"Young Master, the Straw Hat Pirates' ship has appeared," Baby 5 said.
With that, she relayed the report from their subordinates to Doflamingo.
Just a short while ago, the Straw Hat Pirates' pirate ship had appeared nearby, seemingly intending to leave Dressrosa.
But strangely, their subordinates hadn't seen Straw Hat Boy or the others on the ship, so she judged that the party might have already infiltrated Dressrosa.
As for why the subordinates only discovered the pirate ship as it was leaving... she didn't know.
"Fuffuffuffuffu~"
"Things are developing even more smoothly than I imagined," Doflamingo said, the corners of his mouth curling upward.
Now that the Straw Hat Crew's ship had appeared, could their capture be far off?
Fuffuffuffuffu~
"Should we go find them now?" Baby 5 asked.
If they could corner Straw Hat Boy and his crew in Dressrosa, they could eliminate them ahead of schedule.
"There's no need."
Doflamingo shook his head and said, "That fellow is no threat for the time being."
He paused, his smile widening. "Besides... I need that fellow to stay here."
By the end, a hint of playfulness flickered in Doflamingo's eyes.
He knew very well how close the relationship between Straw Hat Boy and Fire Fist Ace was. So... once Fire Fist Ace confirmed that Straw Hat Boy was here, even if he had to face a Marine Admiral, that man would never abandon Straw Hat Boy and leave!
He intended to exploit this point, using the power of the Marines to wipe out the Straw Hat Crew, Law, and the Spade Pirates all at once!
As for whether the other Four Emperors would be interested in the Diamond-Diamond Fruit?
Although he had rejected all trade requests previously, if a Four Emperor truly sent someone, he wouldn't mind trading the Devil Fruit away.
After all... it was merely a means to lure Ace, wasn't it!
"Are we just going to leave them be for now?" Baby 5 frowned. "What if they cause trouble?"
Although Straw Hat Boy with his 500 million bounty wasn't a threat to their Young Master, if they went on a rampage, it could still cause significant losses.
"Don't worry, they won't dare to make a scene," Doflamingo sneered. "At least not until that fellow Law returns Caesar to us."
Seeing that Baby 5 still looked confused, Doflamingo explained patiently, "Straw Hat Boy and the others most likely infiltrated Dressrosa to find the factory, but ordinary people can't find that place, so the factory is safe for now."
He paused again before continuing, "Besides... the key parts of the factory are made of Sea Stone. Even if they could find it, they don't have the ability to destroy it. We have plenty of time."
He could easily kill Law and the Straw Hat Crew before they could ever damage the factory!
"Yes, I understand, Young Master."
"Mm."
Doflamingo nodded, then as if remembering something, he asked, "Is there any word on the Spade Pirates?"
It was already the day the tournament was set to begin. Why hadn't those guys arrived yet?
Could it be they weren't interested in this Devil Fruit?
That shouldn't be the case...
"Unclear," Baby 5 said, shaking her head. "We haven't received any news regarding the Spade Pirates."
Therefore, she couldn't be certain of their current location.
Doflamingo's face darkened upon hearing this. This wasn't good news for him.
Though he was using the secret of the Celestial Dragons' national treasure to force the World Government to cooperate with him, it wouldn't be the end of the world if they didn't catch Ace.
However... if he could capture Ace, he wouldn't need to spend as many chips to resolve the fallout of his previous actions.
At the same time... he could extract even more benefits from the World Government!
So, if possible, he hoped Ace would indeed come to Dressrosa.
"Young Master, could it be that Fire Fist Ace doesn't care about this matter?" Baby 5 said tentatively.
This time Doflamingo didn't answer immediately, his brow furrowed in thought.
After a moment, he said, "Based on my understanding of Fire Fist Ace, he doesn't seem like that kind of person."
Unless the man had been hiding his true self all along, he would definitely come.
But since this problem had arisen, he had to find a solution.
With that thought, Doflamingo mused: If Fire Fist Ace really doesn't show up, then I'll have to find a way to keep Straw Hat Boy here.
In that case, he would be one hundred percent certain to lure Fire Fist Ace over.
After all... their brotherly bond was truly profound!
After thinking for a moment, Doflamingo asked, "How is the spread of the news going?"
According to the plan, the underlings of the Donquixote Family were all ordered to perform a specific task.
That order was: whenever they saw a fresh face, they were to find a way to spread news of the Colosseum and the prizes.
Specifically, the connection between the Diamond-Diamond Fruit and Fire Fist Ace!
That had to be made clear!
That way, even if the Straw Hat Crew were in disguise, they might become interested in the Colosseum.
As long as Straw Hat Boy took the bait, Doflamingo was confident he could keep him here permanently!
As for what if the Straw Hat Crew ignored it...
This was only one part of his plan, not the only one.
"The word has already been spread," Baby 5 said. "If they enter the towns, they will most likely hear about it."
Although she didn't know what methods the Straw Hat Crew would use to search for the SMILE factory, still...
As long as they entertained the thought of intimidating an underling for information, they would fall into the trap!
It had to be said, this plan was truly excellent.
"That's good," Doflamingo nodded. "If there's any news of them, notify me immediately."
"Yes, Young Master!"
"Mm."
"By the way, where is Trebol?" Doflamingo asked. "Have him come see me. I have some things to instruct them on."
"I'm not sure, but I can go look for him now."
"Fine."
Doflamingo turned to walk into the building, then, as if remembering something, asked, "What about Diamante and Pica?"
"They are already waiting for you inside."
Doflamingo didn't waste any more words and turned to head inside. Moments later, he arrived at a room symbolizing the family's status.
Inside were several seats, and only the top officers of the family were qualified to sit in them!
"Fuffuffuffu~" Pushing open the doors, Doflamingo looked at his brothers with a smile and said, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Diamante~"
"Pica~"
"What did you need us for, Doffy?"
Doflamingo didn't answer the question immediately. Instead, he walked to the window and looked toward the arena with a smile.
That was where the tournament was being held.
"The Colosseum is a grand spectacle no matter the time," Doflamingo said, the corners of his mouth turning up. "Wouldn't you agree?"
Pica didn't speak, only glancing at Diamante beside him.
Diamante, as if reading the mood, smiled and said, "Indeed it is."
As the man who ruled the Colosseum, he knew very well how prosperous it was.
"Diamante, this is all thanks to you~" Doflamingo said.
"Perish the thought, it's all due to your charisma as the King," Diamante said modestly.
"No~"
"This is your talent."
"Stop it," Diamante waved his hand. "I'm no hero of the Colosseum."
"No, you are the hero of the Colosseum~"
"Don't say that~"
"Oh~" Doflamingo said with a grin. "Then I won't say it."
The moment Doflamingo stopped, Diamante shouted excitedly.
"Since you put it that way, I'll accept it!" Diamante said without hesitation. "That's right, I am the hero of the Colosseum, the absolute ruler of the tournament!"
"Fuffuffuffuffu~"
Listening to Diamante, Doflamingo laughed even more happily.
Though his family members had eccentric personalities, they were all very reliable partners!
With them around, he would surely be able to keep both the Straw Hat Crew and Fire Fist Ace here!
Just then, Trebol walked in from outside, quickly leaning in close to Doflamingo. "Ne~"
"Doffy, I brought the thing for you."
"You're too close," Doflamingo said, somewhat helpless.
Looking at the long string of snot swinging back and forth in front of his face, Doflamingo didn't know what to say.
Did this old fellow not know his snot was extremely long?
"?"
"What's too close~"
Trebol acted as if he didn't understand, grinning as he leaned in even closer to Doflamingo, making Doflamingo even more exasperated.
"Fine, go sit in your seat over there."
"Got it~"
Trebol knew exactly what was going on with his snot, so he turned and returned to his seat.
Teasing the Young Master was fine, but he didn't want to actually make him angry.
"With this item, the probability of Straw Hat Boy taking the bait is very high," Doflamingo said.
As soon as he said this, the eyes of the three others immediately fell upon the box in Doflamingo's hand.
"Straw Hat Boy, huh..."
"Mm."
Doflamingo nodded, then carried the box to Diamante. "Diamante, I'm putting you in full charge of this."
"Wait, Doffy, I'm not good at this sort of thing~"
"No, you are the most suitable."
"Don't be like that, you're praising me to the heavens."
"No, only a genius like you can pull this off."
"Stop it, listen to yourself."
Seeing Diamante still being "modest," Doflamingo pulled his hand back as if disappointed, saying, "Then forget it~"
"Since you said it, I'll begrudgingly admit that I am a genius!" Diamante shouted loudly without hesitation. "I'll definitely give that Straw Hat brat what's coming to him!"
"Fuffuffuffuffu~"
"Truly reliable~"
Doflamingo laughed as he handed the Devil Fruit to Diamante, his mood excellent.
Just as he had thought—with a family like this, how could he fail to achieve greatness?!
Beside them, Trebol laughed as well, then looked at Doflamingo. "Doffy, what if Fire Fist Ace also enters the tournament?"
At these words, the smile vanished from Diamante's face.
He might be arrogant, but he knew that a contestant with a bounty exceeding a billion wasn't someone he could easily defeat.
So he also wanted to know what the Young Master's arrangements were.
"Don't worry, that fellow most likely won't choose to enter the tournament," Doflamingo said. "After all, he knows what he represents to the Marines."
So in his view, the most likely scenario was that the man would send people to infiltrate and find the location of the Diamond-Diamond Fruit, then settle things quickly.
But that was exactly what he was waiting for!
Once the man dared to show his head, he could immediately contact the Marines to surround and suppress Fire Fist Ace!
When that time came, only hell would await him.
"And what if this fellow actually comes to participate in the tournament?" Pica asked in his high-pitched, effeminate voice.
"Isn't that even better?"
Doflamingo laughed loudly. "We can use his hand to deal with the other strong contestants."
"As for the finals..."
At this point, Doflamingo paused slightly, then sneered, "I will have the Marines coordinate with Diamante to capture him!"
In any case, Diamante wouldn't show his face before the finals, so there was no need to worry about Diamante's safety.
As for whether the opponent would attack Diamante directly?
If the other party truly refused to follow the rules of the game, then he wouldn't need to follow them either and would simply proceed to the final step.
"Yes, I understand," Diamante laughed.
That was true; he wouldn't need to lift a finger before the finals, so there was nothing to worry about.
"Pica Pica, Pica-la-la~"
Pica laughed loudly. "As expected of Doffy!"
"This time, Straw Hat Boy and Fire Fist Ace are finished!"
As long as the plan proceeded perfectly, they could take down both groups at once!
"The head of the Pirate King's son must be worth quite a lot," Diamante grinned savagely.
Although he didn't know how Doffy was negotiating with the World Government, a fellow like that could definitely be exchanged for massive benefits!
"Naturally."
Doflamingo's eyes flickered. "That fellow can be exchanged for unimaginable gains."
By then... his own strength would advance another step.
Fuffuffuffuffu~
Fuffuffuffuffu!!
"By the way, Doffy," Trebol said as if remembering something. "What if people from the other Four Emperors Crews show up?"
"Fuffuffuffuffu~"
"That's even better."
Doflamingo sneered, "We can use their hands to weaken the Spade Pirates' strength!"
He wouldn't dare capture them easily, but using other Four Emperors' people to attack Fire Fist Ace wouldn't be a problem at all.
Of course, if they didn't know their place...
He wouldn't mind having Sugar step in to turn them into toys!
Thinking of this, Doflamingo's eyes began to flash.
That... would seem to be even more interesting~
Fuffuffuffuffu~
Fuffuffuffuffu!!
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