Doflamingo, You're Missing Uncle Ben to Pull the Strings

Doflamingo was heading to Marine Headquarters in response to a summons from the Navy, so he naturally possessed a permanent log pose for Marineford.

In truth, a permanent log pose for Marineford was not difficult to obtain.

This was because, although Marineford served as the Marine Headquarters, it was effectively a medium-sized island. Beyond the naval base, it contained a large residential area where the families of the Marines lived.

The island had a permanent population of nearly one million people.

Merchant ships came and went quite frequently.

Moreover, most legitimate merchant vessels preferred to conduct business in Marineford.

After all, in theory, it was the safest place in the entire pirate world.

Tens of thousands of elite Marines were stationed there year-round, including a vast number of officers of all ranks.

Most importantly, it was the permanent base of Fleet Admiral Sengoku the Buddha, the Hero of the Marines Garp, and the three Admirals.

What foolhardy pirate would dare to come here and cause trouble?

Even the legendary pirate Golden Lion had to leave behind two legs as a toll when he visited Marine Headquarters.

The world's number one gang lived up to its reputation.

These details all came from the mouth of Doflamingo.

Seeing that this lord seemed quite ignorant of certain aspects of the world yet remained highly interested, Doflamingo speculated that he might be some sort of "recluse" from a non-affiliated small nation or perhaps even a desolate island.

The world was vast, and such individuals did occasionally emerge.

Perhaps the long-lost strongest Logia-type—the Rumble-Rumble Fruit—was also on some unknown island, potentially viewed as the "power of a god" by indigenous people who had never seen a Devil Fruit before.

Regardless, such things were not surprising to Doflamingo, who prided himself on his extensive knowledge.

Zhu Mang had no idea that this seemingly cold and aloof guy was secretly filling in his backstory with a mountain of assumptions.

He truly was not well-versed in the finer details of the pirate world.

Nonsense, who pays attention to those things while reading manga?

It was even possible that the manga itself never touched upon them!

After all, Oda was just a manga artist; what did he know about the Pirate King?

Since this "aloof flamingo" was willing to shed his usual cold exterior and evolve into a "chattering parrot," Zhu Mang was happy to listen to him, treating it as a preliminary way to understand the customs and geography of this world.

Judging by the current situation, he would have to stay in this world for quite a long time.

Heaven knows when his "game," with its non-existent presence, would grant him another chance to travel!

Through Doflamingo's introduction, he finally grasped his approximate location.

As it turned out, he was already quite close to the Red Line.

Doflamingo had used his own abilities to fly directly over the Red Line, then turned toward the Sabaody Archipelago before heading to Marineford. (Although Sabaody was theoretically beneath the Red Line, it was actually located beneath Pangea Castle, where the Celestial Dragons lived. The Red Line was long and vast; if one had the ability to fly, one could easily cross it from elsewhere.)

As for Zhu Mang, his own flight path had indeed deviated.

Had he not encountered Doflamingo and continued flying in a straight line for a while longer, he most likely would have seen the Red Line.

Hmm, he was off by about thirty degrees from the direction of Marineford.

That was a massive slant.

Of course, Zhu Mang would never admit to that.

He casually shoved the stack of bounty posters toward Doflamingo.

Doflamingo glanced at them and realized they were a pile of pirate bounties, causing his eyelids to twitch.

"Lord Gebinz, this is..."

"Oh, I borrowed them from a News Coo. I promised to return them, so you can do it for me."

"Borrow... borrow bounty posters? Are you intending to become a bounty hunter?" Doflamingo took the posters, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"Yeah, I'm hungry and have no money for food, so I have to find a way to make some," Zhu Mang said, rubbing his stomach, which cooperated by letting out a loud growl.

Doflamingo understood instantly.

"My lord, the Sabaody Archipelago is not far ahead. Why don't we take a short break there and sample some of the local delicacies?"

"Are you paying?"

"It's a mere pittance, as long as you are pleased..."

"Then let's go."

Zhu Mang chuckled and suddenly accelerated.

BOOM!

White shockwaves erupted from his body, instantly blowing away all the clouds in the vicinity.

!!!

Doflamingo widened his eyes, his expression filled with shock.

He tumbled through the air, flailing as he frantically used his strings to latch onto nearby clouds to stabilize his body.

After finally steadying himself, he realized that the figure of that lord had completely vanished from his field of vision.

At first, he felt a flicker of anger, but the rage was quickly reined in, replaced instead by wild ecstasy.

Powerful, far too powerful!

First that strange energy cannon, then the astonishing burst of flight speed just now, and that terrifying aura capable of scattering the clouds.

The strength of this Lord Gebinz was absolutely not inferior to any of the Four Emperors or those Holy Knights of the Holy Land!

The most crucial point was this.

This lord had no bias!

His origins were mysterious; he was neither a Marine nor a pirate!

If he could be recruited and persuaded to head to Dressrosa to join the Donquixote Family...

Sparks of ambition, almost tangible, erupted in Doflamingo's eyes.

With that thought, he hurriedly tugged on his cloud-strings, following behind Zhu Mang at the fastest speed he could muster.

Only after flying a great distance did Zhu Mang realize he had left Doflamingo behind.

Although he likely wouldn't get lost this time—since he knew he was near the Sabaody Archipelago, he really only needed to find the Red Line and fly along it.

After all, the Sabaody Archipelago was located directly beneath a certain part of the Red Line.

It was just that he realized he was going to grab a meal, and he had no one to pick up the tab.

Later, when he went to Marineford to watch the show, he would also be missing a guide... a pathfinder.

He might as well wait.

After waiting for quite a while, he finally caught sight of that familiar pink coat.

"I've waited until the flowers have withered; couldn't you have been any slower?" Zhu Mang remarked, unceremoniously mocking his sluggishness.

In a world of extraordinary martial power, strength was king, especially among pirates who already revered force.

Doflamingo didn't find Zhu Mang's words inappropriate at all; instead, he explained in a tone that sounded like a mix of ingratiation and flattery: "My flight relies on strings pulling on clouds; I cannot move as freely and at such high speeds as you."

He had his own grievances.

Throughout his flight, he discovered that many of the clouds along the way had been blown away by Zhu Mang's aura, which forced him to take a detour and climb to higher altitudes to find more clouds.

"Actually, you're mostly missing an uncle named Ben."

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

"I know a powerhouse who also uses strings. His strings are held up in the sky by his Uncle Ben, so he can go wherever he wants. It's incredibly convenient."

Doflamingo: Hm? Why does that sound so strange?