New World—Dressrosa.
"Trash!"
In a secluded alley, Dongye Huanglong tossed aside a pirate's corpse and took all the Beli from him.
Dongye Huanglong felt no pressure whatsoever when killing pirate scum like this.
With this bit of money, he bought a new set of clothes on the streets of Dressrosa, then wolfed down the local food and bought some pastries for Mansheli and the others.
Today, he had spent quite a while coaxing Mansheli before he was able to land on Dressrosa alone.
After all, he was here to kill people and steal money. It would be inconvenient to bring along an innocent little girl like Mansheli.
The day before yesterday, he had taken Mansheli around part of Dressrosa. Since they had no money, they had not bought anything, and Mansheli had urged him to head back.
Today, he was definitely going to rob some pirates blind!
That bastard Caesar still hasn't escaped prison, so I don't have a chance to get revenge yet. As for Gorosei Saturn, that target is a little too far away. I should get Haki first.
Dongye Huanglong bit into roasted meat as he walked down the bustling streets, his cold gaze searching for the next pirate scum to fill his wallet.
At the same time, he was looking for a way to obtain Haki in Dressrosa, perhaps through some black market.
Blackbeard Teach had been willing to lie low for twenty or thirty years waiting for the Dark-Dark Fruit to appear. There was no issue with Dongye Huanglong lying low for a year or so to learn Haki.
If Dongye Huanglong had wanted to, he could have joined the Whitebeard Pirates, lurked there for a year or two, cut Blackbeard off at the pass, and seize the Dark-Dark Fruit.
But Dongye Huanglong was not some freak like Blackbeard, so he probably could not consume a second Devil Fruit ability.
Still, if he had the chance, he would find a way to seize the Dark-Dark Fruit and deny Blackbeard any opportunity to rise.
At that moment, a burst of commotion came from the lively street.
"Baby5, please marry me! I need you by my side for the rest of my life!"
A sleazy-looking young man held a bouquet of wildflowers he had picked at random and proposed to a long-legged beauty in a maid outfit.
The lecherous look on his face made it easy for anyone to tell that he had ulterior motives.
Yet the beautiful maid shyly fidgeted and did not reject his proposal. She seemed unable to see the sleazy young man's ill intentions, and a faint blush even colored her face, making her all the more enticing.
The freebie maid, Baby5?
Dongye Huanglong recognized at a glance this beautiful maid who could not refuse anyone. She was also a Paramecia Arms-Arms Fruit user with decent combat strength.
But her use of her ability was truly terrible, wasting such a god-tier Fruit.
Just as the sleazy young man felt that he was about to win the beauty's hand, quite a few Dressrosa residents among the onlookers watched the outsider with mocking expressions.
Dongye Huanglong's gaze suddenly flicked toward a patch of empty air, and his expression turned serious.
It was that flamingo's String-String Fruit ability!
Sure enough, just as Baby5 was about to agree to the sleazy young man's proposal, a silent thread instantly pierced through the young man's heart.
A large amount of blood quickly seeped through his white clothes.
"Ah—"
The sleazy young man stared at his chest in terror, feeling a piercing pain erupt from his heart.
What was happening?!
"Hahaha! What a clueless outsider! He actually dared to flirt with an officer of the Donquixote Family. He deserved to die!"
A Dressrosa resident laughed loudly. Every week, he saw ignorant fools killed by King Doflamingo.
It was as thrilling as a duel in the Colosseum.
The cause of it all was Baby5, the beautiful officer who did not know how to refuse anyone.
It was fine to ask Baby5 for small favors, but anyone who dared propose to her or scam her out of money would be mercilessly purged by Doflamingo.
"Ah! Damn Young Master! I'm going to kill you!"
When Baby5 saw the man before her suddenly collapse and die, she immediately charged furiously toward King's Highland to settle the score with Doflamingo.
She hated how the Young Master kept killing people who needed her!
She truly longed for others to need her!
Why did he have to kill her "fiancés" again and again?
As the gawking crowd scattered, Donquixote Family soldiers swiftly emerged to clean up the scene and drag away the corpse. The entire process was smooth and efficient, clearly performed by experienced hands.
Dongye Huanglong finished his roasted meat and watched the scene expressionlessly.
This was the One Piece world, where human lives were worth less than grass.
The weak could not even choose how they died.
Until I learn Haki, I should avoid dealing with someone like Doflamingo.
Dongye Huanglong tossed away the bone and temporarily abandoned the idea of exchanging Vergo's secret for a Haki training method.
He also temporarily gave up on the thought of fooling Baby5.
That Heavenly Yaksha was notorious for being ruthless and vindictive.
Dongye Huanglong remembered that after Doflamingo discovered Tesoro had stolen the Gold-Gold Fruit, he had hunted Tesoro for more than a year.
Only when Tesoro's strength had become enough to fully contend with Doflamingo did the two set aside their hatred and gradually become business partners.
It had to be said that Tesoro was no simple man. He was extremely bold and highly compatible with the Gold-Gold Fruit ability.
He had actually awakened the Gold-Gold Fruit ability within just three or four years. His talent was truly extraordinary.
Thinking of Tesoro's former identity as a Celestial Dragon slave gave Dongye Huanglong an idea.
And since Tesoro's girlfriend Stella had died at the hands of the Celestial Dragons, perhaps there was a chance to bring him into his own faction.
If he succeeded, Dongye Huanglong would never lack money again and would gain a powerful ally as well.
Of course, the prerequisite was still that he possessed enough strength to qualify to work with such a ruthless man.
Otherwise, if he relied only on threats, such a formidable figure would merely try every possible way to kill him.
Dongye Huanglong watched Baby5's retreating figure, his eyes narrowing. The thought of Doflamingo's Celestial Dragon bloodline reminded him of Saturn, the Celestial Dragon who had destroyed one of his eyes.
Although Doflamingo now hated the Celestial Dragons as well, he also desperately wanted to become one again.
It was only because the Celestial Dragons refused to accept him.
Since he had taken in the Tontatta, Dressrosa and the Donquixote Family were certainly among his future targets.
Once he had sufficient strength, Dongye Huanglong would devour everything Doflamingo had without hesitation.
During the two and a half years he had spent as an experimental subject on Punk Hazard, he had thoroughly seen through the rules of this world.
The strong devoured the weak; the victor was king!
Just as Dongye Huanglong turned to look for another unlucky pirate and a black market, a massive figure entered his field of vision.
Beneath that enormous hooded cloak, Dongye Huanglong saw a familiar face.
The wooden box held in the massive figure's hands also seemed to remind Dongye Huanglong of something.
It was actually him!
This guy had not yet gone looking for that big-headed Vegapunk.
Thinking of Vegapunk, this "old friend," Dongye Huanglong's thoughts began racing wildly, and the corner of his mouth suddenly curled upward.
Without another word, he followed after him.
By following this guy, it looked like he would obtain a Haki training method. He might even be able to trick him into joining his ranks and find Vegapunk's new nest along the way.
Those thoughts made Dongye Huanglong tremble with excitement.
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