In the heart of Dressrosa, inside the Donquixote family meeting, Doflamingo addressed the assembled cadres below. He paused for a moment, contemplating, before sharing his decision.
"I've decided to stay put for now. Although that man despises the Celestial Dragons, he remains unaware of my true identity. In the past few days, I've instructed the family to cease all slave trade activities in the New World that might involve us. We will maintain this stance until he departs Dressrosa. I believe that as long as we do not intentionally provoke him, that man..."
"Doffy!" Trebol suddenly interrupted Doflamingo's speech, his tone tinged with anxiety, which surprised everyone. Normally, no one dared to interrupt when the young master was speaking; Trebol himself had established this rule. His unusual behaviour raised eyebrows.
However, Doflamingo appeared unfazed and inquired with curiosity, "Trebol, has something important occurred?"
"Yes, young Lord," Trebol replied gravely. "Fresh information just came in this morning, suggesting that Law entered the Thriller Bark two days ago."
"What!?" Doflamingo's forehead pulsated with veins as he exclaimed, "Why are we only hearing about this today? Trebol, do you grasp the severity of this situation?"
The others shared Doflamingo's concern. They were well aware of Trafalgar Law's intense hatred for Doflamingo, and his entry into the Thriller Bark posed a significant problem.
Trebol seemed to forget to wipe his nose as he urgently explained, "The information came today because our intelligence personnel discovered that the floodgates of the Thriller Bark had opened. They observed Heart Pirate's submarine emerging from the sea floor and entering the Thriller Bark. However, before they entered, the crew gathered on deck to marvel at the Giant ship. Notably, Law was not among them. Based on our analysis, it seems likely that Law entered the Thriller Bark sometime earlier."
"Darn it!" Doflamingo muttered under his breath, his frustration palpable. However, he didn't blame Trebol for the situation; there was no reason to, and he couldn't be blamed.
"Haha..." Doflamingo laughed sardonically, propping his forehead up after a moment of silence. "Law, you truly have me stumped this time! Always devising new tricks to kill me!"
After a pause, Doflamingo took a determined breath and declared, "All previous plans are now null and void. Pack our belongings and prepare the ships. Donquixote Pirates will make their way to Wano Country."
"Yes, young master!" The others understood Doflamingo's intentions. This was a part of their backup plan, but Dressrosa held immense interests for them, making it difficult to depart from this place.
Going to Wano Country would mean relying on others completely. Despite Doflamingo's unscrupulous rise to power in Dressrosa, he still maintained his identity as a pirate. Moreover, with the Shichibukai system abolished, he was in a precarious position. A temporary withdrawal from the limelight seemed wise.
"Young master, do you wish to contact Kaido?" Diamante asked from the side, breaking the silence.
Doflamingo shook his head after a brief pause. "Not for now; I'll contact him later."
At that moment, a small figure seated at the far end of the long table raised his hand and spoke in a childlike voice, "But I can't go to Wano Country."
Doflamingo slapped his forehead upon hearing this and sighed in exasperation. "I forgot about your abilities Sugar. But your power must not be revealed; it could unravel all we've built over the years. Can you remain in the underground factory for a while? We'll return once the God-Slayer pirates have recruited enough members and depart from here. During our absence, I'll find others to oversee the kingdom's daily affairs temporarily. When we return, we'll bring you specialities and delicious treats from Wano Country."
After hearing Doflamingo's reassuring words, Sugar plucked a blueberry with her fingers and flashed a smile as she remarked, "Alright then."
"Don't worry," Doflamingo responded with confidence. "I will never deceive you, we'll return shortly." He seemed to catch a sound and turned to address a maid-clad woman named Baby 5. "Baby 5, why don't you stay with Sugar and take care of her daily life? Two companions are better than one. I hope you can assist Sugar."
"Okay! I'll give it my all!" Baby 5, who had initially appeared low on energy, suddenly perked up and waved enthusiastically.
With all the arrangements in place, Doflamingo and his group swiftly made their way to the port to prepare for departure. Meanwhile, at the port, a red toy soldier with a broken foot lay discarded behind a stack of cargo boxes.
This toy soldier bore witness to Doflamingo and his party leaving hastily by a ship. If Buggy were present, he would immediately recognize it as Cyrus, the former gladiator of Dressrosa and a hero of the Dressrosa Arena.
Cyrus couldn't help but ponder the unusual circumstances surrounding Doflamingo's hasty departure. Why would he leave Dressrosa, especially with an influx of pirates recently? Logically, Doflamingo should remain in Dressrosa to maintain control, lest pirate uprisings go unchecked. Numerous pirate revolts had occurred lately, but Doflamingo's subordinates had managed to quell them promptly.
Cyrus concluded that Doflamingo and his group must have been forced to leave. But who could compel Doflamingo to abandon Dressrosa? His thoughts led him to the newly promoted Yonko in the New World—God Slayer Buggy. Rumour had it that Buggy was coming to Dressrosa for supplies, and pirates flocked to Dressrosa to join his pirate crew.
Cyrus then recalled the live broadcast of the "Battle of Punk Hazard" he had watched more than ten days ago. The broadcast had left an indelible mark on his memory, and he recollected the details.
He understood why Doflamingo was so apprehensive of this man—because he had declared that all slave traders should die. Cyrus saw an opportunity in this revelation and decided to contact Leo and the others.
Meanwhile, across the sea, a terrifyingly huge Ship, Buggy had gathered his crew. Enel and the others had been training and developing Haki on various islands in recent days. However, tomorrow morning, they were setting sail for Dressrosa for their next plan, including new crew members. Buggy wanted everyone to get acquainted.
After the crew settled down, Buggy approached Law, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and introduced him to the group.
"Everyone, meet Law. You probably know a bit about him. I won't go into detail about the others right now. The reason I've called you here today is that our team is in urgent need of a doctor. While we have Dr. Hogback, he can be quite busy at times. With Law's medical skills and his unique abilities, our medical needs will be more than covered. We'll be recruiting another specialist doctor soon, but in the meantime, let's welcome Law and his pirate crew to join us!"
Buggy clapped, and everyone else smiled and joined in the applause. This warm welcome made Law and his companions a bit bashful. Being greeted so warmly by these renowned figures, Beppo and his comrades genuinely felt the respect of the Buggy Pirates.
Once the applause died down, Buggy raised his hands and shouted, "Alright, the party begins!"
Hearing this, everyone became animated, raising their hands high and cheering enthusiastically.
"Oooo!!!"
"Welcome, new partners! Let's have a drink with them today!"
"You guys just want to drink some beer! Hahaha!"
"Today, Captain Buggy says, 'Let's Party,' of course, we want to enjoy some drinks!"
"Blueno, open the door and bring that old man Rayleigh over too. He claims Shakky's always limiting his drinks, so I'll treat him!"
"It's a shame Redfield isn't here; the atmosphere would be even better! Hahahaha!"
Law and his crew observed this lively group, exchanging smiles among themselves. Before they could say anything, they were pulled into the festivities, enjoying the convivial atmosphere.
They all felt remarkably comfortable, free from the oppression and hierarchy typically associated with other Yonko's crews. Even Bepo and the others believed that their captain had chosen the right path this time.
After a night of revelry, Buggy woke up early, feeling refreshed. He entered a delightful scene at the restaurant: Shirahoshi lounged by the pool, having breakfast, while Robin, Kalifa, and the S-Boa chatted and dined. The atmosphere was harmonious.
Buggy decided not to disturb the pleasant atmosphere among the girls. After grabbing a plate of breakfast, he returned to the group of still-sleeping crewmates.
His earlier affectionate gesture hadn't gone unnoticed by Robin, Shirahoshi, and the S-Boa, all of whom had mastered Observation Haki. The three ladies spotted it and later shared the story with Kalifa.
"Buggy... Captain Buggy, he's always been a gentleman," Kalifa remarked, leaning on the small coffee table and smiling at Robin. "So, what do you think, Robin-Chan? Are you excited?"
Robin propped her chin on her hand and returned Kalifa's gaze. "What if I told you I came here for that man? How would you react?"
Kalifa adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses, smiled, and said, "What could I say? I'm just Captain Buggy's little secretary, so I can't compare to the historian Robin-chan who knows how to read poneglpyh."
Robin couldn't help but notice Kalifa's beauty and flashed a sly smile. "Oh? A secretary who acts like a secretary when there's work and a sexy secretary when there's none?"
"Ah!!!"
Even though Kalifa was just playing around, she was no match for Robin's sharp wit. Robin's teasing left her overwhelmed, and she playfully pinned Kalfia to the ground, tickling her.
"Why are so embarrassed? Do you want to become the sexy secretary?" Robin continued to taunt Kalifa, panting with laughter.
Seeing this, Shirahoshi and the S-Boa joined in the laughter.
Around eight or nine in the morning, the hungover crew members began waking up one by one. They were aware that they would reach Dressrosa this morning, so they hadn't slept till noon.
Buggy waited for everyone to gather and have breakfast before discussing their next plan.
"First of all, I want to make sure everyone knows that Doflamingo is the third person we're going to eliminate," Buggy declared. "But he won't be an easy target. Doflamingo has Kaido, the Beast Pirates, backing him."
"The reason we visited Dressrosa extensively was to estimate Kaido's stance. You should also be aware that I recently clashed with Marine Admiral Green Bull. We can't afford to make too many enemies at once."
As soon as Buggy made this statement, the entire hall erupted in commotion. Everyone gazed at Buggy with disbelief, as if they needed confirmation that what he was saying was true. Had he perhaps been drinking too much?
"Huh?" Buggy hesitated for a moment, then turned to Blueno and asked, "Eh? Blueno, didn't I mention it?"
Blueno scratched his head and responded, "Well, it seems you didn't. After Captain Buggy returned from Amazon Lily that day, you appeared deep in thought about your recent training."
"I see." Buggy glanced at the expectant eyes of everyone present, pondered for a moment, and then said, "In short, I killed Marine Admiral Green Bull."
"Eh!!!" The room erupted in exclamations once more. Law and his group were particularly astonished. How had they missed this news? Why had there been no reports about it?
"Buggy quit teasing us and get to the point!" Gabban urged impatiently.
"Alright, alright!" Buggy raised his hands and proceeded to recount the events.
After listening, the atmosphere in the room grew heavy. Gabban slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "I thought Buggy had discovered that I was drunk because of the way he kept looking at me last night with that playful expression."
"Seriously! Gabban, everyone figured out you were drunk!" Doringo responded, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Eh!!! Is that so?" Gabban's eyes widened in astonishment, leaving everyone speechless.
Meanwhile, Bullet's admiration for Buggy intensified. He seemed eager to be on the receiving end of another beating. Even though the Boa Hancock and Green Bull had expended a great deal of Haki and stamina, the fact that Buggy had killed a Marine Admiral was still mind-boggling.
Especially after hearing Blueno's revelation that Buggy had been practising diligently in the days following the incident. This piqued Bullet's curiosity about Buggy's current strength. However, he understood that now wasn't the right time to delve into that topic.
"Alright, let's refocus on the matter at hand," Buggy said, regaining everyone's attention. He then turned his gaze towards Law and said, "Law, you know Doflamingo well and you're aware of a small island called Greenbit near Dressrosa."
Law, always quick-witted, immediately grasped Buggy's intention and asked, "Captain Buggy, are you searching for the Dwarves?"
Snap! Buggy snapped his fingers and nodded with a smile. "Exactly! In my upcoming plan, I require the assistance of the Dwarves, and I've gained some understanding of their abilities. So, let me ask you now: do the Dwarves truly exist?"
Law confidently affirmed, "They do exist. Legends claim they reside on Greenbit, but no one has been able to locate them. I encountered the Dwarves in Dressrosa."
Buggy expressed his satisfaction with the answer. "I see. Since the Dwarves indeed exist, we've found our next candidate for the doctor position on our crew."
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