The Big Mom Pirates agreed without the slightest hesitation.
This only made Caesar all the more anxious and uneasy—he had made the promise in a rush, with no prior plan or preparation.
If he failed to deliver a finished, functional product by the deadline, he knew the Big Mom Pirates would show him no mercy at all.
That was exactly why he had reluctantly accepted the Donquixote Family's protection: he had taken their funds and fled before completing his work.
It would be unfair to say he had approached them solely to swindle money—after all, as a scientist, Caesar had his own principles and dedication.
But the Big Mom Pirates had pressed him too hard, and perfecting his work would have taken far more time and effort than they allowed.
Desperation had driven him to run off with the funds.
It went without saying that if the Big Mom Pirates ever learned of his whereabouts, they would be just as ruthless as the Beasts Pirates.
But now, the scientist Caesar was no longer the object of interest for only two Emperors.
El had set his sights on him, and no matter who tried to stand in his way, he would show no mercy.
"None of you will come with me this time," El said as they reached the target island, turning to his officers.
"Captain, we have no doubt of your immense strength," Doflamingo spoke up, eager to prove himself and seize any chance to impress El, "but this is the Beasts Pirates we're facing. Our presence could still make some difference, surely."
El let out a low hum and looked him over. "Rest assured, I hold no grudge for what you kept hidden about the Artificial Devil Fruit industry."
It was as if he had read every thought in Doflamingo's mind.
"No—Lord El, that's not what I meant at all!" Doflamingo waved his hands frantically to clear his name.
"Enough of this nonsense!" Boa Hancock, the Pirate Empress, scoffed.
"The captain is being far too generous; if it were up to me, you would pay dearly for hiding things from us—if not your life, then you'd be left bloodied and broken!"
To everyone's surprise, Doflamingo did not retort.
In the past, within his own crew, there had been almost no one who rivaled his strength or status, so he had never yielded even to Hancock, and had openly clashed with Crocodile.
But now he held his tongue—he knew he was in the wrong.
If enduring a few taunts from Hancock would ease El's opinion of him, it was well worth it.
As El had said, he truly cared little for Doflamingo's small deception—his overwhelming power meant that nothing Doflamingo did could ever truly hinder him.
Still, he made his position clear: "This time, it passes. But let there be no repeat of the same mistake." He glanced over the rest of his officers.
"The same grace applies to all of you. In other words: Doflamingo has taken the consequence for this offense. Anyone else who conceals information from this point on will be treated as committing a second offense!"
El knew exactly when to be firm. Kindness has no place in command—a truth that held doubly true for pirates.
In their world, strength was the only guarantee of respect; a captain who could not command the obedience of his crew was no captain at all.
El rarely spoke so sharply, but his officers knew better than anyone what he was capable of—showing this firm hand now would only strengthen his hold over the crew.
"That is all," El said, giving his officers one last look before vanishing in a flash of movement.
"This is all your fault!" Crocodile glowered at Doflamingo.
"It's hardly my fault alone," Doflamingo shrugged, his manner far less deferential now that El was gone.
"Are you all so sure you've never kept anything from the captain?" He had his own secrets, so he assumed others did too.
"Hmph! I have told Lord El every single thing, great and small!" Hancock declared proudly.
"Forgive the question," Fujitora asked, still new to the crew and uncertain of El's ways, "but does the captain often discipline his subordinates this strictly?"
"Ah… well, he's usually quite fair with us," Doflamingo said quickly, eager to build goodwill and avoid being isolated.
He knew well from his days leading the Donquixote Family how vital allies were.
"I'm sure he only said this to remind us of our duty." He hoped El would be lenient, but that was only his wish—El alone would decide.
Even so, Fujitora gained much insight from the exchange.
…
El had chosen to go alone for a simple reason: it was far more convenient.
He had gathered his officers to handle matters beyond his attention or ability; when he was present himself, their aid was unnecessary.
He moved faster and more effectively on his own.
Once he had secured Caesar and the Artificial Devil Fruit production lines, there would be more than enough work for them all.
He spread his Observation Haki across the island, and instantly picked out Caesar's signature.
Just as they had learned, the Beasts Pirates had already deployed forces here.
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