One Piece: Crown of Darkness

"Doffy... this is no joke."

Seeing Doflamingo hang up the Den Den Mushi, Trebol tried to say the same thing as Spandine, as tactfully as possible. He rarely wasn't laughing, and rarely was he so concise, which was enough to show his inner turmoil—a definite guess about what Doflamingo wanted to do, yet a panicked disbelief, desperately seeking a denial.

Doflamingo covered his forehead, chuckling, "Fufufufu~ Don't look so spineless, Trebol! You're right, your guess is correct. I am going after the Heavenly Tribute!"

Clatter!

Overwhelming fear led to numbness. Trebol's cane slipped unconsciously from his hand, falling onto the deck and rolling far away.

"What is the Heavenly Tribute?" Urouge, from Sky Island, didn't understand these things yet.

Diamante was quiet as a mouse, speaking quickly, "The Heavenly Tribute is the annual tribute paid by World Government affiliated nations to the Celestial Dragons as their membership fee to the World Government..."

"Membership fee? You're too polite, Diamante! It's protection money, plain and simple." Doflamingo took over Diamante's explanation, mocking, "You might as well compare it to this: the world is a neighborhood, and the gang that rules the neighborhood is called the 'World Government.' Their bosses are the Celestial Dragons, who inherit their family's wealth through bloodline for generations. The gang's spokesmen are the Gorosei, the housekeepers are Cipher Pol, and the ace enforcers are the Marines. Those who are willing to obey them are the World Government affiliated nations, and those who aren't are the non-affiliated nations. Fufufufu~ Isn't that easier to understand?"

Urouge rubbed his scalp, suddenly enlightened. "So the Heavenly Tribute is the condition for World Government affiliated nations to avoid harassment from the World Government and receive their support? At a deeper level, it symbolizes the order of world power?"

Diamante: "..."

"Fufufufu~ Yes, Urouge! The Heavenly Tribute is a symbol; its significance outweighs its substance. It delineates the three poles of the world—the Celestial Dragons at the top, the World Government affiliated nations in the middle, and everything else outside of them," Doflamingo said casually, as if discussing what to eat for dinner. "So, according to the World Government's ideology, touching the Heavenly Tribute is a crime second only to touching a Celestial Dragon."

The family members: "..." And you still plan to go after the Heavenly Tribute!

"I've already planned it meticulously," Doflamingo no longer concealed his recent deliberations. "In previous years, the Reverie was held when the World Government affiliated nations submitted their tributes. But this year, they're not together. The 'Great Pirate Era' forced the World Government to hold the Reverie early! This means the Marines, already overwhelmed by the geometrically increasing number of pirates, also have to spread their thin forces to escort the royal families from the World Government affiliated nations attending the World Council and collect the Heavenly Tribute for the Celestial Dragons."

"The Marine's resistance will be so minimal, we can easily plunder one or several ships transporting the Heavenly Tribute, and then use that to blackmail the World Government and join the Seven Warlords of the Sea! With the cover of a legitimate pirate identity, freed from the threat of the Marines, I'll have the opportunity to focus on completely bringing the entire underworld under my control with sweeping changes..." Doflamingo was brimming with confidence, full of alluring power, painting and depicting his blueprint. "Becoming the sole representative of the underworld is just the first step."

"Oh~~~"

Whether genuinely or feigned, the family members all exclaimed in admiration. At the very least, their worries had significantly diminished.

After all, Doflamingo had become increasingly autocratic these past few years, and they had been under constant pressure, adhering to the strategy of "don't think, don't even allow yourself to think, just execute orders resolutely." It was a rare occasion for Doflamingo to reveal his true intentions, and they had to embrace it.

"What are you waiting for? Set sail," Doflamingo waved his hand.

The Flamingo entered the water, submerging for submarine travel.

Trebol, with his slight cleverness, reacted. Doflamingo hadn't mentioned at all how he would blackmail the World Government after plundering the Heavenly Tribute...

Shaking his slug-like body, Trebol approached Doflamingo and whispered, "Doffy, Doffy, nyeh, nyeh, what if after we plunder the Heavenly Tribute, the Marines send an Admiral to subjugate us..."

"There's no 'what if.' The Marine's Three Admirals lineup only has 'Sengoku the Buddha' as the sole member, and he's busy putting out fires everywhere. The Marine's other icon, 'Hero Garp,' is also in a tense standoff with Shiki. Furthermore, matters concerning me are always handled by Cipher Pol. My 'identity' is simply too sensitive."

"Fufufufu~~ I only just figured this out myself. Before, I thought my 'identity' was an obstacle to me joining the Seven Warlords of the Sea. It is, but it also isn't," Doflamingo said with a smile. "My identity isn't important, and the Heavenly Tribute isn't important. What's truly important is the great secret of the World Government that I possess, fufufufu~ Keeping me under their watchful eyes is far better than watching me constantly contact one dangerous lunatic after another."

Trebol opened his mouth. "Then why plunder the Heavenly Tribute? With the World Government's great secret you possess, you could directly demand to be a Seven Warlord of the Sea, and the World Government would have to reluctantly agree, right? Behehehe~"

"Demanding too much would make me seem insatiably greedy, and it might even make the World Government rather pay a heavy price to eliminate me entirely," Doflamingo said playfully. "An indirect approach, however, will make the World Government feel my 'sincerity'! Fufufufu~~ I've given them the best reason to explain why they let me join the Seven Warlords of the Sea. For the World Government to tell the world, 'The Heavenly Tribute was plundered by a pirate, so we made that pirate a Seven Warlord of the Sea,' is far better than telling the world, 'Our great secret was discovered, so we made the person who discovered our great secret a Seven Warlord of the Sea.' The Heavenly Tribute is, on the contrary, a brilliant diversion."

Trebol: "..." That actually makes a lot of sense.

"Fufufufu~ Hahahahaha..."

Doflamingo scrutinized Trebol's bewildered expression, patted his shoulder, and burst into laughter as he entered the ship's cabin.

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