The next day, when the brand-new issue of the World Economy News Paper was delivered across the globe by News Coos, almost everyone who saw the front-page headline thought their eyes were playing tricks on them.
"World Government Reconciles with the Lulusia Kingdom! Lulusia Restored to Member-Nation Status Effective Immediately!"
"The Dawn of Peace Returns! Order in the Grand Line Restored to Calm!"
The article went out of its way to prettify the language on both sides, claiming that after "friendly and in-depth discussions," misunderstandings were cleared up; that the Lulusia Kingdom had "deeply recognized the responsibilities of a great nation"; that it pledged to fulfill its obligations as a member nation, and so on.
As for the bloody massacre at Lulusia's harbor, and the impact of Ronan executing nineteen Celestial Dragons—there wasn't a single word. It was as if none of it had ever happened.
The news detonated across the world in an even bigger wave of shock.
"What kind of joke is this?! He executed nineteen Celestial Dragons, and it hasn't even been that long! And they're restoring member-nation status? Since when is the World Government that easy to talk to?!"
"This paper's fake, right?! That King of Lulusia, Ronan, slapped the World Government's face into the dirt! The Gorosei can just swallow that?"
"Something's off! This is way too off! There has to be something we don't know!"
Almost everyone's first reaction was intense suspicion. The World Government's arrogance was infamous. No matter how you looked at it, what Lulusia had done should've been an unforgivable capital crime—so how could it be brushed aside so lightly? And they even restored Lulusia's member-nation status?
Dressrosa — Royal Palace
Doflamingo stared at the newspaper in his hands, the gaze behind his sunglasses full of confusion and disbelief.
"Fuffuffuffu…" He let out a low laugh that didn't quite mean anything, his fingers nearly crushing the paper. "Restored to member-nation status? Since when did those old geezers become so magnanimous? Nineteen Celestial Dragons die, and that's just… it?"
He slammed the paper down on the table, stood up, and paced irritably back and forth.
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible!" he muttered to himself. "Back then, the reason I took Dressrosa and sat in the Ōka Shichibukai seat… was because I used to be a Celestial Dragon! I knew their filthy secrets! I had leverage! It was a threat. A deal."
"Ronan, that little brat—what's he got?! Just because he killed a few Celestial Dragons? Just because he has a few bodyguards who can fight? Don't make me laugh! Killing Celestial Dragons only brings even crazier retaliation! The World Government has ruled this sea for eight hundred years—its foundations are bottomless. How could they compromise over a loss like that?! Unless…"
Doflamingo's brow knotted tight, and three thoughts forced themselves into his head.
"Unless Ronan's holding something that scares the World Government even more… an Ancient Weapon?"
But he immediately shook his head. That made no sense. Ancient Weapons had vanished for centuries, and the Lulusia Kingdom didn't have that kind of legacy. There was no reason they should even know those secrets.
"Fuffuffu… so what the hell happened?"
Just as he couldn't make sense of it, the door swung open. Trebol's body wobbled as he hurried in, his face still carrying a stunned, alarmed look.
"Doffy! Doffy! Big news!!" Trebol's voice was so excited it came out thick and muddled. "Our inside line in the Marines just sent word! The truth behind Lulusia reconciling with the World Government!!"
Doflamingo spun around at once.
"Talk."
Trebol sucked in a breath, like he was trying to calm a storm inside his chest, then forced his words out as clearly as he could.
"Based on the scraps our inside line pieced together—yesterday, the King of Lulusia, Ronan, took his people and directly stormed into Mary Geoise!!"
"What?!" Doflamingo blurted, shocked. Everything Ronan did was even more insane than he'd imagined. "He stormed into Mary Geoise?!"
"Not just that!" Trebol's voice trembled. "They controlled a floating island and made it appear right over Mary Geoise! The World Government got completely blindsided—before the Marines could even arrive in time! They're saying even the Gorosei were beaten!"
Storming Mary Geoise… and slamming the Gorosei into the ground?!
How was that even possible?!
The Gorosei's strength—by Doflamingo's understanding—wasn't something anyone could "easily" defeat. He knew exactly who stood behind them.
So were Ronan's "guards" really that terrifying?
If that was truly the case, then the Lulusia Kingdom's power had already gone far beyond "strong."
No wonder the World Government chose reconciliation.
No wonder they acknowledged Lulusia's member-nation status.
It wasn't that the World Government had become generous.
They had no choice but to compromise.
"Fuf… fuffuffu…" Doflamingo's laughter turned dry. He'd always thought he was the one who played with the rules—but now it looked like Ronan didn't even bother playing. That brat had the power to write rules… and to smash them.
"Lulusia… Ronan…" Doflamingo murmured the two names, deep wariness in his eyes—and even a trace of awe he refused to admit.
He realized it clearly: another monster had appeared on the sea—one king who could force the World Government to bow.
Thinking it through, Doflamingo's family hadn't really clashed with Lulusia these past few years. If anything, Tesoro had once trashed his auction—yet now, Doflamingo knew he had to reassess Lulusia, their relationship, and the new balance of power that was taking shape across the sea.
"Pass the word," Doflamingo ordered Trebol immediately. "Stop all probing and intelligence-gathering on the Lulusia Kingdom and anything connected to them. Without my permission, no one is to get into conflict with Lulusia's people."
And at that moment—whether it was the Revolutionary Army lurking around the world, the great pirates of the New World, or even the nations and powers scattered across the Four Seas—despite not knowing what had truly happened between Lulusia and the World Government, everyone understood one thing:
A force had emerged on the sea that could not be ignored.
A force that even the World Government didn't want to face.
For a time, the name "Lulusia Kingdom" blazed louder than even the Whitebeard Pirates.
(End of Chapter)
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