"Hey, hey, hey, do you have the right to speak here?"
"Get out! Wait outside."
"Without Lord Ragnar's approval, you're not even allowed to speak—let alone step inside."
Donquixote Doflamingo couldn't stay composed after witnessing this.
But the object of his fury wasn't Ragnar—it was Trebol.
With a forced smile, he reprimanded Trebol harshly, then proceeded to toss every single subordinate he'd brought out of the hall—one by one.
Ragnar said nothing upon seeing Doflamingo's little performance. He simply lifted a finger from the armrest and began tapping the chair's side slowly and rhythmically.
And yet—
That single finger felt as if it were connected to Doflamingo's heart.
Each time it lifted, Doflamingo felt as though his heart was caught mid-air.
Each time it fell, it was like that very finger was hammering into his chest.
His anxiety swelled.
His unease grew heavier than ever before.
It was like a nightmare hanging over his soul—relentless and suffocating.
"Aunt Linlin has already arranged a meeting," Ragnar finally said calmly. "I'll be leaving for Totto Land to attend her tea party soon."
"Joker, you have half an hour."
The tension eased as Ragnar dropped his finger. His tone returned to casual, as if nothing had happened.
"Hah..." Doflamingo exhaled sharply. "True Lord, your words are absolute."
"This time, I've come to clarify one thing—your stance toward me."
Even the iconic grin on his face had disappeared after the mental pressure.
"Continue," Ragnar said with indifference.
"You know about the arrangement between me and your father—Kaido. There's no need to revisit that."
"This time, I'm not just here to pay respects to the new Emperor of the Beasts Pirates. I want to know—under your leadership, will the same terms still apply to me?"
"I've spent years building my network in the New World. Beyond artificial Devil Fruits, if the True Lord seeks something else... I can get it."
Doflamingo looked him dead in the eye.
This was why he'd felt so exposed the moment he entered the room.
The so-called deal with Kaido—
Was nothing more than exchanging SMILEs for Kaido's protection.
The New World might seem full of races, kingdoms, and underground rulers—but in truth, ninety-nine percent of it is under the grip of the Five Emperors.
Unless you're from Elbaf, the land of the giants, no one survives in the New World without pledging loyalty to one of them.
Even someone like Donquixote Doflamingo, a Warlord of the Sea, king of Dressrosa, and underground broker "Joker," wasn't an exception.
These are the emperors who rule like gods.
"Joker..." Ragnar's voice cut in. "Do you really think a quarter of the New World is enough to satisfy me?"
Doflamingo hesitated. "True Lord—"
But he was immediately cut off again.
"Do you think the Beasts Pirates I now command will stop here?"
A cold wind passed through Doflamingo's spine.
"True Lord... are you saying... you intend to consume the Donquixote Family?"
Doflamingo's face tensed. His right hand instinctively lifted—and the threads of the Ito Ito no Mi began to stir.
Clang!
Before a single string could form, a cold blade pressed against his neck from behind.
The killing intent behind it was suffocating.
And then—
Black.
His vision cut out for a second.
By the time his eyes refocused, a spiked kanabo mace—massive and cruel-looking—was hovering in front of his face, its tip less than a centimeter from his nose.
Doflamingo remained frozen in place, drenched in cold sweat.
And in front of him... the real monsters finally revealed themselves.
The man holding the mace was Yamato, who had previously stood behind Ragnar. It was clear from her position and demeanor that their relationship was anything but distant.
Don Quixote Doflamingo turned his neck slightly and glanced over his shoulder.
What came into view was King the Wildfire, known as the Flame Disaster, standing with a blazing aura behind him and a sharp katana in hand.
"The Flame Disaster…"
"…and Kaido's other daughter."
Faced with this scene, Doflamingo's heart plummeted to the bottom of the abyss.
Yet, he didn't regret coming here today.
If he couldn't obtain the response he sought from Ragnar, then the fate of the Donquixote Family was sealed regardless.
The only difference would be whether they were executed under Ragnar's order — or personally crushed by the Flame Disaster and Yamato.
"Joker," King said coldly, eyes devoid of emotion as he pressed the blade to Doflamingo's neck, "you'd best consider your own weight before making any move."
To him, the man in front of him wasn't a former Celestial Dragon, nor a Shichibukai—just another street thug unworthy of concern.
"If you so much as twitch a finger… someone dies, Joker."
Yamato raised her mace with one hand, her tone colder than steel.
This was the new Beast Pirates under Ragnar's rule.
There was no need for either Ragnar or Kaido—the twin emperors—to dirty their hands.
Even against a once-feared Warlord like Donquixote Doflamingo, a mere flick of a subordinate's finger was enough to keep him firmly under control.
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