Several days later, in the Machino Sea.
A large transport ship flying the flag of the World Government sailed along a designated route.
Inside the ship's hold, mountains of gold, silver, and treasures were piled high—this was the Celestial Tribute, the tribute offered by the Kingdom of Machino to the Celestial Dragons.
On the deck, the CP Agents responsible for escorting the shipment vigilantly observed their surroundings.
Although this route had been trouble-free for many years, they still dared not let their guard down.
Suddenly, a massive white web of strings descended from the sky, enveloping the entire ship like a Birdcage in an instant.
Doflamingo slowly descended from the air, landing atop the Birdcage and looking down at the ship below.
"Alert! Enemy attack!!"
The CP Agents instantly entered combat mode. Some drew their swords, others raised their guns, and a few rushed toward the ship's hold to sound the alarm.
"Report this immediately!"
One CP Agent pulled out a Den Den Mushi, preparing to call his superiors.
However, the Den Den Mushi curled up into a ball and fell into a deep sleep.
"The Den Den Mushi won't activate! The signal is being jammed!"
Everyone's expressions changed.
Doflamingo swooped down from the air, his fingers splayed wide.
"Five Color String!"
Ten transparent threads shot out from his fingertips, piercing through the bodies of all the guards on the ship.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!—
Blood splattered, and screams echoed one after another.
In less than ten seconds, every guard on the ship had fallen.
Doflamingo stood on the deck, gazing at the mountains of treasures and letting out his signature eerie laugh:
"Fufufufu... Now I have the bargaining chips. Next, it's time to negotiate with the Five Elders!"
With a wave of his hand, he activated his String-String Fruit ability, and the entire ship was pulled away by threads, veering off its original course.
Half an hour later.
Mary Geoise, Celestial Tribute Management Office.
The person in charge was leisurely drinking tea when the Den Den Mushi suddenly rang.
He picked up the Den Den Mushi, and the first words he heard turned his face deathly pale:
"Sir, the Celestial Tribute shipment from the Kingdom of Machino... has lost contact!"
"What?!" The person in charge shot to his feet.
Every half hour, the guards escorting the Celestial Tribute were required to report their progress.
If they failed to report on time, it meant something had gone wrong!
This system was established to prevent the Celestial Tribute from being robbed—it allowed them to determine the approximate location of any incident in the shortest possible time.
"Investigate immediately! Now!"
However, the results of the investigation left him utterly despairing.
The ship seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace or clues behind.
In the end, he had no choice but to brace himself and report the matter to the Five Elders.
...
Pangaea Castle, Power Hall.
The Five Elders were once again gathered around the round table.
Saturn: "You all know, right? A shipment of Celestial Tribute has been robbed."
"Damn it!" Nusjuro slammed his fist on the table. "Who did this? How dare they defy the World Government!"
Warcury frowned in thought. "Ever since the Rocks Pirates disbanded, incidents of Celestial Tribute being robbed have become rare..."
Peter snorted coldly. "Whoever it is, they must be severely punished!"
Increase the investigation efforts, identify suspects, launch a Buster Call, and exterminate nine generations!"
This is the World Government's usual tactic.
Anyone who dares to hijack the Celestial Tribute, once discovered, will inevitably face the devastating strike of a Buster Call.
Not only the perpetrator will be executed, but all relatives and friends of the participants will also be hunted down and eliminated.
After several high-profile reports to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys, most people dare not target the Celestial Tribute anymore.
Unless—
You can resist the Buster Call.
Just then, a phone call came in.
Saturn pressed the answer button:
"Moshi moshi, I am Saint Saturn of the Five Elders."
From the other end of the phone came a distinctive eerie laugh:
"Fufufufu... Honorable Five Elders, I am Donquixote Doflamingo.
I know the whereabouts of your missing Celestial Tribute."
Saturn's brows instantly furrowed.
"It wasn't you who did it, was it? Doflamingo."
"Fufufufu... As expected of the Five Elders, you guessed right." Doflamingo's voice carried a hint of mockery:
"I can return it to its rightful owner, but..."
Saturn sneered, interrupting Doflamingo's upcoming words.
"You just want to use this batch of Celestial Tribute as leverage to propose conditions to the World Government, right? Do you think we will succumb to your threats?"
His voice suddenly turned cold and stern:
"I advise you to obediently return this batch of Celestial Tribute intact, otherwise don't blame us for launching a Buster Call against you.
At that time, there will be no place for you anywhere in the world!"
"Fufufufu~ Don't be so extreme? You're pushing me to the brink.
Don't forget, your World Government isn't truly invincible.
If you push me too far, I might just take this batch of Celestial Tribute and join the Fengtian Empire.
I believe when Raiver sees this batch of Celestial Tribute, he will gladly accept my membership."
Saturn's face instantly turned ashen.
Doflamingo was threatening them—if he joined the Fengtian Empire, that batch of Celestial Tribute would become Raiver's wealth.
Moreover, with that man's strength and influence, he could fully protect Doflamingo, leaving the World Government helpless.
Saturn covered the mouthpiece and looked at the other four:
"What should we do?"
Warcury remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking:
"First, hear what his conditions are."
Saturn took a deep breath and picked up the receiver again:
"Speak, what do you want?"
"Fufufufu—still, you gentlemen are sensible."
"I want a position among the Seven Warlords of the Sea. If you agree, I will immediately return the Celestial Tribute to its rightful owner. And—"
He paused, adding meaningfully:
"I will never target the Celestial Tribute again."
The underlying implication was clear: if you break your promise afterward, I will hijack another batch of Celestial Tribute, then join the Fengtian Empire and oppose the World Government.
Saturn looked at the other four.
Warcury nodded.
Nusjuro, though reluctant, also nodded.
Peter and Mars subsequently nodded.
"Agreed." Saturn said solemnly, "From today, you are one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Now, return the Celestial Tribute."
"Fufufufu! Deal!"
Afterward, Doflamingo returned the Celestial Tribute intact to the location designated by the World Government.
And the World Government promptly issued a statement confirming Doflamingo's status as a Warlord of the Sea.
On the newspaper, the front-page headline:
"Heavenly Demon Doflamingo Joins the Seven Warlords of the Sea! Bounty Amount: 340 Million Belly!"
The accompanying image was Doflamingo's iconic smiling face, his pink feathered coat fluttering in the wind.
At the same time, the World Government was vigorously promoting the Seven Warlords of the Sea System.
Every newspaper carried extensive reports detailing the duties and benefits of the Seven Warlords.
They hoped that through this method, they could attract more powerful Pirates to join and quickly assemble the Seven Warlords.