According to Doflamingo, Imu possessed two abilities.
One of them came from the person who performed the Eternal Youth Surgery on him.
Because of that, he had acquired part of the abilities of the Ope Ope no Mi.
Luffy did not comment on it.
His Observation Haki read Doflamingo's mind and confirmed that the man was hiding nothing.
"That's everything I know. That's exactly why I'm being hunted," Doflamingo declared helplessly.
He truly had no other choice.
For years, he had held the secrets of the Celestial Dragons and used them as leverage to secure the title of Shichibukai.
After that, he established contact with Kaido and obtained the massive support of the Beasts Pirates.
Thanks to that, he managed to rule Dressrosa safely while manipulating both the underworld and the World Government at the same time.
But now?
The Void Century had been exposed to the entire world.
The Five Elders no longer cared about hiding secrets.
Kaido had fallen.
Dressrosa was no longer a safe place.
Over the last few days, Doflamingo had remained hidden inside the underground factory beneath the Corrida Coliseum, not even daring to appear in public.
Who could guarantee that the World Government hadn't already sent assassins to eliminate him?
Now, only Straw Hat Luffy could save him.
Luffy perceived all of these thoughts as well.
Seeing Doflamingo in such a miserable state, he could not help but chuckle lightly.
"In times of great historical change, choosing a side is important."
"I will follow you." Doflamingo immediately knelt on one knee without the slightest hesitation.
"You did a good job. I'll fulfill our agreement and protect you from annihilation by the World Government," Luffy replied calmly.
At this point, he was still someone trustworthy.
Even if Doflamingo was a complete villain, someone who deserved the gallows a hundred times over.
"Fufufufufu... thank you very much for your generosity!" Doflamingo finally let out a sigh of relief.
He truly feared that after the World Government attempted to eliminate him, Luffy would simply decide to abandon him immediately afterward.
If that happened, the only thing left for him would be to flee.
"It's still too early to relax. You haven't forgotten Trafalgar Law, have you?"
The smile on Doflamingo's face slowly disappeared.
Of course he remembered.
During the Ope Ope no Mi incident years ago, he personally killed his own brother, Donquixote Rosinante.
And now, Law was the captain of the Fourth Division of the Straw Hat Fleet.
"Lord Luffy! Once the contents of those newspapers fully spread, countless nations will begin revolutions! You will become the future king of the world!" Doflamingo said with a grin. "There are many dirty things in this world. Perhaps you'll need someone to handle that kind of work... and I have plenty of experience with it."
Luffy shook his head.
"I won't interfere with Law's revenge. Once everything is over, he'll decide for himself what to do with you. Doflamingo... do you regret killing your brother?"
Doflamingo's expression darkened.
Regret?
Of course not.
He didn't kill Rosinante solely because of the Ope Ope no Mi.
What he hated was betrayal.
Just like what happened when he was a child.
His foolish father, with his narrow-minded and naive ideals, chose to abandon the status of a Celestial Dragon and leave Mariejois to live among ordinary people.
In the end, without the protection of the Celestial Dragons' name, they were persecuted by people consumed by hatred.
His mother ended up dying because of it.
So Doflamingo killed his own father.
Because that man had betrayed the family.
Later, he also killed his own brother.
Rosinante chose to become an undercover Marine agent and betrayed him in the same way.
"I don't regret it." Doflamingo narrowed his eyes coldly. "I just... feel sorry."
Luffy remained leaning back on the sofa, calmly crossing his legs.
Doflamingo's heart at that moment was extremely complicated.
Regret? No.
But he truly did feel sorrow for personally killing the only blood relatives he had left.
Sometimes, he wondered...
If that foolish father had never chosen to leave Mariejois, what would have happened to the Donquixote Family?
But none of that mattered anymore.
Now, the only thing he wanted was to drag the Celestial Dragons down from their thrones.
"Ah, right... I remembered something important," Doflamingo suddenly said. "I heard some information earlier. The Elders seem to be preparing Vegapunk to become a Celestial Dragon. They reached some sort of agreement related to 'Uranus.'"
Hearing that, Luffy slightly raised his eyebrows.
Vegapunk becoming a Celestial Dragon?
It probably wasn't the main body. Most likely one of his clones.
The man known as the greatest scientist in the world, someone five hundred years ahead of his era, the user of the Nomi Nomi no Mi.
Someone who divided his own consciousness into six parts.
Among them was York, the embodiment of "Desire."
"So they intend to have Vegapunk solve the Mother Flame's energy problem as quickly as possible...?"
Thinking about that, Luffy simply shook his head.
After all, who didn't possess an Ancient Weapon at this point?
"I understand."
With a simple wave of his hand, Doflamingo withdrew.
Afterward, Luffy summoned Johnny and Yosaku and listened in detail to everything that had recently happened in Dressrosa.
Once he understood the situation, he called for the kingdom's current ruler, King Riku Doldo III.
The entire family came together.
Luffy prepared a dinner to receive them.
"Lord Luffy, now you're the Pirate King. People all across the city are praising your greatness..."
At the banquet, Rebecca looked at Luffy curiously after not seeing him for such a long time.
"You want to free the slaves and bring down the World Government?"
"Rebecca!" Violet gently tugged on the girl's skirt.
Luffy merely waved his hand.
"It's fine."
Then he looked at the former little princess with a smile.
"So you've become an excellent warrior now?"
Rebecca immediately realized she had spoken somewhat rudely and hurriedly apologized.
"I'm sorry, Lord Luffy. I currently live with my father and serve as a soldier in the Kingdom Guard."
Cyrus had been restored to his former position and now acted as the commander of Riku's army.
Of course, Dressrosa's army was not called the "Army of King Riku," but rather the Royal Guard of Dressrosa.
"Very good."
Luffy patted the young princess's head before looking toward Riku Doldo III.
"Thank you for your hard work. You must have been very busy during this period."
"No, Master Luffy. Regardless of the circumstances, I'm merely doing what I can."
After a brief hesitation, Riku asked:
"I heard that the World Government's Buster Call fleet came here... is that true?"
"It's already been dealt with. There's no need to worry."
Luffy answered calmly.
At that moment, Monet approached, bowed slightly, and whispered into his ear:
"Lord Luffy, communication from Marine Headquarters."
Hearing that, Luffy immediately nodded. Rising from the table, he spoke to everyone:
"Continue enjoying dinner. I need to handle a small matter."
After leaving the banquet hall, Luffy entered another room and picked up the Den Den Mushi.
Soon, a familiar voice came from the other side.
"Monkey D. Luffy!"
"Akainu?"
Luffy smiled faintly.
"Your fleet, ten thousand Marines, five Vice Admirals, ten Rear Admirals, and even Kong are all in my custody. So... what exactly are you thinking right now?"
Akainu's tone remained heavy.
"What is your objective in demanding their families?"
Luffy did not hide anything.
"The Marines who survived the previous wars have already joined the Neo Marines, including the former subordinates and their families. Naturally, I want to bring them back."
"Sengoku too...?" Akainu could hardly believe it.
"There's no reason to be so surprised. This is an unprecedented historical shift in eight hundred years. Wise birds choose good trees to perch on, and wise men choose worthy leaders. The rule of the Celestial Dragons is clearly approaching its end."
Then Luffy suddenly said:
"Akainu, I have something important to discuss with you..."
---xXx---
Marine Headquarters, New Marineford.
Fleet Admiral's Office.
"Certain things... are not convenient to discuss over the phone."
The second half of the sentence suddenly came from directly behind him.
Akainu was violently startled and instantly turned around. His pupils shrank.
Straw Hat Luffy was standing inside the office.
"When did you get in here!?" Akainu gritted his teeth while assuming a defensive stance.
"Don't be so nervous. This is only a projection."
The "Luffy" spoke calmly.
In an instant, Conqueror's Haki covered the entire naval base.
At that moment, everyone present lost the ability to use Haki.
Only after ensuring that nobody could overhear the conversation did Luffy continue:
"As Fleet Admiral, you should understand the current situation very well."
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"You Marines only want to maintain peace across the seas. To you, the World Government has always just been the one funding the Marines. So tell me... would you truly care about changing sponsors?"
Akainu let out a cold laugh.
"You came all the way here to try and convince me to surrender? A mere pirate..."
"Pirate? I already dissolved the Straw Hat Pirates. Soon, I'll establish a new nation."
Luffy smiled faintly.
"Akainu, this is a conflict between me and the Celestial Dragons. The Marines do not need to sacrifice themselves for them. How many elite soldiers still need to die? The Sea Kings surrounding Dressrosa... you've already realized what that means, haven't you? That is the power of Poseidon!"
Akainu's expression changed drastically.
Before, it had only been suspicion.
But now, hearing the confirmation directly from Luffy's mouth, his heart sank.
The power of an Ancient Weapon was enough to destroy the world.
With Poseidon in his hands, Luffy was practically invincible on the seas.
No matter how large the Marine fleet was, it could never compete against an endless number of Sea Kings.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"I only want to remind you to think carefully. Will you continue following the World Government until their downfall... or will you stand on the right side of history in the name of true justice?"
With a faint chuckle, Luffy's phantom-like body gradually began to disappear.
"The Neo Marines will contact you to negotiate the hostage exchange. Don't worry... I didn't kill anyone. After all, I'm a good person."
When the final words faded away, it was as though the phantom had never been there at all.
The invisible Conqueror's Haki also dissipated.
Everyone recovered their Haki normally.
But nobody noticed the change.
Not even Akainu realized what had happened.
His mind was completely focused on Luffy's words.
Slowly putting down the Den Den Mushi, Akainu remained seated, looking exhausted.
"Poseidon... so that's why, Sengoku...?"
Sitting in the Fleet Admiral's chair, he began carefully reflecting on everything Luffy had said.
Of course, Akainu had also read about the Void Century.
Even from his perspective, he had to admit:
The history published in the newspapers was probably true.
Because the Celestial Dragons truly were exactly like that.
Letting out a deep sigh, Akainu fell silent.
What, exactly, was justice?
As a pirate, Straw Hat Luffy clearly did not represent justice.
But the World Government was even further from it.
So then, as Fleet Admiral of the Marines...
What was he supposed to do?
(End of Chapter)