The atmosphere in the tavern turned tense in an instant.
Doflamingo's trademark smile froze, and the defiant eyes behind his sunglasses fixed on Roy.
The family officers around him all shot to their feet. Diamante had already drawn his sword, and the massive Pica stepped in front of Doflamingo.
Trebol, the snot-nosed man, stepped forward with a strange laugh.
"Behehehehe! How dare you attack one of our people!"
Roy leaned over the table, propping his chin on one hand as he watched Doflamingo and his wary companions,
an amused look on his face.
"Oh? Are you going to fight here, Heavenly Yaksha Donquixote Doflamingo?"
At the mention of the surname Donquixote, Doflamingo's composure slipped, and veins bulged on his forehead.
"Fuffuffuffu..."
"Do you know what that name means, Heavenly Dao Roy?"
"Of course. For example, a certain former Ce-les-tial Dragon who isn't recognized!"
"Shut up!"
The words Celestial Dragon sent Doflamingo into an instant rage, and black-and-red lightning erupted from his body.
Yet Roy and the others at the center of the storm did not budge. Faced with Conqueror's Haki of only this level,
Tesoro and the others found it child's play. They were regularly subjected to Roy's and Bullet's Conqueror's Haki.
Roy remained in his lazy pose. The current Xiao Ming was still far too inexperienced to make him want to fight.
He tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table, yawned, and gazed calmly at Doflamingo.
"Put away your little scare tactics. If you want a fight, we can play along,
"but I still have a few things to ask the tavern owner. It wouldn't be good to wreck the place.
"So, how about you go outside first?"
A flicker of wariness crossed Doflamingo's eyes. This was the first time he had encountered a group on whom even his Conqueror's Haki had no effect at all. More concerning still, Roy clearly knew everything about his background.
"Fuffuffu... interesting."
"Heavenly Dao Roy, I'll remember you."
He raised a hand to stop the restless family officers behind him and gave Roy a long look.
His gaze behind his sunglasses was dark enough to drip water. He turned, picked up his pink feather coat, threw it over his shoulders, and strode out.
"Young master!"
Trebol called out, unwilling to let it go.
"Let's go."
The family officers exchanged glances, but ultimately put away their weapons and filed out after Doflamingo.
The tavern doors slammed shut behind them with a dull thud.
Tesoro snorted. "I thought I'd get to stretch my muscles."
A red light flashed in Roy's eyes, and an amused look followed. Given Xiao Ming's personality, it seemed he wouldn't leave so easily without a fight.
As Roy saw it, the current Doflamingo had been spoiled by those officers of his.
They had always stayed in places like the four seas, relying on their Devil Fruit powers, with no one able to do anything to them. They had no idea how vast the world was.
Roy paid no mind to Doflamingo and his companions lying in ambush outside.
He turned to the tavern owner, who was trembling behind the bar, and gave him a warm smile.
"Hey, boss, did you see Roger and his crew a few days ago?"
The tavern owner wiped a glass with shaking hands, his voice quivering.
"Y-yes. They stopped here a week ago, asked where Mont Blanc was, and then left."
Roy's eyes flashed, and he casually tossed him a gold coin. "Thanks."
"Looks like Roger and his crew really did go to Sky Island."
Roy was quite happy at the prospect of seeing Rayleigh again. He urged his companions to hurry up and finish their food; after all, Xiao Ming and his gang were still waiting for him outside.
He took a bite of cherry pie. Hmm, it was sweet and tart, and pretty tasty. He really didn't know how a glutton like Luffy could have thought it tasted bad.
The tavern's wooden doors swung open, and Roy strolled leisurely outside, chewing on a cherry. Bullet and the others followed, looking relaxed.
"Fuffuffuffuffu... you finally decided to come out."
Doflamingo stood in the middle of the street, which was covered in a dense web of fine threads. A group of officers spread out in a fan, blocking Roy and the others' path.
Roy leisurely swallowed his last bite of cherry pie and wiped the corner of his mouth. "It really does taste good. No wonder Blackbeard likes it so much."
He turned to Bullet and the others. "Anyone interested? Go play with them."
His casual attitude utterly infuriated Doflamingo. His fingers snapped tight, and countless threads shot toward Roy!
"Super Strike Whip!"
Yet Roy's eyes did not so much as flicker.
Just as the whip neared Roy's neck, a hand covered in pitch-black Armament Haki moved after it but arrived first, grabbing the strand outright.
"Snap-"
Bullet clenched his five fingers, crushing Doflamingo's Super Strike Whip.
"Your opponent is me!"
Bullet rolled his neck and stepped forward with his imposing frame. His fierce presence made the officers on Doflamingo's side catch their breath.
Doflamingo's pupils contracted slightly behind his sunglasses. The strength and Haki Bullet had displayed far exceeded his expectations.
"Behehehehe! Big guy, don't get too cocky!"
Trebol shrieked as the sticky mucus on his body surged straight at Bullet.
"Hmph, small fry."
Bullet strolled forward without so much as glancing at him.
A casual wave of his hand sent a blast of air sweeping away the incoming mucus. Without losing momentum, it sent Trebol flying into a distant building, leaving his fate unknown.
"Trebol!"
"You bastards!"
Diamante cried out, flicking his long sword straight at Bullet's eyes like a slithering snake.
"Clang!"
Mihawk flashed out from behind Roy and blocked the long sword with Black Blade Yoru, his hawklike eyes settling on Diamante.
"Your sword is all flash and no substance."
Hawk Eyes spoke evenly, but there was a trace of disappointment in his sharp eyes.
He had thought that someone who followed a figure with Conqueror's Haki would be a decent swordsman.
Diamante felt his wrist go numb, and his heart filled with shock. Was the swordsmanship he was so proud of really so easily defeated in his opponent's eyes?
"Armament Haki Hardening!" Pica cried in a shrill voice utterly at odds with his size. His enormous stone fist, coated in Haki, smashed toward Savi, who looked like the weakest of them.
"Hey! Don't underestimate me!" Savi's body instantly expanded into a seven-meter-tall, black-gray giant ape. Roaring, he met the attack with a fist also covered in Armament Haki.
"Boom-!"
The two mismatched fists collided, sending waves of air rolling outward and cracking the street inch by inch.
Shockingly, Savi steadied himself after retreating only half a step, while fine cracks appeared across Pica's enormous stone fist!
"How is that possible?!" Pica shrieked in disbelief.
"Tesoro, Stella, take out the small fry and finish this quickly."
Still standing where he was, Roy gave the order to the eager Tesoro and Stella, who was circling overhead, as though the battle before him were merely a dull play.
"Got it!"
Tesoro let out a long laugh and burst into the Donquixote Family's ordinary members with razor-swift speed. He used Shigan and Rankyaku with ease, and every strike brought someone down.
Stella beat her wings in the air. "Feather Arrows: Rainstorm!" Countless white feathers flew like precision-guided arrows, pinning enemies trying to attack from a distance or flee to the ground.
The battle was almost entirely one-sided.
The officers the Donquixote Family took such pride in seemed utterly powerless before Bullet, Hawk Eyes, and Savi.