Much as he wanted to use his ability to hang this East Blue Overlord on the spot, Doflamingo held himself back.
He even went so far as to pretend to embrace the man with great enthusiasm.
There was no need to rush. Once they were inside the palace, he would tie this guy up, squeeze that billion back out of him, and have Sugar's Hobby-Hobby Fruit turn him into a toy. Simple.
A glint flashed in Doflamingo's eyes. Wearing a meaningful smile, he said, "Fufufufufu, I've been waiting a long time for you, East Blue Overlord."
As for that Marine Admiral...
Doflamingo wasn't worried. Once the East Blue Overlord disappeared, that Admiral would simply forget. Then it would just be a matter of negotiating with the World Government or Marine Headquarters to get his subordinates back.
Such were the privileges of a Shichibukai. At Doflamingo's invitation, the two of them headed for the Dressrosa Royal Palace.
However, "Wow, Doffy Bro~." Mock ran his hands all over the decor in awe and envy. "You're really loaded. Never thought you'd turn out to be the ruler of a nation. Way richer than Old Croc and that other Shichibukai!"
"..." Doflamingo stared silently at the East Blue Overlord, who was busy prying at the gems on his Royal Palace murals.
As expected.
There is no pirate who isn't greedy.
A moment ago, this East Blue Overlord had been all domineering swagger, but the instant he set eyes on the palace, he turned ravenous.
For a second, Doflamingo felt a bit out of sorts, but he didn't say anything. The guy was done for soon anyway.
Whatever he took now, he'd spit back out later, same as that billion. No need to fuss.
Seated on his throne, Doflamingo crossed one leg over the other and generously extended his right hand in a gesture of welcome. "Fufufufufu, do you like it? If you like it, later I'll give you-"
But before he could finish, "Really? You're so generous!" Mock's eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he dug out the biggest, prettiest gem from the gemstone mural. "As expected of a ruler, you're big-hearted. Not like Old Croc. Been usurping a country for years and still has nothing to show for it. Just plays with sand, that's it!"
'Does this bastard not understand basic manners?' Even for a pirate... this was too much.
And what, did the word "later" mean nothing to him?
'He's still prying them out?' Watching him reach toward the mural to dig out another gem, Doflamingo's mouth twitched. His face stiffened before he forced out a laugh. "Fufufufufu, Crocodile, huh? A very familiar name indeed."
He knew Crocodile well enough, as a fellow Shichibukai.
He'd heard the man tried to usurp the throne of an allied nation, only to fail in the end.
But seeing Mock's hands never stop, Doflamingo started to worry his palace murals would be stripped bare. He drew a deep breath and quickly said, in a loaded tone, "But he was still defeated by you, East Blue Overlord."
"A guy who plays with sand, that's all. Compared to your generosity, he's miles behind." Mock breathed on the gem, polished it with satisfaction, then slipped it into his pocket. Once again he reached for the mural, chuckling. "How about I just run with you instead? Look at what I've been reduced to. We might as well form a straight-up alliance. After we beat that Marine Admiral, the two of us can use our combo attacks, conquer the seas together."
"I hear there are some Four Emperors of the Sea around. No idea where those arrogant fools came from, daring to call themselves emperors. If you ask me,"
He gripped a gem in each hand, folded his arms across his chest, and fixed his gaze on Doflamingo, the corner of his mouth lifting.
In that instant,
The greedy, stingy look vanished.
The unique aura of the East Blue Overlord surged back to life. "The title of Emperor of the Sea is something for us two brothers to sit on."
At those words, Doflamingo stood speechless.
Did this guy have any sense of his own weight class?
Not only did he provoke a Marine Admiral, now he wouldn't even spare the Emperors of the Sea? Did he understand what that meant in this world?
Were all East Blue pirates this outrageously dumb? Doflamingo coveted the position of Emperor himself, but he'd never say it so brazenly.
But he had to admit...
"Fufufufufu, East Blue Overlord, I'll admit I underestimated you. You're even more brash than I thought." Doflamingo let out a delighted laugh, then his eyelid jerked as Mock reached for the gemstone mural again. "And also... greedy."
"To be honest, I'd really like to make you part of my family. It's a pity..." Doflamingo finally snapped as Mock's hands still didn't stop. He shouted, "Can you let me finish, you bastard?!"
"Oh, go on, go on!" Mock hurriedly shoved both gems into his pocket, giving an awkward grin at the furious Doflamingo. "Go on, Doffy Bro, you talk!"
"You... are also more shameless than I expected." Doflamingo inhaled slowly, then continued coldly, "If it were at the very beginning, I might have made you my family. But now, sorry, I can only refuse."
Not only arrogant, but a walking disaster.
"The little reunion game ends here." Doflamingo clapped his hands and looked at Mock, who was still digging at gems. His voice went flat. "No need to pry any more. Putting them back later would be troublesome. Now it's time you-"
At that moment,
"Doffy! Doffy!" Monet, who had been waiting for Doflamingo's order, suddenly rushed in in a panic. "Sugar has disappeared! And all the Toys have turned back! There's a riot breaking out in Dressrosa!"
He stared in disbelief.
...
A little earlier.
The Kingdom of Dressrosa, on Green Bit island.
It was an island covered in sprawling, towering plants.
Right now, A palm-sized member of the Dwarf Tribe stared curiously at Dante, who wore a distinctive hat. "Norland Dante, are you really here to help us resist the Donquixote Family?"
"Of course!" Dante, his hat styled like Norland's, nodded to the tiny princess standing on his palm. "The evil Donquixote Family will be destroyed today. I said it: today. I came specifically to help you, in honor of the friendship between Norland and the Tontatta Tribe."
"That's great! That's great! With Norland Dante, Norland Robin, Norland Nami, Norland Kuina and others!" Hearing Dante's words, the Dwarf Tribe burst into joyful cheers. "With so many Norland heroes here, we're sure to overthrow the Donquixote Family!"
"That's right, we're sure to overthrow them!"
Seeing how completely they trusted him already, Dante nodded in satisfaction.
He had to admit, this tribe was truly simple.
As soon as he'd arrived on Green Bit, he hadn't hesitated, he threw on a Norland-style hat, slapped Norland's name onto himself, and easily hit it off with the dwarves.
As for Princess Mansherry of the Dwarf Tribe, since Caesar Clown seemed to have been recruited again by the World Government and hadn't come here to work with Doflamingo on Artificial Devil Fruit production, she had not been captured this time.
In gratitude to the Riku Royal Family, and because of the 900-year-old grudge with the Donquixote Family, the Dwarf Tribe had teamed up with the Toy Soldiers to overthrow them.
But, "Who exactly are you people?" Kyros, the toy soldier with one missing foot, kept a wary, stern look fixed on Dante. "What is your goal?"
"This is Soldier-san!" Viola frowned at him. "Please don't doubt my benefactor!"
"..." Hearing Viola, Kyros fell silent again.
Though everyone had forgotten who he truly was, he had not forgotten the sister-in-law before him.
And only because Viola had brought them here had he refrained from immediately driving these strangers off the island.
After a brief hesitation, his tone softened a little. "Even if you can't overthrow the Donquixote Family, I hope you won't harm the Tontatta Tribe."
Since Viola had brought them, they might be trustworthy. But he still didn't believe these people could topple the Donquixote Family.
For reasons unknown, most of the Donquixote Family's top officers had left recently, leaving them weakened, but that didn't make them easy prey.
"Harm them? Rest assured." Dante shook his head, answering solemnly. "I, Norland Dante, would never lie."
"That's right, Norland is a hero, he'd never lie to us!"
These dwarves...
Even with a toy face, Kyros couldn't keep his eye from twitching.
Seeing how they were already placing their trust in these people, he could only sigh in resignation and say no more.
At worst, if it turned out to be a lie, he'd act then.
Dante also didn't bother explaining further. He really wasn't lying, he was here to seek cooperation.
He gazed at the lush natural forests before him...
Every single one of these dwarves could be called a planting expert.
Enough said.
He'd take them.
There was no way he was going to let Dressrosa keep wasting such talent.
As Robin and the others happily and curiously played with the dwarves, "You one of the Norland too?" Tontatta captain Leo marched over to Kuzan, who was off to the side yawning, and asked seriously, "Why aren't you wearing a Norland hat?"
"...Sorry, I'm not."
"You're not? Fine, for Norland Dante's sake, we'll let you stay here."
Watching the disappointed dwarf walk off, Kuzan's eyelid twitched.
'These guys...' But he said nothing, only turned toward Dante, stretching lazily. "Captain Dante, this little make-believe game should be over by now. So, when are you planning to deal with Dressrosa's problem?"
"Don't rush~ It's not time yet..." Dante waved a hand at Kuzan's impatience.
But before he could finish-
A commotion broke out nearby.
"I remember everything, you're actually-"
"I'm back to normal!"
Everyone turned toward the noise.
They saw,
The smiling Viola had gone utterly still, her eyes filling with tears.
Right before her...
The toy soldier with one missing foot had vanished, replaced by a one-legged warrior, tall and powerfully built.
As everyone froze, then seemed to recall something Dante had said and began to grasp what it meant,
"You see?" Dante turned to the now-narrowed eyes of Kuzan, smiling. His tone shifted, still light but edged with purpose. "Now it's time. Admiral Kuzan, it's your turn to uphold justice."
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