King sheathed his sword and took a few steps back.
He admitted he had miscalculated once again—Doflamingo was proving to be far more troublesome than anticipated.
To be honest, if the battle continued like this, not even he could guarantee victory over Doflamingo.
As the standoff persisted, the Den Den Mushi in King's pocket suddenly started ringing.
"Brrrr-brr-brr-brr-brrrr..."
King furrowed his brows, glaring at Doflamingo before pulling out the Den Den Mushi and answering it.
Kaido's voice boomed through.
"King, how's it going? Did you capture Doflamingo yet?"
Doflamingo crossed his arms and wore a smirk that King found utterly infuriating.
"Fuffuffuffu… Kaido, you're in for a disappointment. I'm still doing just fine."
"What?! King! What's going on? What are you and Jack doing!?"
King shot Doflamingo a glare before briefly summarizing the situation to Kaido. After a moment of silence, Kaido's voice turned cold.
"Doflamingo, who gave you the confidence to go against me? Release Jack and come to Onigashima yourself, or there'll be no need for you or your Dressrosa to exist anymore."
Kaido's tone was calm, but King, knowing Kaido well, realized he was truly enraged.
Doflamingo let out a derisive laugh.
"You want me to meet you? Who do you think you are? In the presence of that man, you're nothing."
Hearing this, the Den Den Mushi in King's hand narrowed its eyes.
"Oh, a backer? Interesting. Let's see just how tough your backer is!"
Doflamingo was about to respond when the Den Den Mushi in his pocket started ringing.
Raising an eyebrow, he pulled it out and saw that it was the one connecting him to Sengoku.
This particular Den Den Mushi was confiscated from Rosinante. It hadn't rung once since then.
Doflamingo considered for a moment before answering it in front of King.
However, the voice that came through made Doflamingo freeze in shock.
"Doflamingo?"
Doflamingo's lips quivered as he stammered,
"S-Saint Carl?!"
"Hey, don't stutter when you say my name, especially the first part!"
Hearing the name, King froze for a moment. That name... wasn't it the real name of Admiral Black Dragon? But what was with the Saint title?
King spoke into his Den Den Mushi.
"Kaido, Doflamingo's supposed backer seems to have appeared."
Doflamingo ignored King entirely, holding the Den Den Mushi reverently. He quickly apologized.
"Saint Carl, my earlier words were out of line. I deeply regret offending you!"
"Relax, I was just messing with you. By the way, you're still in Dressrosa, right?"
Doflamingo nodded vigorously, the Den Den Mushi mimicking his movements.
"Yes. This Den Den Mushi must belong to Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Did he give it to you?"
"He did. I'm handling matters regarding the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Before I left Marineford, Sengoku handed me this Snail, saying you'd detained Rosinante and asking me to bring him back."
"Saint Carl, please understand, I bear no ill will toward the Marines. Rosinante is my biological brother. I—"
"I know. No need to explain. Stay with your brother. I'm not taking him away from you."
At that moment, Carl was sitting in a dimly lit cabin aboard his personal speedboat, his face bearing a hint of amusement.
After a brief pause, Carl added,
"Doflamingo, don't leave Dressrosa for now. I'll handle my business and come see you when I'm done."
Doflamingo's face lit up with joy, but before he could respond, the Den Den Mushi in King's hand suddenly shouted,
"Black Dragon! No wonder Doflamingo is so cocky. He's got you backing him!"
Carl frowned and addressed the Snail.
"Who's that? Doflamingo, what's happening over there?"
Carl hadn't seen Kaido since the incident at the Valley of Gods years ago, so he didn't recognize the voice.
Doflamingo shot King a glare, clearly annoyed that Kaido had interrupted his conversation with Carl.
After a quick explanation, Carl's voice turned icy.
"Doflamingo, let me speak to him."
Doflamingo obediently turned the Den Den Mushi around to face King's.
"Kaido, I guess I was too busy dealing with Roger back then and forgot to deal with you."
"Black Dragon, this isn't Roger's era anymore! Don't think too highly of yourself!"
Hearing this, Carl's golden eyes narrowed coldly.
"Oh? Confident, are we? Let's see if your strength matches that confidence."
"Hahaha! Black Dragon, are you threatening me?"
Carl didn't bother responding. Losing interest in the conversation, he said dismissively,
"Doflamingo, drop Jack into the sea."
Without hesitation, Doflamingo manipulated the water bubble holding Jack and dropped it into the ocean, sending Jack drifting away on a wave.
King's eyes widened in anger.
"Doflamingo!"
Kaido's voice grew icy.
"Black Dragon, are you declaring war on the Beasts Pirates on behalf of the Marines?"
"War? You alone aren't worth that. The Beasts Pirates no longer have any reason to exist."
Kaido laughed bitterly.
"Fine, fine!"
King, now alarmed, quickly said,
"Kaido, Jack's fallen into the sea. I need to gather people to rescue him!"
Kaido, fond of Jack despite everything, suppressed his fury and growled,
"Go!"
Then, with a final warning,
"Black Dragon, I'll be waiting for your Marines to come!"
Carl had already hung up. Rising from his seat, he gazed ahead as a massive pirate ship emerged from the fog before him.
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+255 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg