"It's not as good as you say," Anna murmured. She was flattered by the praise, but suddenly noticed everyone around her becoming tense and alert.
Her eyes darted around the tavern. The change in atmosphere made her hand instinctively move to the second sword hanging at her waist.
The tavern door creaked open. A tall man in a bright yellow suit stepped in, his voice lazy and mocking."How strange," he drawled. "Two of the Four Emperors sitting together, drinking and having a banquet… how terrifying. It seems those rumors weren't false after all."
Anna's eyes widened. Kizaru? Didn't he leave earlier? Why was he back?
Kizaru's gaze slid toward her. "Oh my, this little lady is frightening. Sitting here drinking with the Four Emperors themselves."
Shanks frowned, setting his cup down. "Kizaru," he said evenly, "this isn't your place. You've already interrupted our party."
At his words, every member of the Red-Hair Pirates drew their weapons and aimed them straight at the yellow-clad admiral.
Kizaru merely raised his hands in mock surrender, that same faint smile on his face. "Oh dear… how scary."
Beckman exhaled smoke and asked coldly, "What are you doing here, Kizaru?"
"Hmm? That's really frightening," Kizaru said again, his tone light but his eyes sharp. "I was about to ask the same thing. Why are two of the Four Emperors gathered together on this tiny island?"
Marco leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. "Even if you didn't ask, you probably already know. But this isn't Navy territory," he said, his tone hardening. "This island belongs to the Whitebeard Pirates."
He flicked the fork from his hand. It whistled through the air, blazing with yellow firelight. A flash later, it buried itself deep into the wooden doorframe—just inches from Kizaru's face.
Kizaru chuckled softly. "Scary indeed." And with that, his body dissolved into a dazzling flash of light and vanished.
Anna let out a small sigh as the golden glow faded. "He comes and goes so fast…"
Beckman lit a fresh cigarette, the ember glowing red in the dim tavern. "Looks like his appearance was triggered by that newspaper," he muttered. "Seems it's having a bigger impact than any of us expected."
Marco nodded grimly. "Yeah. I didn't think Kizaru would actually show up here. The newspaper exaggerated things so much that even the Navy believed it."
"It's likely other factions will send people too," Izo added, knocking Anna lightly on the head with the butt of his gun. "You can't slack off this time, Anna. We're going to push your training harder than ever."
"Ow, I get it!" Anna rubbed her head, grumbling. "Looks like life's about to get rough again…"
Thatch laughed. "Not just rough — chaotic. But don't worry, kid, you've still got us."
The banquet had been thoroughly ruined by Kizaru's sudden appearance. The easy laughter was gone; in its place came discussion and strategy. The pirates debated how to handle the inevitable storm.
Other crews would come to the island looking for Anna — that much was certain. They couldn't stay here forever. Even though this was technically Whitebeard territory, there were always desperate fools who'd take the risk. Some would come for the bounty. Some might even try to kidnap her.
In the end, one thing was clear: Anna needed to get stronger. Fast.
"Well, there's no point in discussing it anymore," Anna said at last, pushing her chair back. "It still all comes down to my strength. I'm going upstairs — gotta wake up early for sword training tomorrow."
She left them to their planning and trudged upstairs.
A short while later, she lay in bed, exhaling softly. Closing her eyes, she deliberately drifted into the dream world.
"Hmm… I guess I should start training in here first," she murmured to herself. "Time flows slower in dreams anyway. I just need a good sparring partner… Oh! Right — Dover."
With a small grin, she clapped her hands together and launched herself into the air, soaring toward Doflamingo's dream.
"Dover! Dover, I'm here to see you!"
The moment she entered his dream, she spotted him lounging comfortably on a deck chair by the sea. On his stomach sat one of the little puppets she'd created for him before — it now wore tiny sunglasses, perfectly matching his own.
"What is it, Xiaobai?" Doflamingo asked lazily without turning his head.
"Hehe, Dover~ can you help me train?" Anna clasped her hands behind her back, smiling up at him with mock sweetness.
"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow. "And what's in it for me?"
"Dover, come on~ We've been together so long, why are you still talking about rewards and conditions?"
He let out a low laugh. "Heh… sounds to me like you're trying to get something for free again. How about you join my Donquixote Family? Then I'll train you all you want, no charge." His grin widened as he leaned back, eyes glinting behind his shades.
Anna pouted. "Forget it, Dover. If you won't help, I'll just find someone else." She waved dismissively and turned to leave.
"Wait," he said, his voice turning serious. "Who else could you possibly find? I can skip the whole 'joining the Family' part… and still help you train. But tell me the truth, Xiaobai — you're not lying to me, are you? Because if you are… you won't like the consequences."
Doflamingo's tone was calm, but there was something fragile beneath it — something he rarely let show. He knew "Xiaobai" wasn't Anna's real name. He had even found the island she lived on. But he hadn't gone to her.
Because deep down, he feared that once he saw her in the real world, everything between them — the closeness, the teasing, the strange friendship they'd built in dreams — would vanish. So he told himself excuses. It's Whitebeard's territory, he'd say. It's not the right time.
But the truth was, he didn't want to lose her.
Anna hesitated. "Well… this and that…" She fidgeted. She had deceived him, yes — but not out of malice. She'd been terrified. Her existence alone had brought disaster to an island once before.
"Heh-heh…" Doflamingo gave a soft laugh. "Forget it. Tell me when you're ready. I won't force you. But if I ever find out you've betrayed me…"
He trailed off, reaching out to stroke the tiny puppet's head.
Anna frowned slightly. Betrayal? She hadn't even joined his crew — how could she betray him? What did that even mean? If he was counting deception as betrayal, then technically, she'd been guilty from the very start.
She thought back to everything they'd shared over the past year: sailing together across dream seas, creating countless strange dream creatures, chasing after the One Piece — all in that surreal world between sleep and waking.
So many memories. So much laughter and danger intertwined. Could she really trust him?
(Maybe I'll write more about those dream adventures in the extra chapters later…)
But for now, Anna pushed those thoughts aside. She'd been overthinking everything lately.
"Dover," she said quietly, meeting his eyes, "I just want to ask one thing. I want to get stronger. Will you help me?"
Doflamingo chuckled, his usual smirk returning — but his voice was softer this time. "Heh… how unfair. You know everything about me, but I don't even know if you are real, or just another piece of fake news."
Anna gazed at him — the once arrogant, untouchable man now looked oddly small. The puppet on his lap made him seem almost human, almost lonely.
Three meters tall, yet sitting there like a child abandoned by the world.
She sighed inwardly. Oh, Dover… what happened to you?