Law's New Goal, A Promising Future!
His foster son, Donquixote Rosinante, had died on Minion Island.
Back then, the Donquixote Family was present on the island, and Vergo was also there, carrying out a mission!
Sengoku could not believe there was no connection between these events.
"Should we issue a bounty for Doflamingo and Vergo?"
Vice Admiral Tsuru asked calmly.
"Of course. This time, I'll leave Doflamingo's pursuit to you, Tsuru!" Sengoku said, calming his emotions and regaining his composure.
The incident had already happened, so the only option was to mitigate the damage as much as possible.
Before Doflamingo became a Warlord of the Sea, it was Tsuru who had relentlessly pursued him.
Now that he had escaped and returned to being a pirate, it made sense for Tsuru to resume the chase.
Moreover, most of the Donquixote Family's core members had already been wiped out. This made capturing Doflamingo a much easier task for Tsuru.
"Understood. I'll lead my team and set off immediately," Tsuru nodded in agreement.
"Why did the Five Elders suddenly want to see Doflamingo?" Tsuru inquired.
"What else could it be about? It's Sanders."
"What about Sanders?"
"Doflamingo claimed to know something about Sanders' multiple Devil Fruit abilities and the secret to his rapid growth in strength. But he demanded to meet the Five Elders in person."
"That's why Marine Headquarters sent Vergo to extract him from Impel Down," Sengoku explained, adjusting his glasses.
The fact that Sanders possessed multiple Devil Fruit abilities was no longer a secret among the World Government and the upper ranks of the Marines.
Admiral Aokiji had personally confirmed it.
Furthermore, after Sanders' second battle with Kaido, the World Government and the Marines dispatched investigators to the island where the fight had taken place.
Although the island had been reduced to ruins and was unrecognizable, evidence was uncovered.
For example, there were traces of ice and signs that the island had been frozen.
Neither Kaido nor Sanders had freezing abilities!
It was precisely because of these anomalies that the World Government was eager to uncover Sanders' secrets.
"But even if they learn his secrets, what can they do?" Tsuru said with a trace of mockery in her eyes.
In terms of power, Sanders was already one of the strongest in the world.
Under his command was another top-tier powerhouse, the blind swordsman Issho.
Moreover, the Thunder God Pirates always hovered ten thousand meters above the sea.
The World Government and the Marines were completely powerless against them.
Only a handful of individuals in the entire world could even reach such heights.
Even if all of them banded together, they wouldn't be able to take down the Thunder God Pirates.
The crew was naturally in an unbeatable position.
"Exactly," Sengoku replied with a helpless expression when the Thunder God Pirates were mentioned.
Other pirate crews posed significant threats to the World Government and the Marines.
But none were as troublesome as the Thunder God Pirates.
If the World Government were truly provoked by a Yonko, it could mobilize all its forces to eliminate them.
But with the Thunder God Pirates, it was impossible.
They couldn't even locate them.
"We'll just have to approach it from a different angle."
"The Five Elders' current strategy is to sow discord between the Thunder God Pirates and the Yonko."
"Sanders rose to prominence at a young age and is active in the New World. Inevitably, he'll clash with the Yonko eventually," Sengoku said with a sigh.
News of Doflamingo's escape during Marine transport soon spread across the seas.
The revelation of a traitor at the rank of Rear Admiral shocked everyone.
No one had expected such an event.
New World: On Onigashima
"Kaido-sama, Doflamingo has escaped."
King approached Kaido and reported the news of Doflamingo's escape from Marine custody.
Kaido, still tipsy, squinted his eyes in disbelief.
"Doflamingo? That guy actually managed to escape from Impel Down?"
Kaido's face was full of doubt. He knew exactly how strong Doflamingo was.
Since the establishment of Impel Down, only two people had managed to escape: the Golden Lion Shiki and Sanders.
How could Doflamingo stand on the same level as those two?
"It wasn't from Impel Down," King explained calmly. "He was rescued during his transport, orchestrated by the spies he placed within the Marines."
"Oh-ho-ho-ho! Spies in the Marines? Doflamingo does have some tricks up his sleeve!" Kaido laughed.
"In that case, contact him. Let's continue our previous partnership—I want more SMILE fruits!"
The power of the artificial Devil Fruits was not something Kaido was willing to let go of.
"We're also planning to collaborate with the Thunder God Pirates. Since Doflamingo has offended them, should we proceed with caution?" King asked softly.
"No need!"
"I'm Kaido!" Kaido declared boldly, waving his massive hand dismissively. "I'll collaborate with whoever I want! I don't owe anyone an explanation!"
Even though there were rumors that Sanders might already be stronger than him, Kaido would never admit it until Sanders proved it by defeating him.
"This so-called collaboration with the Thunder God Pirates hasn't even taken shape yet," Kaido said nonchalantly. "And besides, Sanders doesn't care about someone like Doflamingo. He wouldn't bother striking twice. For all we know, Sanders might see Doflamingo as nothing more than a whetstone for his subordinates to sharpen their skills."
Kaido's confidence was unshaken.
"Understood, Kaido-sama," King replied, nodding before leaving.
Sky City
Sanders had been staying on the floating Sky City, spending his time with Robin.
In his free moments, he trained his crew, aiming to enhance their overall strength quickly.
Thanks to his mastery over the Gravity Fruit, Sanders personally took charge of their training, giving Issho (Fujitora) a well-deserved break. Issho had been enjoying his leisure time and had seemingly vanished to pursue his own pleasures.
In the training grounds, Sanders stood alone, fending off an onslaught from over a dozen crew members.
With casual ease, he sent them flying one after another.
"You're all way too weak," Sanders said bluntly.
"At this rate, how do you expect to survive in the New World? You might as well stay here in Sky City and take up farming!"
"And you, Bepo! With your current strength, you think you can return to Zou? Too weak! The moment you leave Sky City, you'll be captured, sold off, and auctioned!"
The crew lay scattered across the ground, groaning.
Sanders didn't even use Haki or his Gravity Fruit. He relied solely on his raw physical strength to defeat them all.
Their attacks barely even tickled him.
Even their blades and weapons snapped against his body as if made of cheap metal.
"This is ridiculous…"
"Even without Haki, we can't even scratch him," Shachi muttered despairingly, lying on the ground.
"What did you expect?"
"We couldn't even handle Doflamingo's family officers before, and our captain defeated Doflamingo with ease," Penguin said, gasping for air as he stared at the broken hilt of his sword.
The gap in strength was insurmountable.
They felt like ants being crushed underfoot.
And this was without Sanders even using his Devil Fruit or Haki.
Nearby, Law stood, equally out of breath and struggling to remain upright.
His Ope Ope no Mi powers could bypass Sanders' defenses, provided Sanders didn't use Armament Haki. But landing a hit was impossible—Sanders was simply too fast.
"Keep training. When any of you can withstand a single strike from me, then I'll let you go out on missions," Sanders declared.
With a flick of his wrist, he activated a gravity field, increasing the pressure on the crew and forcing them to continue training under heavy strain.
Watching from the sidelines, Mansherry, who had been snacking on fruit, skillfully approached the exhausted crew members and used her Heal-Heal Fruit powers to mend their injuries.
This had become a daily routine for her. After countless repetitions, she had developed greater mastery over her abilities.
As Sanders reclined on a chair, sipping tea and observing the crew struggle, he mused to himself.
Training them had its benefits. Watching Mansherry use her healing abilities allowed him to refine his own mastery over gravity.
Just then, Viola entered the training grounds. She placed a fresh newspaper on the table beside Sanders before silently leaving.
As the intelligence officer of the Thunder God Pirates, Viola frequently traveled between Sky City and Dressrosa.
She made a habit of delivering the latest news to Sanders.
Unfolding the newspaper, Sanders began scanning for updates about the world.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed as he spotted an article about Doflamingo's escape.
"Tsk. I completely forgot to inform the Marines about that."
"This might actually be a good thing," Sanders murmured to himself, his gaze shifting to Law, who was training diligently nearby.
"Law, come here for a moment," Sanders called out, motioning for him to approach.
"Captain, what is it?"
Covered in sweat and gripping Kikoku tightly, Law walked up to Sanders.
"Doflamingo has escaped," Sanders said, handing the newspaper to him.
Law's expression changed as he quickly scanned the paper.
Not only did it report on Doflamingo's escape, but it also exposed Vergo's betrayal, complete with Vergo's photograph.
"This is…"
Law's gaze sharpened as he stared at the photo.
The man in the picture was none other than the Marine officer he had encountered years ago—the same one who attacked Corazon mercilessly after their mission was exposed.
It was Vergo who left Corazon critically injured, allowing Doflamingo to finish him off.
If it had been anyone other than Vergo, perhaps Corazon would have been rescued by the Marines and would never have died on that desolate island.
"This time, I won't let you get away," Law said firmly, his voice laced with resolve.
"These two are your responsibility," Sanders stated, sipping tea as he spoke. "I won't interfere."
Doflamingo's escape could be considered good news in a way. At the very least, it would serve as motivation for Law and his companions to train even harder.
"I understand, Captain. I will defeat Doflamingo with my own strength," Law declared, his tone resolute.
Since Doflamingo was free once more, Law would personally bring him to justice and avenge Corazon.
"Good. Then focus on your training," Sanders replied with a satisfied nod.
With a clear goal, Law's progress would undoubtedly accelerate. Doflamingo and Vergo were excellent targets for sharpening his skills.
There was no better place for training than the Thunder God Pirates' stronghold.
The Gravity Fruit intensified the effects of their workouts, and with the Heal-Heal Fruit user Mansherry on hand, injuries were of no concern. Even broken limbs could be healed instantly, allowing the crew to bounce back stronger than ever.
On top of that, with Sanders and Issho providing direct guidance, it was an unparalleled training environment.
If word of this got out to the rest of the world, it would surely stir envy among pirates and Marines alike.
Law's future looked promising. He would likely surpass even his canonical bounty of 3 billion berries in a few years.
With training here and further experience in the field, Law would soon possess the strength he had in the original timeline, becoming one of the Thunder God Pirates' primary combatants.
By then, with Nami, Robin, and Wyper reaching similar levels of strength, the Thunder God Pirates' elite forces would rival those of the Yonko crews.
The future was bright indeed.
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T/N:
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