Chapter 64: Weak People, It Is Best To Remain In Awe At All Times

Doflamingo?

Carlos's face lit up with an intrigued smile after hearing Hawkeye's news.

After the battle in Wano, the members of the Big Mom Pirates had been imprisoned in the Rabbit Bowl Quarry. Soon, a group of the less resolute prisoners chose to cooperate and revealed what they knew.

As the second-in-command of the Big Mom Pirates, Katakuri had not gone to Wano with Big Mom. Instead, he sought raw materials for artificial Devil Fruits from the Donquixote Family. It seemed that the two parties had established a cooperative relationship.

Doflamingo unilaterally tore up the trade agreement with Wano, which was enough to ensure that the Donquixote Family would face consequences.

"Momousagi, how long until we reach Dressrosa?" Carlos asked.

Unlike Carlos, who preferred a hands-off approach, Momousagi, as a fleet commander, was very familiar with shipping routes.

Without hesitation, she responded, "If we sail at full speed, we can reach Dressrosa in less than half a day."

"Change course immediately. If Doflamingo won't come to us, we'll go find him ourselves. And make sure we have a good chat."

Dressrosa

Doflamingo paced nervously in his office.

The news of the Beasts Pirates' destruction and the imprisonment of Kaido and his crew in Impel Down had initially brought him some joy. Although the sea stone from Wano was incredibly valuable and scarce, Doflamingo, being a businessman, was reluctant to agree to such an uneven deal. Katakuri's arrival and the subsequent alliance between the Big Mom Pirates and the Donquixote Family seemed like a good opportunity at the time.

But yesterday, the CP0 issued a recruitment order. Upon learning the mission's details, Doflamingo was initially dismissive. He was involved in numerous lucrative deals daily and found it inconvenient to escort a warship. However, when he discovered the mission's true nature, he was shocked.

The Big Mom Pirates had been destroyed? Charlotte Linlin was arrested? And who was Carlos?

Doflamingo, enraged and alarmed, quickly mobilized his subordinates to gather more information. From Vergo, he learned Carlos's background.

"A Vice Admiral from the Navy? And they're coming here?" Doflamingo's frustration was palpable.

"I finally establish contact with the Big Mom Pirates, and now this powerful new guy appears?"

Doflamingo was torn between his shock over the fall of the Big Mom Pirates and his fear of exposing his own pirate connections. He was restless and anxious.

Boom!

Torepol burst in, looking panicked.

"Doflamingo! Oh no, the warship has arrived at the port!"

Doflamingo was startled, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

"What? They actually came to us? Did the Marines find out about our connection with the Big Mom Pirates?"

"Did they say anything?"

Torepol wiped his sweat and replied, "No, they didn't reveal their purpose, but…."

"But what?"

"They gave us ten minutes to respond, or… they would reopen the matter."

"What!"

Doflamingo leaped up, veins bulging on his forehead.

"Calm down! Calm down!!"

Doflamingo took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. The situation was still unclear, and he couldn't afford to panic because of the Marines' arrival. Besides, this was Dressrosa, his territory. Even if conflict arose, the Donquixote Family would not be easily defeated.

He needed to understand the enemy's intentions first. The recent upheavals, including the Marine's unprecedented defeat and the escape of over a thousand prisoners from Impel Down, had created a complex situation. As a Shichibukai, Doflamingo was a formidable force not to be taken lightly.

Even if his collusion with the Big Mom Pirates was exposed, the World Government and Marines wouldn't dare to act against him under the current circumstances.

Feeling reassured, Doflamingo's smile returned.

"Enough with the fretting—Torepol, gather all the cadres immediately. As the ruler of Dressrosa, you must entertain our guests properly."

At the Port

On the deck of the warship, Momousagi and Ain peered through their binoculars, staring into the distance.

"Carlos, if they don't come, will we really have to fire?" Ain asked. "This could be seen as a declaration of war against the Shichibukai."

Momousagi and Ain seemed concerned. Starting a war against the Shichibukai without orders from the World Government could have severe consequences.

Yamato and Hawkeye, however, were unfazed. Yamato, who had no particular regard for the Shichibukai, didn't care much about the situation. Carlos's previous actions—saving her from Kaido and bringing stability to Wano—had earned him her unwavering support. To Yamato, Carlos could do no wrong.

Hawkeye, on the other hand, was a master who feared nothing. To him, rules and orders were inconsequential.

Carlos waved his hand dismissively. "The Donquixote Family is a ruthless group."

"The darkness hidden deep within Dressrosa is beyond imagination. Doflamingo uses Sugar's power to turn citizens into obedient dolls and is involved in numerous illicit activities like arms smuggling and human trafficking."

"Behind the seemingly peaceful façade, countless sins and tragedies are buried."

"But he's still a Shichibukai…" Momousagi and Ain looked worried.

Carlos smiled. "Don't worry. I have Doflamingo's secrets. He won't dare to make a move against us. Even if I were to kill him here, it wouldn't be a problem."

Doflamingo had threatened the World Government with the secret of the "Celestial Dragons' Treasure." The Five Elders were already displeased with him. How could he get away with such threats?

Carlos had a plan. After extracting all the value from this situation, he would expose what happened here, using it to bolster his own military merit.

While everyone was chatting, a large crowd slowly appeared at the end of the road leading from the port to the town.

Doflamingo descended from the warship, flanked by his cadres.

"Carlos! Come out here!" Doflamingo shouted. "As a Marine, how dare you attack this place? Believe it or not—"

Before he could finish, Doflamingo's expression froze in disbelief.

Looking at the figure appearing on the side of the ship, his eyes widened in shock.

"You! You're Garros!"

"How is this possible?"

Doflamingo was stunned to see the man standing beside the ship. "So, Garros is your disguise! What are you doing here?"

"Don't forget your place. You can't—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Carlos on the deck vanished in an instant. A powerful gust of wind roared.

Before Doflamingo could react, a terrifying and irresistible force clamped down on his throat.

Boom!

Rubble flew, and cracks spread like spiderwebs in all directions. Carlos's right hand gripped Doflamingo's neck like an iron vice, pressing him into the ground. His tone was cold.

"I heard you unilaterally tore up the agreement. You're quite bold."

During this time, Carlos had been lounging on the deck, basking in the sun whenever he had free moments. His strength and speed had reached an extraordinary level.

At that moment, Doflamingo felt as if a massive mountain was crushing him. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free. His efforts only seemed to enrage Carlos further.

Carlos applied more pressure with his right hand. Doflamingo's vision darkened, and he coughed in pain.

"This... It's because the family's funds are tight, so it was only temporary—"

"I don't want to hear your excuses. Integrity is crucial in business, and your actions have made me very unhappy."

Carlos's tone was cold as he continued to tighten his grip. Doflamingo's face turned red. He couldn't speak, and his body trembled. It wasn't about his toughness. Under this immense force, he felt as though his neck would be crushed.

Even if he wanted to plead for mercy, he was powerless to do so.

The Donquixote family officials watched in fear and despair, their eyes filled with terror. The memory of Pika being killed with a sword was still fresh in their minds. Despite their anger, no one dared to speak out.

On the deck of the warship, Hawkeye sipped from his goblet of red wine, shaking his head as he observed the scene below.

"Is there such a weakling among the Shichibukai?" he remarked.

Torepol and the others seemed to snap out of their shock and knelt on the ground.

"Sir! Please spare us!"

"No matter what you ask, our Donquixote Family will comply!"

Carlos glanced at them, a satisfied expression on his face as he released his grip. Doflamingo quickly scrambled to his feet, gasping for air. For a brief moment, he had feared for his life. He retreated more than ten meters, still trembling, and looked at Carlos with lingering fear.

"You bastard! Do you really want to kill me? I know the secret of the Celestial Dragons' treasure…"

Hawkeye set down his wine glass and said coldly, "Weak people should always be in awe of the strong. It's incredibly foolish to threaten an opponent when you're in such a weak position."

"Carlos, there's no need to waste your time on this clown."

In Hawkeye's eyes, the world was divided into the strong and the weak. Carlos was undoubtedly a formidable opponent, someone worth engaging with. He was eager to complete this escort mission and challenge Carlos further.

As for Doflamingo, "For someone so weak, it doesn't matter whether he participates in the escort or not."

Hawkeye's words immediately drew everyone's attention. He took another sip of his wine and continued nonchalantly.

"Carlos, since you have a grudge against him, why not just kill him? It should be easy for you."

Carlos turned to the kneeling figures before him. "You've heard that someone is getting impatient…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Doflamingo felt a chill run down his spine. He vividly remembered the scene from the palace when Carlos used his Susanoo form to crush him. This time, Carlos's strength seemed even greater.

Doflamingo, now utterly terrified, lost all courage to resist. He bowed his head and knelt heavily on the ground.

What happened next was straightforward. To appease Carlos's anger, the Donquixote Family not only resumed their previous trade but also handed over treasures worth approximately three billion beri. One billion beri was earned through their hard work during this period, and the remaining two billion beri came from the Big Mom Pirates' trade funds.

Although Carlos wasn't particularly interested in the money, he accepted it with a smile.

After this incident, Doflamingo would likely think twice before harboring any ill intentions. He could only obediently serve Carlos.

In the shocked eyes of Yamato, Momousagi, Ain, and others, large boxes filled with gold and silver were loaded onto the warships. Despite Doflamingo's reluctance, he led the Donquixote Family cadres aboard their pirate ship for the escort.

Moby Dick

The atmosphere on the deck was heavy, as if the air had solidified.

"Marco, repeat that," Whitebeard demanded.

"The Vortex Spider Pirates—completely destroyed."

Whitebeard's pupils narrowed, and he stood up from his seat. The bottles hanging from his body clattered to the ground.

"Who did this?"

Only a short time ago, Scuyard and Whitebeard had attacked Impel Down, engaging in a fierce battle with the Marines. To find everything destroyed just days later was unbelievable.

"According to the survivors, they were attacked suddenly during their voyage and defeated by a slash without even seeing the enemy."

"A slash?" Whitebeard's face darkened. The Great Vortex Spider Pirates were an affiliate under Whitebeard's command. Captain Scuyard had a bounty in the hundreds of millions, so his strength was significant. Yet, they were annihilated without even glimpsing their attacker.

"Damn it, who could it be?"

"If they dare to attack our people, they must pay the price!"

Whitebeard clenched his fists, his eyes filled with a chilling rage. The murderous intent made the temperature on the deck drop several degrees.

The nurse nearby was so frightened she almost cried.

"Dad, please calm down!"

"According to the survivors, several warships passed by the scene of the attack."

"Marines?"

"Since they refuse to give up and want to continue fighting... then I will oblige them!"

"Marco! Gather all the pirate captains under your command immediately!"

"Since they dare to cause trouble in the New World, they won't get away!"

Whitebeard's fierce murderous intent subsided momentarily as he spoke solemnly.

"These guys shouldn't have gone far. Mobilize everyone to search the sea and find their whereabouts!"

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