One Piece: The user of the Nen-Nen Fruit, who overturned the sea.

The morning sun shines on the royal palace in Dressrosa, bathing this island known for its love and passion in a warm golden hue.

Roy stood by the window, holding a cup of hot tea, his gaze calmly fixed on the distant sea.

A knock came at the door.

"Come in."

The door opened, and a genetically engineered warrior strode in and knelt on one knee.

"Captain Roy, breaking news."

"Doflamingo's ship arrived in Dressrosa last night."

"The core members of the Don Quixote family have all been mobilized. They are currently lying in wait in an abandoned manor on the outskirts of the city, and have not made any moves."

Roy took a sip of tea, his expression unchanged.

"Continue monitoring."

"yes!"

The gene warriors accepted their orders and departed.

The door had just closed when a flash of lightning appeared, and Tesoro's figure appeared beside Roy.

"Boss, Doflamingo is really here!"

Tesoro's face showed a hint of anxiety.

"Are we just going to wait here like this? Or should I take some men and drag them out?"

Roy glanced at him and said indifferently,

"What's the rush?"

"Tesoro, you're a well-known and powerful figure in the New World now, so why are you still so impatient?"

Tezzolo gave an awkward smile.

"I'm just worried that kid might be up to some kind of trick."

"That Doflamingo guy is really cunning."

"The String-String Fruit can control people. What if he secretly bribes officials and incites a rebellion..."

Roy put down his teacup, a faint smile curving his lips.

Let him do it.

"I'd like to see what tricks he can pull."

Tesoro was taken aback.

"Boss, you mean...?"

Roy turned and looked out the window into the distance.

"The fact that Doflamingo has chosen to remain hidden means that they have other plans."

"My flag flies over the port of Dressrosa."

"If he dares to act recklessly, he will be declaring war on me."

"Given his intelligence—the ability to make such a name for himself in the underworld—he shouldn't act rashly."

Tesoro nodded thoughtfully.

Roy continued,

"and--"

"If he really wanted to pull some kind of conspiracy, he wouldn't have brought all the core cadres with him."

"Torrepol, Diamanti, Vergo, Pica... not one is missing."

"This formation doesn't look like a sneak attack."

"More like—"

He paused.

"They've come to negotiate."

Tesoro's eyes lit up.

"Does the boss mean that Doflamingo wants to cooperate with us?"

Roy didn't answer directly, but simply said,

"Just wait and see."

"Now that he's here, he'll show up eventually."

"Let's just do what we're supposed to do, no need to be nervous."

Tezzolo grinned.

"Got it! The boss is the boss, very reliable!"

Roy waved his hand.

"Alright, go and inform Cyrus and the others that they can continue their activities in the city as usual these next few days."

"Let the gene warriors relax a bit and not be too tense."

"yes!"

Tesoro transformed into lightning and departed.

Roy turned around and looked out the window again into the distance.

There, in the direction of the city outskirts, the outline of an abandoned manor can be faintly seen.

His Observation Haki subtly unfolded, instantly enveloping the area.

Dozens of auras appeared in his perception.

Some were strong, some were weak, but each one exuded a dangerous signal.

One of them was particularly powerful and especially cold.

Doflamingo.

Roy's lips curled into a cold smile.

interesting.

Let's see how long you can hold it in.

…………

Meanwhile, abandoned manors on the outskirts of the city.

This manor was once the property of a nobleman, but it was abandoned for many years due to the family's decline and is now overgrown with weeds and in a dilapidated state.

But at this moment, the manor was brightly lit.

The core members of the Don Quixote family are gathered together.

Doflamingo sat in the main seat, legs crossed, toying with a thin thread in his hand.

The silk thread gleamed with an eerie white light in the candlelight, trembling slightly with his fingers.

"Dover, are we just going to wait here?"

Torrepol, one of the highest-ranking members of the Don Quixote family.

At this moment, a string of snot hung from his nose, and sticky saliva dripped down his face as he spoke, making him look extremely slovenly.

But those who know him well know how dangerous this guy is.

Doflamingo did not answer, continuing to fiddle with the silk threads in his hand.

Another man spoke up.

Diamante, one of the top executives of the Donquixote Family, is a user of the Flutter-Flutter Fruit.

He was wearing a cloak and a ridiculous hat.

"Dover, if you ask me, we should just do it!"

"What kind of trouble can a mere hundred gene warriors cause?"

"With so many of us, are we afraid of them?"

Doflamingo finally looked up and glanced at him.

That look made Diamanti shut up instantly.

"Fufufufufufufu..."

Doflamingo laughed, but there was a chill in his laughter.

"Diamanti, you're still so impulsive."

"A hundred gene warriors are really nothing."

"But who stands behind those hundred genetically engineered warriors?"

Diamanti opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

Doflamingo put away the threads, stood up, and walked to the window.

The moonlight shone down, illuminating his face, which was covered in sunglasses.

"Roy."

"That man came in person."

"The Heavenly Emperor, a monster whose bounty has long exceeded 25 billion."

"Two years ago, there were rumors that he could go toe-to-toe with Garp and force that old guy to retreat."

"Now, he will only get stronger."

"Do you think there's enough of us for him to handle?"

Everyone fell silent.

Vergo pushed up his sunglasses and said in a deep voice,

"Dover, are we just going to give up on Dressrosa like this?"

Doflamingo turned around, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"give up?"

"Fufufufufu... Who said I was going to give up?"

"It's just done in a different way."

He walked back to his seat and sat down again.

"Over the years, I've been thinking about one question—"

"Why has the Roy Pirates grown so quickly?"

"Why are they able to control Wano Country, monopolize Seastone, and make those monsters willingly follow them?"

The answer is actually quite simple.

"Because they have resources, technology, and strength."

"Seastone, bloodline transplantation, sea train, gene warriors..."

"Any one of these things would be enough to make any force envious."

"And they all have it."

Doflamingo paused, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"And what about us?"

"What do we have?"

"Underground trading channels?"

"That is indeed our greatest asset."

"But what's the use of having distribution channels without a source of goods?"

"We can't get our hands on Seastone."

"We can't make good weapons ourselves."

"We haven't even come close to bloodline transplantation technology."

"If this continues, we'll be stuck as middlemen in the underworld forever."

"We can never truly set foot in the heart of the new world."

The group exchanged thoughtful glances.

Torrepol began,

"Dover, you mean... to cooperate with Roy?"

Doflamingo laughed.

That smile carried a hint of helplessness, but also a hint of determination.

"That's right."

"cooperate."

"Although I hate to admit it, that man is indeed stronger than us."

"If we can't beat them, we'll join them."

"Use his resources to strengthen ourselves."

"Let's talk about the future...we'll talk about the future then."

Diamanti frowned.

"But Dover, we have a grudge against him..."

"But he is..."

Doflamingo waved his hand, interrupting him.

"Fufufu... What kind of grudge is that?"

"In the world of pirates, it's perfectly normal to fight to the death today and become brothers tomorrow."

"As long as the interests are large enough, there is no grudge that cannot be resolved."

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the brightly lit palace in the distance.

"However, before discussing cooperation—"

"I need to test just how strong that man really is now."

"It's been two years, and I haven't had a single day of relaxation."

"Armament Haki, Observation Haki, Devil Fruit Development, Awakening..."

"I am not the same person I was two years ago."

"If I can prove my strength to him, I will have more confidence during negotiations."

Vergo whispered,

"Dover, be careful."

"That man is too dangerous."

Doflamingo chuckled.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

…………