New World, Dressrosa.
The palace on the King's Plateau gleamed golden beneath the sunlight.
In the pool, several flamingos lounged lazily, their wings folded beneath the warm breeze.
"Fufufu... Fufufufufu!"
A burst of wild laughter shattered the palace's peace.
Doflamingo lay sunk into a lounge chair, holding the newspaper a News Coo had just delivered.
Behind his sunglasses, his eyes remained fixed on the front-page headline. He laughed so hard his whole body shook, making the lounge chair creak beneath him.
The wine glass in his hand swayed, and a few drops of crimson liquid splashed out onto the floor.
"What a wonderful gift."
He casually tossed the newspaper onto the ground.
On the front-page photo, the scorched ruins of the Marine G-18 Branch were especially striking.
"One of the Beasts Pirates' Three Calamities, Jack the Drought... a big shot with a one-billion-berry bounty, cut down by the War Demon? Fufufu! Again, where did that old bastard Garp find such a monster?"
On the palace terrace, the Donquixote Family's top executives stood nearby.
Trebol leaned closer, his sticky mucus nearly dripping onto the floor.
"Hey, Doffy, Kaido's is going to lose his mind over this. Zaraki basically walked straight into the line of fire."
"More than lose his mind," Sugar said from the side, stuffing grapes into her mouth while speaking in an oddly mature tone.
"That was Kaido's territory, Kaido's man, and one of his valued All-Stars. This is the same as ripping Kaido's face off and trampling it into the dirt."
Doflamingo crossed his legs and tapped his fingers rhythmically against the armrest, his mood considerably improved.
Someone had brought him a pillow just as he was getting sleepy.
He had been worrying that the famous monster at Marine Headquarters would eventually become a problem for him, but he had not expected the man to run off and provoke that creature on the sea all by himself.
Kaido.
When that madman lost control, he would not care whether the target was a Marine, a Vice Admiral, or even a Celestial Dragon.
This was perfect.
Doflamingo no longer needed to waste any effort. That enraged dragon would personally tear the eyesore to pieces.
Using a dragon to kill someone, and with the dragon rushing to do it on his own, was simply flawless.
"Fufufu, just watch. The real show is about to begin. Marine Headquarters and the Beasts Pirates are going to clash early because of one brat."
He lifted his wine glass and took a relaxed sip.
However, amid the laughter echoing around him, one voice sounded rather out of place.
"But..." Viola stood in the shadowed corner, her voice very soft and carrying a trace of worry. "What if... Kaido of the Beasts can't catch him?"
The air instantly fell silent.
Everyone's gaze landed on Viola.
Trebol's smiling face darkened as well. "Hey, Viola, what are you saying? That's Kaido! Is there anyone in this world he can't catch if he wants to?"
"No... that's not what I mean!"
Feeling the pressure, Viola hurriedly lowered her head, gripping the hem of her dress tightly with both hands as she explained.
"I mean, War Demon Zaraki must have some kind of confidence if he dared to do this. The fact that he could kill Jack and then calmly move away from G-18 means he may have planned his retreat route from the beginning. The sea is vast. Once he escapes back to Marineford and has Marine Headquarters protecting him, even Kaido-san might..."
Her words were tactful, and they made sense.
The smile on Doflamingo's face faded slightly, and the gaze behind his lenses paused on Viola for a moment.
This woman always said unpleasant things when she should have kept quiet.
Still, she did have a point.
But so what?
"Fufufu, even if he can escape back to Headquarters, Kaido's anger won't disappear. A Marine monster being watched by an Emperor at all times becomes a much smaller threat to us."
He waved his hand, signaling that the topic was over.
It was still a deal with no downside for him.
Purupurupuru... Purupurupuru...
Just then, a Den Den Mushi began ringing urgently.
It was not an ordinary Den Den Mushi.
The moment they saw that sinister black Den Den Mushi with twin horns on its head, the expressions of every executive present instantly turned grave.
That was the direct line connected to that creature.
The smile on Doflamingo's face froze. He slowly sat upright, irritation rising in his chest.
That madman just had to call at a time like this.
He took a deep breath and picked up the Den Den Mushi.
Click.
"JOKER!"
The roar imitated by the Den Den Mushi was mixed with fury, nearly shattering everyone's eardrums.
Just the sound alone made the air across the entire terrace freeze. Even the flamingos in the pool stiffened in fright.
Doflamingo's brow twitched hard, but his tone remained calm.
"Fufufu... Kaido-san, what has made you so angry?"
"Stop wasting my time!"
The voice on the other end was domineering and brooked no refusal.
"That birdman Morgans told me you have a woman under you named Viola. Her Giro Giro no Mi can search across an absurd distance and see through walls and lies!"
Doflamingo's heart sank, and a bad feeling rose inside him.
"I'm going to slaughter that Marine bastard right now!" Kaido's roar continued. "Send her to me! I need that woman! Send her over now!"
'I need that woman.'
Those words were like a loud slap across Doflamingo's face.
The muscles on his face instantly stiffened, and his signature smile froze at the corner of his mouth, making his expression look strangely distorted.
One second ago, he had been pleased that he could use the dragon to kill someone.
The next second, he had become the unlucky bastard the dragon came to borrow someone from.
He, the Heavenly Yaksha, the king of Dressrosa, a Warlord of the Sea, Joker, the greatest broker in the underworld, had actually fallen to the point where someone could order him around and borrow one of his important subordinates at will.
Veins bulged on the back of his hand, and anger shot straight to his head.
"Kaido..." He forced his voice out through clenched teeth, trying to recover a little dignity. "Viola is an important officer of our family, and her ability—"
"I don't care what she is!"
Kaido's voice was filled with impatience.
"You either send her over, or... I'll personally go to Dressrosa right now and erase your kingdom along with you!"
"WOOOOOOROROROORO!"
The Den Den Mushi could not transmit Haki, yet Kaido's voice alone carried enough menace to make everyone's instincts scream.
That madman would really do it!
The terrace fell into dead silence. Every executive lowered their head, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Doflamingo's chest rose and fell violently, veins standing out along his neck.
Slowly, he split his mouth into a smile, though it looked somewhat strained.
"...I understand."
"Fufufufu... Of course, Kaido. For the sake of our great partnership, leave this little matter to me."
Crack!
The moment he hung up, the wine glass in his hand shattered.
Glass shards pierced his palm, and blood mixed with red wine dripped down, but he did not even glance at it.
He raised his head, his gaze passing over everyone before landing on the figure who had remained in the shadows the entire time.
"Viola."
His voice was very calm.
"You heard him."
Viola's body trembled lightly.
She slowly stepped out from the darkness with her head lowered, making it impossible for anyone to see her expression.
"...Yes, Young Master."
"Buffalo! Baby 5!"
Doflamingo stood up and spread his arms.
"Here!"
The two immediately stepped forward.
"Take Viola and sweep the route Morgans provided. Confirm Zaraki's location first, then relay it to Kaido before you rendezvous with him."
He walked up to Viola, bent down, and used the hand that was still dripping blood to gently lift her chin.
Behind his lenses, his eyes stared fixedly at her.
"Remember, Viola. Find the Marine called Zaraki and help Kaido kill him."
His voice was gentle, but the meaning behind his words made the air turn several degrees colder.
"Don't get any unnecessary ideas. Your father and Rebecca are still in Dressrosa. You should know the consequences better than anyone."
"...I understand."
Watching the three of them leave quickly, Doflamingo slowly turned around and looked once more at his peaceful kingdom.
The smile on his face became wild again.
He suppressed the anger in his heart, and a trace of madness flashed through his eyes.
It did not matter.
He was only lending someone out.
As long as those two monsters fought, it was enough.
The more fiercely they fought, the more chaos they stirred across the sea, and the sooner the new era he longed for would arrive.
At the same time, in another sea, a seagull-marked Marine warship was cutting through the waves, sailing toward an unknown route.
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