Vergo sent word to Doflamingo that the newly arrived Rear Admiral Hina wanted to tour Dressrosa and that he was bringing her and her subordinates onto the island.
Upon receiving the news, Doflamingo remained calm on the surface, but his mind began to race.
"I just had Rosinante and Monet investigate the mole, and the next moment the Marines make a move. However, according to my observations, neither of them has contacted the outside world."
"Besides, it's only a Rear Admiral. She's no threat to me."
It wasn't that Doflamingo hadn't considered the possibility of Marine powerhouses among Hina's subordinates, but in his mind, Hera was still at the concert in Elegia.
The other two Admirals were too conspicuous, and it was impossible for Hera to arrive here so quickly.
"Could I be overthinking it? Perhaps the mole is someone else who, upon noticing the investigation, hurriedly contacted the Marines to escape."
In his view, to capture a powerhouse like himself—someone with Conqueror's Haki and an awakened String-String Fruit—the Marines would have to send at least one Admiral.
Furthermore, he was now connected with Kaido, one of the Four Emperors. After Kaido mined Sea Stone in Wano Country, he, the war merchant, would sell it.
If the newcomers weren't strong enough, the Marines would likely risk starting a war with Kaido.
Kaido was different from Whitebeard, who was riddled with disease and past his prime; Kaido was currently at his peak, known to the world as the World's Strongest Creature.
Possessing the Azure Dragon Fruit and able to soar freely through the sky, Kaido was arguably the enemy the Marines least wanted to face.
Thinking of this, Doflamingo became even more convinced that he had misjudged Rosinante and Monet. The real mole was someone else.
"Fuffuffuffuffu, let the Marines come. I want to see exactly who this mole hidden within the family is."
Hina and Hera's group, led by Vergo, had already arrived on Dressrosa, not far from the G5 Branch.
As Hera stepped onto the island, the shadows over Dressrosa seemed to deepen.
This pervasive feeling of being watched made Viola, who had eaten the Paramecia Glare-Glare Fruit, feel a wave of dizziness, nearly collapsing.
In the shadows before her, she seemed to see a little girl hiding, making eye contact with her; the girl even waved at her.
Rosinante and Monet, who were investigating to clear their own names, noticed her abnormality and hurried forward to ask.
Monet asked, "What's wrong? Did you see something?"
Viola nodded and described how she seemed to have seen a little girl in the shadows.
Monet looked at the shadow Viola pointed to, lost in thought. Based on what she knew of Hera, her abilities seemed related to shadows.
Rosinante continued to press Viola: "How could there be a little girl in the shadows? You must have seen wrong."
Viola shook her head, the vision in her eyes becoming clearer: "I'm a Glare-Glare Fruit user, how could I be mistaken? And besides, that little girl..."
A trace of fear appeared in her eyes. Under the power of the Glare-Glare Fruit, she seemed to see inside Little Hera.
Black and red shadows flowed through Little Hera's body. Though she looked like a cute girl, the energy within her was full of bloodlust, as if stacked from countless lives.
"She's simply a monster—a monster that could only be born after an untold amount of slaughter."
Hearing Viola call Little Hera a monster, a surge of nameless anger suddenly appeared in Monet's heart, but it was also this anger that confirmed her suspicions.
Then, she remembered that Viola had joined the family only so her father wouldn't be killed by Doflamingo.
A thought formed in her mind, and she asked Viola, "Is there anyone else's surveillance here?"
Viola used her ability to confirm and nodded, looking at Monet with curiosity.
Monet said directly, "If you were given a chance to resist Doflamingo, what would you do?"
As Monet spoke, the shadows beneath their feet seemed to thicken, as if they didn't want anyone to disturb them.
Having just come ashore, Hera couldn't help but complain, "Who are you calling a monster? Honestly, the people here are so rude. But Monet actually understood my meaning so quickly."
The elves beside her also noticed the change in the shadows and looked at Hera, who was talking to herself.
Reiju asked, "Now that we're here, what should we do next?"
Hera sensed everything happening on the island. Suddenly, she seemed to discover something else and smiled:
"I didn't expect Mr. Issho to actually be here. Well then, let's head to the casino first."
Then, she said to Hina and Vergo:
"Your mission is complete. Go walk around the city. Oh, and Hina, while you're at it, see which place is most suitable for a New Navy branch."
Although Hina didn't quite understand Hera's intentions, she trusted her and left with Vergo to scout the coast.
On the other side, although Doflamingo couldn't hear what Hera and the others were saying, the split of the two groups caught his attention.
"As for this new Rear Admiral, with Vergo by her side, there won't be any problems. It seems the focus should be on the people who separated from Hina."
"These Marines are all wearing hats; it seems they're hiding their identities. Let Viola go and see who these people really are."
As Doflamingo's order was issued, Viola, who had just been recruited by Rosinante and Monet, was still in a daze. She hadn't expected the moles to be high-ranking family officers.
Monet's intuition told her that her boss, Hera, must be among those who arrived. Her eyes lit up, and she immediately wanted to go with Viola to receive Hera.
Rosinante left on his own. He wanted to sneak over to Sugar first and wait for an opportunity to turn the people who had been turned into toys back into humans.
Hera led the group to Dressrosa's most famous place, the Colosseum. She wanted to rescue Rebecca and Riku Dold III, who were trapped there.
Recalling the plot of Dressrosa, Hera couldn't help but comment, "The plot of this country is so similar to Alabasta."
"Both involve a wise king being framed by a Shichibukai. However, Doflamingo succeeded, while Sir Crocodile didn't."
"Oda really does love this trope."
Kuina asked curiously, "Who is Oda? And what do you mean by 'being framed'?"
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