One Piece: Crown of Darkness

"Get out!!!"

"Don't annoy me!"

"Ahhhhh!!!"

At that time, over three-tenths of the hundreds of thousands of people attracted by the spectacle of the "Pirate King's" public execution immediately felt their blood boil and decided to set sail after hearing his last words.

Even with the Marines' frantic pursuit around Loguetown, the survival of the fittest among pirates, and the natural barrier of Reverse Mountain, those who reached Twin Capes were still as numerous as carp crossing a river.

People are strange, full of all sorts of characters. Seeing Doflamingo obtain a stack of books after conversing with Crocus, some thick-headed individual tried to imitate him, also hoping to get something from Crocus. Naturally, he was met with Crocus, who had nowhere to vent his anger, beating him savagely with a harpoon, literally grinding him into the ground.

Crocus's enraged, ferocious expression and formidable fighting skills were genuinely startling. Many people, not understanding what was happening, exclaimed, "Is this the Grand Line? Even a lighthouse keeper is this strong?!"

They then felt a sudden chill, as if doused with cold water, speculating that everyone living on the Grand Line was a monster like Crocus, and began to hesitate about venturing into the Grand Line... It's too dangerous!

On the Flamingo.

"Doffy!"

Diamante drew his sword, holding it by the hilt, and softly called out to Doflamingo.

Trebol, Pica, and Giolla also readied their weapons.

Click.

Doflamingo ended his communication with Spandine and hung up the Den Den Mushi receiver.

"What's wrong?" Doflamingo glanced around. He didn't need Diamante to explain; he already knew. He leaped onto the bow, head held high, releasing dangerous signals with a series of cold laughs. "Fufufufufu~"

The Flamingo was positioned awkwardly, right in the middle of a buffer zone just after coming down Reverse Mountain. Normally, anchoring there wouldn't be an issue, as the entrance to the Grand Line wasn't small.

But not today.

There were too many people and too many ships. To avoid collisions, ships coming from behind either had to traverse the narrow channels on either side of the Flamingo or drop anchor immediately. Either way, it severely tested their steering skills. Inevitably, those with poor steering skills caused scrapes and bumps, leading to blockages.

In short, the Flamingo was blocking the path of many pirate ships... Most pirates, whether seasoned veterans or rookies, shared a common flaw: they were irritable, prone to outbursts, and highly destructive. This was especially true when their path was obstructed.

The Donquixote Family had found trouble.

Doflamingo was not one to admit fault, even if it truly was his mistake. He haughtily looked down at the enraged and even attacking pirates, scornfully spitting out a word: "Disrespectful."

"Bastard!"

"It's clearly your fault, you caused our losses!"

"You infuriating guy! Who do you think you are!"

"I'll kill you!"

The shouts surged, like an overturning tide.

"Everyone, get down."

Doflamingo warned his family members. They trusted him and quickly got down.

Buzz, buzz~

Crackling~~~

A wild aura, accompanied by tiny, crackling black and red lightning arcs, swept forth like thunder, instantly spreading from Doflamingo as its origin point, engulfing an area hundreds of meters around him.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

"..."

In an instant, all shouting ceased.

Dozens of ships, two or three hundred people, foamed at the mouth and fainted. They couldn't withstand the "death threat" from the monster.

"Lying down... does it help, Young Master?" Giolla, her head spinning, grumbled while rubbing her arms, trying to shake off the pervasive chill.

Doflamingo's response was colder than his dark joke of telling his family members to lie down to avoid his Conqueror's Haki: "Perhaps it does." After a short pause, he added, "The flies are gone, the world is quiet. Depart!"

The Flamingo had not yet restarted its voyage, when suddenly...

Rumble, rumble, rumble!!!

A pirate ship violently broke through the increasingly congested Grand Line entrance caused by Doflamingo.

"Kishishishi~ What a coincidence! We meet again!" Moria was always so cheerful, acting on pure impulse.

Doflamingo was not friendly. He looked at Moria as if he were an idiot, and said indifferently, "Mind your own business."

"Kishishishi~ Don't be so scary! Hey, won't you introduce yourself?" Moria didn't mind at all, laughing as he called out, "You're pretty strong, are you interested in..."

Doflamingo cut Moria off decisively. He knew what Moria meant. "No! Past, present, and future, never!" Then, not without warning, he added, "Mind your own business."

"Ah~ What a shame! Kishishishi~ Oh well, everyone has their own ambitions. Have a pleasant journey!" Moria wasn't bothered by his failure to recruit Doflamingo. He waved heartily, and his crew adjusted their course, gradually moving away from the Flamingo's navigation path.

However, Moria's pirate ship's course adjustment wasn't smooth because three more pirate ships, just like his, had violently broken through the increasingly congested Grand Line entrance caused by Doflamingo, entering the Moria Pirates' adjustment zone due to the inertia of the turbulent water.

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