Luffy, how can you become the Pirate King if you don't work hard!

Upon hearing this, Chopper immediately slung his wallet over his shoulder, nodded vigorously, and wore a serious expression on his little face, as if he were determined to live or die with his money.

Chapter 173 After the Battle Between Doflamingo and Ace

Sanji was busy in the kitchen, preparing a sumptuous afternoon tea for everyone after their landing.

An enticing aroma filled the entire deck.

"Cook, bring me a pot of wine."

"Nika, you have been banned from drinking alcohol by Miss Nami."

Nika's eyes widened as if she couldn't accept this fact.

Isn't this going to kill her?

Isn't Nami afraid of risking everything and revealing her secret?!

"Nika, come and help me."

Nami waved to her.

"I'm coming!"

Nika ran over excitedly, her eyes clear.

It seems to have been successfully trained.

The Devil Ship Lord lives up to its name.

[Warning: It's time to learn Devil Fruit development from Vivi. Please find Vivi in ​​one minute to begin your lesson... Countdown 59, 58.]

After finishing his intense sparring session with Zoro, Luffy didn't stop for a moment and immediately went to find Vivi to guide her in developing and familiarizing herself with the Wind-Wind Fruit's abilities.

He has a considerable amount of experience in developing Devil Fruits.

"Watch closely, Vivi. The best thing about nature-type magic is that it can be elementalized. Ordinary physical attacks, such as bullets or swords, will have a hard time hurting you."

As Luffy spoke, he casually picked up a small pebble and threw it over.

With a thought, Weiwei instantly transformed into elemental form, becoming an invisible breeze. The pebble pierced through the breeze and struck the ship's side behind her.

"But we must not be careless."

Luffy's expression turned serious as he said, "Armament Haki is the bane of Devil Fruit users. People like me, or some powerful swordsmen and gunners, can imbue their weapons with Haki to attack. Therefore, the predictive ability of Observation Haki and one's own evasion ability are equally important!"

He gestured for Vivi to try using the wind to create different forms of attack and defense.

Wind can be developed into many forms, such as wind blades or whirlwind shields. The key to developing Devil Fruits is imagination. Luffy didn't make any jokes in this regard when he was young.

However, it cannot be denied that...

Things that seem funny are actually quite useful.

Vivi nodded seriously, closed her eyes, and tried to sense the omnipresent airflow around her, attempting to shape it into the form she desired.

For a moment, the deck was alternated between a gentle breeze and a strong wind, and occasionally one or two transparent wind blades could be seen flashing by.

Just then, Robin walked over with a newspaper he had just bought from Newsbird, his brow slightly furrowed.

"Is there any big news, Robin?"

Luffy and Vivi both stopped what they were doing and came closer. They always paid close attention to world economic news, as it often foreshadowed changes in the weather on the high seas.

Robin unfolded the newspaper and pointed to the headline on the front page, saying, "A few days ago, the World Government and the Seven Warlords of the Sea held an emergency meeting."

Generally speaking, the Seven Warlords of the Sea and the World Government do not have frequent contact. Meetings of this level usually mean that a major event has occurred that is enough to affect the balance of power in the seas.

……

Meanwhile, in faraway Dressrosa.

Royal Palace Highlands.

Doflamingo returned to his kingdom with a gloomy expression, his injuries not yet fully healed.

He was feeling quite depressed at the moment.

Originally, I just thought it was something interesting, so I went with Lafayette, one of Blackbeard's subordinates, to discuss a deal and watch the fun.

He never expected to get involved, and even had a direct confrontation with Fire Fist Ace, the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, and even got injured.

Doflamingo naturally knew about Ace.

In the early days of the Shichibukai system, this young man defeated an invited Shichibukai and earned the invitation to the position, but he refused and chose to join the Whitebeard Pirates.

His talent and ability are beyond doubt.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, I have to admit, Blackbeard Teach's plan is really crazy."

Doflamingo sat on the throne and let out a low laugh.

Will this ignite a full-scale war between the Four Emperors and the Navy?

This audacious idea startled even him, yet at the same time, it gave him a morbid excitement.

"Hey, hey, Doflamingo, are we just going to let the Blackbeard thing go like this?"

Trebol, draped in a feathered coat like a quilt and with long snot hanging from his nose, suddenly brought his unsettling face close to Doflamingo's and asked.

When Trebol first learned that Blackbeard planned to capture Ace as a pledge to become a Shichibukai and ignite a war between the Four Emperors and the Navy, even he thought Blackbeard had completely gone mad.

The one who's about to provoke them is none other than Edward Newgate, the white-bearded man hailed as the strongest man in the world!

Doflamingo replied, "Let's wait and see how things develop."

Doflamingo did indeed help Blackbeard to some extent this time, restraining Ace and buying Blackbeard a few days to recover from his injuries and make his plans.

Of course, he didn't go all out; he was just doing a favor and seeing how the situation would develop.

He didn't want to get too deeply involved in this mess.

According to Blackbeard, he only needs to delay for a few days because he was seriously injured by a bastard named Straw Hat Luffy in the first half of the Grand Line and needs time to recover.

Doflamingo was rather dismissive of this.

Blackbeard has enough guts, but his strength doesn't seem to match his ambition. He was seriously injured by a rookie pirate in the first half of the story.

However, fighting Ace was no big deal for Doflamingo, so he agreed.

Who knew that the fight would escalate into a real brawl, mainly because Doflamingo was being sarcastic and provoked the other side with his words, inadvertently mentioning Whitebeard.

As a result, Ace became like a mad dog protecting its cub, its attacks suddenly becoming incredibly ferocious, forcing him to take it seriously and even getting injured in the end, which made him furious just thinking about it.

"Hey, hey, Doflamingo..."

Doflamingo frowned in disgust: "You're too close, Trebol."

"Hey, hey, that's too close, and then what?" Torrebol was completely oblivious, and instead moved even closer.

"Sit down in that seat."

Doflamingo pointed to the chair next to him, and after slowly moving it away, he continued, "I think this is a very profitable matter. If Blackbeard really has the ability and luck to hand Ace over to the World Government, that would be a huge mess. The World Government will definitely make a big deal out of it, and it will be difficult for this sea not to be in chaos!"

Doflamingo's ultimate goal is to overthrow the world, and Blackbeard's insane plan is, in a way, in line with his own.

The more chaotic the world becomes, the more room there is for this Joker, lurking in the shadows, to maneuver.

Wasn't his becoming a Shichibukai and a nominal ally of the World Government all for the purpose of waiting for and taking advantage of such an opportunity?

The dark underworld thrives on chaos. His many shady businesses only generate profit when things are in disarray.

Chapter 174 A World of Undercurrents

Doflamingo then asked Trebol, "How's the matter I asked you to investigate? What's the situation with the pirate who seriously injured Blackbeard?"

Doflamingo felt that anyone who could injure Blackbeard, whom he considered to be somewhat strong, so badly was definitely not an ordinary character.

Moreover, it's in the first half of the Grand Line.

Could it be some old thing he doesn't know?

Trebol immediately took out a stack of intelligence data and handed it over: "Hey, Doflamingo, I've found out. It's a pirate crew that has recently gained fame. The captain is called Straw Hat Monkey D. Luffy."

"Straw Hat Boy?"

Doflamingo looked at Luffy's carefree smiling face on the bounty poster and felt that it looked somewhat familiar.

He took the documents and started looking through them.

"I can take care of these pirates all by myself once we get ashore."

A tall, burly man in armor spoke in a high-pitched, distinctive voice.

He is Pica, a Paramecia-type Stone-Stone Fruit user. When his power is fully activated, he can assimilate the rocks of an entire island to create a colossal stone giant. In his view, the sheer size of the creature is itself an unparalleled source of strength.

However, his high-pitched voice, which contrasted sharply with his burly physique, made some of the henchmen standing around him cover their mouths, shrug their shoulders, and desperately try to suppress their laughter.

Pica hated nothing more than the sound of people laughing at him; if anyone dared to laugh out loud, he would beat them to death on the spot.

Doflamingo has repeatedly emphasized that the Donquixote Family's executives are his most valued family members, and he would never allow outsiders to mock them.

Although these words sound particularly ironic coming from the mouth of someone who personally murdered his father and brother.

Doflamingo looked at the bounty poster and tapped his fingers on the armrest: "Monkey D. Luffy, that name sounds a lot like some old man in the Navy."

Trebol reminded him, "Hey, it's said that he has a connection with the naval hero Garp."

"Fufufufu, no wonder."

Doflamingo laughed, but there was a hint of apprehension in his smile.

Torrepol asked, "Shall we make a move? Let's teach that straw hat kid a lesson."

Doflamingo shook his head: "Teaching Straw Hat Kid a lesson is another matter. But if he really has something to do with that old Marine, then we're in trouble. None of the old Marines from the last era are easy to deal with; messing with him will only bring even bigger trouble."

He recalled the humiliating experience of being chased all over the world by Lieutenant General He, and felt lingering fear.