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The maritime entertainment city, Gran Tesoro, was simply too gargantuan to ignore. A city built entirely of gold was enough to drive anyone mad with greed, and Gildo Tesoro—a mere Warlord of the Sea—did not possess enough individual deterrent power to ward off every predator.
Consequently, during its construction, he chose to form a tripartite alliance with the Donquixote Family and the treasure hunter, Mad Treasure. They established their base of operations directly adjacent to Dressrosa.
The combined threat of three Warlords, bolstered by Doflamingo's underworld connections and political finesse, made the venture virtually untouchable.
However, the meeting to plot the seizure of "Pure Gold" had ended in a sharp fallout. The three partners parted on bitter terms.
.............
Dressrosa, The Royal Palace
Doflamingo returned to his kingdom alone, his expression unreadable.
"Doffy... Pure Gold! We're talking about Pure Gold, something on par with the Immortality Surgery!" Trebol cried out, flailing his arms with fanatical intensity. "Why would you refuse such a partnership? The Thunder Emperor is currently declaring war on the Whitebeard Pirates. He has no energy left to spare for the Thunder God Territory. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
Trebol's outburst found support among Diamante, Gladius, Mahvise, and Lao G. Even Senor Pink watched Doflamingo with a look of quiet confusion.
"Between the Thunder Emperor and the Whitebeard Pirates... who do you think will win this war?" Doflamingo asked, his voice low and dark.
"Well... Whitebeard is the 'World's Strongest Man,' after all!" Trebol stammered.
Before they had crowned Doflamingo as their king, they too had ventured into the New World and witnessed Whitebeard's peerless majesty firsthand. Having never fought the Thunder Emperor themselves, their bias naturally leaned toward the legend they knew.
"Regardless of who wins or loses, it is impossible for the Thunder Emperor to die," Doflamingo stated flatly.
His mind drifted back to Minion Island in the North Blue, where he had personally witnessed Arthur consume a second Devil Fruit. To this day, he could not forget that scene—it defied every law of nature.
"Those blinded by greed are simply seeking their own graves," Doflamingo added with a sharp, toothy grin. "If Tesoro and Mad Treasure are lucky, they might survive. If not... the maritime entertainment city will soon belong to the Donquixote Family."
"They won't survive? Even if the Thunder God elites are at war, surely they can slip away if they fail to find the gold?" Trebol asked.
"Fuffuffuffuffu... An offensive war of this scale means the Thunder Emperor is confident in his victory. In such a situation, would he leave his home base vulnerable? After the lesson he learned during his last disappearance, do you really think he'd be so careless? I suspect the Thunder God Territory harbors a power no one knows about."
RUMBLE!
Suddenly, a massive earthquake rocked the foundations of Dressrosa.
"What now?" Doflamingo stood up, looking out from the high palace balcony toward the coast.
"I don't know why, Young Master, but a commoner out fishing somehow attracted a Super-Colossal Sea King! It's trying to swallow the entire island! This luck is just too..."
"Birdcage!!"
Doflamingo's face darkened. Countless razor-sharp threads shot into the sky, weaving into a lethal dome that shielded the entire island.
.............
Mad Treasure's Ship, The Shark Abyss
On the deck, a round table was laden with fine wine and delicacies. Two factions were finalizing their plan to infiltrate the Thunder God Territory.
Representing Mad Treasure were himself, Psycho P (Color-Color Fruit), and the archer Naomi. On the other side were Gildo Tesoro, Mr. Tanaka (Through-Through Fruit), and Baccarat (Luck-Luck Fruit). Six key figures, divided by mutual greed.
"To be too afraid to reach for what you want... the Donquixote Family is nothing but a pack of cowards," Mad Treasure sneered.
"Don't look at it that way. With them out of the picture, we don't have to share the Pure Gold. We keep the surplus for ourselves," Tesoro remarked, leaning back in his chair and swirling a glass of red wine.
"The Thunder Emperor took every elite crew member with him. To pass up a treasure hunt this perfect... I suppose I overestimated Doflamingo," Treasure added, biting into a hunk of meat.
"The plan is simple," Tesoro said, his fingers interlaced. "Psycho P will use the Color-Color Fruit to turn the ship invisible. Tanaka can use the Through-Through Fruit to scout through solid objects and avoid patrols, bypassing combat entirely. And Baccarat... her luck will guide us toward the Pure Gold."
"And if we can't avoid a fight, that's where we come in, Mad Treasure!"
"Gyaralalalalala! The Luck-Luck Fruit really is a cheat code. With enough luck, your heart's desire becomes reality!" Treasure glanced at Baccarat. "Tesoro, how about you hand her over to me?"
"Don't push your luck!" Tesoro snapped, though he suppressed his anger for the sake of the mission. He turned to Baccarat. "Baccarat, is your luck supply sufficient? If we run out in the middle of the Thunder God Territory, it won't be a joke."
Reality-warping luck depended on the user's inherent strength and the rarity of the object desired—or whether that object was held by someone powerful.
Arthur likely carried some Pure Gold on him, but the bulk of it had to be hidden somewhere in his territory. Simply infiltrating the area with Tanaka's help would consume a portion of her luck. If the remaining gold was under heavy guard, her reserves would plummet.
"Before your meeting started, I spent the day in Dressrosa absorbing the luck of every single person I could touch," Baccarat said with a playful giggle. "It will definitely be enough."
Fortunately, losing luck wasn't fatal—it just made for a very bad day. Thanks to Doflamingo's Birdcage, the citizens of Dressrosa hadn't been swallowed by a Sea King, even if their luck had hit rock bottom.
.............
The Shark Abyss was incredibly fast, and since Dressrosa was relatively close to the Thunder God Territory, they arrived in just a day.
Before they even crossed the border, they could see them from afar: The War Fortresses. Rising from several mining islands on the edge of the territory were towering golden structures. Though only the massive hemispherical frames were complete, they were gargantuan—larger than the islands themselves. The interior spaces were divided into dozens of levels, a sight that left the intruders breathless.
"A pity... they're too massive to move," Mad Treasure whispered, his eyes burning as if looking at the ultimate prize. "Otherwise, I'd risk my life to steal those too!"
"Even more spectacular than my Gran Tesoro," Tesoro admitted, his attention completely captured by the fortresses cast in gold.
"Begin the operation, Psycho P!"
The power of the Color-Color Fruit washed over the ship, rendering it completely invisible as it sailed toward the coordinates Baccarat provided.
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