Chapter 236: Green Bit
Doflamingo did not even glance at the subordinate he had just killed.
To him, people like that were insignificant.
Objects.
Not even close to being part of the family.
He lowered his gaze to his fingers.
Thin threads kept shooting out from them uncontrollably.
It had been a long time since he had lost control like this.
The moment the informant mentioned red eyes and a child, Doflamingo already had his answer.
With those two characteristics, and with that kind of ability, who else could it be but that hateful brat?
As for the black hair, changing one's hair color was far too easy.
Doflamingo himself knew several ways to do it.
"Young Master, Diamante has been killed. What should we do?"
The one who spoke was Trebol, another Top Officer.
He wore a thick, padded cloak, held a club-topped cane in his hand, and looked slovenly as usual. Snot hung from his nose as he spoke, making him seem far less dangerous than he truly was.
"You can't defeat that brat."
Doflamingo's voice was low.
"Because of him, I've already lost two Top Officers. Vergo and Diamante."
His expression darkened.
"I don't want to lose any more family members. From now on, all of you must act carefully. Do not move alone."
In this country, in this city, the Donquixote Family had spies everywhere.
There was no need to fight that kid directly.
If they could stall him for even a little time, that would be enough.
Just like when Diamante was attacked, Doflamingo had received the message almost immediately.
Unfortunately, what reached him had already been the news of Diamante's death.
"Young Master doesn't need to worry."
Sugar spoke calmly.
"If that kid Axel is truly as you say, then he won't win if he runs into me."
She looked like a cute little girl wearing a polka-dot dress and a red hat.
Grapes were wedged between her fingers, and one was already in her mouth, making her look exactly like a greedy little child.
But unlike her appearance, her real age and mental age far exceeded what her body suggested.
It was simply because of her Devil Fruit.
The moment she ate it, her body had stopped growing.
Her age, height, and appearance had all remained the same.
Doflamingo understood what Sugar meant.
Whether it was an ordinary person or an ability user, anyone touched by Sugar would be turned into a toy.
Doflamingo believed that even if Axel could ignore seawater, he would not be an exception.
But Doflamingo did not intend to let Sugar act.
"You are far too important to the family's development," he said in a deep voice. "Your fruit ability has too great a flaw."
"If someone who knows your ability in advance attacks you from a distance, you won't have any way to resist."
"Don't worry, Young Master," Sugar said confidently. "There's no way the enemy could know."
If it had been anyone else, Doflamingo would not have dampened a family member's confidence at a time like this.
But against Axel, he could not be certain.
That brat had spoken of his secrets before.
He had also seen through his and Vergo's plans.
All of this forced Doflamingo, who was usually proud and reckless, to set aside some of his pride and gradually acknowledge Axel's danger.
He could not afford to lose Sugar.
"Sugar, stay here."
Doflamingo's tone left no room for discussion.
"You are far too important to the family."
Sugar pursed her lips in frustration, but she did not go against Doflamingo's wishes.
Trebol comforted her from the side.
"The Young Master has his own considerations. All we need to do is assist him with all our hearts."
He leaned closer, snot dripping.
"Don't worry. I will protect you. Your value to the family is exactly as the Young Master said. It is truly immense."
In all of Dressrosa, nearly half of the residents had been turned into toys by Sugar.
If something happened to her, those people would return to their original forms.
And the crimes of the Donquixote Family would be exposed to the public.
Furthermore, many families who had opposed the Donquixote Family had also been turned into toys.
If all of them returned at once, even Doflamingo would find it difficult to bear.
After hearing Trebol's words, Sugar's mood clearly improved a little.
But the moment she saw his snot, her mood immediately worsened again.
At the very least, her appetite did.
She lowered her hand dejectedly and looked at the grapes on her fingers with visible reluctance.
...
On the other side.
Green Bit.
This was an island adjacent to Dressrosa, connected to it by an iron bridge.
There was a saying about that iron bridge.
Unless it was a matter of life and death, do not go there.
Because going there was almost the same as seeking death.
The bridge connecting the two islands had become a habitat for schools of Fighting Fish.
Once anyone approached, those vicious Fighting Fish would attack.
If someone was knocked into the water, the ferocious creatures would leave them no chance of survival.
At this moment, Axel was leisurely walking across the iron bridge from Dressrosa toward Green Bit.
From the moment he stepped onto the bridge, the ripples in the water alerted the battle-hungry Fighting Fish below.
They immediately gathered around him, circling like hunters waiting for the right moment.
Then, in an instant, one launched its attack.
A Fighting Fish burst from the water and charged toward Axel.
Axel continued walking as if he had not noticed anything.
The horn of the Fighting Fish, powerful enough to terrify an adult and comparable to the charge of a wild bull, rushed straight at him.
Bang!
A heavy collision rang out.
The impact did not strike Axel as expected.
Instead, it missed him by a single centimeter and slammed into the iron bridge, leaving a dent in the metal.
Under normal circumstances, even if such force missed by several centimeters, an ordinary person would still be unable to stand steady.
Yet Axel kept walking forward calmly, as if everything around him were completely normal.
If not for the Fighting Fish still flopping on the bridge, shaking both its body and the iron structure beneath it, no one would believe anything had happened.
The Fighting Fish thrashed a few times, then jumped back into the water and gathered with its companions, as if sending some kind of signal.
Suddenly, a group of Fighting Fish swarmed over together.
They formed a circle and pounced at the same time.
The encirclement left no room for escape.
The predatory Fighting Fish surrounded Axel completely.
But in the next moment, the roles of predator and prey were reversed.
Over a dozen horns, the very symbol of the Fighting Fish's aggression, snapped all at once.
They twisted backward toward their own bodies and pierced through them.
In a flash, more than a dozen Fighting Fish were skewered together by their own horns.
Axel lightly gripped his wooden blade and swung forward.
The force that should have moved in front of him instead lifted the skewered fish into the air.
"I wonder how Fighting Fish taste."
Axel murmured as he looked at his results.
Before long, he successfully crossed the iron bridge and entered Green Bit.
Green Bit was covered in primeval forest, making it appear like an uninhabited island.
But in truth, it was the home of the Tontatta Tribe and the Tontatta Kingdom.
Following the familiar jungle path, Axel arrived at the place he had searched for before.
Soon, a voice drifted over from the distance.
"Axel-land! How did it go? Have you found the princess yet?"
.....
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