Doflamingo had been having a very hard time lately:
The three-man group led by Diamante, the top officer responsible for capturing Luo, had completely lost contact, while the conflict between Germa 66 and the Donquixote Family had escalated by the day. A great war in the underworld was on the verge of breaking out.
But before one wave had settled, another had risen:
Before the fighting on that front had even begun, he had inexplicably received a death threat from Garen.
Because of the worthless lives of a few dozen fish-man slaves, he was coming for the head of Heavenly Yaksha?
Doflamingo had never heard such a ridiculous reason to start a war.
Yet Doflamingo also understood in his heart:
No matter how absurd the words were, once they came from the mouth of a strong man, they carried an entirely different weight.
As long as the speaker was strong enough, any so-called joke would become an inevitable future.
Doflamingo had personally experienced Garen's strength back in Impel Down, when he had fled the poison alongside Whitebeard, the three admirals, and a whole group of monsters.
From the moment he received that death threat, Doflamingo had completely lost the composure expected of the king of the underworld.
Pirates, mercenaries, illegal merchants, even the World Government—he began seeking help through every possible channel to deal with the approaching crisis.
At that very moment, Doflamingo was speaking to one of the most powerful figures in his network:
"Doflamingo, I understand what you mean."
The great man's voice was rough but not steady. Instead, it carried the irritable violence of a drunken man:
"You want my protection?"
"Yes."
A trace of respect lingered in Doflamingo's tone.
When speaking with this great man, he had none of his usual arrogance or tyranny.
Because the