In a certain sea area further away from Sicily Island, a warship with a dog-biting-a-bone figurehead was riding the wind and waves.
Koby found an excuse to leave his friend Helmeppo, quietly slipped into the utility room, and pulled a den den mushi from his pocket.
"Koby, it's me!"
A man's deep voice came through the den den mushi.
Koby said seriously, "Captain Drake!"
"Oh, the reason I contacted you this time is to give you a few updates. I've now joined the ranks of 'Plague' Queen. Although I can't access highly classified information yet, things will improve once my status in the Beasts Pirates rises!"
X Drake's steady voice spoke softly,
"Also, the pirate'Supernova' Eustass Kid might soon clash with 'Four Emperors' Red Hair Shanks. You need to pay attention to that."
"Finally, Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach is recruiting crewmates. Vice Admiral Taro might be interested in this information."
Koby hadn't made a sound while Drake was speaking, but his breathing became heavier when Taro's name was mentioned.
"Hmm? Koby, what's wrong?"
As the Captain of the Marineford Confidential Special Unit Sword, Drake was very sensitive to emotional changes.
"Captain, Vice Admiral Taro is in big trouble now!"
Koby's throat felt constricted and slightly scratchy.
He swallowed a few times and relayed the limited information he knew to Drake.
"Koby, we are Marines. Sometimes, we can't avoid enduring certain things... Ah, never mind. This call has lasted too long. Let's end it here! In short, you must believe that Fleet Admiral Sengoku and the others will handle it properly."
Drake remained silent for a long time, wanting to comfort his teammate, but ultimately left the sentence unfinished.
"Click!"
The den den mushi hung up. Koby took a few deep breaths, adjusted his mood, and then pushed the door open and left.
The wind and waves suddenly grew strong, the weather turned dark, and the clouds hung low.
Koby walked up to Helmeppo, putting on a surprised expression, and said:
"The weather in the New World seas is truly unpredictable! It only took a moment for the sky to become overcast!"
But unexpectedly, Helmeppo looked even more shocked than him, wearing an expression as if he had seen a ghost.
Koby turned his head to look at his friend, slightly stunned.
"Uh, Helmeppo, isn't your reaction a bit too exaggerated?"
Helmeppo twisted his neck with a "kaka" sound, turning his head stiffly, eyes wide.
"V-Vice Admiral Garp, j-just now, f-flew away!"
Koby was stunned for a moment.
"What did you just say? How could Vice Admiral Garp possibly fly?"
Helmeppo's look of shock eased slightly, and his speech speed returned to normal.
"But he just came out of the cabin, jumped straight into the air, and flew away on the wind!"
...Sicily Island.
The wind suddenly grew much stronger, and a large expanse of dark clouds was approaching on the distant horizon. It looked like a storm was about to break.
After receiving some treatment, Donquixote Doflamingo sat up. The strong wind made his pink feathered coat flap loudly, and his eyes beneath his sunglasses were filled with hatred.
"You old lunatic, I told you, that Devil Fruit isn't in my hands!"
In a carefully planned scheme, he, who should have been the sole winner, had instead become the most heavily injured person on the field.
When had the naturally arrogant Mingo ever suffered such humiliation since killing his father, Homing?
However, the current situation was unfavorable to him. Mingo, who was skilled at assessing the situation, decisively followed his instincts.
After speaking to Redfield, he turned his head and looked at Taro, who was resting against the elephant tusk.
"I agree to your conditions!"
Taro was momentarily stunned; he hadn't expected Mingo to concede defeat.
He frowned, then pulled a slight smile across his lips.
"Donquixote Doflamingo, you only decide to concede when the situation turns against you?"
Mingo's breathing grew heavier. Killing intent flared in his eyes, only to quickly vanish as he slowly stood up.
"Vice Admiral Taro, this is a misunderstanding. I was misled by listening to slanderous rumors."
As he spoke, rage surged in his heart, and his cheek twitched. Saying these words was more painful than being killed.
Exhaling heavily, Mingo burst into maniacal laughter.
"Fufufufu, Taro, as a Warlord of the Sea, I am an ally of the Marine. How could I possibly attack you? Moreover, I am the King of Dressrosa."
"If you push me like this, have you considered how you will explain this to Marineford and the World Government?"
This blustering, cowardly behavior—was he truly conceding?
The status of Seven Warlords of the Sea was manageable; although the Marine and the Warlord of the Sea had an agreement not to attack each other.
However, the Warlord of the Sea were still pirates at the end of the day, and who initiated this incident was purely based on words and couldn't be trusted.
If Mingo killed Taro, with Vergo as a witness, he could even pin the blame on Redfield.
If Taro killed Mingo, it would just lead to some bureaucratic hassle at most.
What made Mingo truly difficult to deal with was his status as the King of a World Government Affiliated Nation.
He used the identity of a "Savior" to dethrone the Riku Royal Family, "rescue" the Dressrosa commoners, and ascend the throne, giving him extremely high prestige among the populace.
It was unrealistic to expect the uninformed, gossip-loving public to distinguish good from evil.
At this time, Dressrosa was still viewed by everyone as a normal country.
Two years later, Fujitora was constrained and couldn't rashly attack Mingo precisely because he was wary of his dual identity.
That was the truly messed-up part!
His mind racing, Taro shook his head and chuckled softly.
"Whether it's a misunderstanding or not, we both know the truth! Furthermore, I don't need to explain my actions to anyone."
"Before, when you agreed to my conditions, everything was fine, but now, merely doing this much is not enough."
Donquixote Doflamingo's cheeks twisted violently, and his breathing became rapid. After a long pause, he calmed down and said in a deep voice:
"What else do you want?"
"I want that guy to quit the Marine!" Taro spoke softly, his tone firm.
"Also, I want a person!"
Upon hearing this, Mingo looked utterly furious, mixed with a hint of panic, and roared loudly:
"Impossible! He can't be given to you!"
Vergo leaving the Marine was not entirely unacceptable.
Caesar, however, was the core lifeblood of all his enterprises. Mingo was also extremely wary and fearful of Kaido and absolutely could not afford to lose Caesar!
Taro, however, shook his head.
"That person—I just want to kill him! The one I want is his assistant!"
Mingo was momentarily stunned, then immediately reacted, becoming even more enraged.
"It is even more impossible to give her to you! You dare to insult my family?"
Hearing this, Taro laughed heartily.
"Donquixote Doflamingo, are you saying you refuse?"
Mingo's breathing hitched, veins bulged on his forehead, and his face twisted.
He glanced at Charlotte Katakuri, seeing that Katakuri was observing the precarious Patrick Redfield across from him, with no intention of intervening, and his heart sank.
Taro also glanced at Katakuri, momentarily unable to understand,
why he had suddenly become so quiet and was no longer focused on killing him, leaving Taro very confused.
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