Inside the Donquixote Family's stronghold, Doflamingo frowned slightly as he watched Trebol rush in, flustered and panicked.
His voice carried a faint trace of displeasure as he asked.
"Trebol, what's going on? Why do you look so frantic?"
"Doffy, Doffy—it's terrible! Those damned villagers haven't backed down at all. Instead, they've grown even angrier and more brazen. They're even saying they'll burn everything associated with the Donquixote Family to the ground tomorrow!"
"If that happens, all our plans will be ruined! That brat Jake, thanks to his Devil Fruit powers, made a huge spectacle of himself in front of everyone today. He's basically won over all the people's hearts now."
"Not only that, but he also killed so many of our men—well, not exactly our men, but those who played an irreplaceable role in helping us control and dominate Flevance. Now, all of them have been taken out by Jake. We're completely blind to everything happening in Flevance now.
Those people were our eyes and ears, but now that little Marine brat has captured them all. As a result, we can't see or hear anything happening in Flevance anymore. At this rate, forget ruling Flevance—we might even have to relocate our base from this place soon."
Hearing this, veins bulged faintly on Doflamingo's forehead.
All the officers present knew his anger had reached its peak.
But remembering that these were the very siblings who had stood by him during his most difficult times, Doflamingo forcibly suppressed his rage.
He tapped the table lightly with his fingers and said slowly.
"Is there anyone here who can still go to Flevance under these circumstances and gather intel for the family?"
At that moment, the air grew awkwardly silent.
It wasn't that they were unwilling to do this for Doflamingo—it was simply that most of them lacked the ability to gather intelligence.
The only reliable one had been Pica, who had been killed by Jake not long ago.
If Pica were still here, he would have been the best candidate for this mission.
After all, Pica's Stone-Stone Fruit allowed him to merge his entire body into stone, making him exceptionally skilled at eavesdropping and scouting enemy movements.
But now, as he looked at the bowed heads and silent expressions around him, Doflamingo felt a growing heaviness in his chest.
He missed Pica's presence more and more.
Though Pica had always been judged for his shrill voice, Doflamingo had never cared about that.
To him, all that mattered was usefulness.
Now, apart from Pica, almost no one could be said to be perfectly suited for this mission.
Thinking of this, Doflamingo couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
'If only Pica were here.'
He pondered once more about the scenario if Pica were present.
Just then, Rosinante suddenly spoke.
Looking at his brother, a faint smile appeared on his face as he raised a sign he had prepared earlier.
"Let me go. Don't worry, I'll definitely come back alive."
Everyone gazed at the man, whose features bore some resemblance to Doflamingo, and an odd feeling arose in their hearts.
This man had only joined the Donquixote Family in recent years.
Before that, according to him, he had fled from his brother out of sheer terror after Doflamingo killed their father.
During that time, he became a street urchin, fighting stray dogs for scraps and enduring countless scornful looks and insults.
It was also during those days that he gradually developed hatred toward his father—just like Doflamingo once had, harboring an indescribable resentment.
Driven by this hatred, he sought out his brother again and joined the Donquixote Family.
To be honest, no one had fully trusted this explanation from the start.
After all, a brother who had vanished for nearly twenty years suddenly reappearing would naturally raise suspicions.
Yet Doflamingo paid no heed to the doubts.
Overriding all objections, he placed Rosinante in a high-ranking position within the family and granted his only remaining blood relative the highest authority.
This was his own brother.
When it came to that incident years ago, Doflamingo actually harbored some guilt—not toward their father, but toward his younger brother.
Before their mother died, Doflamingo had promised her that he would take care of his brother in the years to come.
But he had failed, instead watching helplessly as his brother walked away from him.
Perhaps back then, even he hadn't known what he truly wanted.
At this thought, a self-deprecating smile flickered across Doflamingo's face.
Just then, the sound of a sign being flipped broke the silence—this time louder, snapping Doflamingo back to the present.
Rosinante held up the sign, which now read.
"Are you spacing out, doffy? I can go. The people of Flevance don't know me. If I disguise myself as a hobo, there shouldn't be much trouble. Please believe me—after all this time with the family, I want to contribute my strength. Give me this chance. I won't let you down."
Looking at Rosinante's determined gaze, Doflamingo fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly.
"Does anyone else have objections? Or is there another executive who wishes to accompany Rosinante?"
At that moment, Trebol swayed his head and chuckled.
"It probably won't work, Doffy. Everyone else here is on the Marines's wanted list, and many of us were seen in Flevance before the incident. If those people recognize us, all our efforts will be wasted. On this matter, I agree with sending Corazon. He won't let us down, I'm certain of that."
Hearing this, the other executives looked at Corazon's sincere expression and found it hard to argue further.
Only Senor was frowning with a pacifier in his mouth—a somewhat comical sight—asked.
"If you're pretending to be a homeless person, since you can't speak, wouldn't using a signboard be too conspicuous?"
At this, Rosinante smiled and he spoke.
"Hello."