Drop Some power stones! If you like the chapter! It helps to keep me motivated to upload more!💎💎💎
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Stormy night — Helmeppo Port, the lord's castle.
"Doflamingo, look at what that idiot underling Pica did — he actually dared attack me! And my dear nephew is dead in my city. I'm in deep trouble now, do you understand? You must compensate me for my losses, or don't blame me if I turn on you and show no mercy…!"
Gilbert's face flushed red as he shouted, straining his voice at the Den Den Mushi before him, which wore sunglasses and an evil grin.
His shout was so loud and full of rage that even the servants passing far outside could hear and feel it; each of them quickly covered their ears, bowed their heads, and hurried away from Gilbert's room.
The Den Den Mushi simply smiled wickedly and didn't utter a single word while Gilbert raged.
Only after Gilbert ran out of breath and had to stop did the Den Den Mushi finally speak in Doflamingo's voice: "What about my two family members? Are they still alive?"
"Hmph, Doflamingo — I was talking about compensation! Your two underlings stirred up a disaster of this scale, and you still want to protect them? You—"
When Gilbert heard Doflamingo ask about Pica and Lao G — two people he assumed were surely dead — he could only laugh through his anger and roared again.
"Gilbert, have you shouted enough? I only spared you because my two men did cause you a lot of trouble; don't think I'm afraid of you. Don't get cocky. If I find this boring, I can tear up our agreement any time — the initiative is still mine.
"You wouldn't want me to come make trouble for you now, would you? After all, the one sitting above your head must be itching to see you dead — killed by pirates? That would fool only a three-year-old. With that idiot prince Wapol dead, you become the one who benefits most. Don't pretend to be angry in front of me — deep down you must be delighted."
Fu fu fu—
This time Doflamingo didn't indulge Gilbert. He cut Gilbert off coldly, then let out his usual eerie laugh.
Gilbert's face went the color of liver from Doflamingo's interruption, threat, and mockery. His eyes fixed on the Den Den Mushi, his clenched fists straining so hard that they creaked under the pressure.
Gilbert was ultimately no ordinary man. For the sake of his grand plan, he needed to keep Doflamingo — that cursed pirate — steady, and even leverage his strength.
So he held back.
So long as he could sit on that throne, make the country obey him, what was there to fear — revenge could wait until then.
When the time came, anyone who owed him would pay back a hundredfold.
"My two underlings can't survive this. I have to give an explanation to those above me. And the men aren't in my hands — they're in Akio's gang. Your two underlings were personally captured by Akio."
Gilbert took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, expressionless as he spoke.
When he finished, a slight smile crept onto his face.
But the memory of Akio rescuing them earlier made a chill run through him, and that brief smile vanished at once.
When Doflamingo heard that Pica and Lao G had fallen into Akio's hands, his smile disappeared immediately. He was silent for a moment, then said coldly, "Arrange negotiations with Akio. If I can talk to Akio, I'll agree to temporarily leave you alone."
At this, Gilbert's face brightened again.
...
The Grand Line — Sabaody Archipelago. The Donquixote Pirates' ship, the Numantia — the Flamingo, was moored at the island's pier.
Clang—
A bottle smashed through the captain's cabin window and flew out. As it shattered, its contents sprayed through the air until the broken bottle finally fell into the sea far below.
"Out. Everyone out, now."
Doflamingo's enraged yell came from inside the captain's cabin.
In the next second, Trebol, Diamante, Rosinante and the others quickly stepped out. They didn't move far; they waited just outside the cabin.
After they left, the sounds of Doflamingo's shouting and things being smashed continued within the cabin.
Baby 5 and Buffalo — the two youngsters — trembled at Doflamingo's thunderous fury and cowered behind the crew member with the gentlest temperament, Saionel.
The others waited with impassive faces. Rosinante, leaning against the line of men at the back, stared expressionlessly at the dark, tranquil sea.
Soon the commotion inside the captain's cabin subsided.
Bang— Doflamingo suddenly flung the cabin door open and strode out, face grave. "Set sail. Family, we're going to the Drum Kingdom to fetch our people back."
He walked past everyone toward the bow as he spoke.
He smiled with his mouth, but blue veins stood out on his forehead, making his expression terrifying.
"Who's been stirring the winds behind the scenes? I'd love to meet them. This sea really is full of strong people — we can't afford to be careless at any moment. Fu fu fu—"
At the bow, Doflamingo faced the biting sea wind and looked out at the suddenly restless black ocean. He laughed without restraint.
...
"Darling, you mean to say someone's manipulating all this from the shadows?"
At the Dars gang's headquarters, in Shefia's chamber, Dars spoke gravely to his beloved daughter.
"Hm. From what happened today, someone definitely made a move behind the scenes. They're powerful and well-prepared — they must have had their eye on the Devil Fruit at the Donquixote auction for a long time. Wapol's arrival was only the opportunity.
"They used Wapol's attempt to steal the Devil Fruit at the auction perfectly — not only did they take the fruit right under everyone's noses and achieve their initial goal, they also killed Wapol and successfully inflamed tensions inside the country.
"With Wapol gone, the legal heir, the conflict between the Drum Kingdom's king and Gilbert has no room left to cool. If Gilbert doesn't want to lose the upcoming power struggle, he'll have to focus all his energy on fighting for that throne.
"In that case, the fight between us and Akio's gang is impossible — at least until the contest between Gilbert and the king settles. Gilbert won't allow chaos in his domain; whoever dares cause trouble now will be crushed."
Shefia held a small notebook, scanning its pages of notes and lines, and nodded.
Her father had been running himself ragged; although she usually occupied herself with books, she wanted to help. So she built much of the Dars gang's intelligence network herself and served as a behind-the-scenes strategist.
The Dars gang's rapid rise over the years owed a great deal to this brilliant beauty. Without her, they wouldn't have established such a strong foundation.
"If we can't fight, then all our preparations are wasted — damn it. If I find out who's scheming behind the curtain, I'll tear them apart."
Hearing his daughter's analysis, Dars grew angry and involuntarily shifted toward his man-beast wolf form.
"Father, don't be angry. This might actually be a godsend chance for the Dars gang to seize control of the country," Shefia said, gently stroking Das's face with her snowy, delicate hand and offering a faint smile.
That smile could topple a city and a kingdom.
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