The Restless Nations of the North Blue!
[Bang----]
A deafening roar echoed across the ground, shattering large clumps of grass and soil. A Yellow Flash shot out from the dust and smoke, and the next moment, a white figure appeared in mid-air with a rapid whooshing sound, actually blasting the Flashy Flash back.
"Shave!"
As the delicate shout appeared in the arena, the black figure on the other end vanished in a blur, Setsuna appearing before the Yellow Flash.
[Boom!]
The beam of light slammed into the netted racket, the intense spin and force creating a crackling sound as it gradually left visible dents.
Formless wave of air rippled between the ball and the net, and the strong wind it generated made the surrounding grass and her blonde hair dance wildly.
"The power has increased even more!"
Stussy gritted his teeth, feeling the increasing pressure on his hands, and switched from a one-handed grip to a two-handed grip to hit the ball back.
The orange beam of light reappeared, accompanied by a whooshing roar, and instantly streaked across the central net, soaring into the sky.
"Good timing!"
On the other half of the court, Gion, covered in sweat, shouted excitedly. Power gathered in her super long legs, and she jumped high into the air. Her fair arm muscles bulged, and she took the powerful air wave from the ball and slammed it down hard.
[Bang----]
Stussy's sexy legs, clad in fishnet stockings, moved swiftly, leaving afterimages in her wake, catching the tennis ball just before it hit the ground with a speed beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
At the same time, a black sheen covered the racket, easily returning Gion's smash, whose expression changed upon seeing this in mid-air.
"Finally, you're using your Haki!"
"Shave!"
He stomped down hard, and a cloud of air turned into white mist and disappeared into the air.
The next second, she was already on the ground. Gion's Observation Haki was fixed on the direction of the incoming beam of light, and at the same time, she used Armament Haki to strengthen her racket and retaliate.
The two elite ladies, one from the Marine Headquarters and the other from CIPHER POL, finally got serious. They ran across their respective halves of the court, becoming dazzling afterimages, like Yellow Flash balls flying back and forth between them, drawing long, thin trails in the air.
If it were an ordinary person, even if they stared wide-eyed, they would find it difficult to keep up with the speed of the three players, let alone know which side had the advantage. All they could feel was the deafening sound of the ball hitting the court.
Fortunately, Imu was reclining on the beach chair, was no ordinary person. His Ripple Eye through his contact lenses, were like ultra-high-definition cameras, able to see every detail of their movements.
"As expected, Gion's strength is indeed greater. The power, speed, and reaction of Great Swordsman are displayed to their fullest extent, even when playing tennis."
Interestingly, Gion was initially reluctant to play tennis, but after learning how and playing a few rounds, she became obsessed. This sport, which allows one to utilize all aspects of their abilities, brought great joy to this girl who grew up in Marineford.
Especially since the opponent was CP9, who were also women, her competitive spirit was immediately aroused.
As a result, Imu hasn't played much these past two days, spending most of her time watching the two women scheming against each other on the court, going back and forth with tennis to determine a winner.
To be honest, watching beautiful girls play sports really puts me in a good mood.
"Tsk tsk tsk, this is wonderful! This is what you call a comfortable life!" Imu took a sip of the bright red wine in his crystal glass, squinting as he admired the 'murder tennis' before him.
"Tennis is a great thing; we should promote it in the future."
North Blue.
While Imu was enjoying the peace and tranquility of Holy Land Mary Geoise, ships bearing the insignia of the World Government were moving between the islands.
This made the nobles of the North Blue countries, who had been focusing their attention on the South Blue due to the Slave King incident, nervous.
They always felt that the World Government had been acting somewhat dishonestly lately.
"Dover! Dover!"
On Spadamarus Island, Doflamingo was studying a world map inside his house when he heard Trebol exclaim in surprise outside the door. When he looked up, the other man had just Gate of Opening and walked in.
Trebol entered wearing a thick, sticky blue cloak that seemed to drag on the ground, carrying a golden cane, and sporting striking black anklets.
"What's wrong? Tell me slowly."
"Dover, the World Government's ship has arrived here and is currently docked in the harbor!"
Hearing this, Doflamingo, who had sat back down on the sofa, frowned and said, "Could it be that they've come to pick someone up for this year's Reverie?"
"That's not right. I remember there's only one mayor on this island, no king. Have you found out why they came here?"
In the past, he might have thought they were targeting the Donquixote Family, but now he was one of the Shichibukai. Although this identity could not be made public, it guaranteed that he would no longer be captured by the World Government and the Navy. Thinking of this, he glanced at the X-shaped wristband on his right wrist.
"I asked around, and word came from the mayor's office that the World Government is taking away a group of outstanding financial personnel!" Trebol said, panting heavily.
"Finance personnel?"
Doflamingo looked up in surprise, then peered through the window into the depths of the island before turning back to ask, "How many people are they taking?"
"Dover, it's not a matter of how many people they take away, it's that they want to take away the best of them! What will happen to our business then?" Trebol said anxiously.
Training these financial personnel is no easy task; their arms business needs them everywhere, which is giving Doflamingo a headache.
In the past, I might have been able to find a way to intercept them, but now that I've been secretly recruited, it's no longer appropriate to go against the World Government.
As for leaving no evidence, when has the World Government ever cared about such things? They only need to know that this is their territory, and if anything happens, they will definitely come to investigate.
"Besides this, is there anything else?"
Trebol thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "Yes, it's said that the World Government is going to allocate funds to support the schools on the island and expand their size."
"It's not just here; I heard that people have been sent to every kingdom and island with a certain industrial base. Oh, right, it's not just finance; I've been thinking, any outstanding administrative talent is being transferred. Anyway, the World Government is making quite a fuss!"
Upon hearing this, Doflamingo shook his head and chuckled, "Furfurfur, well, there's nothing we can do about it then. This is clearly a major operation by the World Government, but we can't be the only ones to suffer."
"Go and reveal the locations of those forces that are competing with us for business to them. Besides their headquarters, you need to know the details of their factories and finances!"
Trebol nodded repeatedly and left Doflamingo's room.
"What exactly do you want, Five Elders?" Doflamingo gazed at the azure sky in deep thought. "Or is this what that person wants?"
Ever since he returned from Mary Geoise, he has been pondering a question.
If Lord Imu is truly a monster that has existed for hundreds of years, then why has Shichibukai? Or is it that the Shichibukai have actually existed for a long time, and he is merely a new generation member?
"What do World Government need so many administrative and financial personnel for?"
For some reason, Doflamingo had a vague feeling that the winds of change were shifting in the world.
A huge thank you to reader "Little Question Mark" for the 100 Qidian Coin reward! bows Thank you so much!