Chapter 118: Turning the Tables
"The world will finally understand... who is the most talented and capable scientist!" Caesar Clown's voice was manic through the Den Den Mushi. "So, Joker, help me contact the major intermediaries in the New World's underworld. I want to start a live broadcast! Let everyone witness... the death of the 'Sea King'! Shurororororo...!"
With Caesar's current connections and fame in the New World, he wasn't influential enough to summon all the major players of the underworld by himself. But Doflamingo, "Joker" himself, was the most famous black market intermediary in the underworld. With his help, this could be easily arranged.
On the other end of the line, Doflamingo fell into a brief silence. Caesar Clown was now completely in his pocket. Helping him gain influence was, in essence, helping himself. Not to mention... this was a golden opportunity to eliminate Jock Ian! He didn't even need to get his own hands dirty; he could use the mad scientist Caesar to achieve his goal. No matter how he looked at it, there was no reason to refuse.
"I understand. I'll make the arrangements immediately," Doflamingo's voice came through, laced with dark amusement. "Give me twenty minutes. Also, Vergo hitched a ride on the CC supply ship. He'll reach the island soon via the secret channel. Let him watch the live broadcast with you; he can also... assist if needed."
Doflamingo had made his judgment. If anything went wrong, Vergo's strength could serve as the final barrier to clean up the mess.
"Thank you so much, Joker!" Caesar cackled. "Wait and watch a wonderful live broadcast of an execution! Shurororororo...!"
…
The conversation, which had begun and ended with that strange, wheezing laugh, left a chill in the air. On the dragon's back, beads of sweat formed on the brows of Ian's subordinates. The content of the eavesdropped conversation was deeply shocking, packed with an explosive amount of information that was difficult to digest immediately.
"A live execution... So, we are the targets now?" T-Bone growled, his teeth gritted in fury. "They plan to kill Lieutenant General Ian, and all of us, in front of the entire underworld? The sheer arrogance! What gives them the right to decide who lives?"
"Caesar... could that be the mad scientist 'Caesar Clown' who escaped from the World Government?" Skylark's eyes widened. "I never expected him to be so bold as to sneak back to Punk Hazard! And he's formed a secret partnership with Joker, an emperor of the underworld?"
"Lieutenant General Ian, what grudge does Joker hold against you?" Nami asked, troubled. "I've been following you since the East Blue. I don't remember you having any conflict with an underworld broker named Joker."
The enemy's words felt particularly venomous to her.
"I defeated one of his cadres and disrupted his operations," Ian explained calmly. "Back when we were traveling from the East Blue to Headquarters... Gladius... and those children."
"Ah! So that's it..." Nami's eyes cleared with understanding. "Then Joker is... one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Donquixote Doflamingo!"
Doll, who had spent years at Headquarters, was hearing this shocking secret for the first time. Even Peacock, with the Chief of Staff as her grandmother, hadn't been aware. However, Peacock's focus was entirely different from everyone else's.
"I wonder if you all missed a key detail... Vergo!" she interjected sharply. "That name in the New World... Could it be Vice Admiral 'Vergo,' the base commander of the G-5 branch?"
Her understanding of internal Marine affairs far surpassed the others. She had pinpointed a crucial detail the rest had overlooked.
"I've been curious, Peacock," Ian said, turning to her. "Where did you get all this information? Staff Officer Tsuru certainly wouldn't have told you so much when you were just a Headquarters Colonel. At your level, how were you able to grasp such intelligence?"
Peacock scratched her cheek awkwardly. "Of course my grandmother wouldn't tell me. She has a special archive... I just sneak in to look whenever she's not around. Over time, you remember things."
It sounded perfectly in character for her.
Ian smiled and shook his head. "Have you ever considered that Chief of Staff Tsuru is an extremely shrewd and wise person? How could she not notice someone had entered her archive and rummaged through the files?"
Peacock: "Eh? Little Ian, are you saying...?"
Seeing her expression, Ian knew no further explanation was needed. Anyone who had witnessed Tsuru in Mary Geoise could see how deeply she cared for her granddaughter.
"The Vergo mentioned on the call is likely the G-5 base commander," Ian stated matter-of-factly. "Whether he is or not, we'll know soon enough. If things proceed as planned, he might even become our opponent."
He made this clear judgment and advised everyone to mentally prepare themselves.
"Lieutenant General Ian, Caesar Clown plans to broadcast our executions live to the underworld," Doll said, her voice hardening as she clenched her fist. "In other words, if we give them time to prepare for this live broadcast... we can turn the tables! We can eliminate them and, as the new team in the New World, become instantly famous!"
Having cleared her mind, her fighting spirit was ignited. Her previous performance had been far from her limit. An opportunity to shock the entire underworld didn't come often. Why not turn this crisis into their grand debut!
Peacock: "Hehe, you've got guts, little Doll!"
T-Bone: "Well said! That's exactly what I was thinking!"
Skylark: "A dangerous live broadcast of an execution? Let them suffer the consequences of their own scheme!"
Nami: "Hehe, just thinking about it gets my blood pumping!"
Speed: "Whether it's a Warlord or an underworld broker, I refuse to be their victim!"
Ian was momentarily stunned, then a wide smile spread across his face. It seemed he didn't need to guide them; this team was already perfectly aligned with his own style.
…
About half an hour later, Ian and his group slowly made their way into the snowy region of the island. Their deliberate pace was to give Caesar Clown ample time to set up his live broadcast. Along the way, they encountered and subdued a small, green-scaled dragon. Compared to the Red Dragon, this one was smaller, faster, and could also breathe fire. It was a waste for such creatures to remain wild on this island. With Peacock around, it was entirely possible to tame them into allies.
Simultaneously, everyone removed their gas masks, breathing in the fresh air. The residual poison gas on the island had been an obstacle deliberately left by Caesar Clown, but it was no longer a concern in this area. They were ready. The stage was being set, but they intended to be the ones writing the final act.
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