Are you even human?!
Oh, wait,
That's not something a normal person would say.
That's a gambling addict talking!
Zoro, fuming, grabbed Tsunade by the ear and yanked her away from Rebecca.
"Can't you just act like a normal human being?!"
Seeing that everyone had arrived and having heard her ridiculous gambling rant, Tsunade gave a sheepish grin.
To be honest, by now, everyone had gotten used to the fact that Tsunade was a total gambling degenerate.
They just hadn't expected Zoro's cousin to be one.
That said, this gambling addict cousin was also seriously powerful.
Just a few days ago, she'd punched-smashed Jack's head sideways when he tried to escape.
That one punch scared Katakuri into an unusually well-behaved state.
"Auntie, when did you get here?"
Rebecca's voice shifted everyone's attention from Tsunade to Violet.
And everyone was instantly shocked.
So this unfamiliar woman… was Rebecca's aunt?
Wait a second…
Rebecca, who had vowed to drive Doflamingo out of Dressrosa, had an aunt who was closely connected to him?!
This family's got issues!
"I… I just wanted to check in on you, Rebecca… Right, Rebecca, who are all these people?"
In Violet's opinion, Rebecca had no real friends.
And certainly not the kind of people who'd openly defy Doflamingo.
Violet was honestly worried that Rebecca might get dragged into trouble because of Zoro and his crew, maybe even lose her life.
She had already made up her mind that if Zoro and the others were killed, she would just flat-out deny ever knowing them.
Even now, Violet didn't believe Zoro's group could defeat Doflamingo.
"This is my master, Zoro! And the rest are all my new friends! They're, REALLY powerful, Auntie!"
As Rebecca introduced Zoro and the others, her eyes sparkled with hope,
The kind of light that comes from believing Dressrosa might finally escape the darkness and return to peace.
After spending the past few days with them, Rebecca had gained a deep respect for Zoro's unbelievable strength.
Forget defeating a Doflamingo,
Defeating a hundred Doflamingos might still be a stretch…
But thirty? That sounded doable!
"Master?!"
Violet was shocked to hear that Rebecca had taken the man who had just held a katana to her neck as her teacher.
And what's worse, this connection has now made it impossible for Violet to make excuses for Rebecca in front of Doflamingo.
"Let's head to the Royal Plateau and wait for Doflamingo."
Zoro didn't want to waste any more time talking to Violet.
He wanted to defeat Doflamingo ASAP, then head to Amazon Lily.
"The Royal Plateau?!"
Rebecca gasped, still unaware of what was going on.
She thought Doflamingo must have returned, and Zoro was now going to confront him.
She immediately followed, nervous and excited.
Tears welled in her eyes at the thought that she might finally see Doflamingo driven out of Dressrosa.
Violet, determined to protect her niece no matter what, silently followed with a complicated expression.
Compared to the emotional turmoil of Rebecca and Violet, the rest of the group treated this like a casual stroll through the city.
Defeating Doflamingo?
Easy. Just need hands.
It didn't take long for the group to arrive at the Royal Plateau.
The low-tier guards stationed there fainted instantly just from Hancock and Yamato's Conqueror's Haki.
The sheer clash of their Haki even shattered the castle gates.
Violet, standing in the middle of it all, was completely stunned.
Why do I feel like kneeling?!
"Why do these two women have the same Conqueror's Haki as Luffy? Are they queens from other countries or something?!"
Violet had always believed only kings could possess Conqueror's Haki.
Now, doubt began to creep in. Was it impossible for Zoro's group to defeat Doflamingo?
They strolled unhindered into the main hall, where two Donquixote Family members were stationed:
Trebol
Pica
"Who are you people?! How dare you barge in here?!"
Pica's shrill voice rang out sharply.
Everyone in Zoro's group instinctively cringed.
You could argue this was the most annoying human voice in the entire world.
"Why the hell do you sound so... girly, for such a big guy?!"
Yamato, always blunt, pointed her kanabo directly at Pica and called him out.
Pica was instantly triggered.
"Girly voice?!"
He screamed, repeating the insult, then lunged at Yamato in rage.
And then… Pica vanished from the Royal Plateau.
In one swift moment, Yamato smashed him with her Thunder Bagua, sending him flying to the edge of Dressrosa.
Even Rebecca and Violet, standing behind, couldn't catch the motion—only the loud boom and the sight of a giant hole in the wall.
"Too bad… I was hoping to see the power of the Stone-Stone Fruit. Oh well!"
Zoro chuckled with mock disappointment.
Then he turned his gaze to the dumbstruck Trebol.
As the strategist of the Donquixote Family, Trebol likely knew better than to resist at this point.
Zoro didn't even bother attacking him,
After all, he still needed one member left alive to use as leverage.
"W-Who… who are you people?!"
Trebol trembled as he backed up dozens of steps, as if that would somehow make him feel a tiny bit safer.
Honestly, Trebol felt like he was about to wet himself.
"Who are we? Doflamingo will explain that to you himself very soon."
Zoro casually sat down on Doflamingo's throne.
Looking down from above at the terrified Trebol, Zoro felt a thrill,
This high-and-mighty feeling… kinda addictive.
If only the throne were a sofa.
"Fufufufufufufu!"
Before Zoro could enjoy it for more than two minutes, Doflamingo's eerie laugh echoed throughout the Royal Plateau.
He was squatting on the windowsill, flanked by his crew.
Pica was there too, though he looked rough.
"Luffy!!!"
Seeing Doflamingo, Trebol bolted to his side like a drowning man reaching for a lifeline.
Even Violet seemed to instinctively start moving toward Doflamingo, m
But in the end, she stayed beside Rebecca.
Doflamingo first looked at Violet, then surveyed the group.
His heart was racing with panic, but his face still wore that smug, twisted grin.
"Doflamingo! Tonight, we're going to defeat you and drive your evil out of Dressrosa!"
Rebecca, gathering her courage, raised her sword and pointed it directly at him.
Her hands were trembling.
It was clear she still harbored a deep, demonic fear of Doflamingo in her heart.
"Rebecca… Luffy…"
Violet didn't expect Rebecca to declare war so boldly; she was flustered and overwhelmed.
But Doflamingo ignored Rebecca entirely, locking eyes with the man sitting on his throne.
Everything that happened tonight would depend on Zoro's intentions.
"Fufufufufu! Shouldn't you be rushing off to save Fire Fist Ace? Why go out of your way to cause me trouble here in Dressrosa?!"
To be fair, Doflamingo was genuinely confused.
Besides a brief clash with Zoro on Onigashima, he'd had zero interaction with him.
Yet Zoro came all the way here just to pick a fight.
"Because you'll get in our way when we rescue Ace."
Zoro didn't want to admit he was doing this for a mission reward, figured Doflamingo wouldn't believe him.
Hearing this half-decent excuse, Doflamingo threw his head back and laughed.