips. He beckoned Eneru closer. The others watched with curiosity as Kaido whispered something into Eneru's ear. A strange smile grew on Eneru's face as he listened.
"No problem, Big Brother Kaido. Leave it to me," Eneru said, casting a quick, unreadable glance at King that left the All-Star confused.
"Go now," Kaido dismissed him. "Come back quickly, or you'll miss the show."
"Mm." In a flash of lightning, Eneru was gone.
Kaido then turned his attention to Judge. The Germa king flinched. "Hey, Judge. Your daughter is one of my officers now, but she's a bit short on subordinates. As her father, you can't just let that stand, can you?"
Judge understood immediately. "Don't worry, Lord Kaido! I have already prepared five thousand of my best soldiers for Reiju."
"Worororo... Now that's what I call a good father," Kaido said with a hint of sarcasm. He then looked at both Caesar and Judge. "Since you two are here, you might as well stay for a while."
Panic instantly washed over their faces.
"Worororo! Don't be afraid," Kaido chuckled. "If I wanted to imprison you, I wouldn't need to go to all this trouble. After the banquet, I'm taking you to Onigashima. Queen has turned it into his personal research base. There are some... interesting things I want to show you. If Doffy is interested, he can come along too."
Doflamingo laughed. "Of course I'm interested!"
Suddenly, the distinct ring of a Den Den Mushi echoed from his pocket. The unexpected sound made everyone frown. Doflamingo looked flustered.
"It's alright, Doffy. Answer it," Kaido said calmly. "Maybe it's a good friend who can't wait to hear your news. You can put their mind at ease, can't you?"
Trapped, Doflamingo had no choice but to awkwardly take out the snail. But the moment it connected, the Den Den Mushi's face twisted into an expression of pure terror, and Doflamingo's own face turned grim.
"Disco," he growled into the receiver, "you better have a damn good reason for contacting me right now."
A panicked voice screamed from the other end. "Mr. Doflamingo! I didn't want to call, but something terrible has happened! Your Human Auctioning House has been smashed to pieces!"
"Hey, hey, are you serious? That's a small..."
"This isn't a small matter!" Disco shrieked. "A Celestial Dragon was beaten up inside our shop!"
A collective gasp went through the hall. Everyone's eyes instinctively shot toward Kaido.
Doflamingo realized this was indeed a huge problem. "What exactly happened?" he asked. "Who did this?"
"It was the 'Straw Hat' Monkey D. Luffy, the 'Surgeon of Death' Trafalgar Law, and 'Captain' Eustass Kid!"
The room was filled with varied expressions of shock and disbelief. Only Kaido remained calm. He slowly picked up his sake cup and took a long drink.
"So, it has finally begun," he said, a look of pure excitement on his face.
Just then, another Den Den Mushi began to ring. This time, it was coming from King. Everyone froze. King looked bewildered but answered the call.
The moment it connected, the panicked voice of a Beasts Pirates crewmate yelled through the speaker. "Th-this is bad, Lord King! Red-Haired Shanks has arrived!"
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