Dressrosa, high above in the Royal Palace's garden.
"Fuffuffuffu~~"
Doflamingo lounged by the shimmering pool, surrounded by beautiful servant girls, a wide grin plastered across his face as he scanned the newspaper.
"The Marines have a mad dog!" the headline screamed.
""Black Hair" Roya, a rookie pirate who stormed into the New World just two months ago, has captured over half of them, and he's brutally efficient."
Several of Doflamingo's top Executives were nearby, and they had all heard whispers about "Black Hair's" growing reputation.
Diamanti, ever cautious, spoke up, "Doffy, we shouldn't underestimate this 'Black Hair.' If we let him run wild, he could mess with our business."
Doflamingo chuckled. "Diamanti, with you around, Black Hair is nothing to worry about."
Diamanti feigned modesty. "Now, now, you're making me sound too impressive."
"No, you are impressive. You're the hero of the Colosseum, after all."
"Oh, stop it. I'm really not that great."
"Alright, I won't say it then."
"Since you insist, I have no choice but to admit it. That's right, I am the hero of the Colosseum! Black Hair is just trash to me!" Diamanti's humble act vanished, revealing his arrogant true self.
His companions around him were used to it.
"Fuffuffuffu."
Doflamingo crossed his legs, his laughter echoing in the air. "Excellent! If this 'Black Hair' interferes with our business, Diamanti, you'll go take care of him!"
"No problem, leave it to me!" Diamanti, bursting with confidence, readily accepted the task of dealing with "Black Hair."
In truth, "Black Hair" wasn't directly attacking their operations. However, his area of influence was expanding, dangerously overlapping with the Don Quixote Family's vast business network.
Dressrosa was uncomfortably close to the G-5 Marine Branch.
Those countries and shady organizations that dealt with their Family inevitably had to navigate the seas near the G-5, especially when it came to the slave trade.
The world's largest slave market thrived on the Sabaody Archipelago, right next to Marine Headquarters, making the G-5 sea area a crucial route for ships coming from the New World.
Before, Vergo secretly provided protection, ensuring smooth passage. But "Black Hair" wasn't Vergo's subordinate, and he might notice something suspicious, leading to unwanted conflict.
To safeguard the Don Quixote Family's reputation and power, any potential threats had to be eliminated.
Doflamingo relaxed. A mere Headquarters Colonel wasn't worth his personal attention. His Family had far more important things to focus on.
"How's Caesar doing?" he asked.
"Progress is excellent. Monet has been in contact and confirmed that Caesar is indeed producing Artificial Devil Fruits!"
Artificial Devil Fruits!
The Don Quixote Family's most important trading partner was Kaido, one of the fearsome Four Emperors ruling the New World. Kaido possessed a staggering arsenal of weapons.
However, the Family was merely reselling those weapons for Kaido, a role easily replaced by other underworld groups.
To truly win Kaido's favor, they needed a unique product he couldn't refuse, something exclusive that would forge an unbreakable alliance.
And they had learned that Kaido was obsessed with collecting Zoan-type Devil Fruits, hoping to create the ultimate army of animal-powered warriors.
This was their golden opportunity.
According to Vergo's information, Vegapunk, the world's unrivaled genius scientist, had conducted experiments with Artificial Devil Fruits.
Vegapunk was the World Government's most prized asset, more valuable than any Admiral. With the Family's current reach, they couldn't even dream of getting their hands on Vegapunk.
But the Punk Hazard Research Institute wasn't just Vegapunk. It housed many other brilliant scientists, especially Caesar Clown, who was second only to Vegapunk.
And as luck would have it, this "Mr. Caesar" wasn't exactly virtuous. He often indulged in the pleasures of nearby islands, frequenting nightclubs for food, drinks, and entertainment.
Monet, disguised as a singing girl, had been secretly contacting Caesar, attempting to bribe him into revealing the secrets of Artificial Devil Fruit manufacture.
If their Family could provide Kaido with a steady supply of these Fruits, their position as the undisputed kings of the underworld would be secured!
"Fuffuffuffu, continue the contact. Money is no object!"
"Understood!"
----
Meanwhile, in the countries near the G-5 Marine Branch, Roya's actions hadn't gone unnoticed. Desperate Non-Aligned Nations, in particular, saw his assistance as the only glimmer of hope in their dark reality.
"Contact Black Hair! If he can save my people, he can have everything in this Kingdom!"
"Yes!"
----
In the northern sea area of the G-5 Branch, a warship sliced through the waves.
Lu Yun, wearing a headset, announced, "Colonel Roya, we're receiving SOS signals from multiple kingdoms. The closest is the Non-Aligned Nation of Tannin Kingdom, which is currently being raided by slave traders who are plundering their people."
"Slaves, huh."
Roya frowned.
Under normal circumstances, Non-Aligned Nations were quite poor. But even then, they possessed resources that could be exploited.
Humans themselves were considered a resource.
Although the World Government explicitly forbade the sale of people, the practice was widespread. The Celestial Dragons, who ruled the world, were the biggest slave owners of them all.
And under their influence, royal nobles across the globe also took pride in owning slaves.
"Head to Tannin Kingdom immediately. Lu Yun, continue contacting the Tannin Kingdom's royalty. I want to know all the details!"
"Yes!"
The warship swiftly changed course, arriving off the southern coast of Tannin Kingdom in just half a day.
"Smoker, Bartolomeo, you come with me. Hina, you take the warship and patrol around the Island. Intercept any ships leaving this Island, and attack if necessary!"
"Understood!"
Roya only took a small group ashore and quickly reached the agreed-upon meeting point, a relatively conspicuous mound.
After waiting less than three minutes, the lurking Kingdom soldiers finally mustered their courage and emerged. They had been hiding nearby, observing in fear.
The Soldier Captain, with a patch covering one eye and numerous scars crisscrossing his body, couldn't hide his disappointment at seeing only four people coming to help. Still, he respectfully asked, "Are you Mr. Black Hair?"
"I am."
Roya nodded curtly and asked directly, "Where are the enemies?"
"Follow me!"
The soldier's face brightened. He eagerly led the way, explaining the raiders' situation: "Those villains have been holed up in the port for over a month, constantly stealing our people. They have powerful weapons, and we're no match for them at all!"
"Mm."
Roya nodded slightly, sizing up the Soldier Captain.
The other man wore a long sword at his waist, and the other soldiers carried spears, but only the tips were metal.
Quite primitive equipment.
This world's industrial development is uneven, he thought. Not all countries can manufacture weapons in large quantities. Some poor places are even stuck in primitive societies.
Faced with the overwhelming power of guns, they were truly helpless.
Soon, Roya witnessed the dark underbelly of the world.
Everywhere in the dilapidated town lay corpses. The slave traders were ruthless, snatching strong men and women as if they were raiding a chicken coop.
The old, the weak, women, and children were abandoned, even killed.
"Damn it, they've invaded here!"
The Soldier Captain was consumed by rage. He hadn't planned to bring Roya here, but to a town closer to the Port.
"That's..."
Roya's gaze locked onto one of the slave traders. The person's clothes bore a skull with a sinister smile--the Don Quixote Family's symbol.
A single word flashed in his mind.
Legal Plunder!
Smoker also noticed the symbol, his face hardening. "Roya, it's the Don Quixote Family. What do we do?"
"We're already here. What else can we do!"
Roya unsheathed his sword, his eyes ice-cold!
"Kill them all!"
*
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[T/N:
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]