Uta huffed, crossing her arms as her gaze swept across everyone inside the hall.
"People from Dressrosa are so annoying," she complained, puffing out her cheeks like a sulking child.
Luffy let out a soft laugh and shook his head. He tapped her lightly on the forehead with a finger.
"You gotta get used to this kind of thing, Uta. If you get irritated at everything, you're gonna end up with wrinkles… and early ones."
"Wrinkles!?"
Uta nearly choked on her own indignation, shocked by the outrageous claim Luffy had just made.
Luffy only laughed harder.
The truth was that, for many people, reporting the whereabouts of a pirate wasn't just morally acceptable — it was an easy way to make money. In a sea as chaotic as this one, survival came first… and betrayal came cheap. Selling out even your next-door neighbor was considered fair game, especially for a bounty that high.
Luffy grabbed a glass of wine — which he definitely shouldn't be drinking — and took a casual sip.
"Let 'em come. The God Knights can show up whenever they want. They're just comin' here to die anyway."
Doflamingo, sitting beside him, didn't share the same playful mood. His sunglasses glinted, hiding his eyes entirely.
"You shouldn't underestimate them, Straw Hat," he warned, tone unusually serious. "Each one of the God Knights has combat power on the level of a Shichibukai."
Silence fell for a moment.
Uta raised an eyebrow at that.
Luffy continued chewing on a piece of meat, looking entirely uninterested.
Doflamingo went on:
"If they were pirates, each one would have a bounty of at least one billion. They're the elite of the elite… handpicked from among the Five Elders' own forces. And besides being absurdly strong, they have authority higher than any ordinary Celestial Dragon."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Especially their commander, Figarland Garling… he's even allowed to execute Celestial Dragons. For their own crimes. Not the usual stuff we're used to seeing — crimes they judge unforgivable."
Luffy paused mid-chew.
He swallowed, then looked directly at the former Shichibukai with curiosity.
"What kind of crimes are we talkin' about?"
Doflamingo opened his mouth to answer, but Luffy cut him off:
"Actually… I remember you used to be a Celestial Dragon too. Why didn't you join the God Knights?"
Doflamingo froze.
His expression twisted slowly — not in anger… but pure discomfort.
He was momentarily surprised that Luffy knew about his past. But it quickly became clear that wasn't what bothered him.
"Why I didn't join them…?"
A strange smile crept across his face.
"Fufurfur… because someone in my family committed a crime that wasn't forgivable."
Luffy raised an eyebrow.
And silently expanded his Observation Haki, casting an invisible net that probed Doflamingo's mind and emotions.
On the other side, Sabo crossed his arms and sighed tiredly, shaking his head as he realized that conversation was going nowhere.
"Let's drop this nonsense, Luffy," Sabo said firmly.
He then turned his gaze to Doflamingo, eyes cold as a general's.
"I'm Sabo, member of the Revolutionary Army. I heard you seized control of this kingdom by force. It would be wise to cooperate."
The words Revolutionary Army made Doflamingo's heart lurch.
His entire body reacted as if struck by lightning.
"Seized?" Doflamingo growled. "I'm only reclaiming the country that originally belonged to the Donquixote family! Don't compare me to that idiot Crocodile!"
Sabo didn't respond… but his eyes clearly showed he wasn't buying that justification.
Luffy, however, knew Doflamingo was telling the truth — a truth buried under 800 years of dust.
Back then, the Donquixote family moved up to Mary Geoise.
The Riku family inherited the throne of Dressrosa.
And time moved on.
No debts. No claims. No rights to reclaim anything.
Sabo sighed.
"I didn't come here to debate some supposed 800-year-old inheritance," he said.
Then it happened.
A pulse.
Almost like an invisible roar.
A wave of overwhelming will erupted from Luffy's body.
BOOM.
The entire hall shook as if an earthquake had just hit.
The lamps rattled.
The walls groaned.
The windows vibrated, on the edge of shattering.
As for Doflamingo…
…he went pale.
His body trembled against his will.
It felt like tons of stone were being pressed onto his shoulders.
Before he realized it, one knee buckled.
Then the other.
In seconds, the feared Joker was kneeling before Luffy.
"Y–Young master!"
The Donquixote executives panicked.
Among them, Sugar — wide-eyed — rushed toward Luffy, desperate.
"Stop, Sugar!"
Doflamingo tried shouting, but his body refused to move.
BOOM
A portion of Luffy's Haki ricocheted and crashed directly into the girl.
"!"
Sugar reached out her hand… but her consciousness was crushed before she could take another step.
She collapsed like a rag doll.
Doflamingo held his breath.
The worst possible scenario.
For the Hobi Hobi no Mi had one terrible weakness:
If Sugar loses consciousness, all of her victims return to normal.
And then…
All of Dressrosa trembled.
Every toy — thousands of them — in every corner, every house, every alley began to convulse.
Their bodies twisted, stretched.
A radiant glow swallowed each frozen figure…
And in a flash, men, women, and children appeared in their place.
Parents reunited with children.
Wives with husbands.
Friends recognized faces ripped from their memories.
And everyone screamed—
Some in joy.
Others in terror.
Dressrosa became pure chaos within moments.
Luffy raised his wine glass again, completely unbothered, even as the kingdom erupted into tears and confusion below.
"Not my fault," he said with a mischievous grin. "She came runnin' to me on her own."
Sabo let out a long, resigned sigh.
Uta smiled, amused by his attitude.
Doflamingo, still on his knees, trembled between anger, fear, and shock.
---
(End of Chapter)