Amidst the fluttering threads, Doflamingo and Sig locked eyes once more.
Sig remained silent, a mysterious smile on his face.
Doflamingo also stayed quiet, his expression grave.
An eerie atmosphere spread between them.
"Shipping King."
Suddenly, Doflamingo glanced at Umit, the Shipping King, and spoke in a low voice:
"This time, I'll give you face."
"Buffalo, let's go."
Under the complex gazes of the crowd, Doflamingo leaped into the air, landing on the back of Buffalo, who was hovering mid-flight.
However, Buffalo was still a bit confused and cautiously asked:
"But, Young Master, Baby 5 is still in Sig's hands..."
As he spoke, Buffalo seemed to remember something and shouted to Baby 5:
"Come back, Baby 5! The Donquixote Family needs..."
Just as his words were about to leave his mouth, Sig suddenly shouted, drowning out his voice:
"Baby 5!"
Sig's sudden shout drew the attention of many in the crowd, including Baby 5.
"I need you more than anyone else in the world."
"So, from now on, can you listen only to me?"
Baby 5 froze, standing in the crowd, momentarily speechless. Her eyes gradually welled up with tears, and she nodded silently but firmly.
Seeing this scene, many in the crowd were deeply moved.
"What an incurable lolicon, saying such things in public at a time like this."
"Could he be the world's strongest lolicon..."
Amidst the whispers, Stussy, who had been standing quietly beside Sig, was struck as if by lightning.
She turned her head, staring blankly at the tearful 12-year-old maid, Baby 5, her expression complex.
....
In the sky above.
Doflamingo watched this scene, veins bulging on his forehead.
But in the end, he just snorted coldly.
"Let's go. We don't need to worry about Baby 5, a traitor to the family."
Hearing this, Buffalo beneath him sped up, flying into the distance.
"Think you can just leave like that, Doflamingo?"
Behind Umit, the Shipping King, one of the underworld faction leaders snorted.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Doflamingo, standing on Buffalo's back, suddenly turned his head and glared at the faction leader who had spoken.
In that moment, an intangible yet overwhelming aura erupted and then instantly retracted.
The faction leader behind Umit had already lost consciousness, collapsing to the ground.
Conqueror's Haki!
When Conqueror's Haki reaches an intermediate level, it can be controlled freely, unleashed or retracted at will.
This time, Doflamingo's Conqueror's Haki was carefully restrained, affecting only the faction leader who had spoken.
"Doflamingo, you..."
The crowd was both shocked and furious, but no one dared to make a move.
Doflamingo's strength had been made abundantly clear.
Provoking him was not a wise move.
"Let him go. This island needs a Warlord..."
Someone sighed.
"But... he was about to kill us all!"
"His Birdcage didn't go through, did it? Doflamingo's target has always been Sig. If Sig dies, why would Doflamingo turn against us?"
Someone immediately offered a different perspective.
"Does he think his business is too big?" someone sneered.
"What? Even now, you still want to coexist peacefully with Doflamingo?"
"Otherwise? Should we turn against him? Then this island will lose its Warlord..."
"Besides, Sig isn't chasing Doflamingo either..."
Countless eyes turned back to Sig.
Doflamingo was dangerous, but Sig was no pushover either.
Despite being severely injured, Sig had completely dodged all of Doflamingo's attacks.
Later, he had even used some unknown method to directly dismantle Doflamingo's ultimate technique, the Birdcage, forcing him to retreat.
"Just how strong is he?"
"With a bounty of 400 million, the World Government has severely underestimated him."
Someone couldn't help but sigh.
.........
A short while later.
Sig, still severely injured, had returned to the Pleasure District with his subordinates.
Meanwhile, Umit, the Shipping King, and the others were gathered in a luxurious building, discussing matters with grave expressions.
"This time, it was a serious mistake on our part."
"As the seller at the auction, Sig was intercepted by pirates after leaving. If this isn't handled properly, it will ruin our reputation."
"And then there's the matter of Doflamingo..."
The group continued to debate, eventually reaching a unified decision.
"We need to apologize to Sig... and try to build a closer relationship. After all, he's also the master of the Pleasure District."
"Didn't Sig bid on the Calm-Calm Fruit? Coincidentally, I have another Devil Fruit on hand. It should be enough to express our apology."
Someone spoke up, instructing a subordinate to bring out a small box.
But when the box was opened, everyone in the room frowned deeply, some even showing disgust.
"Isn't this the Devil Fruit that went unsold last time? You're planning to give him this unknown fruit?"
........
Buffalo's flying speed wasn't slow, and they soon left the airspace above the island.
On the island, no pursuers attempted to chase them.
"Young Master..."
Buffalo hesitated for a moment before asking:
"Why did we leave like that..."
Doflamingo's face was dark, and after a long pause, he finally spoke in a low voice:
"Now is not the time to settle things with Sig."
"The Pleasure District on this island isn't Sig's foundation."
"The real Pleasure District is in the New World!"
"We'll go destroy the real Pleasure District and see what kind of expression Sig will have then!"
Doflamingo snorted coldly.
He pulled out the treasure map from his pocket, glanced at it, but his mood remained沉重 (heavy).
During this trip to the island, he had used every trick in the book but still couldn't defeat Sig. He had even lost a cadre he had trained for years.
Especially the bizarre moment when Sig dismantled the Birdcage—it continued to linger in Doflamingo's mind.
Doflamingo extended his fingers, and translucent threads quickly extended from his fingertips.
However, the resilience and sharpness of these threads were far inferior to before.
It was as if he had returned to the days when he had just obtained the String-String Fruit.
"What exactly did Sig do to me..."
Doflamingo couldn't figure it out.
However, this trip to the island wasn't a complete loss.
Doflamingo tightened his grip on the treasure map in his hand.
At the very least, he had obtained the treasure map for Another Piece.
"As long as I can become a Celestial Dragon, none of this matters."
Doflamingo muttered to himself.
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