Law thought of Rosinante—of how the "Calm-Calm Fruit" user had sacrificed himself to save Law… but he did not allow himself to linger in the memory for long.
"Viola," Law cut off the black-haired woman, "how do you expect me to believe you're not a spy sent by Doflamingo?"
"To prove myself, I'm willing to offer important intel." Viola immediately straightened, answering seriously. "I am the user of the Glare-Glare Fruit. With a certain gesture, I can read the thoughts of the person in front of me."
Law's expression shifted.
He had heard from Kuro and the others that they once encountered a man named Enel.
That guy possessed Observation Haki so strong that, combined with his Rumble-Rumble Fruit, he could listen to people's inner voices.
And yet Viola could achieve the same result with just a single gesture.
"I've learned something," Viola continued. "Doflamingo sent Diamante to make contact with Blackbeard Teach. As far as I know, your captain is currently hunting down Blackbeard."
"That's not news. We already knew that."
"That's not what I'm talking about. I mean—they've already formed a pirate alliance agreement. The Blackbeard Pirates will abandon their old territory and, under Diamante's guidance, take a detour right into Doflamingo's domain."
Now that was new information.
It seemed their captain, with only three hundred men, had beaten the Blackbeard Pirates to the brink of collapse.
Law sat upright. "You know their route?"
"Yes." Viola nodded. "And I know their rendezvous point. If you ambush them, you're guaranteed to gain something. Then you'll know I'm not a spy."
"And if you're lying? What if Doflamingo set up an ambush there instead?"
"With his current strength, no matter what trap he sets, he can't defeat you. That's exactly why he's choosing to join forces with Blackbeard—planning to seek out Kaido of the Beasts and form a three-way pirate alliance to counter you."
"That's one of the reasons I came to find you. Among all the forces Doflamingo fears, the only ones who won't oppress civilians… are you."
It was ironic.
Under such circumstances, she should have gone to the Navy Headquarters first.
But she knew too well that the Navy wouldn't interfere.
Because Doflamingo was not only a Warlord of the Sea—
he was also a Celestial Dragon.
The Navy headquarters knew full well what had been happening in Dressrosa these past years. Sengoku and Tsuru had both investigated. Yet everything ended in silence.
No matter what Doflamingo did here, the Navy would turn a blind eye.
Viola poured out every piece of hard-earned intel she had gathered.
"I don't ask you to trust me right away." Her hands tightened in the shackles. "I only hope that after I prove my worth, I can join your revenge."
"That man guiding Blackbeard—Diamante—he's the one who killed my sister. So… for this ambush, I sincerely pray that you succeed."
Flames burned in the black-haired woman's eyes.
Van Augur had left Bloodlust Island two days ago.
Still, Blackbeard Teach didn't feel safe.
Because Augur had stayed there for a while, their base's location was definitely exposed.
Thus, under Diamante's guidance, Teach led the thousand remaining members of the Blackbeard Pirates in a secret withdrawal from Bloodlust Island.
He left a hundred men behind to create the illusion that the Blackbeard Pirates were still there.
It was almost laughable—
with over a thousand people, they were running from the three hundred-man force led by Davy Jones and the Whitebeard remnants. Something unthinkable in the past.
But after losing Pizarro, Burgess, Doc Q, and Devon, Teach had been forced to face reality.
Right now, they weren't Davy Jones' match.
They needed to avoid confrontation.
If they got lucky, Davy Jones would find an empty island, then waste time chasing the elusive Van Augur.
Meanwhile, they would circle far around and enter Doflamingo's territory, form their alliance, then seek out Kaido.
That was Teach's plan.
A week had passed since the Blackbeard fleet left Bloodlust Island. Everything was going smoothly.
The wind favored them.
The currents favored them.
Nothing obstructed them.
Just as Doflamingo promised—follow Diamante and the way ahead would be clear.
Seeing they were close to the rendezvous point, Teach finally shook off the gloom of the past days and burst into loud laughter.
With safety in sight, the Blackbeard fleet no longer bothered to maintain a low profile.
But Diamante, Shiryu, Lafitte, and Vasco—hearing Teach laugh again—couldn't help recalling some unpleasant memories.
"Relax." Teach turned and saw their expressions, immediately guessing their thoughts. "What, you think Davy Jones is some kind of god? How could he possibly guess we'd be here?"
Diamante, nearing home territory, loosened up as well and chimed in:
"The Admiral is right! Everyone relax. Young Master will give you all a grand welcome."
Vasco, already dead drunk again, stopped caring quickly enough.
But Shiryu and Lafitte remained tense until the Blackbeard fleet finally entered Doflamingo's waters.
Soon, they met the ships sent to receive them.
The pirate flags bore a grinning face, fluttering in the wind with a mocking laugh.
When the flagship of the Blackbeard fleet drew alongside the flagship of Doflamingo's forces, Diamante recognized the two Donquixote officers who had come to greet them.
One was the fat man whose head looked like it had fan blades around it—the Spin-Spin Fruit user Buffalo.
The other was a woman in a maid outfit, but armed with every kind of weapon—the Arms-Arms Fruit user Baby-5.
Buffalo and Baby-5 bowed first to the high executive Diamante, then conveyed the Young Master's welcome to Blackbeard Teach.
Everything in the rendezvous went smoothly.
Even Teach, Shiryu, and Lafitte—who had remained suspicious—finally relaxed.
"Hahaha! Since your Young Master is so hospitable," Teach said—despite being forced to flee here, he acted as though he came by invitation, "when I meet him in a few days, we'll drink ourselves silly!"
Buffalo nervously asked, "You're sure you've shaken off Davy Jones? The Young Master does not want a fight with him right now."
Diamante snapped, "Buffalo, didn't I make it clear over the transponder snail? These past days, we've had no enemies behind us. We're perfectly safe."
"Y-yes." Buffalo shrank under Diamante's pressure.
Teach laughed and added, almost like helping Buffalo save face:
"Diamante, don't be harsh on your men. Better safe than sorry…"
"But just like Diamante said—Davy Jones didn't catch up. He's probably being run in circles by Van Augur right now, hahaha!"
Thinking of that scene—and of their recent humiliation—Teach couldn't help but laugh with delight.
"Even in his dreams, Davy Jones would never expect that I'm already—huh?"
His laughter abruptly stopped.
Because he heard something off—something familiar.
BOOM—
The sea bulged.
Waves split.
First came a sharp, spear-like prow, then masts and sails, and finally the stern.
Ships surged upward like surfacing whales, crashing down in front of their fleet without warning.
And surrounding them all was that jagged-toothed, decaying black vessel—
the Terror Ghost.
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