Become King

"Baboon, did you agree?" Doflamingo looked at the Den Den Mushi in front of him, seemingly asking a question, but actually very confident.

"Are you threatening me, Doflamingo?" The voice on the other end of the Den Den Mushi sounded angry at Doflamingo's arrogant attitude.

"How could that be, Uncle Guremoque?" Doflamingo laughed. "I should be qualified to inherit Dressrosa, no, I definitely should."

"Is this your excuse for stealing the country?" Saint Guremoque frowned and said coldly, "CP0 told me about the situation there. Was it your doing?"

Doflamingo vehemently denied it, saying, "I didn't do it. I'm quite surprised myself."

"It must be you! Because you were too lenient with Dressrosa! Something's definitely up to you, and your leniency towards Dressrosa is not in line with your character," Saint Guremoque sneered.

"That's my ancestors' land, what's wrong with me being a little more tolerant of it?" Doflamingo still refused to admit it.

"You're not that kind of person!" Saint Guremoque chuckled, seemingly with a hint of mockery.

"Baboon! Baboon!" Doflamingo laughed loudly, then sighed softly, "Two-faced, everyone does it, what's wrong with that?"

"I'm just putting Dressrosa back under Donquixote's rule."

"You wouldn't want news about the National Treasure to leak out, would you? It would cause you a lot of trouble. After all, it's a legendary treasure..."

"Shut up!" Doflamingo was interrupted before he could finish speaking. Saint Guremoque said coldly, "You'd better keep this information to yourself. You've already lost your status Celestial Dragons."

Seemingly not wanting to push Doflamingo too far, Saint Guremoque's tone softened, "Congratulations in advance on your coronation, Your His Majesty the King! The World Government will send someone to endorse you."

After saying that, the Den Den Mushi hung up.

Doflamingo was silent for a moment, then couldn't help but burst into laughter, "Baboon, baboon..." The laughter carried outside, sending chills down everyone's spines, wondering what was wrong with their young master.

After an unknown amount of time, Doflamingo strode out; he was about to become the King of Dressrosa.

Public opinion has been appeased; 99% of Dressrosa's residents support him as the new king, Riku Family's rule over Dressrosa has been completely wiped out by him.

As for the World Government, the problem has been completely resolved.

At Marine Headquarters, they were watching the news from Dressrosa. Doflamingo was about to become the king of Dressrosa, which was quite a piece of news in the New World and brought Doflamingo into the spotlight for many.

"It was Doflamingo's doing, wasn't it?" Tsuru was very certain. Connecting all the timelines, it was easy to see that Doflamingo was behind it all.

"That's for sure." Sengoku nodded, then sighed. "There's nothing we can do. We can't produce any evidence. This is an internal decision in Dressrosa, and we can't interfere. Besides, the World Government has already agreed to it."

Since the World Government has intervened, anything the Navy does is futile, and that cunning Doflamingo won't easily reveal his weaknesses.

Dressrosa boasts a prime location as a tropical island with abundant resources. Its nearby coastline features numerous mushroom rocks, providing a natural protective shield.

With Dressrosa, Doflamingo's rise to power will be unstoppable. The Navy will be unable to interfere with the World Government Member States, especially since Doflamingo also holds the title of Shichibukai, enjoying various privileges.

"Although we can't directly intervene, we still need to send someone to keep an eye on him. Given his personality, who knows what kind of trouble he might cause," Tsuru said seriously. She could say she had watched Doflamingo grow up.

In just a few years, they went from being a minor gang in Beihai to becoming the overlord of Beihai's Underworld.

Both his methods and abilities are formidable, and Doflamingo's identity as the "Joker" in the Underworld is no secret to some, naturally also discovered by the Navy.

Tsuru has identified the Night Pirates as one of the forces secretly supporting Doflamingo's rise to power. Although there is no concrete evidence, the Night Pirates are undoubtedly one of the few who could provide such substantial funds.

Moreover, naval intelligence has revealed that the Devil Fruit that originally appeared in the North Blue are now in the hands of the Night Pirates and have appeared among their auction items at the Night Pirates Expo.

Those Devil Fruit were likely obtained by Doflamingo, who then learned that the Night Pirates were secretly supporting Doflamingo development.

"Hmm, let the G5 Branch keep an eye on him for now." Sengoku nodded. Dressrosa was located in the sea area guarded by the G5 Branch, so it was perfect for the G5 Branch to keep an eye on Doflamingo.

Of course, intelligence personnel will be sent over, but the Navy's intelligence capabilities in the New World are currently insufficient. Moreover, given Doflamingo's cautious nature, they won't be able to find any information in a short time, which will only make Doflamingo more careful.

Dressrosa, port.

The ministers of the Dressrosa Kingdom, along with tens of thousands of ordinary residents who had rushed to the scene upon hearing the news, awaited Doflamingo's arrival. Among them were Scarlet and Violet.

They received news of Doflamingo's impending arrival three hours earlier, and in order to make a good impression on Doflamingo, they meticulously prepared a welcoming ceremony.

Not long after, the ship carrying the Donquixote Pirates arrived at the port. After the ship stopped, Doflamingo, wearing a fur cloak, slowly walked off the ship.

Scarlet sighed softly. This was her decision, and because of her special status, she needed to set an example. She knelt down before Doflamingo, signifying the true end of the Riku Royal Family's rule in Dressrosa.

Others followed suit and knelt down, creating a truly spectacular scene.

Doflamingo smiled warmly and helped Scarlet up, saying in a gentle tone, "No need for formalities!"

Then he had others rise up and enter the palace as the master of the land, and delivered his inaugural speech in the square in front of the palace.

"Although I am a pirate, pirates also have a code of honor. I may be ruthless, but that's only when I'm facing enemies. As for my people, I will love you as I would my own family."

"You may think I'm not a good person, but does being a good person necessarily make a good king? Was King Riku a good person before?"

Upon hearing Doflamingo's question, everyone was taken aback. Was King Riku a good person?

Doflamingo quickly gave them an answer.

"Yes, he was a good man, but he was not a good king! He could neither protect you nor give you wealth; he only taught you to endure pain and live numbly. Such a person can be an ordinary person, but he should never be a king. He was not fit to shoulder the responsibilities of a king. That is why he later underwent a drastic change in temperament. Adversity can put pressure on people, and pressure can change people."

"But for me, there is no such thing as a predicament. As long as I am here, no pirate crew will dare to cause trouble."

The crowd cheered; they needed a strong king like this after suffering so much at the hands of pirates.

Doflamingo continued, "Not only that, I will also bestow wealth upon you, and you will be freed from your past poverty, finding... happiness under my rule!"

Doflamingo's words were incredibly alluring; his confident and eloquent manner perfectly matched their image of a king. So what if this king was a pirate?

Doflamingo's promise gave them a boost of confidence, and they began to look forward to a better life in the future.

A false and cheap promise is a skill that everyone in power needs to possess.

Thanks to it, Doflamingo's inaugural address was a huge success.

The appearance of CP0 after the speech brought the atmosphere to a climax.

Members of CP0, wearing masks, announced to the residents of Dressrosa that the World Government had recognized Doflamingo as King of Dressrosa.

After all, World Government Member States and non- World Government Member States are two completely different concepts, and World Government Member States can receive the protection of the Navy.

Under the dual protection of the Shichibukai and the Navy, an endless, bright future is approaching them.

This delighted the local residents, who were finally free of their last worry.

After bidding farewell to the excited citizens, Doflamingo, led by Scarlet, arrived at the royal palace.

However, Scarlet and Violet's original home was the royal palace, and now that Doflamingo has become the new master of Dressrosa, they are essentially homeless.

However, Scarlet had already planned to build a new home in the Flower Field of Dressrosa.

"Why don't you stay for now?" Doflamingo invited.

Scarlet shook her head in refusal; she didn't want to be with pirates.

"Don't you want to see this country gradually improve and create an ideal nation?"

Scarlet was unmoved, while Violet was somewhat tempted but still hesitant.

Doflamingo laughed, "If you leave now, people will start speculating that I, Doflamingo, can't tolerate the Riku Family, and that I kicked you out as soon as I became king, leaving you homeless."

This left Scarlet with no choice. Violet hesitated for a moment before saying, "Then I'll stay."

"Violet." Scarlet's eyes widened. She hadn't expected Violet to agree. Violet was so young; it would be too dangerous for her to go with these pirates.

Violet turned to Scarlet and said, "Sister, you go first. I can come see you anytime. Doflamingo is right; this is something we have to consider."

Scarlet was touched; she thought her sister was thinking of her and knew she didn't like being there.

Violet didn't know why she agreed. Perhaps there was a reason, perhaps Doflamingo's words made sense, or perhaps she was curious about Doflamingo. Nine years old is an age full of curiosity.

Doflamingo smiled; keeping her here was a victory in itself.

As long as she stays, Doflamingo is absolutely confident that he will have enough time to brainwash her and solidify her beliefs.

Is this living for him? No, it's not; it's living for this country.

Doflamingo is trying to adapt to his new persona: a young and promising king.

Unlike the useless King Riku, it would be far too easy for Doflamingo to lead a country from poverty to prosperity.

With his immense power and influence, Doflamingo quickly transformed Dressrosa into a trading hub for the underworld, essentially relocating his businesses from Half Moon Island to Dressrosa.

The underworld has many trading centers, but Dressrosa is famous. It's a country ruled by pirates—could there be a better advertisement?

Moreover, Doflamingo's status as Shichibukai not only gave him high profile but also the strongest security, which quickly attracted a large number of merchants from the underworld to Dressrosa.

Doflamingo had experience running trading centers, and while Dressrosa became a trading center for the underworld, it didn't cause chaos there.

Moreover, the main trading posts were located in sparsely populated areas of Dressrosa, in ports where access was prohibited.

The residents of Dressrosa were certainly aware of this, and they were prepared for it, but as long as it didn't affect them, they were fine with it.

Moreover, in a short period of time, Dressrosa's quality of life improved significantly.

They didn't care what kind of business Doflamingo did.

With Dressrosa, Doflamingo's influence in the New World and the Underworld grew rapidly, like a horse riding on a carriage.

The influence of the Night Pirates was significant. Merchant ships flying the Night Pirates' flag passed through the port of Dressrosa, which influenced a large number of people in the New World to begin cooperating with Doflamingo.

After all, the Night Pirates' power and influence in the New World are now second only to the Sea Emperor, and even surpass the Beasts Pirates and Big Mom Pirates in terms of influence.

The appearance of the Night Pirates' merchant ships in Doflamingo's territory, and so early in the season, indirectly suggests that the Night Pirates are cooperating with Doflamingo, or even possibly have a connection to him, which is something to be wary of.

"Heh, Doflamingo really knows how to leverage his connections." Teach chuckled as he looked at the information he had received below.

The power of the Night Pirates cannot be borrowed at will; there must have been some exchange of benefits involved.

Moreover, Doflamingo's development also greatly benefits the Night Pirates.

To Teach's surprise, Doflamingo's method of seizing Dressrosa was very methodical; as for the process, a quick look into what happened in Dressrosa would reveal the details.

It's important to understand that his methods were originally very brutal, which had significant drawbacks and hidden dangers. This peaceful transition, though fraught with difficulties, ensured Doflamingo's stable position.

In the eyes of some forces, Doflamingo is now seen as the Night Pirates' representative in the Underworld.

It can only be considered half a partnership at best, since the two are, after all, in a cooperative relationship, though the Night Pirates hold the dominant position.

The cooperation involves many aspects, but given Doflamingo's current power, he cannot provide much assistance to the Night Pirates.

In terms of weaponry, the Brotherhood controls most of the arms trade in the New World, making it difficult for Doflamingo to expand his influence New World. His focus will have to be on the first half of the Grand Line, the four seas.

As for weaponry, the Night Pirates don't need it; they have the capability to build their own. Moreover, the weaponry of the Tiresfa Kingdom is world-class in both power and quality.

The Night Pirates don't need some of the illegal items either.

The trade in Devil Fruit continues.

The most important business was the slave trade, which was also extremely important to Doflamingo. However, Night Pirates needed was not slaves, but people.

The environment of the New World meant that the population would not grow significantly.

The struggle for territory is essentially a struggle for population.

Besides expanding their territory and attracting people from other places to their own, the Night Pirates need a large population to make deals with Doflamingo.

However, Doflamingo's slave trade has only been developing for a few years and his influence is still small. But with his abilities, as long as he makes contact with the Celestial Dragons gets their support, he can quickly expand his influence.

If you leverage a trend well, you can soar to great heights. This was true for Doflamingo, and it was also true for the Brotherhood.

Having a spokesperson is essential. Doflamingo can't control him, so he needs someone he can. Therefore, Teach entrusted this matter to Mostima and the others.

Right now, the most important thing is the Swordsmanship Tournament.

Two months have passed, and the Swordsmanship Tournament will officially begin in one month. Many swordsmen have already arrived on Pagila Island and registered to participate.

The population in the Night Pirates' territory has also increased significantly. Among them, it is common for swordsmen to spar. The Night Pirates even specially built a temporary fighting ground for them. It was not troublesome. They just needed to mark out an open space and build a fence around it.

A large number of pirates have arrived in the territory of the Night Pirates. The tournament has not yet started, and the Combat Pyramid is not fully open to the public.

The only open areas are the living quarters, training area, and dining area; the combat arena, however, is not open.

Therefore, the thirty-six arenas located in the Night Sea Domain are extremely popular, with most pirates gathering on the thirty-six islands where the arenas exist.

The main attraction is the very attractive prize money offered by the Night Pirates, which even includes the reward of a rare Devil Fruit.

Meanwhile, to keep some people from getting too bored, the Night Pirates built large screens to broadcast the exciting battles in real time, which greatly boosted the fame of many people.

Meanwhile, Pagila Island is already beginning to resemble the prosperous city that Teach and his companions envisioned.