"Tell Mr. 1 that I am deeply dissatisfied with his progress. In Alabasta, I will not tolerate such incompetence. No one can take what is mine without paying a price. Since they intend to do so, they have forfeited their right to live."
"Contact the people on this list and do your best to recruit them into our Baroque Works." Crocodile retrieved a very thin file from his desk drawer and handed it to Viola.
"Most of these individuals are professional assassins or rising stars in the underground scene. Use our financial advantage to pull them into Baroque Works. Once we've recruited most of the people on this list, we'll make our move against the group at Whisky Peak."
After receiving the list, Viola quickly left the office, leaving Crocodile alone with his eyes closed, resting.
It was unclear how much time had passed when Crocodile stirred again.
He began laughing maniacally in the empty office—a sight that would likely lead others to believe he had gone mad.
However, only Crocodile knew just how suppressed he had felt inside.
Ever since encountering Raleigh, nothing had gone smoothly. It was as if Raleigh held an invisible rope around Crocodile's neck.
Any unusual move by Crocodile would be met with a brutal beating from Raleigh, leaving Crocodile seething with helpless rage.
Why could Raleigh humiliate Crocodile so freely without fear of retaliation? Simply because Raleigh was powerful enough.
Crocodile's earlier fit of laughter came from finally realizing this truth.
The strong should mercilessly humiliate the weak.
When one's strength reaches a level where they can confront a nation or a major organization, rules no longer apply to them.
The only hope for the weak is that the strong might occasionally adhere to some semblance of order.
Crocodile couldn't help but mock himself for taking so long to see the world's true nature.
His desperate search for Pluton was also driven by a desire to enhance his own power.
However, Pluton was not true personal strength—at best, it was a weapon that could grant him equal footing with the powerful.
"Sooner or later, I will make you pay back every last bit, with interest!" Crocodile's face twisted with ferocity.
....
"Vice Admiral Raleigh, where do we go next?"
After Enel's departure, Raleigh no longer had a deputy, leaving only a messenger to relay orders.
Now, the messenger was inquiring about Raleigh's next move.
"To Dressrosa. Let's see how far Donquixote has progressed," Raleigh replied casually.
He currently had no particular tasks at hand, spending most of his time in the phase of accumulating strength, primarily focused on reclaiming Devil Fruits.
Among the Donquixote Family, the only Devil Fruits worth reclaiming were Corazon's Calm-Calm Fruit and Sugar's Hobby-Hobby Fruit.
Beyond these, most were worthless fruits that offered little benefit to Raleigh's plans.
The reason for reclaiming the Hobby-Hobby Fruit was also due to its overwhelmingly overpowered nature.
Once someone under Raleigh's command was transformed into a Toy by Sugar's Hobby-Hobby Fruit, even Raleigh couldn't be certain whether their memory would retain any recollection of that person.
To guard against such risks, it was better for Raleigh to reclaim this fruit in advance.
...
In the Kingdom of Dressrosa, the Donquixote Family had not yet replaced the original royal family.
For now, they were merely leveraging their status as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and Doflamingo's former identity as a Celestial Dragon to expand their influence.
King Riku of Dressrosa naturally sensed the ill intentions of the Donquixote Family members, but due to their status as Warlords and the strength of the family's executives, he refrained from taking action against them.
Meanwhile, Doflamingo was in no hurry to exact revenge upon the people of Dressrosa.
Having endured his rage for far too long, he cared little for fleeting satisfaction, preferring instead to slowly bleed the nation dry, drop by drop.
Utilizing his underground network and channels, he swiftly established a series of illicit enterprises common in the underworld.
These included human trafficking, arms dealing, drug smuggling, and other unlawful activities.
Countless residents of Dressrosa were captured and sold off by the Donquixote Family.
Although King Riku lacked concrete evidence, his intuition told him that these events were inextricably linked to Doflamingo.
Within the Donquixote Family's stronghold, Doflamingo reclined comfortably on his sofa, a look of contentment on his face.
Below him stood his most trusted confidants, and the return of his younger brother, Corazon, had brought a long-lost warmth to Doflamingo's dark heart.
Even though Corazon seldom spoke to him and dressed in an eccentric manner, Doflamingo confidently appointed him as the Corazon of the Donquixote Family.
"Doffy, our operations now account for one percent of the New World's underground business. Finally, they can see our presence," Trebol said excitedly.
Since leaving the North Blue and establishing themselves in Dressrosa, every member had worked tirelessly for the future of the Donquixote Family.
Step by step, they forged connections, established stable supply and demand relationships with most major factions, and only now had they truly entered the ranks of the New World's underground powers.
Don't underestimate the significance of one percent.
It must be understood that the New World was teeming with powerful factions, many of which had operated there for more than two or three generations.
For the Donquixote Family to achieve this in just a few short years was no small feat.
Were it not for their status as Warlords and Doflamingo's former ties to the Celestial Dragons, the World Government and the Navy would likely have launched a devastating assault on the Donquixote Family long ago.
"Indeed, this is the result of everyone's efforts. The Donquixote Family will forever remember your contributions," Doflamingo declared, raising his glass to all the executives.
"For the Donquixote Family!"
"The Donquixote Family will surely flourish once more under the Young Master's leadership!"
"For the Young Master!"
Doflamingo's words prompted the other executives to raise their glasses and declare loudly.
Everyone present was overjoyed, except for Corazon, who had only recently joined.
Corazon lifted his glass, yet there was not a hint of joy on his face.
Although he was indeed Doflamingo's biological younger brother, he was also the adopted son of Fleet Admiral Sengoku and had received a Navy education.
At this moment, he was already exercising great restraint by not showing overt disgust, it was impossible to expect him to put on a happy expression like the others.
After scanning the room, only Corazon's reaction caused Doflamingo to frown slightly, but he quickly relaxed his brow.
After all, Corazon had not been back with the family for long, so it was normal for him to struggle with acceptance.
Next, Doflamingo just needed to explain things carefully to Corazon.
Doflamingo believed Corazon would not disappoint him.