The translucent Thunder Pillar connected the sky spanning across the heavens and the earth. In the high sky, the surging electromagnetic pulses burst the clouds, leaving behind a clear, blue sky with no clouds in sight.
Underneath this white pillar of light, nothing could remain intact. Rowen held onto Diamante, but soon he felt a sandy sensation in his hand so he let go and ceased the release of electricity.
Sigh…
A gentle breeze blew, carrying a wisp of blue smoke with it.
There was nothing left in the air. Diamante’s symbolic chief hat was mostly tattered, turning into molten iron and mixing with charred soil. In less than half a minute of appearing, Donquixote Family’s executive, Diamante, was dead!
“The Ishi Ishi no Mi (Stone-Stone Fruit) does have its advantages in Dressrosa’s home ground.”
Looking back at the ground where Doflamingo had disappeared, not even Rowen’s Thunder-Lightning Human Heart Network could penetrate the unknown thickness of the rock layers to find the target.
“Vice Admiral Rowen! What happened?”
At this moment, Rowen heard someone calling his name. The person was far away and he was not communicating through a Den Den Mushi, just shouting from their spot. However, in front of Rowen’s Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), there was no need for other means of communication.
“Immediately surround Dressrosa with the Aircraft Force!”
“Doflamingo has escaped!”
“What?!” On the Qilin ship’s deck, Dante was shocked upon hearing the news. He stammered, “Didn’t he already agree to the Marine’s request? Why would he do this?!”
After agreeing to the compensation, all that remained was to resolve the Black Market issue, and he would become the legitimate King of Dressrosa. Even the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) would hesitate to take further action against him without a justifiable reason.
Dante couldn’t understand. In such a perfect situation, only a madman would betray and flee.
“It seems that Sugar is his taboo. Even if he is not the King, he must ensure the Donquixote Family’s trump card.” Rowen spoke after understanding the problem.
As long as the Risk Assessment is passed, even if Luffy continues to defeat him in the future, there is no reasonable excuse for the Riku family to reclaim the throne.
The significance of having Sugar is much more to Doflamingo than he had initially thought.
“You mean… that little girl who can turn people into toys and erase other people’s memories of them?”
Dante was stunned for a second, his expression filled with terror. “The Hobi Hobi no Mi (Toy Toy Fruit), does it really exist?!!”
Turning people into toys was not terrifying; the terrifying part was that all of their memories from other people’s minds would be erased. Without memories, the existence of a person becomes a philosophical question worth discussing.
Initially, Dante didn’t believe that such a terrifying Devil Fruit existed, and out of trust in Rowen, he didn’t act on his own thoughts. But now, Rowen was telling him that it was because of this fruit that Doflamingo had escaped, and the authenticity of the situation was beyond doubt.
“That’s right, there…”
‘Wait a minute… So, what you’re saying is that you didn’t believe me at all before, right?!’ Rowen silently thought in his heart and for a brief moment, Rowen’s solemn expression faltered, and his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Finally catching his breath, Rowen looked at the ground where Doflamingo’s aura had dissipated and said irritably, “Less asking, more doing! I suspect he slipped into the Underground Port. Seal off the entrances and exits, and maintain a safe distance!”
Having said that, Rowen leaned down and his tightly-knit muscles swelled up as he hammered his fist into the ground.
Boom!
Rumble!!
The tremendous tremor shook the houses, and countless residents panicked and scattered in all directions. They didn’t know what had happened, but as ordinary people living at the bottom of the food chain, all they needed to do was flee!
For a while, the whole Dressrosa was in chaos.
“Hey, are you listening? Vice Admiral Rowen!” On the Qilin ship, Dante was alone in the command room, shouting at the wall like a fool. Fortunately, there was no one else in the room or outsiders would just think that Rowen had hung up the Den Den Mushi on Dante without listening to him at all, which was not something that Dante wanted to let anyone know.
“This bastard! You really did threaten him, didn’t you?!” Dante felt an itching hatred in his heart as he clearly understood the meaning behind Rowen’s words.
At first, he was curious about what confidence Rowen had to make Doflamingo pay 10 Billion Berries to him. Now he understood where that confidence came from.
To protect that girl named Sugar, Doflamingo was willing to give up a perfect situation and escape. In the face of such determination, 10 Billion or even 20 Billion was not an exaggeration!
But the premise was to find Doflamingo and prevent his escape.
With this in mind, Dante grabbed the Den Den Mushi and notified everyone.
“Emergency Mission!! Attention, everyone! Doflamingo has escaped! The Aircraft Force will blockade Dressrosa from the sky! The rest of you, divide into two groups and block the entrances and exits of the Underground Black Market!”
After thinking for a moment, Dante added, “Without my orders, no one is allowed within a kilometer of the Underground Port! I repeat, without my orders, no one is allowed within a kilometer of the Underground Port!”
The Soldiers who heard the notification were perplexed: “…”
Blocking the entrances and not allowing anyone near within a kilometer, what kind of mission is this?!
…
At a corner of the Underground Port.
The sturdy stone slabs suddenly rippled like the surface of the water, even though several-ton artillery was placed not far away, proving that these stones were genuine.
Plop!
Soon, Doflamingo emerged from the ground, following a robust man dressed in samurai armor.
“Young lord, hurry, Diamante won’t be able to hold them off for long!”
While within the stone, Pica could sense all the information about the surface or anyone who had contact with the stone. He noticed that the Underground rocks had just been disturbed by some force, revealing a large blank space. He knew it was a precursor to Diamante launching a powerful attack.
To make Diamante use such a stamina-consuming move, showed how formidable their opponent was.
Pica’s voice was sharp and thin, like a duck speaking with a squeezed throat. His enormous size and muscular physique created a comical sense of incongruity with his voice.
As a result, he was often ridiculed, which developed into a habit of him going mad when mocked.
But Doflamingo never showed the slightest displeasure because of his voice. As one of the four-man group who had once saved Doflamingo, Pica was recognized as a family by Doflamingo.
“I understand… Trebol! Where is Sugar?”
The Donquixote Family had predetermined this as their retreat location, and when the tremor occurred, Trebol was supposed to be waiting here with the other executives.
Upon hearing Doffy’s question, Trebol quickly replied, “She’s already waiting in the submarine, Doffy! This way!”
“Very well!”
Without wasting any time on further discussion, Doflamingo agreed and stepped forward, heading towards a hidden port within the Underground Port.
(End of this chapter)
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