Chapter 240: Donquixote Doflamingo's Decision
Under the watch of the Marines, Marco and his crew crossed the sea and landed on Dressrosa.
It was not a simple landing.
They raised Whitebeard's flag on Dressrosa.
Among pirates, raising a flag on an island had a very clear meaning.
Occupation.
To put it bluntly, it meant this island is mine now.
If it were any other island, then in the face of Whitebeard, the Marines would have chosen to tacitly accept it under the principle of avoiding unnecessary trouble.
But this island was different.
It belonged to one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
That forced the Marines to consider what Whitebeard's next move might be.
"Rear Admiral Ribery, we've found the reason behind the Whitebeard Pirates' actions."
A Marine hurriedly reported.
"It seems to be because of a prior provocation by the Seven Warlord Doflamingo. However, this information came from a newspaper delivered by a news coo, so its authenticity is still unknown."
The Rear Admiral known as Ribery frowned.
If that was truly the reason, then the actions of the Whitebeard Pirates were somewhat understandable.
But no matter what the truth was, the Seven Warlords system could not afford to run into trouble right now.
That was undeniable.
Even as a mere Rear Admiral, Ribery could see that after the establishment of the Seven Warlords, there had been a buffer between the Marines and pirates, and Marine losses had decreased significantly.
"Relay this information to Marineford immediately."
Ribery's expression was grave.
"Have the nearby Marine bases responded yet?"
"Vice Admiral Doberman has responded and is currently on his way."
At the mention of Doberman, everyone visibly relaxed.
Doberman's reputation among the Marines was not low.
In fact, it was quite high.
With such a respected Vice Admiral taking charge of the situation, everyone felt far more at ease, regardless of whether the issue could be resolved.
"It's not very polite to plant your flag on my territory like that."
Doflamingo sat leisurely with his legs crossed atop a huge rock protruding from the sea outside the island.
This was his territory.
Naturally, he had received the news before Marco and the others arrived.
Just as Doflamingo did not fear Marco and his crew, Marco showed even less fear toward Doflamingo.
He looked at the newcomer and asked, "Doflamingo?"
"Fufufu. I never expected my name to be known even by the famous Whitebeard Pirates."
Doflamingo's grin widened.
"What an honor."
He spoke of honor, but there was not the slightest trace of it in his tone.
On the contrary, his attitude was exaggerated, and his words were casual.
Rather than honor, it sounded more like condescension.
Marco and the other pirates naturally understood that.
Someone immediately spoke in displeasure.
"Do you know who we are? We're the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"Why would the famous Whitebeard Pirates come looking for a small Seven Warlord like me?"
They had already informed Doflamingo of what they had heard.
Yet his current question was clearly deliberate provocation.
It only fueled the anger of those who were already displeased.
Ordinary people might curse or fight when angered.
But for pirates, anger meant killing.
At that moment, Marco raised a hand and suppressed the anger of his subordinates, signaling them to step back.
"No more nonsense."
He looked directly at Doflamingo.
"What's your answer?"
Marco did not answer Doflamingo's question, because the other party already knew the reason.
He also did not ask who the mastermind was, although he felt Doflamingo probably knew the answer.
At this moment, for Marco, only Whitebeard's reputation mattered.
Doflamingo found this question difficult to answer.
He had considered many possible responses.
But even with his audacious nature, when facing this issue, cold sweat still unconsciously trickled down his forehead.
After a long silence, just as the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, Doflamingo finally spoke.
"I won't take responsibility for something I didn't do."
"So you mean you want to fight us?"
Marco's tone became unfriendly.
Doflamingo's meaning was clear.
He would not bow to them.
Then for the sake of Whitebeard's reputation, they had to go to war.
As soon as Marco finished speaking, almost all the pirates became hostile, without the slightest hesitation.
It was as though they were not facing a world-renowned Seven Warlord, but an ordinary pirate crew.
Because as members of the Whitebeard Pirates, they had never feared battle.
Doflamingo bared his teeth in a bright grin.
"If possible, I don't want to fight you."
This was the conclusion Doflamingo had reached after much consideration.
His choice seemed to have two answers.
But in reality, there was only one.
If he lowered his head to Whitebeard, he could avoid this battle, but with how many World Government secrets he knew, the World Government would never let him go.
The attack that followed would not be some simple bounty hunt.
It would likely involve the CP organizations and the Marines working together, or even powerful individuals being dispatched directly to eliminate him.
On the other hand, if he chose the World Government's side, then at most, he would be crushed by Whitebeard's forces.
But could the World Government truly tolerate Whitebeard acting so rampantly across the sea?
Even if they tolerated it, would the other powers active in the New World not take advantage of Whitebeard's deployment to attack?
And even if all those conditions were met, Doflamingo could still move to another sea and continue developing his influence as one of the Seven Warlords.
His power was not limited to Dressrosa alone.
A larger part of his strength came from the underground world.
Even if he lost this island, he could still rise again.
There was another reason Doflamingo made this decision.
The main figure of the story, Whitebeard himself, was not here.
If it was only his crew, Doflamingo was confident he could defeat them.
If he did not even have that much confidence, then what kind of pirate was he?
"It seems the old man really hasn't been active for too long."
Marco's eyes turned cold.
"Now even a mere pirate dares to provoke us."
His voice was calm, but the anger beneath it was unmistakable.
"I originally planned to let you lower your head a little, tell us the mastermind, and then this matter would be over."
"But since you chose this path, don't expect to leave alive."
The usually calm Jozu did not object.
In fact, he was the first to attack.
He slammed his fist into the ground.
The ground cracked under his immense strength, and Jozu grabbed a protruding giant boulder before hurling it toward Doflamingo.
The rock, nearly ten meters tall, was thrown by him with ease.
It violently smashed into the spot where Doflamingo had been sitting, crashing into the huge rock formation protruding from the sea.
The two massive rocks collided and shattered under the tremendous force, producing a deafening roar.
But Doflamingo had already risen into the air at some unknown point.
At that moment, it was Marco's turn to move.
Pale blue flames ignited around his body, enveloping him completely.
His arms transformed into blazing wings.
With one flap, Marco shot toward Doflamingo in the sky.
.....
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