It was no wonder Orochi was acting that way. First, the fact that Doflamingo had suddenly appeared in Wano out of nowhere was already outrageous.
On top of that, Orochi was suspicious about Doflamingo's true purpose in coming to Wano, and about his strength.
The samurai of Wano were not weak, especially Oden. Otherwise Orochi would never have needed to seek cooperation with Kaido in the first place.
Seeing the doubt in Orochi's eyes, Doflamingo did not get angry. He simply unfolded his Haoshoku (Conqueror's Haki) Domain on the spot. Higurashi and Orochi both dropped to the ground in clean, decisive fainting fits.
Toki, standing beside him, was left speechless by Doflamingo's move.
Her own husband was a little too straightforward. If they all passed out, how were they supposed to discuss serious business?
Doflamingo scratched his head, feeling a bit helpless too. How could he have guessed the two would be this weak? He could only wait for them to wake up and talk then.
Time flowed on slowly, and eventually the two Kurozumi woke up. The moment they came to, both of them stared at Doflamingo in terror and high alert.
From that single display just now, they had already concluded that Doflamingo was an even stronger partner than Kaido.
Yes, in their hearts they had already labeled Doflamingo as a "partner." With someone this strong, what else would you do if not cooperate?
Of course, dealing with a tiger, you could never set aside your wariness. Orochi was already preparing to discuss with Doflamingo the specifics of how they would interfere with Wano's regime.
Toki, on the other hand, very tactfully stepped away and did not listen in on their conversation.
A dozen minutes later, Doflamingo came back to Toki, and the two continued on their way toward the Flower Capital.
As for what he had discussed with Orochi, Doflamingo simply said the time had not yet come to talk about it.
On the way, nothing else stood in their way. The two made it to Wano's Flower Capital without any obstruction.
He spent the entire day sightseeing in the Flower Capital together with Toki. Under her stunned gaze, Doflamingo actually bought the two most expensive kimono sets in the whole Flower Capital and gave them to her.
Toki was overjoyed, so happy she practically wanted to bury herself in Doflamingo's chest.
That same night, in their inn room in the Flower Capital, after they had both bathed, Doflamingo could no longer hold back his feelings. Things happened very naturally.
For Doflamingo and Toki, it was as if they had opened the door to a new world.
The pleasures of that night were not for outsiders to know, and they completely lost track of the passage of time.
Blushing, Toki turned her face away shyly and gently pushed Doflamingo aside.
She carefully cut away a streak of red and wrapped it up with great care, then put on her kimono again with Doflamingo's help.
Meanwhile, in Wano, in Kuri,
the Moby Dick was moored at a stretch of shoreline. Because of the impact of the currents of the New World, the ship's hull had taken some damage, and the Moby Dick had no choice but to stay and undergo repairs for a few days.
As the daimyo of Kuri, and someone who yearned for life outside Wano and longed deeply for adventure, Oden lit up the moment he learned that a pirate crew had docked.
Like a falcon spotting meat, he ignored the objections of his retainers and ran straight for the Moby Dick on his own whims.
The members of the Whitebeard Pirates looked at the tall man with the slender eyes and thick brows, the long, wild black hair gathered into a huge flat disk on top of his head,
the ever-present widow's peak and triangular eyebrows,
clogs on his feet, an orange kimono that left most of his legs exposed, enormous purple-and-white shimenawa rope tied around his shoulders and waist, the loose ends hanging down his back,
two swords at his waist, and an overall getup that was utterly bizarre. Their first impression of Oden was not particularly favorable.
Oden did not care in the least. When he saw so many strong fighters, especially Whitebeard himself, his heart for challenging the strong stirred violently.
He drew Ame no Habakiri and Enma on the spot and clashed directly with Whitebeard.
The result was obvious. After Oden and Whitebeard battled for three days and three nights, Whitebeard's overwhelming strength finally earned Oden's complete respect.
Oden could be considered straightforward. He admitted defeat openly, and the fight ended with Oden's surrender.
It was as if Oden had some innate charm.
Despite his rudeness, no one in the Whitebeard Pirates took offense. Under Oden's enthusiastic hospitality, they actually became friends with him in record time.
Not even Whitebeard was an exception. From his initial dislike of Oden, he gradually came to really like this bold, straightforward guy. In short, Oden was exactly his type.
Far away in the Flower Capital, Doflamingo sensed Whitebeard and Oden's clash the moment it started.
He very much wanted to meet Whitebeard in person, but with "more important" things at hand, Doflamingo was not about to "abandon the greater for the lesser." He simply let it be. His own business came first.
The Moby Dick did not stay in Wano for long. As in the original story, Whitebeard refused at first to let Oden follow him to sea.
Oden and Kikunojo secretly slipped aboard the ship, and the outcome did not change. After going through a series of setbacks, Oden eventually joined the Whitebeard Pirates and became the Second Division Commander.
Once the Whitebeard Pirates had departed Wano, there was no more reason for Doflamingo to remain in the country.
Using the contact method Orochi had left him, he informed Orochi of Oden's departure and Ushimaru's death. Orochi then fully unleashed his brilliant political mind and began interfering in Wano's affairs.
Doflamingo, meanwhile, took Toki back to Sky Island first and settled her there.
As for Sky Island, Toki had heard of it before, but never experienced it personally.
Feeling the wonder of Sky Island for herself, Toki was instantly captivated by the strange sights everywhere. With angelic attendants at her side, she moved into the shrine.
Doflamingo also gave Toki a new identity on Sky Island: the God's Lady, the Divine Consort.
Toki adapted quickly. Angel attendants prepared her three meals a day and met all her daily needs.
If Toki so much as voiced a wish, no matter how difficult it might be, Diamante, currently acting as the temporary administrator of Sky Island, would do everything in his power to make it happen.
During the few days they stayed on Sky Island, Doflamingo spent his nights with Toki and used his daytime hours to guide and train the new generation of fighters.
That included Enel and Jabel.
The more Doflamingo thought about it, the more he looked forward to the future scene of the Donquixote Family officers descending upon the seas. Just imagining it made him feel immensely satisfied.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]