Chapter 85: A New Ascent
Upon returning to Marineford from the East Blue, Wright was immediately roped into assisting Garp with the numerous security tasks for the Reverie. With a reliable officer at his side, Garp, notorious for his carefree ways, promptly reverted to his idle habits, leaving most of the work to Wright.
Meanwhile, Admiral Sengoku, impressed by Wright's recent stellar performance, decided to cultivate Wright's abilities beyond combat. As Marineford's only dependable conventional Admiral-rank officer, Sengoku found himself overwhelmed, juggling intelligence analysis, naval operations planning, and supporting the Fleet Admiral with overall strategy. Sengoku often lamented that, without the wisdom-enhancing effects of his Buddha form, he would have retired long ago from sheer exhaustion.
"Whenever there's someone useful, you have to use them to their fullest!" Sengoku would say.
Back at Marineford, Wright found himself inundated with a mountain of assignments. Watching Garp chat, eat, and joke around daily, while being a constant source of disruption to Sengoku, Wright couldn't help but feel an urgent need to shed the Rear Admiral rank.
At Vice Admiral level, he'd be considered high-tier combat strength, and the trivial chores would no longer land on his desk. On the Grand Line, the pirates still poured in like an unending tide, and during such a sensitive period, the overwhelming combat prowess of the Vice Admirals made them the linchpin of protecting the delegations.
Amidst the grind of Reverie preparations, an event in the North Blue brought unexpected amusement to Wright—a tale that he would laugh at for years to come.
North Blue
Three months had passed since Vice Admiral Tsuru reluctantly abandoned her pursuit of the Donquixote Family to return to Marineford for the Reverie preparations. The large-scale operation had dealt a devastating blow to the Donquixote Family, leaving their underground networks in ruins. Thanks to Rosinante's intelligence, much of their carefully cultivated influence was annihilated, infuriating even someone as composed as Doflamingo, who could barely contain his rage.
After over two months of regrouping and reorganizing, the Donquixote Family managed to stabilize their remaining operations. However, their authority and prestige suffered an undeniable decline.
Despite knowing that Wright's remarks during their last encounter were nonsense, Doflamingo couldn't entirely shake the anxiety over his family's weakened position. To counter this, he decided to host a grand auction in the underground world. The centerpiece? A rare and unique Paramecia-type Devil Fruit. This event, he believed, would restore the family's reputation and remind the world of their strength.
With the Reverie drawing the Navy's elite forces back to Marineford and allied nations, surveillance of the Donquixote Family's sphere of influence in the North Blue hit an all-time low. Even Sengoku, who had spearheaded the previous crackdown, deemed the family no longer a threat for several years.
For Doflamingo, it was the perfect time to host an underground auction on a grand scale.
"Fuffuffuffuffu…" Draped in his iconic pink feather coat, Doflamingo gazed at the gleaming golden Devil Fruit on the central display of the auction stage, chuckling to himself. "Decimated forces? So what… It seems luck is still on my side."
"Behihihihi! That's right, Doffy!" A sticky figure next to him laughed, his viscous drool making Doflamingo frown and step aside.
"You're too close, Trebol."
"Behihihihi! My bad, my bad!" Trebol, the highest-ranking officer of the Donquixote Family's Club Division, grinned as he leaned on his cane. "Two Devil Fruits in such a short time—this is no ordinary luck, Doffy. You're truly favored by the heavens, behihihi!"
"We've even recruited two promising new members!" Diamante, the top officer of the Diamond Division, said with a wide grin, adjusting his cape.
"Fuffuffuffu… And it's all thanks to you, Diamante." Doflamingo laughed. "Only someone with your talent could locate those two amidst such chaos."
"Which is why you'll handle security for the auction, right?"
"Hey, hey, Doffy! You're making me sound like some sort of genius!"
"You are a genius!"
"Well, since you put it that way, I'll take care of security for the auction!"
"Fuffuffuffu… The guests are already arriving. Gladius, are the arrangements on Pica's side complete? And where are Monet and Sugar?" Doflamingo adjusted his sunglasses and turned to Gladius, who stood nearby.
"Young Master! Pica has secured the new base—it's fortified to the extreme. With the assistance of Señor Pink and Lao G, the defenses are impenetrable!" Gladius reported respectfully.
"As for Monet and Sugar, Monet has been assigned to welcome the guests and manage their information. She's already memorized all the guest profiles! Sugar, being so young, has been paired with Baby 5 to prepare food and drinks for the guests."
"Hmm… Monet's organizational talents are impressive. Excellent work," Doflamingo said with satisfaction, even cracking a rare joke. "You combat types, though… Not so great with paperwork, huh?"
Doflamingo's gaze fell on the Devil Fruit displayed on the stage. Smirking, he added, "Monet and Sugar's loyalty is beyond question. After a bit more observation, this 'Gold-Gold Fruit' (Goru Goru no Mi) might be perfect for one of them."
"Eh? Young Master, isn't that fruit meant for auction?" Buffalo asked in surprise, his plump form growing even rounder.
"You idiot!" A now equally rotund Machvise snapped. "That's just bait to lure in the guests. A rare Paramecia-type Devil Fruit like that? Of course, we're not really selling it!"
"Fuffuffuffu… My dear family," Doflamingo spread his arms wide, laughing. "Thanks to this fruit, the underground's most prominent players are coming to us."
"To them, a Devil Fruit may not be much. But the fact that we're offering one makes this auction unmissable!"
"After this event, the Donquixote Family will rise from the ashes. We'll reclaim everything we've lost and more!"
"For the Young Master!"
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