Chapter 181: Chapter 181: Queen's New Task
In the Royal Palace of Dressrosa:
Under the oversight of Sugar's toy corps spread across the island, Monet had no opportunity to escape. Yet, as one of Doflamingo's most loyal subordinates, she never entertained the thought of desertion.
As Shin approached the royal palace, Monet, transformed into a swirling blizzard, charged toward him.
Then…
"Kotoamatsukami!"
A few hours later, Queen and the siblings Ulti and Page One arrived at the Dressrosa palace as Shin had summoned them.
"Captain, I've captured two of Doflamingo's crew members here as well," Queen reported, carrying a thoroughly restrained Buffalo and Baby 5 with a smug grin. "These two little rascals tried to fight me, so I gave them a dose of my special anesthetic. They're still dizzy from it."
In terms of strength, among Doflamingo's crew, only Doflamingo himself could put up a fight against Queen. Buffalo and Baby 5 stood no chance, even in a fair battle, but Queen was hardly one for fair fights.
Poor Buffalo and Baby 5. Who would've expected a pirate of Queen's renown to rely on underhanded tactics? They were quickly subdued.
"Release us, you coward!" Baby 5 shouted, only just coming to her senses after the anesthetic. Buffalo, taking stock of their surroundings, went pale as he realized they were inside the royal palace of Dressrosa. If their foes had penetrated this far, Buffalo dared not consider what fate had befallen the rest of the Donquixote family.
Shin cast a cold look at the pair and, with a simple glare, activated his Kotoamatsukami jutsu. Immediately, both captives fell silent, their resistance gone.
Seeing Shin's action, Queen's expression turned wary. This ability to brainwash and control others was more terrifying than any physical weapon.
It was precisely for this reason that Shin refrained from using this power in front of people like Ace and the Whitebeard Pirates. Although he trusted their characters, it was best not to test the limits of their trust like that.
Queen and his crew were another matter. Their respect for Shin was driven by fear more than loyalty, and the more he displayed his power and authority, the less they would dare to rebel.
"As expected of the captain! Has Dressrosa been subdued in such a short time?" Page One broke the tense silence.
Shin shook his head and summoned a dark mist with a wave of his hand. From it, Doflamingo's subordinates stepped forth, each bowing to him with deference.
"Master!" they greeted, eyes lowered in respect.
Shin spoke calmly, "Dressrosa itself isn't of much value to me. What matters is the influence of the Donquixote Family's black market network."
Though Dressrosa appeared prosperous, much of its wealth stemmed from Doflamingo's underground dealings. Without that, the island's resources alone would not sustain such affluence.
Shin had little use for ruling territory—life as a pirate offered far more freedom and fewer responsibilities, allowing him to wield power without the burdens of governance.
He was more interested in the underground network Doflamingo had built than in Dressrosa itself.
Observing the Donquixote Family's respectful demeanor, Queen and the others felt a shiver of fear. They worried that Shin, impressed by Doflamingo's former subordinates' obedience, might use his powers to replace or control them and perhaps even apply the Kotoamatsukami to them someday.
In Queen's case, that fear was particularly intense. Unlike Ulti and Page One, who had genuine respect for Shin, Queen's loyalty stemmed from self-preservation rather than genuine admiration.
"Queen!" Shin snapped, his voice cutting through Queen's anxious thoughts.
"Ah! Yes, Master! At your service!" Queen stammered, quickly adopting a submissive expression.
"I have a mission for you. You know of Caesar Clown, don't you?"
"Caesar Clown?" Queen snorted, his disdain palpable. "That narcissistic fool who's deluded about his own talent?"
Shin raised an eyebrow. He'd heard that Queen, Caesar Clown, and Vinsmoke Judge had once shared a lab with Vegapunk, yet Queen's opinion of Caesar was unusually low.
Seeing Shin's curiosity, Queen continued, "Sir, we all worked under Vegapunk, each with our own expertise. I specialized in mechanical engineering and virus research, Judge on genetic research. However, Caesar Clown's strength lies in copying others' work—and poorly at that. Worst of all, he genuinely believes he's on Vegapunk's level."
Shin nodded thoughtfully, somewhat bemused. Caesar's artificial Devil Fruits were indeed subpar, with high failure rates and bizarre side effects. In comparison, Vegapunk's artificial dragon fruit was leagues ahead.
"Regardless, Caesar Clown's currently at Punk Hazard. I'm assigning you to capture him alive and to retrieve any prototype of an artificial devil fruit made by Vegapunk. Once that's done, you'll continue researching for me there."
Queen, hearing his orders, couldn't hide a sly grin.
Queen was conflicted about his current situation. While he felt some relief at the thought of leaving Shin's ominous presence, he also feared venturing too far away and losing the safety of Shin's reputation.
Ultimately, the chance to conduct his work with a degree of autonomy while staying within Shin's sphere of protection seemed to Queen to be the perfect balance.
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