The time shifted back slightly, at Marine Headquarters.
After a long wait, another Shichibukai finally arrived at the venue.
"Bartholomew Kuma."
After introducing himself, the towering man silently took his seat.
He stared straight ahead without saying a word. After sitting down, he made no movement whatsoever, like a robot on standby.
Garen smiled and greeted him, but only received a polite nod in return.
Hancock, meanwhile, completely treated the big bear as air. She simply clung to Garen, whispering sweetly by his side, nearly ready to hang off him like a koala and take a nap.
At first, Garen naturally refused.
However, Garen currently lacked the tenacity buff from "Nami's Gaze," leaving him far less resistant to Hancock's charm.
Just as Teach could not resist eating the Dark-Dark Fruit, Garen could not rid himself of his weak-willed bad habit.
In the end, Garen could only helplessly let Hancock lean against him. Breathing in the warmth at such close range, he bitterly thought to himself, This is amazing.
The Shichibukai meeting venue thus became the place where Garen and Hancock went on dates.
The quiet Kuma and Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who had been single his whole life, thoroughly faded into the background.
At last, an incongruous laugh shattered the silence:
"Fufufufufu!"
The laugh was exceedingly peculiar, naturally carrying a hint of mockery.
The doors to the venue were pushed open, and a blond man entered. He wore red sunglasses, a dazzling pink feather coat, and cropped skinny jeans.
Combined with the wicked grin that practically had the word "villain" written across his face, along with his distinctive pigeon-toed "Doflamingo dance" walking style—
If the police were cracking down on vice, gangs, and drugs, he would definitely be one of their prime targets.
"Doflamingo."
Sengoku spoke the newcomer's name, his gaze