Dressrosa, docks.
Doflamingo, the reigning king who rarely showed himself before the public, had unusually appeared at the bustling docks.
He stood on the pier, gazing into the distance, with a neat formation of Family guards behind him. He seemed to be preparing to welcome some important figure.
An important figure was indeed due to arrive today—
It was the reinforcements Doflamingo had requested from Kaido: Jack the Drought, one of the Beasts Pirates' Three Calamities.
Before Kaido, one of the Four Emperors, Doflamingo was merely a black-market merchant with a relatively large operation and some scarce goods in hand. He did not have enough clout to invite Kaido himself to back him up.
Still, while Jack the Drought was not as vicious as Kaido, he was equally renowned and possessed formidable strength.
Jack was an Ancient Zoan Mammoth Fruit user. On the seas, he was famous for his immense durability, towering defense, and ability to take a beating. Once he latched onto someone, they could not shake him off anytime soon.
His bounty stood at a full one billion Beli, placing him on the same level as Katakuri, the Big Mom Pirates' second-in-command.
By the commonly accepted standards for ranking strength, Jack the Drought was unquestionably Emperor Commander level, with enough power to throw his weight around even before a Marine Admiral.
With such a top-tier tank shielding him, there were not many people on the seas who could touch Doflamingo.
Yet Doflamingo was still in a poor mood:
The news that Germa 66 and the Donquixote Family had fallen out was no longer a secret in the underworld, while word that Garen was coming to seek revenge had spread across the seas through the newspapers.
Dressrosa appeared peaceful on the surface, filled with song and dance as always,