Drought Jack Is Nothing to Worry About, but Demon Child Lynn... Must Not Be Underestimated!

A bead of cold sweat trickled down King's temple.

As he looked into Lynn's pitch-black, utterly emotionless eyes, he felt powerless for the first time.

This brat... simply could not be judged by common sense!

That Conqueror's Haki was even more absurd than Kaido's had been in his youth!

If this standoff continued, the entire palace would probably be blown apart by the brat's Conqueror's Haki!

"Fine..." King took a deep breath, his voice carrying a trace of barely noticeable hoarseness. "Jack, take Young Master Lynn with you."

"But!" He suddenly raised his voice, his gaze sharp as a blade as he stared fixedly at Jack. "Young Master Lynn's safety is the highest priority! If even a single hair on his head is harmed, bring me your head!"

"Yes! Brother King! I guarantee it with my life!" Jack straightened his back and shouted his assurance, his face filled with excitement and... a trace of nervousness.

Being able to go on a mission with Young Master Lynn was an immense honor!

But at the same time, the responsibility was fucking heavy!

Queen's plump cheeks twitched several times. He wanted to say something, but when he saw Lynn's expression that clearly said, If you don't agree, I'll keep releasing Conqueror's Haki, he ultimately swallowed his words.

He sighed, pulled out a large bag of candies in all sorts of flavors, and stuffed it into Lynn's arms. "Little Lynn, eat candy if you get hungry on the way. Don't you dare mistreat yourself! If those bad guys dare bully you, come back and tell Uncle Queen. I'll turn every last one of them into meat paste!"

Lynn looked at the candies in his arms, then at Queen. For once, his little face revealed a trace of... well, something that could be called satisfaction.

He nodded, then toddled over to Jack on his short little legs. Reaching out with his chubby hand, he grabbed Jack's large, callused hand.

Jack's entire body trembled as he felt a warm current flow from his palm.

He lowered his head and looked at Lynn's tiny figure, his heart swelling with bold pride!

With Young Master Lynn here, what the hell was a mere Doflamingo?

The next day.

New World, Dressrosa, royal palace.

Inside the luxurious banquet hall, glasses clinked and decadent music filled the air.

Shichibukai, the "Heavenly Yaksha" Donquixote Doflamingo, sat high in the seat of honor.

He wore his signature pink feathered coat, his face bearing that trademark strange "Fufufufu" laugh. His slender fingers held a wineglass as he gently swirled the crimson liquid within.

Below him sat a man gleaming with gold, his presence imposing.

It was none other than the "Golden Emperor," Gild Tesoro!

Besides them, the banquet hall was filled with more than a dozen underworld tycoons from all over the world. Each one exuded a fierce aura, their eyes filled with greed and ambition.

"Fufufufu... Tesoro, everyone, this cooperation will definitely make both sides rich beyond measure!" Doflamingo raised his glass, his voice carrying a bewitching charm.

"SMILE artificial Devil Fruits are epoch-making creations! With them, we can build an invincible army!"

A confident smile curled Tesoro's lips, the golden rings on his fingers gleaming brilliantly beneath the lights. "Doffy, your eye has always been sharp. I'm in on this deal! My Golden City will need plenty of 'ability users' to maintain order in the future too. Hehehe."

The other underworld tycoons all chimed in, their gazes toward Doflamingo filled with awe and anticipation.

The smile on Doflamingo's face deepened.

He had recently connected with the World Government and had also entered into a giantification experiment partnership with the Big Mom Pirates.

Now, he had formed a SMILE trading alliance with Gild Tesoro and these underworld giants.

It could be said that his influence had expanded to an unprecedented level!

That was also where he got the confidence to raise prices on Kaido of the Beasts!

Kaido of the Beasts was strong.

But Doflamingo was no weakling either!

Just then.

"Young Master! This is bad!!" A Family officer rushed in with a panicked expression, stumbling and crawling as he dropped to his knees before Doflamingo.

The atmosphere in the banquet hall instantly froze.

The smile on Doflamingo's face faded slightly as he raised an eyebrow. "What are you so panicked about? Can't you see I'm entertaining distinguished guests?"

The officer trembled all over, his voice nearly breaking into tears. "It... it's someone from the Beasts Pirates! Jack the Drought! He... he led people to attack the docks!!"

"Jack the Drought?" Doflamingo sneered and took a sip from his glass. "That idiot who only knows how to use brute force? He actually dared come to Dressrosa and cause trouble?"

He rose to his feet, adjusted his feathered coat, and revealed an amused smile. "Fufufufu, perfect. Let our guests see how the Donquixote Family treats its visitors!"

"Come on, let's meet this Jack the Drought who doesn't know his place!"

Tesoro and the other underworld tycoons all wore expressions of anticipation, rising to follow him.

The group marched grandly toward the outside of the palace.

They had just reached the palace gates.

"Huh?!" Viola, the Family's female officer who possessed the Glint-Glint Fruit, suddenly cried out in alarm, her face turning deathly pale!

Her eyes, capable of seeing through everything, stared fixedly toward the docks. Her pupils contracted violently from overwhelming shock!

"Viola, what's wrong?" Doflamingo stopped walking and asked with some displeasure.

"Young Master... beside Jack the Drought..." Viola's voice trembled as she pointed toward the docks, as though she had seen something utterly terrifying. "There's also a child!"

"A child?" Sugar tilted her head and licked the sugar frosting off her finger. "What's so scary about a child? Could he be fiercer than Jack?"

Pica let out his shrill, grating voice. "Ushishishi! Maybe he's a snack Jack brought with him!"

Diamante grinned as well. "What kind of waves could a little brat possibly stir up?"

Doflamingo's officers all sneered, clearly not taking a child seriously.

But Doflamingo frowned.

For Viola to lose her composure like this, that child could not possibly be ordinary.

"Look carefully. Who is it?" His voice sank.

Viola swallowed with difficulty, her voice filled with bone-deep terror. "That... that child... he's wearing split-crotch pants... he's delicate and adorable..."

"But according to the latest Navy bounty poster photo..."

"He... he is definitely..."

"Kaido of the Beasts' son! The monster with a bounty of one billion Berries, who took down three Vice Admirals by himself—"

"The Demon Child, Lynn!!!"

"Hiss—!!!"

Sharp gasps rose one after another!

The smiles on the Donquixote Family officers' faces, which had been full of relaxed mockery just moments ago, instantly froze.

Every one of their pupils contracted to the extreme.

Even Pica's enormous stone statue body trembled slightly!

The candy in Sugar's hand dropped to the floor with a plop!

Diamante's smile looked uglier than a crying face!

The Demon Child Lynn?!

That name had recently become practically taboo in the New World!

A baby not even two years old with a bounty of one billion!

He had fought three Navy Vice Admirals and crippled one of them!

Such a feat sounded like a complete fantasy!

But now, that monster had appeared in Dressrosa?!

And he had come with Jack the Drought?!

Even Doflamingo, who had been dismissive all along, had the sinister smile on his face completely freeze!

The knuckles of the hand gripping his wineglass turned faintly white from the force!

Kaido's son... the Demon Child Lynn...

Those two titles combined carried far more weight than Jack the Drought alone!

Even Gild Tesoro beside him lost his composure, his expression replaced by grave solemnity.

He narrowed his eyes toward the docks, wariness flickering in his golden pupils.

Those two were probably not here with good intentions!