Surface Allies

"Ah!" With just a fleeting glimpse, Violet felt as if her eyeballs were about to explode. Intense pain surged like a tidal wave, one wave after another, constantly piercing her brain nerves.

"What is inside his heart? Why is it like the night, filled with boundless darkness? If it weren't for the stinging pain in my brain, I would have been lost in that darkness forever!" Violet rubbed her head, trying to distract herself from the pain.

"Miss, it's not a good habit to pry into other people's minds!" A detached voice suddenly rang in Violet's ears. Although the tone was gentle, it struck her like a thunderclap.

Violet looked up and found Roy standing in front of her, his expression frighteningly calm. Unable to control her fear, she involuntarily stepped back, tripped, and fell to the ground.

What terrified her even more was that, despite being in a bustling downtown area and having screamed earlier, which should have attracted attention, the people passing by ignored them as if they were outside the world.

Violet began to recall the descriptions of Roy from those intelligence reports.

"I simply couldn't look that man in the eye."

"When facing that man, I felt absolutely nothing but fear."

"Don't run away, don't lie, and don't try to resist. For that man, death is not the end."

She used to think such words were too exaggerated. After all, when facing the Heavenly Yaksha, who was on par with Nightmare, she had nothing in mind but revenge.

However, when she actually met the man's eyes, she realized that the rumors were true. Just one glance made her heart pound violently, and the heavy pressure even made it hard for her to breathe.

While feeling fear, she couldn't help but feel a secret delight. "Just standing in front of him puts me under so much pressure. It seems his strength is indeed above Doflamingo's."

"If you can't give me a reason that satisfies me, then today is the end of your journey."

Roy's words made Violet's heart clench, as if gripped by an invisible hand. Her mind raced with countless thoughts as she faced life and death.

"I..." Violet was about to speak when she paused. She had originally wanted to pin the blame on Doflamingo, saying that Doflamingo had sent her to monitor Roy, but the moment she opened her mouth, she remembered the line of text marked with a death symbol in the intelligence report.

"Do not run away, do not lie, and do not try to resist."

Violet took a deep breath, stood up with a determined look in her eyes, straightened her appearance, and said in a solemn tone, "I am an assassin of the Donquixote Family, and my other identity is the princess of the Dressrosa Kingdom."

"Hmm." Roy nodded slightly, his expression unreadable. Even if he had known Violet's identity for a long time, or even if it were the first time he had found out, the mere princess of a kingdom would not have moved him. If he wanted to, something like Doflamingo's plot to seize a kingdom would not have been difficult for him, not to mention that the Alabasta Kingdom had long been a puppet in his hands.

Seeing Roy's indifferent expression, Violet was somewhat disappointed, but her years as an assassin had honed her ability to conceal her emotions, and on the surface, she showed no sign of anything amiss.

"Just five years ago, Doflamingo used his Devil Fruit Ability to manipulate my father, deliberately making him appear incompetent and tyrannical, so that the people of the whole country would despise our royal family's behavior. He then seized the country and became the king of Dressrosa."

"Not everyone in this country was deceived by Doflamingo. Those who saw through his true colors joined forces with the Royal Family Army to rebel against the rule of the Donquixote Family. However, their strength was far too weak compared to Doflamingo, and they could only be constantly hunted down and wanted by Doflamingo. Doflamingo valued my Devil Fruit Ability and proposed that I join his ranks in exchange for my father's life."

"However, we have never given up our revenge. Even though we are separated by great distances and our strength is vastly different, everyone has been working hard for the revival of Dressrosa. But we also know very well that it is impossible for us to defeat that demon Doflamingo with our own strength. That is why I came to you."

"After all, it's incredibly difficult to find someone on this vast ocean whose strength surpasses Doflamingo's, while also harboring a genuine hatred for him," Violet said, looking at Roy with hopeful eyes.

"What a touching story," Roy said softly, clapping his hands. "First of all, I must congratulate you; at least you weren't foolish enough to choose to deceive me."

Upon hearing what Roy said, Violet felt a pang of anxiety, secretly relieved that she hadn't chosen to lie.

"Secondly, I have good news and bad news to tell you. Which one do you want to hear first?" Roy said with a playful smile.

Violet took a deep breath, her white breasts trembling violently. "Bad news, but since things have come to this, it can't get any worse."

"Well, the bad news is that the guy you want me to deal with seems to have formed an alliance with me two years ago."

"What?" Violet was stunned by the explosive news, staggered, and fell to the ground again, muttering to herself, "How could this be?"

No wonder she acted this way. The savior she had been so eagerly anticipating was actually on the same side as the enemy. Her actions were undoubtedly like sending a lamb to the slaughter, with no chance of return. Is there anything more foolish in this world than walking into a trap?

"Didn't Doflamingo attempt to kill you two years ago? Shouldn't you hate him? Why would you choose to form an alliance with someone like that?" Violet still held onto a sliver of hope.

"Life and death battles are the norm on this sea. It would be too boring to link everything to hatred. There may be countless people in this world who hate me, but I have never hated anyone since the first day I set sail. The strong live and the weak die. This world is that simple. Rather than being a coward in a corner, hating and cursing, it is better to give it my all and gamble everything to become stronger."

Violet's eyes were lifeless; it was unclear whether she was provoked by Roy's words or simply awaiting death.

Seeing Violet's expression of being thoroughly humiliated, Roy chuckled and turned to leave. "Let me tell you one last piece of good news: my alliance with Doflamingo is just a facade, so you don't need to worry about me arresting and taking you away."

"Remember what I said today: if you don't have the determination to become stronger, you should give up your ridiculous revenge as soon as possible. You might as well place your hopes on a miracle or the arrival of a savior."