Putting aside her peculiar choice of words, Vice Admiral Gion's main point was simple: thanks to the transponder snail provided by Zhang Da Ye, they successfully tracked down Doflamingo's whereabouts and upcoming moves. She and Vice Admiral Tsuru then set out together for the New World to capture him.
Unfortunately, Doflamingo was far too cautious. The moment he noticed Tsuru's warship, he abandoned his plan and fled, leaving Tsuru, Gion, and the others with nothing to show for their effort.
Still, it wasn't a complete waste. At least they had managed to stop one of his schemes. They didn't know exactly what it was, but it certainly wouldn't have been anything good.
Thinking of it that way, Gion felt a little better. On her way back to headquarters she vented her frustration by rounding up several pirates. Only then did she have the mood to seek out Artoria.
But Artoria was nowhere to be found. Gion had no choice but to leave a letter and plan to return another time.
Meanwhile, Doflamingo was seething. He hadn't expected the men he left behind in Sabaody to be wiped out so quickly, and worse, the transponder snail had fallen into Navy hands.
At the time, however, he couldn't spare any of his family officers to stay there, because something far more important was waiting.
"Hey, hey, Doffy, are we really just going to let that Tesoro matter go?" Trebol, wrapped in a blanket with snot dangling from his nose, shoved his face right in front of Doflamingo's.
Gild Tesoro—the future Golden Emperor—wasn't famous yet. A year ago, the Donquixote Family had held an auction for the Gold-Gold Fruit. Tesoro had stirred up trouble and, amid the chaos, managed to steal the fruit.
By chance, they'd received word that Tesoro was hiding on an island in the New World. Doflamingo had gone to either kill him or recruit him.
But Vice Admiral Tsuru had been tailing them. If not for their spy within the Navy warning them of her movements, they might not have escaped.
Doflamingo frowned. "Too close, Trebol."
"Yeah, too close… and then?" Trebol blinked, utterly unaware of how disgusting he looked.
"Sit. Over there." Doflamingo pointed at a chair. Only when Trebol moved away did he continue. "Tesoro can wait. What matters most right now is securing a seat among the Seven Warlords. I'm sick of that old woman breathing down my neck."
His ultimate goal was to overturn the world. But as long as Vice Admiral Tsuru was constantly watching, he couldn't move freely.
So he chose the pragmatic path: if you can't beat them, join them. As a Warlord of the Sea, a so-called Navy 'ally,' he could act with far fewer restraints.
"Why not just kill them? The moment we reach shore, I can wipe them all out myself." Pica, the Stone-Stone Fruit user, spoke up. At full power he could merge with an entire island's rock and form a massive stone giant. Sometimes sheer size was its own strength, and he was confident.
The problem was his voice. Despite his hulking body, every word came out high-pitched and squeaky, a jarring contrast that made the crew snicker behind their hands.
Pica hated being laughed at. Anyone who dared laugh out loud would be killed.
Doflamingo had said many times that his officers were family, and no one was allowed to mock his family.
Coming from the man who killed his own father and brother, that promise carried… questionable weight.
"Old soldiers from the last era aren't so easy to deal with," Doflamingo said flatly. "Touching her will only bring even bigger trouble."
Even if he had the ability to take out Tsuru, it would only provoke the entire Navy leadership—especially a certain reckless 'hero' who never thought twice about consequences.
Better to stay cautious.
"What I care about," Diamante interjected, striding forward in his red leather pants and cape, "is how she even got the transponder snail. The Navy doesn't usually move against underworld forces. Why were our men targeted specifically?"
Diamante wielded the Flutter-Flutter Fruit, able to make objects he touched sway like cloth while retaining their original material. His cape looked like fabric but was actually steel—great defense, though rather useless against a swordsman who could cut steel.
Doflamingo replied, "It wasn't the Navy. According to our intel, our men died at the hands of Dracule Mihawk."
Everyone froze. "Hawkeye? The world's strongest swordsman? Why would he do that?"
Doflamingo thought for a moment. "With him, maybe he was in a bad mood. Maybe he was just killing time. He's a capricious man."
"What???" The officers and underlings alike were dumbfounded. Killing because of boredom? Was this some twisted hobby of the strong?
Doflamingo ignored their reactions. "What's more important is a certain tavern. Mihawk went to Sabaody because he wanted to duel a swordsman there. The Navy must've gotten the snail after that. They're connected."
Diamante was shocked. "A tavern with a swordsman strong enough to pique Mihawk's interest? How did we not hear of such a man back in Sabaody?"
Doflamingo laughed. "In this world, there are fools with average strength who think they're gods… and there are true monsters who could rival admirals yet choose to live nameless lives. That such a man exists in Sabaody is no surprise."
He continued, "Look into that tavern. We need to know why someone that powerful helped the Navy to strike at us. Will he interfere in our future plans? Diamante, I'm putting you in charge."
Diamante waved him off nervously. "Wait, Doffy, that's not my strength."
"I know your personality," Doflamingo said smoothly. "That's why I want you to handle it."
Diamante flushed. "Don't make me sound like some genius~"
"Because only a genius like you can pull this off."
"Don't say that—"
"Fine. I'll give it to someone else."
"No! If you insist, then I suppose I must admit I am a genius! Leave this tavern matter to me!"
"Young Master! Today's paper has news about Mihawk!"
Only twelve years old, Baby-5 ran in, holding a newspaper high over her head—not out of respect, but because she was too short.
Doflamingo took it, while Trebol leaned down to her. "Baby-5, fetch me some tea."
"Too close!" She shoved his face away. "Why should I? Get it yourself!"
Trebol gave her a pleading look. "Please."
"You… you need me?" Baby-5's cheeks turned red. "Then… I'll go right now!"
Scenes like this were common. Doflamingo ignored them and looked at the newspaper's headline:
"Clash of the Warlords! Dracule Mihawk vs. Crocodile!"
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