Marineford.
Marine Headquarters, Marshal's Office.
Enel and Kizaru sat on the sofa, both wearing grim expressions. The atmosphere inside the office was heavy and oppressive.
Sengoku sat at the head of the table, one hand tapping rhythmically against the desk. Behind his frog-shaped glasses, his gaze was deep and cold. At the lower end, Tsuru frowned slightly as she studied the documents in her hands, her expression thoughtful.
"It seems we still underestimated Straw Hat Monkey D. Luffy, the Furious One Ethan, and Rose Queen Emma," Sengoku said coldly.
Two Admirals had been dispatched, yet they still failed to capture the Straw Hat Pirates.
Worse still, judging from the reports, both Enel and Kizaru had suffered injuries.
At first, Sengoku had refused to believe it and immediately suspected the two Admirals of holding back. However, after hearing the full account of what happened at the Sabaody Archipelago, his mood sank heavily.
The Straw Hat Pirates' strength had exceeded his expectations.
The Furious One Ethan had been able to clash head-on with Enel, while Straw Hat Luffy and Rose Queen Emma together were capable of restraining an Admiral.
Perhaps Enel and Kizaru had not fully displayed their true strength, but there was no guarantee that Ethan, Emma, and the others had gone all out either.
The confrontation at Sabaody had merely been a mutual probing.
If it were a genuine battle of life and death, it would never have ended in such a stalemate.
More importantly, there had been unexpected variables.
Silvers Rayleigh.
Fire Fist Ace.
Their sudden intervention had completely disrupted the Marines' plans.
"Increase the bounties of Straw Hat, the Furious One, and Rose Queen by one hundred million berries each," Sengoku ordered without hesitation.
That very evening, when Marine Hero Garp returned to Headquarters, Sengoku summoned him into the office and scolded him for a full hour. The officers working nearby had long since grown used to such scenes.
The Grand Line, a war-torn kingdom.
Revolutionary Army Headquarters.
"Cheers!"
Glasses clinked together as Ace smiled and downed his drink in one gulp.
Seated across from him was a handsome young man with wavy blond hair and a scar over his left eye.
Sabo, Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army.
After leaving the Sabaody Archipelago, Ace had contacted Sabo and come directly here. Because of Ace's presence back then, Sabo had never lost his memories.
"How's Luffy doing?" Sabo asked with a smile, clearly pleased to see Ace.
"As foolish as ever," Ace replied with a shrug. "Still shouting about becoming Pirate King."
"Hahaha, that really is Luffy," Sabo laughed heartily, then his expression softened with nostalgia. "It's been a long time since I last saw him."
"Sabo," Ace said as he refilled his cup, "I came here to find Kuma."
"Kuma?" Sabo paused briefly, then nodded. "He's not here at the moment, but I can give you his contact information."
"Thanks. I need his ability to ease Pops' pain."
"I'll contact him."
The two brothers understood each other without further explanation.
Half an hour later, Ace departed from the war-torn kingdom.
At the same time, at various Revolutionary Army bases, Bartholomew Kuma received Sabo's message and began heading toward the New World.
As for Ace's next destination, it was Dressrosa.
He intended to take Mansherry with him, the princess of the Tontatta tribe and the user of the Healing Devil Fruit.
Dressrosa, located in the latter half of the Grand Line, was a tropical island known for its resort-like atmosphere. It was famously called the Kingdom of Love, Passion, and Toys.
The ruler of this prosperous nation was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Donquixote Doflamingo, a pirate powerful enough to dominate an entire sea.
A notorious and ambitious figure, Doflamingo would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
Yet even someone like him had a dark and painful past.
Kings, conquerors, and overlords were all forged through suffering. Such pain was often the foundation of their future achievements.
Doflamingo was no exception.
Lucien admired such figures.
Among all the ambitious individuals in the Pirate World, only Blackbeard could rival Doflamingo. Both were ruthless, calculating, and utterly uncompromising in the pursuit of their desires.
Lucien respected that kind of resolve.
One of the most peculiar aspects of Dressrosa was its toys. These were not ordinary playthings, but living toys capable of working, fighting, and moving like humans.
The Corrida Colosseum was also famous throughout the surrounding seas. As long as one possessed strength, wealth, fame, and power could be obtained there. While such rewards meant little to top-tier pirates, to ordinary people they were nothing short of a miracle.
The streets were lively. Pavilions lined the roads, residents walked about with smiles on their faces, and oddly shaped toys could be seen everywhere.
"Welcome, this is the Fairy Clothing Store, discounts today…"
"Fresh apples, come take a look…"
"Famous swords, don't miss your chance…"
Vendors lined both sides of the street, shouting enthusiastically.
Yet beneath this cheerful prosperity, countless dark dealings took place in the shadows of Dressrosa.
King's Heights, the royal palace where the king of Dressrosa resided, loomed above the city. This was where Donquixote Doflamingo, one of the Shichibukai, lived.
"Fufufu…"
Inside a castle chamber, curtains fluttered gently in the breeze.
A man wearing sunglasses, a white shirt, and cropped pants lounged on a sofa, one leg crossed over the other. He swirled a glass of red wine as he read intelligence reports regarding the Sabaody Archipelago incident.
Celestial Dragons had been beaten into an unknown state by the Supernova Straw Hat and his crew. Admirals Enel and Kizaru had appeared. Silvers Rayleigh and Fire Fist Ace had also revealed themselves.
Although neither side had fought with full force, every individual involved was a major figure. Their mere presence was enough to shake the seas and draw the attention of countless factions.
There was no doubt that the Straw Hat Pirates had risen to prominence.
All other Supernovas had been killed by a mysterious individual, leaving only Straw Hat Luffy, Roronoa Zoro, and the Surgeon of Death.
Combined with Luffy's unpunished assault on a Celestial Dragon, it was inevitable that the Straw Hat Pirates would become the defining spearhead of the new generation.
"Dressrosa, the Kingdom of Passion and Fairies. I should take a good look around," said a young man with amethyst, diamond-patterned eyes as he stood on the bustling street.
Beside him walked another young man. Both observed the lively scene with calm interest.
"First, we eat," the amethyst-eyed youth said. "Then we go meet Doflamingo."
"Yes," came the reply.
The two figures, one tall and one smaller, slipped into the crowd and vanished in moments.
The young man was Lucien.
Altering his physique was effortless for him.
The Pirate World was dangerous, and Lucien never acted using his true appearance. He frequently disguised himself as the elderly, the weak, women, or children.
Following behind him was Law. After becoming a ghost, Law was also capable of altering his form. As long as he did not use his abilities openly, even his own mother would fail to recognize him.
He was effectively a completely different person.
As for Stussy, Lucien did not bring her along. Instead, he instructed her to secretly investigate the underworld, the World Government, and related forces. As both a CP0 agent and one of the underworld's rulers, she already had more than enough to do.
Lucien had given her a clear task. If an opportunity arose, she was to turn powerful individuals, including certain World Government officials, into demons.
By hollowing out the World Government from within, the results could be far more interesting than any frontal assault.
And the true reason Lucien had come to Dressrosa was simple.
Donquixote Doflamingo.