Still as Useless as Ever After All These Years!

The New World, Dressrosa.

Night fell over the Palace spires, but the city remained brightly lit, and the sounds of singing and dancing from the streets drifted far away.

At the highest point of the Palace, Doflamingo leaned on the railing, looking down at the street through his sunglasses, his pink feather coat fluttering in the night wind.

"Hehehe! Dover!"

Trebol dragged his sticky body over, not caring that snot was hanging from his mouth.

Everything is arranged!

"Sugar is also on standby, just waiting for your word."

"Fufu..."

Doflamingo grinned, his laughter low and hoarse.

"Eight hundred years ago, this place originally belonged to the Donquixote Family."

"The King Riku lineage has only sat on the throne for us for a few hundred years."

"It'll be time for a new owner after tomorrow night!"

Trebol rubbed his hands together, looking excited.

"Taking it back is only the first step."

Doflamingo raised his hand and pointed to the distant Port, where the lighthouse flickered in the night.

"This place connects to several trade routes in the New World; underground transactions, arms dealing, and raw materials can all be done through here."

"Once Caesar completes the Artificial Zoan, Dressrosa will be my factory and headquarters."

"Kaido requested the goods again?"

"They're pushing us hard. But right now, we only have enough for a trial run; there's no point in talking about mass production."

Doflamingo sneered.

Once King Riku is scorned by the people, he can step forward to "clean up the mess," and the kingdom will naturally fall into his hands.

He has plenty of money.

Once the production line is truly built, Kaido will have to exchange as many weapons as he wants.

Trebol chuckled a few times, then suddenly lowered his voice. "But what about Ron..."

Doflamingo's face darkened.

"That kid's busy checking the Hanafuda."

"Besides, who would have thought that a dignified Shichibukai would come to the king in the middle of the night to 'collect a debt'?"

He shook his pink coat, turned, and walked towards the stairwell.

"Let's go and see this old king first."

Palace Study.

King Riku put down the official document he was reviewing, a burst of laughter drifted in through the window.

"Fufu! King Riku, Sashiberdana."

Who goes there?!

King Riku suddenly stood up and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Donquixote Doflamingo.

The newcomer walked to the table without any ceremony, sat down, crossed his legs, and his sunglasses reflected a cold light.

"Eight hundred years ago, my ancestors entrusted this country to you for safekeeping."

"Now, haven't you borrowed it long enough?"

"Dressrosa belongs to its people, never to you!"

That's a nice way to put it.

Doflamingo smiled and held up one finger.

"Let's make a deal. Hand over 10 billion Beli before sunset tomorrow."

"I'll leave once I've collected them all."

King Riku's eyes widened in surprise.

"Ten billion?!"

If we can't gather all the kings, we'll get a different one.

Doflamingo tilted his head slightly, and two dark figures silently swept across the rooftop outside the window.

"My men have already entered the city. You don't want the area outside the Palace to become a battlefield, do you?"

King Riku gripped the sword hilt tightly, his knuckles turning white.

He could see clearly that this was not a bluff.

If a fight breaks out, the ordinary people on the street will be the first to suffer.

What makes you think I would agree?

"Because you cherish the people."

Doflamingo stood up.

Don't let me down before the sun sets tomorrow.

"If anyone dares to speak of what happened tonight, a hundred people will die outside the Palace."

King Riku drew his sword and pointed it directly at his chest.

"If you dare to harm a single hair on the heads of the common people, I will never let you get away with it!"

"Fufufu... then you'd better hurry up and save money."

Doflamingo didn't dodge at all; instead, he pushed his chest closer to the sword tip.

King Riku's hands trembled slightly.

He wasn't afraid to stab, he was afraid to gamble.

Will the family members outside the casino immediately retaliate against the civilians?

Doflamingo laughed twice, leaped out of the window, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

King Riku stood frozen in place for a long time before finally calling for the captain of his guard in a hoarse voice.

"A decree has been issued to all towns... requesting that the people temporarily lend money. The royal family will repay the full amount in the future."

The captain of the guard was stunned.

"Your Majesty, what has happened?"

King Riku did not answer, but clenched his fists.

In the dead of night, bells rang out one after another throughout the kingdom.

"The king wants money? Ten billion Beli?!"

"My family has saved up for ten years, are we just going to hand it all over?"

"King Riku has never acted like this before; something terrible must have happened!"

In the bakery on the street corner, the proprietress handed several heavy bags of coins to the guard, but hesitated to let go of his hand.

"Tell His Majesty, this is money saved for the child's tuition. He... he absolutely must return the money!"

The guard lowered his head.

I will pass on the message.

On another street, some people kept their doors and windows tightly shut and refused to open them no matter what.

Some people believed that the king would not harm them, so they sent their jewelry and savings to the collection point.

As dawn broke, the streets and alleys of the royal city were filled with discussions.

Has His Majesty gone mad?

"Did he use our money for some shady deal?"

In the shadows, Donquixote Family listened to the argument and secretly curled the corners of their lips into a smile.

Doflamingo had no intention of waiting until sunset.

The 10 billion Beli was just a smokescreen; what he really wanted was for all of Dressrosa to witness King Riku losing the hearts of the people.

The next morning, outside the Palace Square.

King Riku personally led his guards to count the levied funds, his face looking extremely haggard.

"All collected property must be registered one by one. No one should be missed in terms of who contributed how much."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

He had just turned around to explain to the residents on the street when his fingertip suddenly twitched.

Several thin, almost invisible threads silently wrapped around his arms and back.

King Riku's pupils contracted sharply, and his body involuntarily drew his sword!

"His Majesty?!"

"Get out of the way!"

He gritted his teeth and tried desperately to stop, but his right hand swung down on its own.

Clang!

A guard hastily raised his shield to block, but still suffered a bloody gash on his shoulder.

"The king has killed someone!"

The crowd immediately erupted into chaos.

At the same time, black smoke rose in the distance, and a house was set on fire by family members who had been lying in ambush.

The Donquixote Family members, mingling in the crowd, immediately joined in shouting, "King Riku has gone mad! He's going to kill us all!"

"Run, everyone!"

High on the rooftop, Doflamingo's fingers twitched slightly as he laughed, his shoulders shaking.

"Fufu... Come on, destroy this country with your own hands!"

Trebol hid behind the house, clutching Den Den Mushi and laughing so hard he was shaking.

"Hehehe! The people in the north of the city are making a fuss too! They're all shouting that the king has gone mad!"

"Let them keep shouting."

Doflamingo snapped his index finger.

King Riku's sword tip shifted an inch, pointing directly at the youngest soldier in front of him.

King Riku struggled with all his might, but he couldn't even pull back a single finger.

"It wasn't me! Get out of the way!"

He raised his sword high once more.

The young soldier was so frightened that he fell to the ground, not even having time to raise his shield.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty?!"

The sword suddenly slashed down.

Click.

Suddenly, a straight crack appeared in mid-air.

The air opened to both sides like two doors, and a large hand covered in Armament Haki reached out from inside, two fingers firmly gripping the sword's blade.

Clang!

The sword blade stopped in mid-air.

No matter how much the thread was pulled, Ron's two fingers remained completely still.

"What?!"

Ron casually swung his other hand.

Click!

A thin spatial rift swept across King Riku's shoulder and back, and the few threads wrapped around him snapped instantly.

King Riku loosened his grip, collapsing to his knees and gasping for breath.

A three-meter-tall figure with black hair stepped out of the door, the Justice Coat on his shoulders billowing in the wind.

"Tsk."

Ron looked up at the roof.

"Still as useless as ever after all these years."

Doflamingo.

The laughter from the rooftop abruptly stopped.

"Ron... Ron?!"

Doflamingo suddenly stood up straight, his tone filled with surprise.

"How did you get here?!"

"I came to see you act."

Ron withdrew his hand and gestured with his chin towards Doflamingo on the rooftop.

"First, force the king to borrow money, then manipulate him into committing murder, and finally emerge as the hero."

"Doflamingo, you've got a pretty clever plan."

The surrounding residents, still shaken, retreated to the street corner to peer out.

Ron turned around and gestured with his chin toward the captain of the guard.

"Take the king and the wounded away first. Send your men to put out the fire; don't gather here to watch the spectacle."

"A... Marine Vice Admiral?!"

The captain of the guards snapped out of his daze and quickly ordered the soldiers to help King Riku.

King Riku looked up, his face covered in cold sweat.

"That person... he can control my body!"

"I saw it."

Ron's gaze returned to the rooftop.

"Don't worry, those wires have already broken. Go and explain the money issue to the people."

King Riku nodded emphatically and, supported by his guards, quickly left.

Before the Air Door could close, two more people walked out.

A stern-faced man wearing glasses and a crisp Rear Admiral's uniform.

Another one wore a spotted hat, carried Kikoku on his shoulder, and looked nonchalant.

Doflamingo recognized the two of them.

"Vergo?!"

"And... Luo?!"

"You two are here too?!"

Vergo adjusted his glasses, his tone indifferent.

"Doflamingo, please watch your address. I am now Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral."

"Traitor!"

Doflamingo's forehead veins bulged.

"I trusted you so much back then! And you turned out to be just like that bastard Rosinante— "

Vergo calmly interrupted him.

"Because I was part of the family, I know all too well how many dirty things you've done."

Doflamingo suddenly turned to Law, his tone sinister.

"And you! The Op-Op Fruit should have been mine all along!"

Luo chuckled.

"Your name is written on the fruit?"

"You--"

Don't try to get close to me, I don't know you at all.

Ron chuckled.

"Alright, we can catch up later."

Doflamingo's smile finally crumbled.

He knew in his heart that he was no match for Ron in a head-on confrontation.

But this isn't Deserted Island; behind us lies the royal city, and there are still soldiers and civilians who haven't finished withdrawing from the city!

"Fufu!"

"Parasite String!"

He suddenly raised his five fingers, and several thin threads silently wrapped around the three guards who hadn't had time to leave the street.

The guard froze, and the blade turned uncontrollably toward his companion.

"Ron!"

"If you dare lay a finger on me, they'll die first!"

Ron didn't even bother to look up.

"Luo."

"Clear."

"ROOM!"

A pale blue area instantly unfolded.

Luo gripped the Kikoku, and the blade flashed.

Swish!

The silk threads binding the three guards snapped instantly.

Shambles!

Swish!

The three soldiers vanished instantly, swapping positions with the rubble in the distance.

Doflamingo paused, his five fingers snapping.

"What?!"

Luo carried the Kikoku back onto his shoulder.

You should worry about yourself first.

Doflamingo stared at the empty threads, then glanced at the two people behind Ron.

Damn it!

King Riku failed to harm him, and the Parasite String were also broken!

He'd been preparing for so long, and these three guys ruined it all!

A terrifying aura suddenly exploded from his body!

Boom!

The Conqueror's Haki swept across the roof, causing tiles to fall down in a flurry.

The soldiers who hadn't gone far on the street suddenly felt dizzy and swayed.

Vergo frowned, and Luo gripped the hilt of his sword.

Ron simply raised his head, a slow smile creeping onto his lips.

"How?"

"You still want to fight me?"