A palpable tension filled the palace of Dressrosa, a high-ground fortress overlooking the kingdom. At its center, seated on the throne, was Donquixote Doflamingo. His usual arrogant smirk was gone, replaced by a look of profound unease.
"Any news about that guy?" he grumbled, his eyes darting restlessly.
Ever since the Summit War, Doflamingo had been consumed by a singular, desperate mission: to track down Adrian. The enmity between them was now a festering knot he couldn't ignore. At first, even after witnessing Adrian kill Whitebeard, Doflamingo had dismissed him as a mere strong individual. He held to the belief that no matter how powerful a person was, they couldn't stand against a colossal force like a country or a Yonko's crew. Even the legendary Pirate King Roger had needed his own crew to sail the seas without a care.
But as the war dragged on, something shifted. When Adrian gathered powerful figures like Bullet under his banner for all the world to see, the threat he posed instantly shot up to the level of Yonko. A cold panic seized Doflamingo. "What was I thinking," he agonized, "provoking that lunatic for no reason?" Now, he lived in constant fear that Adrian would come for him.
"Doffy, what's there to worry about? He's just a Shichibukai brat," Pica, one of his top executives, retorted in his usual high-pitched, comical voice. Dressed in gold armor and a cross-faced helmet, he seemed entirely unconcerned. "If he really dares to come, I'll crush him."
"Pica, don't underestimate him," Doflamingo warned, his brow furrowed. "That man's current strength is no less than that of Yonko. We must prepare in advance." His inner circle, especially his top cadres, were as arrogant as he was. They believed the Donquixote Family was the only thing that mattered in the world and that everyone else was beneath them. They couldn't grasp the true terror of Adrian.
"Doffy, don't worry. Dressrosa is our territory," Diamanti, draped in a red cloak, chimed in, attempting to soothe him. "You are the king recognized by the World Government. The Marines won't let that guy run rampant here."
"It's no use. The New World isn't Marine territory," Doflamingo scoffed, shaking his head. "If a real fight breaks out, by the time those pieces of trash show up, we'll all be gone."
"I said, I said, if all else fails, we can still ask Kaido for help," Torrebol, a monstrous man covered in thick, disgusting mucus, added with a snicker. "Presumably for the sake of the Artificial Devil Fruits, he'll definitely lend a hand."
"Yes," Doflamingo thought, trying to console himself. "I still have a powerful trump card in Kaido." But the gnawing sense of impending doom in his heart refused to fade. It felt as if something terrible was about to happen.
"My Lord, I've found two floating islands in the clouds, about a thousand kilometers out," a black-haired woman in a magnificent dancer's costume rushed in to report. "And a massive ship, the size of an island, is heading straight for Dressrosa."
"I think, you must have seen wrong. How could islands fly?" Torrebol questioned, his brow furrowed.
"There's no mistake," Violet insisted firmly, "because on one of the islands, I spotted the very person you asked me to keep an eye on." She held up a bounty poster, gazing at Adrian's handsome face.
"No need to say more! That's the power of the Float-Float Fruit! It must be him!" Doflamingo roared, his frustration boiling over into pure rage. "That bastard Adrian... he actually came!" In his mind, he heard Adrian's words echoing again: "Doflamingo, give me your position of King because are too weak!"
A surge of rage and fury coursed through him. "Bastard! Dressrosa is mine!" he shrieked. "No one can take it from me!"
He snatched up a special Den-Den Mushi snail and dialed the Beasts Pirates. Dressrosa was the very core of his power in the New World. It was here, in the underworld trading port, that illegal weapons, poison gas, and Artificial Devil Fruits called SMILEs were traded daily. It was this munitions trade that had made him immensely wealthy and given him control over the dark underworld, earning him the title of "Joker." There was no way he could afford to lose this country.
The atmosphere in the palace became heavy, suffocating. It was the first time Violet had ever seen Doflamingo so hysterical. Was he truly afraid of this man, Adrian? In the depths of her shallow brown eyes, a long-extinguished spark of hope began to flicker. Her true name wasn't Violet; it was Viola, and her father was King Riku, whom Doflamingo had overthrown through his cunning schemes. After eight long years, she had finally found a chance for revenge. If Doflamingo were to be caught, surely he would be driven out of the country, right?
Meanwhile, on Onigashima Island...
"Damn it! To talk to me in that tone! I'll have to find a way to deal with that clown bastard later," Queen snarled, slamming down the phone. He turned to Kaido, who was holding a massive gourd of sake. "Captain Kaido, that clown guy just called. He said some kid named Adrian is trying to steal Dressrosa."
"He also said you need to go help him yourself, or else... he might not last," Queen added, a hint of mockery in his voice.
"Huh?" Kaido, already drunk, scowled. "Is that kid trying to tell me how to do things? Does he have a death wish?!"
Ever since the Red-Haired Shanks stopped him before the Summit War, Kaido had been in a foul mood. If Shanks hadn't interfered, he would have taken over Whitebeard's territory and the Beasts Pirates would have become the strongest crew in the New World. But now... it was all a mess. The only thing he'd been doing these days was drinking and cursing Shanks. He was in no mood to care about Doflamingo's petty troubles.
"Brother Kaido, that Adrian is supposedly the multi- devil fruit user who killed Whitebeard during the Summit War," King, the "Fire Disaster," reminded him. "And we still need those artificial Devil Fruits that Joker provides to keep our legion strong."
"Let's just send someone to take a look," King suggested.
"Tch, that cowardly bastard can't even protect his own territory. Boss Kaido, why don't I just go and seize that country for ourselves?" Jack, the "Drought Disaster," whose recklessness was legendary, said in a low voice.
"What do you mean, 'multi-devil fruit user,' King? You idiot!" Queen scoffed, his large body shaking. "Have you forgotten the boss's experiment with the death-row prisoners? They all blew up the moment they ate a second Devil Fruit. There wasn't even a shred of them left!"
"Bastard! That's what the newspaper said! What does it have to do with me?" King snapped back.
"Enough!" Kaido bellowed, silencing them. "I don't care if that kid has multiple fruit abilities or not. All I care about is our artificial Devil Fruit supply. It can't be cut off."
He glared at his three executives. "Jack, take a crew and go check it out. I'll come out myself if there's a problem."
"Yes, Boss Kaido!"