Chapter 116

The Next Day—

When the News Coo delivered the morning paper…

The entire world was shaken.

This time, Morgans deviated from his usual sensationalist style. The headline on the front page contained only seven stark words:

[The Tragedy of Dressrosa]

The contents were explosive—sending shockwaves across the seas.

What particularly caused panic was the revelation of Sugar's Devil Fruit ability. It terrified everyone, especially…

The kings and nobles of the world.

A pirate stealing a kingdom…

What were the World Government and the Marines doing?

In a flurry of panic, one by one, the monarchs of affiliated nations began dialing the Den Den Mushi to the World Government.

Today it was Dressrosa, but tomorrow…

Could it be their own kingdom?

How could they not be afraid?

This time, their anger was real. They pointed fingers at the officials of the World Government and unleashed their fury.

They demanded answers—immediately.

And so, layer by layer, the outrage finally reached the desks of the Five Elders.

"Damn that Doflamingo! All he ever does is stir up trouble!"

Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, the blond Five Elder, slammed his hand down on the table and cursed furiously.

But once the anger passed, a massive headache followed.

A very big headache.

This matter was not so simple to handle.

"How many member nations are raising hell now?"

"Over 70 already—and the number keeps rising. Most of them are from the Grand Line."

The others nodded grimly.

Indeed, the kingdoms in the Four Blues were still relatively peaceful. Doflamingo's influence was too distant for them to care.

"If we don't act fast, the number could exceed half of all member nations. That's not a situation we want on our hands."

"Agreed. Mishandling this could lead to global instability."

"Sure, we could suppress them by force—but dealing with dozens, even over a hundred nations simultaneously? The consequences would be catastrophic."

"We must not resort to suppression. If the Revolutionary Army seizes the chance to interfere—and the pirates follow suit—control over the situation will spiral."

"Then… should we send CP0 to eliminate Doflamingo, to pacify the nations?"

The curled-haired Elder, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, offered the suggestion.

But silence fell over the room.

If it were that easy, they'd have done it already.

Doflamingo's status as a former Celestial Dragon wasn't the issue.

With the authority the Five Elders wielded, they could easily arrest—or even kill—him.

But…

Doflamingo held a certain secret about the Celestial Dragons.

A secret that absolutely could not be revealed.

He had used it as leverage to secure his position among the Seven Warlords, and later even took over Dressrosa with impunity.

The Five Elders had been forced to silently approve it all.

Could they kill Doflamingo?

They wanted to—but who could guarantee he hadn't prepared a failsafe?

What if the secret had been entrusted to a loyal subordinate, ready to be exposed upon his death?

That risk was too great.

"Absolutely not. Killing him is off the table," said Saint Topman Warcury, the Elder with the bushy mustache, shaking his head.

"Then what do you suggest?" another Elder snapped. "We can't kill him, and we can't ignore this! How do we deal with him?"

"Capture him—send him straight to Level 6 of Impel Down."

"That could work. Either he talks, or he rots for life. And as long as he stays alive, his backup plan likely won't trigger."

"Agreed!"

"Agreed!"

"Ag—"

All at once, the others' eyes lit up.

One by one, they voiced their support.

"Now the question is—who should handle this?"

"We'll deploy a CP0 squad. Alongside them, have Sengoku send one of the Admirals. That should guarantee success."

"Good plan. But we'll need to locate Doflamingo first."

"CP agents are already tracking him. We should have results soon."

"Very well. This matter is now your responsibility, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn."

The curled-haired Elder nodded solemnly.

---

Marine Headquarters—

"That's the situation," Sengoku said gravely. "The Five Elders want us to send an Admiral to assist CP0."

"Also, relay a direct order to Akainu: capture that girl, Sugar—the one with the Hobby-Hobby Fruit. But warn him… don't let her touch anyone."

"Once she's in custody, send her straight to the Holy Land."

In the office, the tension was palpable.

"Who do you plan to send with CP0?" someone asked.

"Akainu," Sengoku replied. "Aokiji is guarding the New World's G1 base, and Kizaru is our rapid-response force at HQ. Neither can be spared."

"Akainu is a solid choice," Tsuru agreed.

For now, it was the best they could do.

"Tsuru," Sengoku added, "try to contact Jun Lin."

"When CP locates Doflamingo…"

His voice turned icy cold.

"…leak the intel to them."

"Are you serious?" Tsuru's eyes widened in shock.

Ever since becoming Fleet Admiral, Sengoku had strictly followed orders from the Five Elders.

And now, he wanted to do this?

But then it struck her.

It was Doflamingo.

The grudge between Sengoku and him… ran deep.

There hadn't been a chance before. But now…

There was.

"Tsuru. I know exactly what I'm doing."

"I still remember—seven years ago, that kid stood in this very spot, eyes filled with disappointment…"

"If there's even a chance now—I'm taking it."

Tsuru remained silent.

Then, just as she reached the door, she paused.

Back still turned, she spoke.

"I understand. I'll handle it."

As she walked back to her own office, Tsuru sighed deeply.

Sengoku… do you even realize?

The 'Jun Lin' you want to use…

…there's a high chance he's that very kid you just mentioned.

---

Meanwhile, unaware of any of this—

Luo Lan was buzzing with excitement.

Not because of Doflamingo.

No.

Because…

With the Sea-Prism Stone finally secured, a wild plan he once dreamed of—

Was about to become reality.

"Captain, this is the Devil Fruit Extraction Chamber, built according to your specifications!"

Seras gestured to the large 5x5x5 meter metallic cube before them.

"This thing is huge. We don't have that much Sea-Prism Stone. How did you build it?"

"Actually, the main structure is still steel. We only coated the outer layer with Sea-Prism powder."

So that's how.

Luo Lan nodded in understanding. No wonder it was so big—it wasn't made entirely of Sea-Prism Stone.

Just the surface was treated with it.

"Is it ready to operate?"

"Yes, as long as we have a test subject!"

"Perfect. Bring in Buggy!"

At Luo Lan's command, two soldiers carried in a container filled with seawater—Buggy's head just barely above the surface.

"What are you doing?!"

"I'm warning you! Shanks—an Emperor of the Sea—is my brother! Even Whitebeard is an old friend! If you know what's good for you, you'll let me go right now!"

Buggy screamed as he was wheeled into the lab.

He was panicking.

He could sense something very wrong.

He even threw out Whitebeard's name for good measure.

But Luo Lan—who had read the original manga—completely ignored him.

"Begin the operation."

"Yes, Captain!"

Seras nodded and signaled the two marines to proceed.

---

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