On a wooden ship sailing across the North Blue, Doflamingo stood at the prow, his body erupting with wave after wave of overwhelmingly oppressive Conqueror's Haki.
The sky darkened as if in response.
Even the clouds above seemed to writhe and shift shape under the influence of his sheer, unchecked dominance.
The people on the ship—Marines who had survived the East Blue—struggled to endure.
Their eyes rolled back, foam forming at their mouths, and one by one, the weaker members collapsed unconscious onto the deck.
Only Bell-mère, Hans, and Beck remained standing, though they were trembling, sweat pouring down their faces as they fought the crushing pressure.
Doflamingo stared at the Den Den Mushi in his hand, his veins bulging.
He truly wished to smash it to pieces.
He wanted to crush it until it was nothing but powder and slime.
However, for now, he could still restrain himself. Just barely.
"Bell-mère," Doflamingo said, his voice a low, dangerous growl.
He didn't turn around. "Find the nearest pirate base. Or a Mafia territory. I don't care which one."
He clenched his fist.
"I need a slaughter."
Doflamingo coldly tossed out these words, withdrew his Conqueror's Haki as suddenly as it had appeared, and walked alone into the ship's cabin, the wooden door slamming shut behind him.
The pressure vanished instantly.
Hans and Beck gasped for air, bracing themselves against the railing.
"Jesus..." Beck wheezed. "Is he... is he always like that?"
Bell-mère didn't waste any time answering.
She was always a decisive person.
From her previous conversations with Raleigh, she understood his perspective on their "partner."
As long as Doflamingo wasn't targeting civilians, she would let him be.
A pirate base? Fine.
Let him burn it to the ground.
It saved the Marines the trouble.
Raleigh was quite open-minded about these matters. Doflamingo was no saint, and suppressing his nature would only provoke greater resentment.
Sometimes, allowing a monster to feed on other monsters made everyone safer.
Inside the cabin, Doflamingo sat in the dark, staring blankly at the Den Den Mushi on the desk.
There was only one owner of that number.
Christian Raleigh.
The man who had humiliated him. The man who was currently pulling his strings.
If he had a choice, Doflamingo would rather chew glass than make this call.
He would rather face Byrnndi World alone in a death match.
But after repeated setbacks, Doflamingo was learning.
He was evolving.
He was observing Raleigh's way of doing things.
;Seeking help when outmatched was no disgrace.Survival mattered more than pride.;
It could be said that Trebol and the others merely guided Doflamingo onto the path of the Underworld.
But it was Raleigh who was accelerating Doflamingo's growth by over a decade, forging him into a true king through sheer adversity.
Slowly, painfully, he reached out his right hand to pick up the receiver.
Meanwhile, the nails of his left hand dug deeply into his palm, drawing blood.
"This is the last time," Doflamingo swore silently in his heart, the vow burning like acid. "I can't remain this weak anymore. This is the last time I'll beg others."
Buru buru buru buru—Clatch.
The connection clicked open.
The voice he utterly despised came through, cheerful and relaxed.
"Moshi moshi. Doflamingo, where are you now?" Raleigh asked casually, as if asking about the weather.
"We're almost at the Eryoku Kingdom," Doflamingo said, his voice flat. "In two more days, we'll arrive. But... something has happened to the Donquixote Family."
He paused, forcing the words out.
"A madman named Byrnndi World, who fled from the Grand Line, stormed into the Donquixote Family's base. He injured all my officers. Trebol, Diamante... all of them."
"I want to return and deal with this matter."
Suppressing his inner disgust and dark thoughts, Doflamingo managed to keep his tone professional.
"So Byrnndi World went to your family's territory," Raleigh mused, sounding unsurprised. "That makes sense. According to our intelligence analysis, he wants to build an enormous cannon and is searching for arms manufacturers all over the North Blue. You guys are the best, so naturally, he visited you."
Raleigh took a sip of something.
"By the way, did you agree to his request? Did you promise to forge that massive cannon for him?"
Raleigh lay back in his office chair, sipping coconut juice while talking.
Though he hadn't known specifically about the attack, he had sensed it might happen.
While jotting notes in his notebook, Raleigh continued, his voice taking on a tone of mock concern.
"How are the losses? Were any of the family executives... permanently retired?"
Upon hearing Raleigh's "consolation," Doflamingo felt blood rushing to his head again.
'He's enjoying this.'
"No one died," Doflamingo gritted out. "But that bastard beat them severely. The Donquixote Family's strength is now at its weakest point ever."
"I see." Raleigh stroked his chin.
He signaled the messenger at the door. "Notify Marine Branch 154 to patrol the Donquixote Family's territory," Raleigh ordered, loud enough for Doflamingo to hear.
"Ensure no other pirates or Mafia families take advantage of their weakness while they recover."
Doflamingo heard the command and, revealed a faint bitter smile.
Cooperating with Raleigh felt... comfortable.
Terrifying, but comfortable.
They were both intelligent people who didn't need to say much.
When Raleigh promised to handle something, it was executed perfectly.
"As for that Byrnndi World fellow," Raleigh continued, "I've already released intelligence to deal with him. Though I'm not sure if he'll take the bait."
Doflamingo immediately understood.
"Raleigh, may I ask what intelligence you released?"
Raleigh clicked his tongue. "Everyone in the North Blue knows that guy needs large quantities of Fine Iron. So, I had my agents spread word that the Eryoku Kingdom possesses massive amounts of it... and that this Fine Iron will be transported to Mary Geoise in the coming days."
Doflamingo's eyes widened.
Raleigh was using a World Government Tribute Ship as bait.
That lawless fellow World would definitely dare to hijack it.
But now, there seemed to be a problem.
"Has the intelligence failed to reach him?" Doflamingo asked.
"Well, Byrnndi World is a reckless brute, easy to manipulate," Raleigh sighed. "The main issue is that brother of his, Byojack. He's cautious. The intelligence has been stuck with him."
Neither Doflamingo nor Raleigh knew that Byojack had already relented.
"I'll handle this matter," Doflamingo said coldly. "Give me half a day. I'll have my family members... nudge him along."
"Good. You'd better come quickly. My plan is nearly ready for its conclusion."
....
Setting down the Den Den Mushi, Raleigh scratched his head and glanced at Borsalino beside him.
This guy was ridiculously fast.
Just a few days after Raleigh called him, his warship had hurriedly arrived at the Kingdom of Eryoku.
But the main event hadn't started yet, and everyone could only wait quietly for the curtain to rise.
Borsalino was meticulously filing his nails with a small emery board.
Scritch, scritch, scritch.
Seemingly sensing Raleigh's gaze, he looked up blankly.
"Is it lunchtime already, Raleigh?"
Raleigh sighed.
It just goes to show that people need comparisons to appreciate things.
Before Borsalino arrived, Raleigh could confidently delegate his work to Cleveland and slack off.
But with Borsalino here? Impossible.
As the highest ranking officer, Borsalino should be doing the work.
Yet this guy had become completely hands-off.
"My dear brother," Borsalino had said, dumping a stack of papers on Raleigh's desk. "You're going to be commander sooner or later anyway. Getting familiar with these tasks early will prevent you from being overwhelmed later. It's for your own good~"
"So, Borsalino," Raleigh asked, closing a file folder. "Why did you bring both Tokikake and my disciples along?"
"No helping it," Borsalino drawled, examining his cuticles. "That kid Tokikake has some serious connections. Headquarters made it clear: wherever I go, Tokikake must follow. He's like a puppy."
"And as for your two disciples... they're both monstrously strong. Terrifyingly powerful for their age. They were always causing trouble for the Marines at the base, breaking equipment during sparring. Bringing them along gives everyone back home some peace and quiet."
Raleigh could only massage his temples.
Those two kids really were improving rapidly.
Belo Betty's Uplift-Uplift Fruit could now boost thousands of people simultaneously.
And Miles? He was a physical tank.
"Listen, Raleigh," Borsalino said, his tone suddenly shifting to unusual seriousness.
"After we capture Byrnndi World, I'll probably get promoted and return to the Grand Line. Then... you'll be taking command of the North Blue Marines."
"Before I leave, I'll help you clean up some troublesome matters. But you'll need to build your own team."
Raleigh raised an eyebrow.
"Promoted? Why the rush?"
"Headquarters is annoyed," Borsalino admitted with a pout. "They think I've been slacking off here. And it's all Sakazuki's fault."
"That guy is like an overachiever! Ever since he took your advice and went to G-5, he's capturing pirates non-stop. His numbers are insane. Headquarters thinks, 'If Sakazuki can do it, why can't Borsalino?' They're already proposing to transfer me back."
Borsalino sighed dramatically. "I'm just an honest man who wants to clock in and out on time. You can't treat me like another Sakazuki just because I'm strong, right? Sigh... if only Vice Admiral Garp's son, Dragon, were still in the Marines. That guy was also great at capturing pirates. He took the pressure off."
Raleigh smiled mysteriously.
"Monkey D. Dragon, my senpai? Perhaps you'll meet him again soon."
Dragon was currently right under their noses, preparing a revolution.
But Raleigh had no intention of telling Borsalino just yet.
After all, Borsalino had screwed him over with paperwork more than once.
...
Two days later.
The Fine Iron from the Eryoku Kingdom was loaded onto a World Government ship.
Unaware that they had already caught the attention of a giant beast, the officials were cheerfully moving the cargo.
"Once we reach Mary Geoise, I'm going to have a good time on Sabaody Archipelago," one official laughed.
"Yes! I heard they even sell beautiful mermaid slaves there!"
In an unnoticed corner, an elderly worker who looked very frail was using a Den Den Mushi.
"Hey, Boss Ban... they've already started loading the Fine Iron. They'll set sail today."
...
On a deserted island along the essential shipping route.
Three massive pirate ships were neatly docked in a cove.
Byrnndi World, bare-chested and glistening with sweat, was feasting.
After leaving the Donquixote Family, he had taken the weapons and begun recruiting on a massive scale.
In two days, he had gathered over a thousand pirates.
"Boss Byrnndi! We're definitely going to succeed this time, right?" a young pirate asked, his eyes shining with fanatical fervor.
"Of course Boss Byrnndi will succeed!" another shouted. "Once we build the giant cannon, we can go anywhere! We'll be Kings!"
The members of the World Pirates stared at that towering figure, crazed as zealots.
This was the man with a 410 million Belly bounty.
The World Destroyer.
"HAHAHAHA!!!" Byrnndi World rose to his feet, spreading his arms wide. "Of course I'll succeed! After all, I am Byrnndi World!"
"What is the motto of the World Pirates, my men?!"
The thousand-plus pirates roared in unison, shaking the trees.
"EVERYTHING THAT STANDS IN OUR WAY WILL BE UTTERLY DESTROYED!!!"
Amid the thunderous shouts, World turned to his elder brother, Byojack.
"Brother. We can make it this far, right?"
Byojack, haggard and hooked to his IV, forced a bitter smile.
"That's right, World."
World laughed again, grabbing a high barrel of liquor and chugging it directly.
The crew cheered.
Among them, hidden in the revelry, were Marine intelligence agents and Donquixote spies.
They were sending messages.
...
"Have they gotten so carried away they've lost their senses?" Raleigh, concealed in the shadows of his office miles away, burned the encrypted intel report in an ashtray.
"Byrnndi World," he whispered to the flame. "You'd better not disappoint me."
He had already cleared the board.
He had dispatched the nearby Marine branches on "training exercises," leaving the shipping route exposed.
All to ensure the World Destroyer could successfully intercept the World Government's ship.
And start the war.
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