Diamante had been mingling around in the New World for quite a few years already. Although he enjoyed others praising him, he wasn't some rookie who had just stepped into the New World. Diamante had a clear understanding of his own strength.
Forget about the leaders of ordinary forces, like Chinjao the Drill, Elizabello II, or the mercenary brothers who had some skill but were nothing special, the remaining ones were a bigger headache one after the other.
Three division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates, the head of the Three Sweet Commanders of the Big Mom Pirates, Minister of Flour Katakuri, and his brothers. Even Doflamingo himself would get beaten up if he went against them.
And that was only on the premise that everyone restrained themselves in the arena, not going for the kill outright.
If it truly came to a fight to the death, Diamante would most likely be instantly crushed by those monsters.
To make him protect the Quake-Quake Fruit from those monsters; not even mentioning courage, Diamante felt he simply didn't have that kind of ability.
The Whitebeard Pirates might not be as glorious as in their prime, but that was only when compared to Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, and Shanks. Having lost Whitebeard, they could no longer contend with the other Emperors, but that didn't mean they were useless.
Even a starving camel is bigger than a horse. For them, defeating him wouldn't be a problem at all.
As for Katakuri, he's an even bigger trouble. Whitebeard is dead, but Charlotte Linlin isn't, and Katakuri himself boasted a brilliant record with only a single defeat to his name.
The true monster, Charlotte Linlin, would likely take action herself, but below her level, Katakuri was undoubtedly a top-tier fighter.
There was no doubt someone like him would easily make it to the finals, and Diamante was already torn over whether he should surrender, concede, or just get beaten when they eventually faced off.
"Doffy, in this kind of situation…"
"What is it, Diamante, are you scared already? I trust you very much, you know."
"Uh… although I really do appreciate your trust, Doffy, I'm not strong enough to pull this off."
Good thing Diamante wasn't an undercover agent, otherwise, seeing the way things were, he would have suspected that he'd been exposed and that Doflamingo was planning to have him die a dignified but violent death.
"Fuffuffuffu, Diamante, you're only seeing one side of it. Whitebeard, Big Mom, besides them, there are plenty of other forces moving too.
The Marines and the World Government won't just sit by and do nothing. And don't worry, you're an important member of my family. I won't send you to fight those monsters. Don't forget, the Beasts Pirates haven't even made their move yet.
There's no way they'll be absent from such a big event."
"Uh, Doffy… you mean?"
"Monsters will naturally be handled by other monsters. While we can't decide the details of each battle, we can divide up the arena zones. Giving Sugar more manpower is also one of the goals of this tournament."
"The Quake-Quake Fruit has drawn in countless contenders. By scattering those monsters into different regions, the only outcome for the ones fighting on the same stage as them is defeat. Sugar can then use the chance to transform more people."
"All you need to do is watch out for your own safety during the finals. They'll settle their own battles. Compared to them, you're just a small fry, they won't even pay attention to you."
Before the announcement, Doflamingo had already guessed that this fruit would attract massive attention. Even though it had drawn perhaps too much this time, he still believed everything was within his control; after all, he had an even greater backer.
"But… what if those monsters, worried about someone taking advantage of the situation, decide to team up to clear out the weak first?"
Diamante didn't want to admit he was one of the weak, but he couldn't deny the reality.
"Then there's nothing to be done. The Quake-Quake Fruit is bait. I don't want to lose this bait, but if the worst comes to worst, using it to gain even greater benefits isn't out of the question."
As a straightforward man, Doflamingo would never put out empty bait or fake bait. If he did, once discovered, the contestants might well gang up and tear him apart first.
In the surging tides, he needed a stable backing. His ability was one thing that allowed him to thrive in the Underworld, but without the Beasts Pirates, the value of his reputation would plummet drastically.
If the fruit really ended up in the Beasts Pirates' hands, he could accept it; at most, it would just sting for a while.
After all, the Gol-Gol Fruit was lost in just that way. Losing the Quake-Quake as well wouldn't be unbearable.
If it stayed in his hands, that would be best, but if not, then it had to be used for maximum value.
After reassuring Diamante a bit, Doflamingo began analyzing the contestants. He had some idea of which people could be targeted and which absolutely could not.
Turning ordinary people into toys was one thing, but those who were world-famous and backed by massive forces. Even if they were turned into toys, there would be countless traces left behind. If that provoked retaliation from those monsters, the losses would far outweigh the gains.
The situation had developed far beyond his expectations, but Doflamingo still believed he could manipulate everything from behind the scenes. As long as he managed the balance of forces, he could play the role of a fisherman reeling in fish.
In this regard, Doflamingo always had a certain inexplicable confidence. But often, things don't unfold the way one imagines.
Wano Country, Onigashima. The Beasts Pirates certainly wouldn't miss news like this.
"Lady Yamato, it's the Quake-Quake Fruit! That Doffy really has some luck."
"Luck, maybe. But if the Governor-General tells him to hand over the fruit, he'd obediently deliver it, wouldn't he?"
Speed and Mizerka never regarded Doflamingo as an equal. In their eyes, he was nothing more than an underling clinging to the Beasts Pirates. Equal cooperation?
Agreeing to trade with him was the Beasts Pirates giving him face. Just a mere Shichibukai, how could he be qualified to stand on the same level as the Beasts Pirates?
As the young miss's personal guards…or more precisely, honor guards and traveling attendants, their vision surpasses even some officers. As for the young miss herself...
"Quake-Quake Fruit? Is that supposed to be rare or something?"
Saying this, Yamato stomped a foot on the ground, directly triggering a small-scale earthquake.
"Earthquakes and seaquakes aren't hard, but quakes in the air, that I can't do. Alright, that fruit's not bad, I'll admit."
Most Pokémon large enough in size were capable of learning Earthquake. But the move required a medium to trigger. At least so far, no one had developed the ability to unleash an Earthquake directly into the air, and Yamato was no exception.
Earthquake was just a filler move in her move pool. It is rarely used, with no intention of further development. The power of the Tao Trio already demanded enough of her focus; there was no need to waste time on trivial things.
A small earthquake didn't cause any commotion in Onigashima. People here seemed long accustomed to it. Only Page One, by the shore, was in a very foul mood.
"Sister Yamato! Why the hell are you using Earthquake for no reason?! You scared all the fish away!"
"Eh? Sorry, sorry, I didn't notice you were fishing. But didn't I knock one out? Just scoop it up and make do with that."
As she said this, she even hooked the unconscious fish onto his line for him. But Page One stared at the fish dangling from the hook in utter confusion. Was this considered a failure, or did he technically catch something?
Just then, Ulti came over, covered in dust and glaring furiously.
"Are you out of your mind?! What are you using Earthquake for?! Do you know all that stuff came crashing down on my head?!"
"It was just an accident…wait, what stuff came down on you?"
"The outer wall over there is under renovation. Wano Country's people are acting weird, saying they want to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Wise King's arrival, and they were renovating the wall there, but you saved them the trouble by just tearing the wall down for them."
Yamato's passive seemed to have been triggered as her brain started running at high speed.
It was known that Kaido was currently fighting Rayquaza and could fall down at any moment.
It was also known that Arceus was still not on Onigashima, and that her Earthquake had collapsed the wall that was already under demolition.
Rounding it all up, that equaled her having destroyed a house. If Kaido happened to fall out at this very moment, just a couple of hits would be enough to frame her for it. Therefore, she needed to flee urgently.
"Speed, didn't you just say that the Quake-Quake Fruit is really important?"
"Ah? No, miss, I don't think I said that…"
"No, you did say it, and I think you were right. Such an important fruit cannot fall into outsiders' hands. Since Doflamingo still has some ties to us, we won't just snatch it. Better to enter the tournament.
It's decided. Target: Dressrosa! We're going to seize the Quake-Quake Fruit! No, win it!"
Seizing a Devil Fruit always needed a reason, but the Beasts Pirates' reasons were without a doubt the most absurd. Page One and Ulti didn't even understand what was happening before Yamato grabbed them both by the collar and dragged them off.
They were eyewitnesses to the scene, and couldn't be left behind. They had to be taken along.
"Hey, hey! What are you doing? Let me go right now!"
"Sister Yamato, is it really necessary to drag us into this?!"
"Come on, let's go. Just think of it as a vacation. Staying on Onigashima all the time is boring as hell."
No matter what the siblings said, Yamato had no intention of letting go. She forcibly dragged them aboard her Pokémon Ship.
"Solitaire! Set sail at once. Destination: Dressrosa! We'll worry about supplies on the way. Depart!"
"But miss—"
"No buts. Set sail!"
Pokémon Ship was a Bio-Warship to begin with. At Yamato's command, it moved swiftly. In her rush to escape, she didn't even pay attention to the situation of the ship. Only after it left Onigashima did she notice something was wrong.
"Robin? Why are you on my ship? When did you get here?"
"I've always been here. The coffee machine on your ship is different from the one in the dining hall. The coffee it makes tastes better, so I often come here to read. Didn't you know that?"
"Oh… right, you did mention that…. why are you on my ship?! I'm not that close to you!"
"Don't be so cold. I hitched a ride back on your ship. The lookout tower here is just more comfortable for afternoon naps, that's all."
Up above, Kuzan leaned lazily against the railing of the lookout tower, giving an explanation to Yamato.
"Besides, I was planning to go visit some old friends, so I didn't disembark. Since we're already this far, just give me a lift."
Yamato turned back to glance toward Wano Country. She faintly saw an unknown object falling from the sky. She could tell immediately; it was definitely Kaido.
Heading back to Wano Country now would be no different from walking into a trap. There was no way she would return at this moment. So she simply brought Kuzan and Robin along as she sailed toward her destination, intending to find a place along the way to throw Kuzan off.
Kuzan had proven his sincerity, so naturally, he wouldn't have his freedom restricted or be forced to stay on Onigashima as some kind of mascot.
During the voyage, Yamato also brought up a very serious question.
"Robin, if you demolish something that was already scheduled to be demolished, does that still count as destroying a house?"
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