The Four Emperors Bow Their Heads / Doflamingo: Did Anyone Ask Me What I Thought!?
Dimon calmly sipped his rich, aromatic coffee.
What did Big Eye being wanted have to do with him, Dimon?
Events had unfolded just as he expected. Garp had caused an uproar in the black market, but in the end, he had failed to find Shuga. He hadn't even found a body.
So the Marines shifted their focus to the Bad Kid Pirates.
That very night, countless News Coos spread two brand-new wanted posters across the Grand Line.
The absurd part was that one of the posters had no photo of its target, only a drawing of him wearing a mask.
[Nickname: "Big Eye"] [Member of the "Seven Deadly Sins"] [Bounty: 100,000,000 Beli] [Dead or alive]
Chapter 42: The Four Emperors Bow Their Heads
"A hundred million for a first bounty?"
Dimon looked at the wanted poster in his hand and smiled silently.
He remembered that pirates' first bounties were generally not that high.
Straw Hat Luffy's first bounty was 30 million;
Big Mom's first bounty at age six was 50 million;
Kaido's first bounty at age eleven was 70 million;
Sanji, the Straw Hat Pirates' cook, had a first bounty of 77 million;
The "Devil Child," Nico Robin, was wanted for 79 million at age eight;
One of the Shichibukai, the "Pirate Empress," had earned an 80 million bounty from a single expedition at age eighteen.
Examples like these showed how rare it was for a criminal's first bounty to exceed 100 million. In the first half of the Grand Line, that was the standard for a Supernova.
"Why is mine so high? It went straight past a hundred million. Could it be inflation?"
Dimon shook his head. He didn't think he'd done anything threatening. He'd merely intercepted Garp for a bit.
He turned to the other wanted poster.
["Evil Child" Knox] [Captain of the Devil Pirates] [Bounty: 218,000,000 Beli] [Dead or alive!]
That guy's bounty had risen from 175 million to 218 million, which meant Garp hadn't found the Bad Kid Pirates.
Dimon gave the posters a quick glance, then tossed them aside.
Garp was still on the island, so it wasn't a good time to go out. Dimon decided to work out in his room instead.
At the same time.
New World, Whole Cake Island.
"Mom, we have information about the 'Seven Deadly Sins'!"
Charlotte Perospero came before Big Mom carrying a newspaper and a wanted poster.
He was tall and thin, with a pointed face, a long, pointed nose, and a long tongue that could hang down to his chest.
As the eldest son of the Charlotte Family, he was already forty-five years old and had a bounty of 700 million Beli.
"Information? Give it to me!"
Charlotte Linlin snatched the newspaper.
As the biggest news outlet in the pirate world, the World Economy News Paper was always well informed. Many events that happened in the morning made it into the paper that same night, without even needing to wait until the next day.
The front-page headline concerned the events that had taken place that day on the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Big Mom Pirates officer Charlotte Cracker appears on the Sabaody Archipelago, now believed missing!"
Using uncertain terms such as "believed," the report described how Charlotte Cracker had fought someone and ultimately disappeared, his whereabouts unknown.
The writer stated that a huge golden fireball had exploded, its light illuminating the entire island. Afterward, the "Marine Hero" Garp had arrived on Sabaody and launched a major investigation.
The situation on the island remained unclear, and the reporter would continue to follow the story.
"Cracker was defeated?"
Charlotte Linlin looked incredulous. She knew her children's fighting abilities very well.
As the user of the Biscuit-Biscuit Fruit, Cracker could casually create a Biscuit Soldier that could easily defeat a so-called Supernova.
Even within the Charlotte Family, Cracker's fighting ability ranked near the top.
"Why didn't we hear anything?"
After her brief shock, Charlotte Linlin's face filled with anger.
Charlotte Cracker hadn't gone on the mission alone. A large group of underlings had accompanied him.
Her eldest son, Charlotte Perospero, hurried to placate her:
"Mom, I just got in touch with them. They'd arranged to meet Cracker in half an hour, but things changed along the way. Garp appeared on the Sabaody Archipelago, and the Marines found their ship."
"After that, they had to leave the Sabaody Archipelago ahead of him to escape the Marines."
"They left without waiting for Cracker. They were afraid you'd blame them, Mom, so they didn't dare report the situation to us right away."
As he spoke, Charlotte Perospero took out a wanted poster and quickly handed it to Charlotte Linlin, diverting her attention.
"This is a wanted poster the Marines just issued. It came out with the newspaper, and it has information about the Seven Deadly Sins!"
Charlotte Linlin took the poster and glanced at it, then immediately snorted.
"Big Eye? Strange name."
"It's probably a nickname or a code name."
Charlotte Perospero reasoned, "This man also appeared on the Sabaody Archipelago. The newspaper says he apparently fought Garp, stopped him from landing on the island, and got away unscathed afterward!"
Charlotte Linlin's gaze narrowed slightly at that.
Monkey D. Garp, the Marine Hero. Before the Great Pirate Era, he was the Marine who had driven Pirate King Roger into a corner many times.
Though he held only the rank of Vice Admiral, his actual fighting strength had long been comparable to an Admiral's. The current Three Admirals of the Marines were all his juniors.
In her youth, Charlotte Linlin had also been chased all over the place by that old bastard.
Some unpleasant memories surfaced, and her expression darkened.
"Judging from what we know, the bastards from the Seven Deadly Sins were the ones who defeated Cracker."
Charlotte Perospero put his wits to use and stated his conclusion confidently:
"Cracker followed Lola's Vivre Card to the Sabaody Archipelago and clashed with the Seven Deadly Sins.
But something unexpected happened. Garp suddenly appeared, and they had to send someone to stop him from landing.
In the end, they succeeded in stopping Garp, defeated Cracker, and took him away."
After hearing his analysis, Charlotte Linlin had to admit that she'd underestimated this mysterious organization that had suddenly appeared.
The Seven Deadly Sins. From the name alone, there had to be at least seven people!
And above those seven was their leader, whom they respectfully called "my lord."
Lola was a bitch!
The more Charlotte Linlin thought about it, the angrier she became. If that bastard daughter of hers had obediently married Loki back then, she might have become Pirate King by now!
It was bad enough that she'd fled the marriage, but the fool had gotten herself captured and was being used to threaten her...
"Mom, the Seven Deadly Sins are hiding in the first half of the Grand Line. We can't easily mobilize a large force; it'll draw the Marines' attention, and the situation could get out of control."
Charlotte Perospero spoke in a sinister tone, chuckling strangely. "Peroyo, peroyo... What they want is Devil Fruits. We can find a way to trick them into coming to the New World first, then consider how to deal with those fools who don't know their place."
Hearing this, Charlotte Linlin looked at her son. "What do you have in mind?"
"First, we'll pretend to agree to their demands, but we have to choose the place for the exchange. Once Cracker and Lola are safe, we'll wipe them out immediately!"
In the New World, any force that dared challenge the Four Emperors would be destroyed!
Charlotte Linlin was displeased with her eldest son's strategy of bowing her head first and striking afterward, but she had no better option now.
After all, she couldn't personally lead a group of the family's strongest fighters to the Sabaody Archipelago to cause trouble.
If she really did that, the Seven Deadly Sins wouldn't be the only ones waiting for them. The World Government might order the entire Marine force to mobilize.
"I'll leave this to you, Perospero."
"Yes, Mom. You can count on me!"
The next day.
The Marines were still conducting a major search on the Sabaody Archipelago. For the time being, intimidated by the Marine Hero's fearsome reputation, the island's major pirate crews were all on edge, each one holed up in hiding.
Dimon got up early and washed. After a quick breakfast, he contacted Samael.
Whole Cake Island must have received word by now. It was time for the next move.
"Ain, tell Samael to contact them."
[Understood, Master.]
On a stretch of sea roughly a hundred kilometers from the Sabaody Archipelago.
Aboard the Wave-Breaking Warrior, Samael contacted the Big Mom Pirates as soon as he received the order.
However, when the Thought Waves connected, the voice that came through wasn't that old woman Charlotte Linlin's.
"Peroyo, peroyo~ Good morning, members of the Seven Deadly Sins. I'm Charlotte Perospero. I've been waiting all night for you to contact us, peroyo."
"Huh?"
Samael curled his lip. "Don't know you. Where's that fat bitch Big Mom?"
"..."
At the other end of the Thought Waves, Perospero was at a loss for words.
Though Mom was a big fat woman now, she'd been a great beauty in her youth, a peerless beauty who could compete with the former most beautiful woman in the world.
What a rude bastard!
He suppressed his displeasure and kept his tone warm:
"Mom was furious with you. I have to admit, your abilities were beyond our expectations. I don't think there's any need for us to fight to the death. Let's have a proper talk."
Hearing that, Samael grinned.
"Jehehehe, so you're bowing your heads and admitting defeat? Should've done that from the start. Hmph, trash."
"Yes, yes, we're trash. You win!"
Chapter 43: Doflamingo: Did Anyone Ask Me What I Thought!?
Perospero backed down without the slightest concern.
It was just a little verbal victory. He couldn't be bothered to stoop to a dead man's level.
"Go on, what exactly do you want? Are our family's Cracker and Lola all right?"
"Jehehehe, cut the crap. One chest of Devil Fruits!"
Samael gave a strange laugh and spoke bluntly, his tone arrogant. "If you dare haggle, I can't guarantee those two will keep all their limbs."