Boom!
At the Royal Plateau, dark clouds loomed.
Massive black and red lightning bolts struck down, radiating waves of a supreme and furious will, affecting even the towns below the plateau.
“Hermes Yermungand!”
Doflamingo’s face was twisted with rage.
Veins bulged on his forehead as his violent Conqueror’s Haki spread unchecked around him. Behind him, Trebol and the others wore vicious expressions filled with killing intent.
Before they lay the mutilated, headless body of Diamante, like a dagger stabbing into their hearts, this was not only a provocation but an insult.
Two days ago.
Doflamingo had rushed back as soon as he received the news, but it was already too late.
“Young Master, our treasure vault has been cleaned out.”
“We confirmed it was Hermes Yermungand who did it, and he also killed Diamante.”
The aftermath of the battle couldn’t be hidden; a quick investigation revealed the truth.
“Damn bastard.”
“Bastard.”
“That sneaky piece of trash!”
Everyone was shaking with fury.
Not only had Diamante been killed, but their years of accumulated wealth had also been taken, setting them back to square one. It was a grudge greater than the death of a father.
Damn it all.
“Doffy!”
“Mobilize all our forces to find that bastard.”
Doflamingo had never wanted to kill someone so badly. Hermes had severely crossed his line; he wouldn’t rest until he ground the man into dust.
As the night passed.
The underworld was thrown into turmoil. A name entered the sights of various major powers and kingdoms.
Hunter King Hermes Yermungand. Anyone who provided information on his whereabouts would receive 100 million Berries, capturing him alive would net 200 million, and his corpse was worth 150 million.
The most significant part was that this bounty was issued by the intermediary, JOKER.
In the current underworld, JOKER’s influence was rapidly growing, not yet at its future peak but already formidable.
Marineford.
Navy Headquarters.
“Chief of Staff, there’s news from the Donquixote Family, as you requested!”
A female marine pushed open the office door, saluted sternly, and placed the document on Tsuru’s desk.
When it came to who Doflamingo feared most in the Navy, it was undoubtedly Tsuru.
Before he became a Warlord of the Sea, she had been his relentless pursuer, nearly capturing him several times. Even now, as a Warlord, he couldn’t escape her scrutiny.
“Let me see.”
Raising her head from the paperwork, Tsuru adjusted her glasses. She wasn’t as old and gray as she would be in the future, but her presence and competence were undeniable.
Among the great figures in the pirate world, most were men, but a few women shone just as brightly, if not more so.
Tsuru was one of them.
Whether in the era of Gol D. Roger, the current Great Pirate Era, or the future era of Luffy, Tsuru could never be overlooked.
That was a testament to her strength.
“Hmm?”
“One of Doflamingo’s top executives, Diamante, has been taken out?”
Tsuru was very familiar with the Donquixote Family, having cornered them several times. She had planned to act against their takeover of Dressrosa but was stopped by Sengoku.
For one, Doflamingo was fulfilling his rights and duties as a Warlord well. Moreover, his status as a Celestial Dragon and the fact that the Donquixote family was the true royal family of Dressrosa meant Tsuru had to bide her time.
But she kept an eye on them.
She was waiting for Doflamingo to slip up.
Recently, there were clues that several kingdom disturbances might have his fingerprints on them.
“Pirate Hunter Hermes Yermungand?”
The black-and-white profile showed Hermes’s smug and handsome face, along with some basic information, including his exploits and influence in the Kingdom of Provence.
While not exhaustive, it was fairly comprehensive.
After reading, Tsuru pondered for a moment.
Hermes’s rise wasn’t particularly noteworthy; the seas were full of such men.
There was nothing remarkable about him.
What caught Tsuru’s attention was Hermes’s influence in the Prodence Kingdom, which could lead to conflict with Dressrosa, ultimately hurting the civilians of both kingdoms and destabilizing the region.
“Keep a close eye on Doflamingo. He’s been quite restless lately.”
Tsuru didn’t focus too much on Hermes. In her view, after killing Diamante, Hermes would eventually be killed by Doflamingo.
Since becoming a Warlord, many had tried to claim Do flamingo’s head but failed.
Likely, Hermes would join their ranks.
“Yes, ma’am.”
After the subordinate left, Tsuru set the report aside and picked up another stack of documents, all pirate bounties.
Among them were the Logia Sand-Sand Fruit user, Jinbe, and Gecko Moria, among others.
The Warlord roster was nearly complete, with just three slots left.
It was a tricky task.
Meanwhile.
Dressrosa.
Green Bit was a small uninhabited island covered in dense vegetation, essentially a vast primordial forest. Hidden beneath the forest lay a kingdom.
This was the home of the Tontattas, the Tontatta Kingdom.
Despite their small size, the Tontattas had remarkable speed and strength compared to ordinary humans. This phenomenon was common in the One Piece world.
It seemed every race was inherently more robust than normal humans—excluding the monsters and freaks, of course!
“Mansherry, where have you been all this time?”
Outside a mushroom house in the forest, many Tontattas surrounded Mansherry, including King Gancho and Leo, who appeared in the original story. They were both shocked and overjoyed.
They had been searching for Mansherry ever since she disappeared.
Unexpectedly, she had returned today with a human, making them very wary.
Many Tontattas suspected the humans had kidnapped Mansherry.
“I was kidnapped by the Donquixote Family.”
Recalling her captivity, Mansherry’s nose twitched, and tears welled up. She felt so wronged.
She had thought she would never see Leo or the others again.
Today, she timidly asked Hermes if she could come home to check in before fulfilling their agreement. She was prepared for rejection.
But surprisingly, this human was more reasonable than expected. If only he weren’t so scary and mean all the time!
“Damn it, I knew it was the Donquixote Family!”
Leo’s face was filled with anger.
He had suspected as much when they couldn’t find Mansherry and had been planning to sneak into the Royal Plateau. But Mansherry returned before he could.
“Mansherry, who is this human?”
As a scout for the Tontattas, Wicca approached Mansherry cautiously, eyeing the nonchalant Hermes.
“He’s Hermes Yermungand, the one who saved me. But the condition is that I stay with him for a while. He needs my healing powers.”
Mansherry hesitated but spoke softly.
After all, she would be leaving soon.
“Stay with him?”
The first part was delicate—he was a savior.
But the second part sounded problematic…
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