How could I possibly?"
Stussy smiled gracefully and raised a hand, stopping her restless subordinates from moving.
"Running the business together with Lady Sami was Lord Ozz's own order. How could I possibly resent him for that?
Or... could it be that you, Donquixote Doflamingo, subconsciously believe that Lord Ozz made the wrong decision?"
A masterful reversal.
Doflamingo's usual cocky, defiant grin froze ever so slightly, the curve of his mouth stiffening before fading altogether. The sinister chuckle that usually accompanied his words fell silent.
"Heh. Of course not. I'm just showing a bit of concern, that's all."
What a sharp-tongued woman...
Still, it was no more than a small interlude.
No matter how fierce the competition was in business, none of them had the nerve to start a fight here.
Doflamingo had no intention of stirring up serious trouble either. He continued on with the officers of the Donquixote Family, only to spot another familiar figure along the way.
"Well, if it isn't Lady Tsuru. Fufufufufu… What brings you here? Don't tell you've co to arrest ."
From the other end of the main street, Vice Admiral Tsuru Chief of Naval Staff stood with her hands behind her back, calmly surveying the underground kingpins now gathering in force. Behind her marched a column of marines and officers, steady and silent.
At Doflamingo's words, she turned her gaze to the wicked ex-Celestial Dragon before her, her eyes as still and deep as a pond.
The World Governnt had put it nicely sending in a security detail to maintain the peace and ensure the safety of the Sabaody Archipelago's civilians.
But stripped of pleasantries, their job was clear:
They were glorified security guards.
Truthfully, Tsuru didn't want to see the Navy reduced to glorified bouncers either.
But this gathering... it touched on the World Governnt's financial veins, the Navy's funding, and the broader stability of the seas. Like it or not, these weren't people the Navy could afford to antagonize right now.
"But looking at you all lined up like that," Doflamingo sneered, "I suppose this is all for our safety, hmm? Fufufufufufu…"
He was feeling bold again, pressing up close to his old nesis as if those years of being hunted and driven into hiding had all been wiped from mory.
"Let's see if you're still this cocky when you crawl back to the North Blue, brat," Tsuru said flatly.
She didn't dignify his taunt with much emotion, but the way her hands clenched behind her back betrayed her true mood.
Doflamingo, however, wasn't the least bit threatened.
At this point, both his power and his influence were on the rise. He had major figures backing him. Even if he wasn't quite on par with the admirals or the Navy's veterans in personal strength, as long as he remained useful to Ozz, he was confident he'd be protected.
And more than that he was a forr Celestial Dragon. He knew things…
If not for the setting, he might've released a wave of Conqueror's Haki right here, just for fun.
But alas.
After offering her warning, Vice Admiral Tsuru lost all interest in dealing with him. She led her n off down another street, ignoring him entirely.
Doflamingo would've liked to keep toying with her, but he had more pressing matters ahead.
"Quite the lively gathering."
Perched by the window, Ozz extended his Observation Haki over hundreds of thousands of ters, sweeping across the entire Sabaody Archipelago with ease.
The island was teeming with all sorts friend and foe alike.
The most amusing sight, though, was that lazy monkey lounging on a chair, filing its nails.
Even the Navy had been dispatched to keep the peace. If this eting turned chaotic or fights broke out, he could already imagine the closing headline:
"Cleanup Ti! Here Cos the Navy!"
What's more
Word had it that the underworld bosses had prepared all sorts of lavish gifts for him. Eager to curry favor, no doubt.
Ozz was amused by their efforts. He didn't really need anything, but the gesture being treated with that level of respect made it feel like all his work raising these people hadn't gone to waste.
Letting them do business under his na out at sea… they were half his people now.
Behind him stood Sami, Little Hawk, Little Sha his closest aides.
They would be attending the eting as well.
Among all of Ozz's subordinates, they stood apart. They were the inner circle of the inner circle.
"Well then… shall we go, everyone?"
Ozz downed the last of his expensive liquor in one gulp, and led his crew out toward the venue that had long been prepared.
Once a lavish hotel, it now belonged to Sami's growing business empire.
Today, it was closed to the public. Many curious residents lined the streets, watching Navy officers walk alongside pirates and mobsters alike.
"What kind of event is this? Even the Navy's involved?"
"Could it be… a Celestial Dragon?"
"No way, I know that guy he's a notorious pirate!"
Unlike the big-na Yonko who ruled with open might, the underworld bosses regardless of how legit they were tended to keep a lower profile.
Only a few, those with bounty posters or high-profile incidents, were publicly recognizable.
At the hotel entrance, two towering guards stood on either side, checking every guest's identity with practiced precision.
"Fufufufufu… Now that's what I'd expect from Lord Ozz," Doflamingo chuckled. "Even the doorn are masters of Armant and Observation Haki."
"I heard they were handpicked by Lady Sami," ca a voice beside him. "Once slaves, now promising talents."
Doflamingo turned and grinned.
"Well, well if it isn't the News King, Morgans himself. Lord Ozz's personal loudspeaker."
Unbothered by the jab, Morgans straightened his hat and adjusted his coat with flair.
"Just doing my part for Lord Ozz. There's still plenty of room for collaboration between us in the information business, Heavenly Yaksha."
"Fufufufufu… Quite true."
Doflamingo wasn't the only one arriving. The six old kings of the underworld, along with monopolists from every major industry, filed into the venue one after another.
In the middle of this colorful crowd
A scruffy, blond man in sandals shuffled forward, sipping from a bottle of booze.
"Who the hell is that? Never seen him before. The underworld has soone like that?"
"Yeah… but he looks kinda familiar…"
"Probably just so drunk trying to sneak in for free food and drinks."
Many took notice of the man and whispered among themselves, assuming he was a vagrant trying his luck.
But when the guards bowed and ushered him in with great respect, their expressions changed imdiately.
"What the?! Even those big-shot bosses didn't get welcod like that!"
"Wait!!! I rember now!"
One man suddenly slapped his forehead in shock, his face turning pale as he cried out
"That drunk with the bottle… he's the right-hand man of the Pirate King…"
"The Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh!!"
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The tides are shifting, and secrets linger in the dark... Step into the shadows early on P@treon, where the next chapter awaits before the world sees it.
[email protected]/_theon
Change @ to "a"
User Comments
0 comments from readers