Chapter 153: Doflamingo: "It Must Be Rayleigh!"

"Burn... burn them?"

Diamante wiped the sweat streaming down his forehead, not fully grasping the meaning of Garp's words.

At that moment, the elderly man with the crescent-moon-shaped hair approached, his hand resting on the sword at his waist.

As he drew closer, an overwhelming sharpness emanated from him, spreading across Diamante like an invisible force poised to tear apart his body and soul.

In that instant, Diamante realized that this elderly man's power was terrifyingly immense—undoubtedly strong enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the navy admirals.

"Pirate."

Saint Gringo's expression was grim and dark.

He cast a cold, indifferent glance at Diamante and spoke in an icy tone:

"Tell us your true purpose here, or die."

Even though Gringo hadn't unsheathed his weapon, Diamante felt a chill on his neck, as if an invisible blade was pressing against it.

The blood drained from Diamante's face. With a trembling voice, he stammered,

"We… we're really here to deliver gifts for Saint Rosward's family! If you don't believe me, send someone to check the ship. We've brought 5 billion Berries and ten mermaid slaves!"

"Rosward's family is dead, and you claim to be delivering gifts to them? Speak up! What's that bastard Doflamingo up to now?"

Gringo's sudden shout made Diamante collapse to the ground in terror.

"D-Dead?!"

Diamante's eyes widened in shock.

His mind went completely blank, as if struck by lightning.

No wonder. No wonder there were so many warships here at Sabaody Archipelago. No wonder six admiral-level figures from Marine Headquarters had shown up.

It turned out a Celestial Dragon had been killed!

"Contact Doflamingo!"

Gringo's voice boomed.

"I'll ask him myself what the hell he's up to!"

With trembling hands, Diamante pulled a Den Den Mushi from his coat and began dialing Doflamingo's number.

Onboard the Flamingo Ship

Meanwhile, Garp, Zephyr, Kizaru, and Kuzan boarded the Donquixote Family's ship.

Lao G didn't dare to stop them.

Inside the ship's cabin, the group immediately noticed stacks of luxurious golden treasure chests.

Opening a few, they found bundles of brand-new, high-denomination Berries inside.

"Huh, they're actually here to deliver money?" Garp remarked, stunned.

"The Warlords of the Sea sure are loaded. Shelling out 5 billion just like that. I guess that legal piracy permit really works wonders for them," Kuzan said, kicking open a few more chests as he moved deeper into the cabin.

At the back, near the wall, ten large glass tanks stood stacked.

Inside each, a mermaid wearing a collar was confined, their faces filled with helplessness and despair.

When the tall figure of Kuzan approached, the mermaids recoiled in fear, their bodies curling up tightly against the glass.

"Disgusting Slave Trade"

"The slave trade disgusts me," Garp said, his face darkening.

"I've long despised that Sabaody auction house. They should've shut it down ages ago. Calling it a 'professional transfer agency'—it's just a glorified slave market!"

Without a second thought, Garp walked over to one of the large glass tanks, grabbed it, and carried it out of the cabin.

Kizaru scratched his head as he watched.

"Well, I guess I'll lend a hand too."

The group began carrying the tanks out of the ship one by one.

Outside the Ship

Hearing the commotion above, Lao G glanced in their direction, his expression a mix of hesitation and unease.

But Ultimately, He Said Nothing.

"Mermaids, don't be afraid. I'm Vice Admiral Garp from Marine Headquarters. I'll release you into the ocean now, and you should quickly return to Fish-Man Island. Don't wander around outside anymore, or you might be caught by those bad people again."

Standing on the deck, Garp loudly reassured the mermaids in front of him.

"Splash, Splash."

The sound of water splashing echoed from within the glass tanks. Several mermaids surfaced, extending their pale arms over the edges of the tanks, leaning their upper bodies out to look at the towering men before them.

"Really? Will you really let me go back to the ocean? But the collars around our necks are explosive. If we leave the range of the tanks, the collars will detonate."

The mermaids showed bright smiles at first but soon their expressions dimmed with doubt.

"Huhahaha! Don't worry about that. Kuzan, help them remove those explosive collars," Garp said, turning to Kuzan.

Kuzan nodded and casually reached for one of the mermaids curiously watching him. Before she could react, he grabbed the explosive collar around her neck.

"Ah! Don't! It'll explode!"

Terror filled the mermaid's face.

"It's fine, no worries," Kuzan replied calmly.

His hand, gripping the collar, emitted an icy chill. Instantly, the explosive collar around the mermaid's neck froze, covered in a thin, invisible layer of Armament Haki, ensuring the cold didn't harm her delicate skin.

With a crisp "crack," the collar shattered in Kuzan's hand.

The expected explosion didn't occur. The collar broke apart like shards of ice.

"It… it didn't explode."

The other mermaids were stunned, their faces filled with astonishment. Gradually, excitement returned to their expressions as they watched Kuzan freeze and shatter the collars one by one.

Freedom Restored

Once all the collars were removed, the ten mermaids climbed out of the glass tanks, hugging each other with tears of joy and relief.

"All right, you should hurry back to Fish-Man Island. Be careful when you're outside next time, and don't fall into the hands of those vile slavers again," Kuzan said after completing the task. Without another word, he silently pocketed his hands and walked off the ship.

"Thank you! You're all good people!"

The mermaids expressed their gratitude, bowing deeply toward Garp and the others before glancing at one another. With a swift motion, they leaped over the edge of the pirate ship, diving into the sea and disappearing from view.

As Garp watched the mermaids vanish into the emerald waters, he turned to Zephyr.

The two exchanged a glance.

"Zephyr, do you think what that brat said is true or false?" Garp muttered in a low voice.

"I don't know," Zephyr replied with a shake of his head.

"But given the current situation, even if it's a lie, we'll have to treat it as the truth."

Zephyr cast a quick glance at Kizaru, who was eavesdropping nearby with an amused look.

Kizaru immediately raised his hands.

"Zephyr-sensei, your gaze is too scary. I didn't hear a thing."

Doflamingo's Call

Elsewhere, Doflamingo, now connected to the call, remained silent for a long time.

The once-arrogant Saint Rosward, who had brazenly demanded to be called "father," was now inexplicably dead.

And not just him—his entire family was wiped out at Sabaody Archipelago.

This was a catastrophe of epic proportions.

Listening to Saint Gringo's accusatory tone, Doflamingo stayed quiet for a moment before squeezing out a few words through gritted teeth:

"Saint Gringo, I believe the demise of Saint Rosward's family might be related to Silvers Rayleigh."

"As far as I know, there was a confrontation at the auction house between Rayleigh and Saint Rosward's family that day. He even unleashed Conqueror's Haki."

"It Must Be Rayleigh!"

The more Doflamingo spoke, the brighter his eyes became.

"Yes! It must have been Silvers Rayleigh's doing!"

"I recommend thoroughly investigating the remnants of the Roger Pirates. If needed, the Donquixote Family is fully prepared to cooperate with the World Government in this investigation."

(End of Chapter)

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