"Shave!"
A chilling wind swept in, and the bodyguards in their suits stared in disbelief, their bodies limp as they collapsed into a pool of blood.
Damon took the Philosopher's Stone from his pocket, and with his other free hand swirling in a chilling black mist, he pointed it at the corpse lying on the ground and said:
"Come out, my most loyal servant."
Summon Death Knight!
Under the horrified gaze of the hostess, black mist enveloped the corpses, accompanied by a sickening sound. The corpses gradually dissolved, transforming into tall figures exuding the aura of the dead.
The Death Knight was clad in ancient armor, with a decaying black cloak draped over his shoulders. He held a dark, restrained heavy sword in his right hand and a wide shield as tall as a man in his left. His black horned helmet concealed his gaunt face, with only his scarlet eyes revealing a chilling killing intent.
Damon calculated the consumption of the Philosopher's Stone and had a general idea of what was going on.
Summoning a Death Knight without a corpse required one Philosopher's Stone.
However, if there were corpses, summoning ten Death Knights only required one Philosopher's Stone.
More than twenty death knights suddenly appeared, and a strong aura of death filled the reception building. The temperature dropped sharply, and even on a hot day, a chilly wind could still be felt on one's face.
The hostess had never seen anything like this before, and she was so frightened that she collapsed to the ground.
As Damon strode over, the hostess turned pale with fright.
"Don't come over here!"
Damon stood in front of the hostess and said:
"Do you have a Den Den Mushi that can directly contact Doflamingo, the Heavenly Demon?"
Yes, yes, yes!
The hostess nodded like a chick pecking at rice, then ran to the counter and rummaged around for a while before respectfully handing a Den Den Mushi to Damon.
"Poruporup..."
After the Den Den Mushi connected, Doflamingo's slightly languid voice came from the other end.
"Didn't I tell you not to bother me if there's nothing going on at the auction?"
Damon took the Den Den Mushi, a cold smile playing on his lips.
"Doflamingo, you're in big trouble!"
"To celebrate your becoming a Shichibukai, I've decided to destroy all your assets in the Sabaody Archipelago!"
"Give arrogance and conceit a proper dose of despair, and that is the truth!"
Doflamingo: "???"
The New World.
The sea area near the Dressrosa Kingdom.
The Flamingo cruised quietly on the azure sea, while Doflamingo lay comfortably on a beach chair, legs crossed, humming an unknown tune.
Doflamingo had been having a smooth run of success lately.
The old history of losing the Diamond Army had turned a new page. Doflamingo had successfully obtained the title of Shichibukai, and the next step was to take over the Dressrosa Kingdom as planned.
In addition, Doflamingo and Kaido of the Beasts had successfully reached a preliminary cooperation agreement. Doflamingo would provide the Beasts Pirates with ten Zoan-type Devil Fruits in exchange for Kaido's protection of the Donquixote Family.
Once the initial transaction was completed, the two parties would deepen their connection, allowing Doflamingo to leverage Kaido's power and extend his business reach into other areas.
Doflamingo's ambitions in business extended far beyond human trafficking and arms dealing. He had long set his sights on the media and loan sharking sectors, and he wouldn't hesitate to take a slice of the pie if given the chance.
"Poruporup..."
Trebol strolled over, holding a Den Den Mushi in both hands.
Doflamingo took the Den Den Mushi and had barely uttered a single sentence when he heard a series of provocative remarks from the other end.
"Doflamingo, you're in big trouble!"
"To celebrate your becoming a Shichibukai, I've decided to destroy all your assets in the Sabaody Archipelago!"
"Give arrogance and conceit a proper dose of despair, and that is the truth!"
Doflamingo was amused and annoyed, and several veins bulged on his forehead, twisting into a grid shape.
After taking a deep breath, he let out a series of strange, gurgling laughs as the corners of his mouth turned up.
"In all my life, I've never met anyone more arrogant than me!"
"How dare you threaten me? Who gave you the courage?"
Before Doflamingo could finish speaking, he noticed that the Den Den Mushi's eyes had already closed, indicating that the other end had hung up.
This gave Doflamingo a feeling of powerlessness, like clenching his fist and punching a wad of cotton.
Behind his sunglasses, Doflamingo's eyes gleamed with a cold light. His ten fingers formed claws, and with a flick of his fingertips, sharp, steel-like lines flew everywhere, slicing the beach chair beneath him into uniform pieces.
His pointed boots accentuated his long, slender legs, while his pink feather coat billowed with murderous intent.
Doflamingo was not a mindless person; on the contrary, he was a rare genius with the mind and wisdom of a tyrant. Otherwise, he could not have expanded his business empire to the whole world in just over a decade.
Doflamingo suddenly sensed something was wrong!
Logically speaking, the fact that he had become one of the Shichibukai had not yet been published in the newspapers and was only circulating among a small number of people in high society. Very few people knew about it. So how did the other party find out about this information?
Moreover, he chose this crucial moment when he was about to take action against the Dressrosa Kingdom!
Tune the tiger away from the mountain?
Alerting the enemy?
Bluffing?
Various possible strategies flashed through Doflamingo's mind.
So, who benefited most from this situation?
The World Government?
The Five Elders?
The Celestial Dragons?
The Navy?
The royal family of Dressrosa?
Other pirates?
The Six Kings of the Underworld?
After eliminating several possibilities, Doflamingo's gaze finally settled on the six kings of the underworld.
If there was anyone who least wanted Doflamingo to regain the throne of Dressrosa, it was not the World Government, nor the Five Elders, nor the Celestial Dragons, but the Six Kings of the Underworld.
Once Doflamingo possessed the natural treasure of Dressrosa, he would be able to secure his position as one of the Shichibukai and further expand his business empire, threatening the businesses of the six kings of the underworld.
After pondering for a long time, Doflamingo let out a series of strange, gurgling laughs.
"A bunch of old fogies with one foot in the grave think they can go against me?"
Doflamingo turned to Trebol beside him and gave him an order:
"Trebol, you immediately lead the Plum Blossom Legion to the Sabaody Archipelago and capture that fool alive! I not only want to extract information from him about who orchestrated this, but I also want him to suffer a fate worse than death for the rest of his life!"
"I will obey your orders, young master."
Trebol bowed slightly and then withdrew to prepare.
After hanging up the phone, Damon kept his promise and began traveling between various auctions in the Sabaody Archipelago.
Every time he destroyed an auction, a new legion of fully armed Death Knights was added to his ranks.
These death knights were fearless in the face of death, and were both resilient and capable of fighting, making them versatile little helpers.
Many slaves of various races who had been imprisoned at the auction regained their freedom. Apart from a few who were obsessed with looting the auction items, most slaves wanted to leave the Sabaody Archipelago, this place of trouble, as soon as possible.
Explosions rang out one after another, and the sound of hurried footsteps was incessant.
Refugee travelers, freed slaves, and opportunistic pirates—blood and flames intertwined to create a unique ukiyo-e scene.
Walking through the chaotic streets, watching the pirates laughing and causing trouble all around him, Damon frowned slightly. Suddenly, a long shadow extended from beneath his feet, transforming into sharp shadow spears that pierced through the bodies of these pirates.
This was what Damon had just gained.
"Ding!"
"Congratulations, host, for reciting a classic line from Fullmetal Alchemist. You have been awarded one chance to draw a prize. Would you like to start the prize wheel?"
Damon's eyes flickered; the only prizes on the lottery wheel in front of him were alchemy.
Alchemy: Silver Alchemy, Fire Alchemy, Human Transmutation, Homunculus, Philosopher's Stone Transmutation Array...
[(Arrogance) Shadow Alchemy]: Allows you to freely control your shadow for strangulation, slashing, defense, and reconnaissance. The shadow could also devour and assimilate other creatures, with a chance to acquire their abilities.
After the Shadow Spear killed the troublesome pirates, their corpses instantly melted into the shadows, and in return, the Shadow gained several more eyes and mouths.
Two jade dogs, one white and one black, followed Damon on either side, constantly looking around warily. Their keen ears and sense of smell allowed them to detect nearby enemies early and warn Damon.
Damon came to the Sabaody Archipelago to cause trouble for the Donquixote Family, but he never intended to bring chaos and slaughter to this paradise.
Following Damon's instructions, the Death Knight Legion dispersed throughout the streets. If they encountered any pirates who dared to burn, kill, or plunder, they would kill them on the spot without any mercy.
Over time, the locals on the streets were astonished to discover that these strange soldiers, dressed in old-fashioned armor and exuding an aura that made the living uneasy, were actually performing naval duties and maintaining order in the Sabaody Archipelago.
Cutting off someone's livelihood was like killing their parents.
Pirates were a group that operated outside the law and were used to being lawless. When they saw someone daring to stop them from making money, a group of pirates immediately attacked these death knights.
A pirate named Byreto, a burly and imposing man, with a small cannon slung over his shoulder, aimed at a Death Knight and let out a maniacal laugh:
"Die, you piece of trash!"
The fuse was lit, and the cannon roared.
A solid, dark cannonball slammed into the Death Knight, and amidst the deafening explosion, flames and smoke engulfed his figure.
However, before the pirate could rejoice for long, he saw a heavy sword slash through the black smoke, and a burly figure dressed in old-fashioned battle armor emerged from the billowing smoke.