"That's rather unfortunate. If the Flower Country had joined this operation, the World Government would really be in trouble."
A faint voice drifted over. Lao Cai turned his head and jumped in fright. "Where did this ghost come from?"
"This is no ghost. It is merely my illusory body," said the transparent figure that appeared to have only an upper body.
"My true body is still several hundred kilometers away. This is only a phantom formed after my Observation Haki sensed you."
"Several hundred kilometers? You have to be joking, right?" Lao Cai gasped. "You can hold such a detailed conversation with us from that distance? Your Observation Haki is way too insane."
Then, as though he had thought of something, he said, "You're Doflamingo? The leader of the Shichibukai?"
"Uh... the leader of the Shichibukai? Since when did I gain that nickname?" Doflamingo asked in surprise. "It is true that I am one of the Shichibukai, but I doubt the others would recognize me as their leader."
"But they probably wouldn't dispute your nickname as the leader of the Shichibukai either." Lao Cai scratched his head. "After all, you're much stronger than they are."
Doflamingo did not deny that he was much stronger than them. In his eyes, aside from Hawkeye, whose strength he still did not know the extent of, the other so-called Shichibukai were basically people he could casually control with a single glare.
The Shichibukai in the original story had already been terribly unbalanced in strength. As for the current Shichibukai, aside from Hawkeye, who was worthy of Doflamingo's regard, the rest merely filled the numbers.
Not to mention anything else, Sand Crocodile had already been a Shichibukai back in Dressrosa, yet hadn't he still been easily controlled by Doflamingo?
"All right, enough about that." Doflamingo