"It's possible," Meiser nodded and said. "Otherwise, I can't think of a reason why he would do this. He can't really be so kind-hearted as to give someone a Devil Fruit for free, can he?
"Quit joking around!
"Would a ruthless mogul like him do such a good deed?
"As for whether he's using the Devil Fruit to recruit subordinates...
"If someone could actually snatch a Devil Fruit in a tournament like this, who would care about Doflamingo's invitation?"
Therefore, Meiser felt that the probability of that was low.
"Doflamingo is playing with fire," Vista said. "Is he not afraid that the Marines will deal with him too?"
Resigning from the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea was equivalent to provoking the Marines and the World Government!
Under these circumstances, would the Marines put up with his antics?
"That's why I called it a huge gamble," Meiser said. "Besides, this guy was a Warlord before. Maybe he's using that as a pretext to put on a play with the Marines."
"You mean..."
Ace, realizing what Meiser meant, darkened his expression. "Doflamingo's resignation this time is also a fake?"
"No, it should be real."
Meiser shook his head and said, "Since the newspaper published it, it can't be fake."
The World Government would never allow a Warlord to deceive the entire world, so Doflamingo's resignation was likely the real deal.
"Then what do you mean?"
Ace was a bit confused. Hadn't he just said it was a play with the Marines? How did it become real again?
"We were the ones who forced Doflamingo to resign from the Warlords this time," Meiser explained. "So it's impossible for his resignation to be fake."
Hearing this, Marco fell into deep thought, and several conjectures began to form in his mind.
Ace asked, "Then what does that have to do with what you just said?"
Marco looked at Ace somewhat helplessly. This idiot captain...
"I understand what you mean, Meiser," Marco said. "Doflamingo's resignation is likely real, but... he might have informed the Marines in advance."
"Right?"
As the brains of the Spade Pirates, Marco clearly thought more than Ace did.
"Exactly, that's what I meant," Meiser nodded. "Because of us, Doflamingo was forced to resign as a Warlord."
"But because of that Devil Fruit, he has a chance to regain his position. So, it's possible he gave the Marines a heads-up beforehand!"
"If he can capture Ace, he can regain his seat as a Warlord!"
Seeing Meiser mention being captured again, Ace's face darkened once more.
He really didn't want to hear about that shameful past anymore.
Seeing this, Marco chuckled and then said, "Yeah, I agree with your reasoning."
"Will the Marines really agree to such a thing?" Vista wondered.
This was a slap in the face to the World Government.
"Of course it's possible," Meiser explained. "Don't forget Ace's worth!"
"And also..."
Speaking to this point, Meiser paused, narrowed his eyes, and continued, "The World Government needs the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea!"
To the World Government, the Warlords were a powerful weapon used to deter pirates; they wouldn't give up on them easily.
So, the other side might indeed agree to this request.
Moreover—
With Ace in their hands, they could hold a second public execution!
In that case, they could effectively suppress the pirates' morale.
He believed the World Government wouldn't refuse such a golden opportunity.
Vista blinked. Thinking carefully... Meiser's suggestion was highly probable.
"Is this why you said earlier that Doflamingo might be making a huge gamble?" Ace said in a low voice.
"Yes."
If he won the bet, Doflamingo could regain his position and get back his most important chip, Caesar.
If he lost...
What awaited Doflamingo was utter ruin!
After all, at that point, the World Government would no longer tolerate a pirate who wasn't a Warlord continuing to stay there.
A Marine Admiral would come to take him down!
"It seems Dressrosa is a dragon's den right now," Marco frowned.
If they weren't careful, a Marine Admiral might already be lying in wait for them.
"Pretty much."
Meiser glanced at Dressrosa in the distance and said, "Although we haven't gone inside to check the situation, the probability of Marines being here is very high."
Regardless, he didn't think a man like Doflamingo would just wait for death, so the possibility of him cooperating with the Marines was very high.
Marco fell silent. Ace and Vista were also silent.
They didn't really care about Doflamingo himself. No matter how strong he was, he couldn't reach the level of a Four Emperors or an Admiral. Taking down Doflamingo wouldn't be a problem for them.
But if the Marines were added to the mix, it would be different, especially if there was an Admiral there!
An Admiral...
A being who could trade blows with their Pops and survive!
Under these circumstances, should they still go?
The three looked at each other and found the answer in each other's eyes.
That was... go!
Even if it was a dragon's den, they had to charge in!
With this thought, Ace said, "Meiser, I know it's extremely dangerous there now, but we have reasons why we must go."
"Is that so?"
Hearing this, Meiser smiled and said, "Then it seems we'll be meeting soon."
Though Meiser didn't say it explicitly, Ace understood his meaning.
If Doflamingo really cooperated with the Marines to ambush the Spade Pirates, then... the Straw Hat Pirates would step in to deal with the enemy alongside them!
After all... Luffy was his brother!
"Good, then—"
Before Ace could finish, he saw a pirate running over in a panic, shouting:
"Captain Ace, it's bad!"
"Captain Ace, something terrible has happened!"
Ace's expression changed instantly. Had they already encountered a Marine Admiral?
If so, then it really was just as Meiser said.
"What happened?" Ace asked gravely. "Did you run into the Marines?"
"The Marines?"
The pirate was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No, we haven't seen a single sign of a Warship."
"If it's not the Marines, why are you in such a hurry?" Vista frowned.
"Because we've encountered the BIG MOM Pirates!"
As soon as those words were spoken, the faces of the three changed.
The BIG MOM Pirates?
Meeting those guys here was not good news...
Upon hearing those words, Meiser also frowned.
The BIG MOM Pirates?
What are they doing here...
Oh, I see.
They're probably here for the Diamond-Diamond Fruit too.
That makes sense. For a Devil Fruit with such exaggerated defensive power, it's normal for a Four Emperors Crew to be interested.
With this thought, more ideas formed in Meiser's mind.
"If the BIG MOM Pirates are here, will the Blackbeard Pirates and Red Hair Pirates also send someone?" Meiser thought to himself.
If that were the case, this place would turn into a massive free-for-all.
He just didn't know if the Four Emperors themselves were coming or just their subordinates.
Ace and the others wanted to know the same thing.
"Is BIG MOM herself here?" Ace asked quickly.
Although he was confident he could fight her without losing, now was not the time for a full-scale war.
So... it was better if they hadn't run into BIG MOM herself!
"The ship isn't the Queen Mama Chanter," the pirate explained. "And we didn't see BIG MOM's figure."
After pausing, he continued, "However, we saw the head of the Sweet Commanders, Katakuri, and one of the Sweet Commanders, Smoothie, on board."
Hearing this explanation, Marco immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"Then it shouldn't be BIG MOM herself," Marco said.
First, it wasn't the Queen Mama Chanter. Second... it was impossible for the BIG MOM Pirates to mobilize their entire force for just one Devil Fruit!
So, BIG MOM herself must be presiding over Totto Land right now!
Realizing this, Marco relaxed.
As for Katakuri and Smoothie?
Those two guys were strong, but they couldn't possibly defeat the Spade Pirates. Marco wasn't nervous at all now.
"Alright, I understand."
Ace waved his hand at his subordinate and said, "Keep a close eye on their movements. I'll be over in a moment."
"Yes!"
The pirate nodded upon receiving the order and turned to run back.
After watching him leave, Ace rubbed his temples and said, "You heard all that, Meiser."
"Yeah, I heard."
Meiser nodded and said, "It seems BIG MOM is also very interested in this Devil Fruit. I just wonder if they'll realize it's a trap."
"Even if they suspect something is wrong, they won't think Doflamingo might be cooperating with the Marines," Marco said. "After all, they didn't get intelligence from you."
Lacking key information, they wouldn't think deeper.
Just like they were a moment ago.
However, the appearance of these guys might be an opportunity.
With this thought, Marco narrowed his eyes.
"What do you plan to do?" Meiser asked. "Are you going to Dressrosa with them to snatch the Devil Fruit?"
If they did that, the Marines might take advantage of the situation.
After all... when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits!
Marco naturally understood this, so his expression became somewhat hesitant. He had to consider the entire pirate crew.
But for their brother's Devil Fruit, they would never give up no matter what.
Ace spoke up: "Meiser, could I trouble you guys to help us snatch that Devil Fruit?"
Meiser didn't answer immediately. Instead, he asked back, "What do you plan to do?"
"I know very well what would happen if our two crews started fighting in Dressrosa. So, I don't plan to go, and I don't plan to let them go either," Ace said.
Once a fight broke out in Dressrosa, they might be ambushed by the Marines, and it might also put Luffy and the others in danger. So... he didn't want to take that risk.
Beside him, Vista grew anxious.
"Ace, are you going to give up on Jozu's Devil Fruit?"
"Let Ace finish speaking first."
Marco had clearly realized something and pulled Vista, signaling him to be quiet.
Ace also patted Vista, indicating he wouldn't give up on the Diamond-Diamond Fruit. Only then did Vista calm down completely.
"So you plan to take your people and stop Katakuri and the others?" Meiser said.
"Yes."
Ace nodded without hesitation and said, "As long as we stop them, it'll be impossible for them to go to Dressrosa to snatch the Devil Fruit. At the same time..."
Speaking to this point, Ace paused, mentally calculating the feasibility of this plan.
Then, he continued, "We can also lure the Marines away."
If the Marines' goal this time was indeed the Spade Pirates, they wouldn't let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip away!
Therefore... he would lure the Marines elsewhere and leave the safest place for Luffy and the others!
"Is that why you're asking us to snatch the Devil Fruit?"
"Yes."
Ace said, "I don't know if Doflamingo is cooperating with the Marines, but at least if our two pirate crews aren't there, the danger in Dressrosa will be much lower."
As for Doflamingo?
He didn't think Doflamingo was a match for Meiser, so there was no need to worry about that flamingo.
"Alright, I understand. I'll find an opportunity to get that Devil Fruit," Meiser grinned. "I don't think Luffy would refuse this request from you either."
Relationship aside, just the fact that Ace was willing to lure the danger away made Meiser willing to help.
Hearing this, a smile appeared on Ace's face. "Yeah, that guy definitely wouldn't refuse."
Given their brotherhood, such a request was nothing.
After all... he was someone who would give everything for Luffy!