Drum Kingdom –
Atop a towering pillar, a seven-year-old Wapol—already boasting a rather hefty physique—sat wrapped in his thick bongo fur coat, making him look like a human-sized ball. With one hand clutching a newspaper and the other firmly gripping his father's leg, he whined incessantly.
"Papa! I want Heat Shells and Flame Shells! I want my palace to feel like summer!"
Standing beside him, Wapol's older brother, Mushul, looked on with a face full of disdain.
As the king of a nation, Urus understood the immense value of Heat Shells and Flame Shells. After all, his wife had passed away from the bitter cold shortly after giving birth to their youngest son.
And it wasn't just the royal family—every year, countless commoners suffered injuries or even perished due to the harsh winters.
But faced with his youngest son's relentless pestering, a sharp headache began to creep up his temples. Unable to endure it any longer, he sighed and relented.
"Alright, alright!"
Compared to the enthusiasm buzzing among royals and nobles from across the seas, the pirates of the Grand Line were far less impressed.
A certain no-name pirate crew from the North Blue grumbled among themselves.
"How boring! And they dare demand my gold? I'm a big-shot pirate with a 20-million bounty!"
"Damn it! Where's Sabaody? That's where the real action is! I bet we could snatch up some of these fancy goods…"
The captain, who bore a slight resemblance to Roger, cursed loudly, his voice dripping with irritation.
One of his crewmates hesitated before speaking in a low voice, "Boss… that emblem looks familiar. It belongs to the Donquixote Family. Almost all the weapons in the North Blue come from them. And Sabaody… well, it's right next to Marine Headquarters."
The captain's bravado instantly crumbled. He cleared his throat awkwardly and muttered,
"…Well, in that case, never mind."
...
The Next Day –
A fresh newspaper sent shockwaves across the seas.
White Lion Pirates' Ship—
"Oi, oi, oi! Listen up, boys! No doubt about it—Zoan-type Devil Fruit users are the strongest!"
Captain Simba, a user of the Cat-Cat Fruit: Lion Model, shook out his thick mane and flashed a toothy grin, looking mighty pleased with himself.
"Alright, we're heading to Sabaody! With this red elixir in hand, those damn Redbeard Pirates will be dead meat! Their treasure will belong to us!"
"OOOHHHHHH!!!"
The ship erupted into cheers as the pirates roared in excitement.
Scenes like this were unfolding all across the first half of the New World.
...
Marine Headquarters—
Sengoku's face was grim. The influx of nobles and royals had already put enormous pressure on Sabaody's law enforcement, and now, with hordes of pirates gathering as well, the situation was becoming even more volatile.
"BAM!"
A furious Kong slammed his fists onto the table, shattering it into splinters. His expression was as sour as if he'd swallowed a fly. He pulled out a document and handed it to Sengoku.
"That damned Doflamingo… He's trying to throw the world into chaos just after we've barely restored order!" Kong's voice was seething with frustration.
"This," he continued, tapping the document, "is Saint Mingdalos, the Celestial Dragon who's arriving at Sabaody. If Doflamingo makes a move on him—Life or Death. If not, we let things play out naturally."
"Why not just take him down directly?" Sengoku frowned as he scanned the document.
As a staunch supporter of the World Government, he had no objections to protecting a Celestial Dragon. However, Doflamingo was a different case altogether.
Tsuru had already uncovered evidence linking him to nearly every war in the North Blue. And given Sabaody's current state, eliminating him would solve half the problems in one fell swoop.
Kong clenched his teeth and spat out a few words:
"Doflamingo is also a Celestial Dragon."
"WHAT?!"
The elderly Vice Admiral Tsuru, who had been calmly stroking a lamb, suddenly froze. Her hand trembled, and her sharp eyes widened in shock.
No wonder the World Government had transferred her away from the North Blue…
..
Meanwhile—
At the Treasure Auction House, workers bustled around, meticulously polishing every table and chair in preparation for the next day's event.
"Listen up! If the nobles are satisfied, your price tags will be slashed by a tenth!"
"The closer you are to freedom, the harder you should work! This place needs to be spotless!"
"Check all food and drinks! Taste everything to ensure nothing is spoiled or rotten!"
"Absolutely no mistakes can be tolerated!"
Stella's gentle yet commanding voice rang through the auction house. The former slaves working under her quickened their pace, their faces filled with anticipation for a better future.
Elsewhere, at a warrior market resembling the Dressrosa Colosseum—
Tesoro hesitated before addressing the towering figure before him.
"Pica, Boss says the central arena still has some flaws. He wants you to reinforce it and make sure there's space for seawater drainage around it."
"No problem," Pica replied in his signature high-pitched voice. "Doffy said I should help, so I'll take care of it."
Hearing that voice for the first time, Tesoro nearly lost his composure, barely holding back his laughter. Scrambling to recover, he asked awkwardly,
"Uh… Pica, are you a giant?"
He was implying that Pica might still be in his growth phase.
Pica simply waved a hand dismissively. Over time, as he interacted with more outsiders, he had become less sensitive about his voice. As long as it wasn't intentional mockery, he didn't take offense.
"Nope. Laugh if you want. I'm fifteen, but while my height kept growing, my vocal cords stopped developing when I was a kid."
With that, Pica sank into the ground, leaving Tesoro staring in astonishment.
Around the arena, large gaps opened up, and the land compressed and hardened, reinforcing the battleground.
"This won't hold up against true powerhouses," Doflamingo noted from above, watching the transformation. "But it's more than enough for the pirates in the first half of the Grand Line."
"Tesoro," he called down, "how's the surveillance setup?"
Hearing his boss's voice, Tesoro and Pica quickly turned and saluted.
"Boss/Doffy."
Doflamingo waved them off and let them continue their work. Tesoro nodded and reported,
"Boss, the World Government only provided three image-transmitting Den Den Mushi in their last shipment. However, we just received five projection-type ones. To be safe, we've already stationed two image-transmitting Den Den Mushi at Mock Town and Whisky Peak."
Den Den Mushi were unique creatures in the pirate world, transmitting signals through biological electromagnetic waves. Their rarity and variety made them invaluable.
Among them, the image-transmitting Den Den Mushi recorded and broadcast footage, while the projection-type functioned like a primitive projector—capturing images with one eye and displaying them with the other.
"Good work," Doflamingo praised. "Image Shells still don't sync perfectly with Den Den Mushi. We need flawless visuals to stir up excitement among our Grand Line warriors."
"Have the researchers identified the gender of the new Den Den Mushi?"
"Dr. No. 26 from the science team needs to inspect them in person to confirm."
"Fine. Have Diamante and Lao G keep a close eye on the ones in their possession. Once they're used, send them to Skypiea. As for the five projection-type Den Den Mushi, return them to our headquarters—I'll take them with me after the auction. And make sure the Image Shell operators record everything."
Tesoro nodded. "Understood, Boss."
Doflamingo grinned.
The stage was set.
The show was about to begin.
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+100 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg