Donflamingo's finger slowly pointed at Bellamy, and a cruel smile flickered across his face. "Fufufufufu… Never thought I'd have to go meet that little pirate called Straw Hat Luffy in person…"
"Zehahahaha…"
"Maybe I can give you a hand?"
At this moment, a loud laugh rang out in the bar in Demon Valley Town. A black, chubby man with a scruffy beard walked in. "Didn't expect to run into such a big shot here… Zehahahaha… one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea… Donquixote Doflamingo…"
"Fufufufufu… I didn't expect it either…"
Doflamingo's gaze fell on the newcomer, and the corners of his mouth curled up as well. "The man the Whitebeard Pirates have been hunting would show up here… I hear the captain of the 2nd division of the Whitebeard Pirates, Fire Fist Ace, is still on his way hunting you down…"
As the most well‑informed broker in the Underworld, Doflamingo naturally knew that Fire Fist Ace of the Whitebeard Pirates had been chasing after a man named Marshall D. Teach…
He never imagined…
That this man would show up here…
Marshall D. Teach had actually come to Demon Valley Town because he'd heard that a lot of powerful pirates were entrenched here, and had deliberately come to look for his hunting targets.
Marshall D. Teach was plotting to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, so that he could more easily carry out an even grander plan. He would definitely need to present the Navy and the World Government with a suitably impressive "gift," to show that his strength was enough for him to become a Warlord…
Only as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea…
Could he conveniently execute that grander plan of his!
The course of the Great Pirate Era was already clear; the Four Emperors' Pirates and the Seven Warlords of the Sea had long since divided up the pirate forces of this world.
Marshall D. Teach had already noticed that the subordinates he'd gathered so far were of pretty poor quality. With underlings like these, there was no way he could realize his dream. He needed more comrades, in greater numbers and with far stronger power, in order to achieve his dream of ruling the world!
After all…
Marshall D. Teach had endured over twenty years hiding within the Whitebeard Pirates, and his goal was never just to find a few companions to go adventuring around the world. He wanted to become the king of the entire world, to replace Whitebeard and become the new Sea Emperor!
His own power was certainly important…
But the might of his subordinates absolutely could not be weaker than anyone else's!
Marshall D. Teach looked at the Doflamingo in front of him, greed flashing in his eyes. He desperately wanted to obtain that one identity Doflamingo held!
Only by becoming one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea sanctioned by the World Government would he have the authority to enter the tightly guarded Undersea Prison, Impel Down, under World Government control. He wanted to find even stronger pirates from that Impel Down to recruit under his banner!
Only then…
Could he secure a place for himself on the great sea!
"Zehahahaha…"
"I just heard everything…"
"You were investigating Sky Island and the Konoha Pirates back on Gaya Island…"
Marshall D. Teach spread his hands, baring his teeth in a sinister grin as he asked, "Looks like the Konoha Pirates are up on Sky Island, right?"
"Fufufufufu…"
The candlelight in the bar reflected off Doflamingo's little sunglasses; he revealed an equally insidious smile. "You're very interested in their business, huh?"
"Of course."
Marshall D. Teach slowly nodded.
In this world…
Who wouldn't be curious about the Konoha Pirates?
That pirate crew had stirred up colossal incidents in both Alabasta and Mary Geoise one after another, plunging the entire sea into unrest!
Likewise…
Marshall D. Teach was also somewhat covetous of their immense power!
If he had the chance, Teach wanted to obtain the Fruit Abilities of that pirate crew. He didn't know the intel on the Konoha Pirates, but he was certain they had to possess powerful Devil Fruit abilities; otherwise they couldn't have caused such huge trouble!
Teach very much wanted to figure out why Doflamingo was probing for intel on Sky Island and the Konoha Pirates. He suspected it might be an order from the World Government; there was no way the World Government would just let the Konoha Pirates run amok!
This…
Might be an opportunity!
Because he might be able to make use of this matter to get the World Government to agree to him becoming one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, making it easier for him to carry out his next step!
Above the bar.
Two people in Navy uniforms stood on the rooftop, eavesdropping on everything.
Neither Doflamingo nor Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach inside the bar had noticed these two eavesdroppers.
They were Akihara Kagura and Karin.
"These two…"
Karin frowned as she sensed the auras of the two pirates.
Karin's Perception Ability not only allowed her to sense others' presence; she could even perceive their good and evil and their mental fluctuations. She could clearly sense the wickedness on the two pirates in the bar. "On them… there exists an extreme evil… surpassing anyone I've ever seen before… even Orochimaru is inferior…"
"Karin."
"You can't just look at the evil in them."
Akihara Kagura shook his head, taking the initiative to instruct his subordinate. "Whether it's Doflamingo or Marshall D. Teach, they're both people who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals, and their wills are more resolute than anyone else's…"
"On them…"
"There exists the possibility of becoming Pirate King…"
"But…"
"If they want to become kings…"
"Trying to play both sides won't work…"
"They still need to go through a painful and arduous tempering…"
Akihara Kagura sighed and shook his head, speaking softly. "Then let's decide on these two. Have the Konoha Pirates start clearing the field; capture the experimental subjects that need to be captured, drive away the people who need to be driven away, and drop the Heavenly Celestial Dragons in as prey for the hunting game, letting these two serve as the first batch of players in the hunting game…"
"I hear Mr. Madara and the others bought Recording Radio Snails on the Shampodi Archipelago…"
"Perfect timing to launch a grand global live broadcast on Sky Island, let people all over the world see this real‑life hunting game…"
"Anyone who wants to take part can also hurry to Sky Island to join in…"
"But…"
Karin furrowed her brows, seeming a little hesitant. "Lieutenant Kagura, if the Heavenly Celestial Dragons end up living too miserably as prey in the hunting game, there'll probably be people in this world who start sympathizing with those Heavenly Celestial Dragons…"
"And… what does that have to do with us?"
Akihara Kagura raised his eyebrows and waved his hand carelessly. "If anyone sympathizes with the Heavenly Celestial Dragons and condemns us, just send them to go meet the Heavenly Celestial Dragons. As long as they've met a living Heavenly Celestial Dragon, they'll get to meet a dead Heavenly Celestial Dragon too…"