Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Wright glanced at the top-secret intel that had just come through the Lightforged Beacon, a faint smile flickering across his face.
"The Calamity of Arms, huh... not bad at all."
Issho's report had reached him not long ago. By tomorrow, the front page of the World Economy News would be filled with the full account of the Dressrosa incident and its many repercussions.
The title of "Warlord of the Sea" had been relinquished—willingly and publicly—by Donquixote Doflamingo, right in front of Admiral Fujitora. That outcome was even better than stripping the title away through incriminating evidence.
Perhaps, this way, the World Government wouldn't lose quite as much face... perhaps.
After all, they'd now be forced to select a new Warlord once again—and that would be far from an easy decision.
For now, it seemed there would only be six Warlords.
Wright had no intention of forcing Rosinante into some melodramatic "brother-against-brother" showdown with Doflamingo. With overwhelming intelligence and power on their side, an evil man like Doflamingo didn't deserve even a second to breathe.
If the brothers had anything left to say to one another, they could do it slowly—in Impel Down.
Besides, Doflamingo might still have some leftover value to be squeezed dry...
Kaido's complete refusal to intervene in Doflamingo's arrest was somewhat surprising to Wright.
While Drake had intended to sabotage Doflamingo from the start, he hadn't expected his "boss," Kaido, to follow up so decisively.
Then again, it made sense. Caesar's Gas-Gas Fruit had already changed hands. And without the ability to manufacture the SMILE artificial Devil Fruits—the one thing Kaido valued most—Doflamingo's arms trade and seastone deals weren't enough to keep him relevant in Kaido's eyes.
The only reason Kaido hadn't cut ties earlier was likely due to Doflamingo's Warlord status, which provided room for covert maneuvering. But once Drake stepped in and demonstrated his unexpected mastery over key black-market channels—
Doflamingo had become... utterly disposable.
And how did Drake gain control of those channels?
The Gran Tesoro's influence.
Marine Headquarters' backing.
Even if Drake did nothing, just showing his face was enough to sway many contacts his way!
"Now... let's see how His Excellency the Golden Emperor plans to make use of those channels and slowly drain Kaido's empire dry..."
Wright let out a snort of laughter as he imagined the absurdity of a behind-the-scenes deal between Kaido and the business genius Tesoro.
"Tesoro might just end up wrapping Kaido's entire financial system around his little finger!"
And then there were the other pirates still roaming the seas. Among those aiming for the Four Emperors' throne, Marco still fell a bit short... and now with Doflamingo out of the picture—
"Who's next?"
"If the Four Emperors' balance collapses, and pirate forces dwindle drastically, those old fogeys up top will probably start getting restless."
"But then again... we've lost another Warlord. Once the Supernovas stir up some chaos, the old men will be back to singing their own praises—'so wise, so farsighted,' blah blah blah... heh."
...
"Fufufufu... To think two such heavyweights would personally escort me—what a delightful surprise."
A prison ship bearing a massive sail with the kanji for "Crane" loomed over the sea, en route to Impel Down.
Doflamingo, clad in a prison uniform, lay shackled hand and foot in pure seastone cuffs, bound so tightly he couldn't move. Still severely wounded from Admiral Issho's earlier assault, he could do little but lie on the cold metal floor of the cell.
And yet, not a hint of defeat or despair could be seen in his eyes.
"Fufufufu... Inspector General Sengoku, and Lady Tsuru. How nostalgic. It's only been what—just over a year? You both seem like different people. Was it the weight of command being lifted?"
Sitting in chairs just outside the cell were none other than former Fleet Admiral Sengoku, now Marine Headquarters' Inspector General, and Vice Admiral Tsuru, the famed Grand Strategist.
Admiral Fujitora, Issho, sat nearby happily enjoying a bowl of soba noodles. Sengoku, likewise, was slurping away, while his beloved goat bleated by his side—prompting him to stuff yet another file into its mouth.
A silencing barrier had been activated. Rosinante leaned quietly against a shadowed wall, eyes closed. Only the faint glow of a cigarette and drifting tendrils of smoke marked his presence.
"Slurp..."
The sound of noodles being inhaled made a vein twitch on Doflamingo's forehead.
"Kaido hasn't even shown his face... so he's really abandoned me, huh... fufufufu. Pirates... truly the most untrustworthy scum."
"From the moment I chose to depend on Kaido, my defeat today was already sealed! Fufufufu!"
"No..." Tsuru responded softly. "It has nothing to do with who you depended on. From the moment you decided to secretly seize control of Dressrosa, your downfall was inevitable."
She was among the few in Marine Headquarters who had recognized Doflamingo's ambitions the moment he entered the New World.
"Inevitable? Fufufufu... That's your judgment, Lady Tsuru? Or was it His Excellency the Fleet Admiral's? Back then, he was only newly promoted to Vice Admiral, wasn't he? Fufufu... You had that much faith in his foresight?!"
"Wright's foresight and analytical precision were proven long before that."
Sengoku swallowed a mouthful of noodles and smirked.
"Looking back... it's almost eerie. Every single time Wright crossed paths with you, Doflamingo, it was at a pivotal turning point in your life."
"If not for him... it's hard to imagine what kind of monster you might have become by now."
"Fufufufu... I'm not surprised by Kaido's betrayal. What shocks me... is how you managed to gather so much evidence—enough to strip a Warlord of his title outright!"
"You even sent my dear little brother straight into the royal palace to rescue people before I gave up the title. Don't tell me you would've dared do that without absolute proof!"
Sengoku's face twitched. He remembered well—during the Warlord crisis with Crocodile, Wright had deployed forces to protect Alabasta without solid proof, managing to bring down Baroque Works in one clean sweep.
But that had been defensive. This time was different—this had been an offensive strike.
"That's not something you need to worry about..."
Years of experience in Gran Tesoro had shown Issho just how vast Tesoro's intelligence network really was. Combined with Drake embedded in Kaido's forces—and even Rosinante having spent years undercover beneath Orochi's command...
If they still hadn't unearthed Doflamingo's skeletons, then they might as well have lived in vain.
Issho lifted another bundle of soba noodles, chewed contentedly, and let out a sigh.
"Tell me, Doflamingo... as the most infamous broker in the Underworld, what changes do you think this sea will face?"
"Changes?"
Doflamingo burst into exaggerated laughter, as if he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world.
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