Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Nine: The Wind Dies Down, and the Waves Grow Still Again

Do not be fooled by Doflamingo’s seemingly composed demeanor; does he not find this line of work exhilarating?

Wrong. He finds it exhilarating too. By his own estimation, there was an eighty percent chance his demands would be met, but the possibility of negotiations collapsing for various reasons was not zero. If he failed, while it was true that the Celestial Dragons might lose their Heavenly Tribute, the Navy and the World Government would likely face a catastrophe. Yet, the one who would suffer the most—beyond any doubt—would be him, Doffy.

To put it simply, if things truly reached that point, he would be a dead man. One hundred and twenty percent dead.

Therefore, these three days, for Doflamingo, could be summed up in four words: life or death.

Of course, there was no need to worry about the Navy using force to reclaim the tribute ship during this time; Doflamingo hadn't even moved from these waters. The pirates were on the tribute ship, and a violent assault would be a reckless move. The Navy was held back by the fear of damaging what they were trying to save—what if the pirates were pushed to the edge and blew up the ship? Would the Navy then be responsible for salvage operations on the seabed?

Though the "Heavenly Tribute" was named after gold, it contained far more than just precious metals or currency. It held a wealth of strange and exotic treasures. Some might shatter at the slightest blast, while others might be ruined by immersion in water—who could guarantee there weren't those miraculous leaves from the East among the cargo? What if millions of berries' worth of tribute per gram were all soaked? No amount of a maiden rubbing them between her thighs would save them then... Apologies, that was a reference to tobacco leaves, not tea leaves.

There was a certain type of tobacco leaf grown with "Golden Fertilizer" that truly grew on trees, originating from an Eastern island called "Vladivostok-East." Every year, the most precious portion of the harvest had to be offered to the Celestial Dragons.

Thus, these three days were both incredibly dangerous and incredibly safe, providing enough time for the Donquixote Family to hold one final revelry.

At this moment, the vast majority of people, including those within the Navy and the World Government, were unaware that the Heavenly Tribute had been hijacked by such audacious pirates. Or rather, only a handful of individuals, including the Fleet Admiral, knew of the incident. Most people went about their lives as usual, completely oblivious to the fact that they were all sitting on a volcanic crater.

Upon receiving Doflamingo’s terms, the Fleet Admiral moved almost instantly from Marineford to Mariejois to report this "paramount crisis" directly to the Five Elders.

If one were to pursue the matter, the first issue was the Navy’s failure. Five warships and two Vice Admirals had been wiped out. Was the Navy eating nothing but slop? Were the Donquixote Pirates firing dicks instead of cannonballs? How was such a massive fleet overturned in an instant?

But the priority now was not to assign blame, but to solve the problem. The Five Elders were not so foolish as to miss that. When it came to the affairs of the Celestial Dragons, these five men could not afford to be anything but grave.

They immediately began their deliberations, though in truth, there was really nothing to discuss. Faced with the pirates' coercion, no one wanted to say "yes," but the current reality would not allow them to say "no," not even for the Five Elders. Regardless of the solution chosen, the final answer was inevitable.

On the morning of the third day after the hijacking, with less than ten hours remaining until the time agreed upon by Doflamingo and Kong, on the tribute ship:

"You don't seem particularly worried about the outcome," Senor Pink said to Qiubai.

The two were standing on the high poop deck, looking out over the waters still immersed in the dawn... a perfect spot to watch the sunrise in a little while.

"It's alright. After all, the family's strategic concerns aren't for us to worry about. We just need to do what Doffy instructed. Since he decided to do this, he must have a fair amount of confidence." Qiubai’s words sounded pleasant enough, but... for heaven's sake, when had he ever actually "done what Doffy instructed"?

It was the definition of "standing tall while talking," pretending to be carefree while being utterly useless—speaking human words but doing nothing of substance.

However, he truly wasn't worried about Doflamingo failing to secure the position of Shichibukai. Not because he had some secret insight, but because... even if he failed, it wouldn't matter. If the negotiations with the World Government collapsed, he would likely jump into the sea immediately and roll as far away as possible.

He had no intention of staying on a doomed ship to be buried with it.

Compared to this, he was more worried about his companions who had already headed to the New World. As a native born in the New World, he didn't have that ignorant fear of the place, but he was well aware of the dangers of those seas where no common sense applied.

Would everyone make it there safely?

"After the goal here is achieved, will we head straight to the New World?" Thinking of Ain and the others, Qiubai asked casually.

"That... we probably will. After all, Doffy wanting to become a Shichibukai is just preparation for what comes after," Senor Pink replied.

"Is that so? That would be great," Qiubai smiled.

He had already decided what kind of gift he would give Doflamingo when the time came—a gift that could definitely be called quite interesting. Qiubai hadn't forgotten what had happened with the previous Komodo Pirates.

Or rather, it was impossible for him to forget. With Qiubai’s personality, if he wanted to settle a score, he had to ensure a "quid pro quo" of equal value.

"Wait..."

Just as Senor Pink was about to say something, Qiubai interrupted him.

Qiubai curled his little finger to his lips, and with a shrill whistle, a black shadow dove from above... a News Coo.

"Buddy... you've got a lucky life."

While saying these inexplicable words, he shoved a coin forward and casually pulled back a newspaper.

During the exchange, he even kindly smoothed the feathers on the white bird's long neck.

Before the News Coo had even spread its wings, Qiubai had already unfolded the paper, and... staring back at him was Doflamingo’s large face, adorned with those gaudy sunglasses.

Qiubai and Senor Pink exchanged a glance, then turned and headed in the direction of Doffy with the paper in hand—to hell with the sunrise, whoever wanted to see it could see it.

"Is that so? That’s wonderful, fufufu..."

As soon as he arrived, Qiubai heard Doflamingo’s laughter. He was currently on that Den Den Mushi call... he was as happy as a 305cm-tall child.

Seeing Doffy turn his gaze toward them, Qiubai held the newspaper open with both hands. The headline was crystal clear:

"Donquixote Doflamingo, Bounty 440 Million Berries? (Crossed out), New Shichibukai!"

The world still loved this man who resembled a flamingo; he was satisfied after all.

Doflamingo had truly become a Shichibukai.

And Qiubai, who held the newspaper up for him, smiled even more happily than Doflamingo himself—sincerely, from the bottom of his heart.