The convenience of the Pokémon Ship made it so that it didn't require too many people to operate. Solitaire manned the helm, while Speed drew the routes and simultaneously served as lookout and navigator. The two of them kept the ship sailing steadily.
The dangerous sea currents outside Wano Country posed no threat to the Pokémon Ship, and inside Wano Country, there was no Kaido to endanger her safety.
"Phew, done. Hey, that Corrida Colosseum or whatever, how long until it starts?"
"Don't worry, miss, there's still some time. We'll definitely make it."
In the ship's kitchen, Mizerka was busy preparing desserts, with many of Robin's arms appearing around her, handing her things.
"Sister Robin, the coffee beans you like are on the topmost shelf, seventh jar from the left. Could you get it for me? Thanks."
Compared to combat, the Flower-Flower Fruit showed far more convenience in daily life.
Coffee, smoothies, tornado potatoes, and various drinks and snacks soon appeared on the table.
Both Kuzan and Robin were capable of making these things themselves, but with a ready-made chef right before them, there was no need to challenge professionalism.
"Sister Robin, do you want me to add some extra ingredients?"
"No, plain is fine. But what you're making right now… is porridge?"
Miltank's milk was being heated by Mizerka over the stove. Berry leaves, serving as tea leaves, were placed into it, boiled, and then strained. Using Refrigerator Rotom for instant cooling, an ordinary milk tea was completed.
But if Robin's coffee was the minimalist style, then this milk tea was the new style. More and more ingredients were added into it. There were even more ingredients mixed than what Kuzan's smoothie contained.
A simple drink had been turned into a pot of porridge.
"Miss Yamato likes it this way, so that's how I make it."
As a cook, Mizerka had no opinion of her own. She didn't insist on following recipes to the letter; she simply made whatever her miss liked.
A few years back, Mizerka and the others used to call her Oni Princess. But as their relationship grew closer, that address turned into "miss." By Wano Country's logic, the three of them were now regarded by Yamato as retainers of sorts.
Overall, the voyage was rather monotonous. Robin was writing, Page One was fishing, and Ulti was roaming about the ship with Yamato—better described as creating mischief.
After some time, Kuzan was the first to depart from the Pokémon Ship, since their paths no longer aligned.
"Don't forget to bring the bicycle back! I lent that to you, don't break it!"
Rather than a pirate ship, the Pokémon Ship was more like a cruise ship, filled with all sorts of bizarre things.
Even Kuzan hadn't expected that the ship's storehouse would contain a bicycle. Though it was a women's bike, it made up for him not bringing a vehicle along when leaving.
"Ara, ara, I get it. But why is this bike called the Acro? And what's with these weird functions?"
While adjusting the seat height, Kuzan noticed an instruction manual.
[Acro Bike maintains a steady speed, with high stability, capable of mountain climbing, aerial jumps, and other difficult stunts.]
Rather than being made for travel, it was more suited for performing stunts.
"I don't know. Dad made these two bikes together back then, maybe you could try the Mach over there?"
"Forget it, that one's too small. I'll just take this one."
Both bicycles had been customized to Yamato's body frame. Otherwise, even if Kuzan adjusted the seat to the highest point, he wouldn't have been able to use it. The Mach Bike was slimmer in design, which Kuzan really wasn't comfortable with.
After assuring her he would return the bicycle, Kuzan created an ice road over the sea and rode off into the distance.
Only after Kuzan's figure had vanished into the horizon did Ulti raise a question.
"You're really just letting that guy leave? He's a former Admiral, you know. And he stayed in Onigashima for so long, what if he leaks information?"
"It doesn't matter. If he can't attract Father's attention, then he's useless to me. Maybe this is even better, if that b*stard father gets angry enough, he might personally go after Kuzan. That way I can enjoy some peace for a while."
After the Ice Substitute plan collapsed, Yamato's interest in Kuzan had plummeted. If Kuzan really did something like that, she might even feel a bit happy.
"No, in that case, the one who'd be angry would be Lord Arceus. After all, he hates that sort of thing the most.
And since you're the one who brought Kuzan back, if something really happened, Lord Arceus might not personally show up, but he'd very likely stop caring about Mr. Kaido. And if that happened…well, you understand."
Robin mercilessly shattered Yamato's fantasy and painted for her the most terrifying possibility.
"So, even if he really did cause a problem, you'd have to get rid of him yourself. Otherwise, your troubles might grow even bigger.
Of course, even if you dealt with Kuzan on your own, there are still some things you wouldn't be able to avoid."
"Uhh…I think we can trust him. After all, he didn't even bring his pet with him when he left Wano Country."
Though it was a statement, Yamato's tone already carried a hint of doubt. Still, it didn't last long. As the voyage continued, she quickly pushed the matter to the back of her mind.
The date of the tournament was drawing closer, and in Dressrosa, the Donquixote Family's members were also getting busy.
"Doffy, with us stirring up such a huge commotion, does this really have meaning? Wouldn't it be better to give the fruit to a family member, or sell it privately to the Beasts Pirates?"
Trebol couldn't really understand Doflamingo's approach; he was simply carrying out orders.
"Fuffuffuffu, Trebol, don't just look at short-term profits. You've seen the orders for weapons these past few days, they've multiplied several times over."
"Chaos breeds war. Rookies strength is limited. Only when the monsters of the New World fully mobilize can the seas become more turbulent, and only then will weapons have better sales."
"To make those monsters move, you need bait of sufficient weight. The Quake-Quake Fruit is without question the best choice."
"Compared to the direct profits it could bring, this is how we gain far greater profits."
The recent flood of business orders made Doflamingo very satisfied, and with the addition of more toy workers later, no matter whose hands the Quake-Quake Fruit fell into, he wouldn't be the one losing out.
But things didn't go as smoothly as he imagined. Just as he was confidently envisioning the future, one bad piece of news after another arrived from Punk Hazard.
After Sister and Tiger had gone to Punk Hazard, Doflamingo stopped openly transporting test subjects there, only sending supplies periodically.
But Caesar was still alive. He hadn't stopped the experiments just because those children had been taken away. Even if he thought success was impossible, he kept the project running for appearances' sake.
On these seas, abducting a few children wasn't difficult. With Caesar as the source, Punk Hazard soon returned to its former state.
After returning those children to their hometowns, Smoker didn't follow Vergo's instructions. Instead, he continued investigating the matter and eventually traced it back to Punk Hazard.
The Straw Hat crew, having just entered the New World, also ended up at Punk Hazard because of Luffy.
Under Law's scheming, several forces clashed there in a great battle. Law defeated his first enemy, Vergo, and seized something very important from Monet.
At this moment, Monet was communicating with Doflamingo.
"Young Master… I'm sorry. During the chaos, I had already secured the final process for SAD, but…but Law suddenly appeared and took it away."
"What?"
"The key to producing SAD, and Caesar himself, have both fallen into Law's hands."
"Monet, this matter was my oversight. But now, there's something very important I need you to do. On Punk Hazard, there's actually a terrifying weapon. As long as it's detonated, no one except Caesar will survive."
Doflamingo valued his family members, but he also didn't mind sacrificing one of them at a critical moment. Hearing Doflamingo's words, Monet didn't refute him.
"Young Master, that's exactly what I was planning to do."
However, Doflamingo's plan still failed to unfold smoothly. With Caesar, that useless teammate, getting in the way, Monet never managed to press the detonation button and instead died from a ruptured heart.
Doflamingo immediately rushed toward Punk Hazard at the fastest speed.
Baby-5 and Buffalo, who had previously been sent to Punk Hazard by Doflamingo, were still alive, but their heads had been separated from their bodies by Law's ability. Perhaps because they had once spent time together in childhood, or perhaps for the sake of his future plans, Law didn't kill them.
Instead, right in front of them, he began negotiating with Doflamingo.
"Doflamingo, let's make a deal."
"Fuffuffuffu, Law, I suggest you calm down. Brat, don't go imitating adults. Where are you right now? Don't piss me off anymore."
"Heh, your status in the Underworld depends on the Beasts Pirates. SMILE is your most important product.
And SAD is its key ingredient. Now Caesar is in my hands, and the SAD production process that Monet hadn't managed to hand over to you is also in my hands.
Doflamingo, the news that Punk Hazard's factory has been destroyed can't be hidden. Tell me, if Kaido learns you've lost the factory and the researcher, while I hold the formula in my hands, won't he consider changing business partners?"
"Law, do you even know what you're saying? Do you think this alone is enough for you to replace me?!"
"You eliminated the previous broker in a similar way to get your current position, didn't you? In the Underworld, deals are based solely on profit. Whatever you can do, I can do as well. So why can't I replace you?"
Law thought he had grasped Doflamingo's critical weakness. But he forgot, Doflamingo's former Celestial Dragon identity was something he could never replicate, nor did he know about the secrets between Doflamingo and Queen.
Artificial Devil Fruits were nothing more than semi-finished products. The perfected versions were processed by the Beasts Pirates afterward.
Compared to SAD, it was Doflamingo's long-cultivated Underworld connections and distribution channels that were truly important. Still, Doflamingo had no intention of giving up the advantage SAD provided.
And since Law had already made his betrayal clear, Doflamingo naturally couldn't allow someone who had eaten the Op-Op Fruit to continue like this. Pretending to be threatened, he went along with the conversation.
"What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to publish a statement renouncing your Shichibukai position, with the deadline set for tomorrow."
Doflamingo had secrets that Law didn't know, and Law had plans that Doflamingo didn't know.
He never wanted to replace Doflamingo as an underling of the Beasts Pirates; he only wanted to kill Doflamingo for revenge. Everything he did was merely to weaken Doflamingo's backing in both the underworld and legitimate circles.
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