Chapter 134: ONE PIECE (Part II)

When Qiubai spoke of "leaving the Donquixote Pirates," Law was not the least bit surprised. Ever since the incident on Minion Island, it had been an open secret.

Yet, judging the whole by the part, Law knew from his own experience that leaving Donquixote was by no means a simple matter. If Doflamingo were to discover this ahead of time, or pursue him afterward, one could hardly expect the current Qiubai to go head-to-head with him.

"Don't worry, Doflamingo won't be able to spare any attention for me soon," Qiubai said, seemingly reading Law’s concerns, though he did not elaborate.

"What do you think of this country?"

Even if Doflamingo successfully seized Dressrosa, the aftermath would keep him busy enough to be overwhelmed. If nothing else, there was the single, glaring issue: how would he get his status as "King" recognized by the World Government? He couldn't just hijack another tribute ship, could he?

Therefore, Doflamingo would be in no position to concern himself with Qiubai’s minor "runaway" act.

"This country? Dressrosa? Peaceful and prosperous... much like Flevance used to be."

Qiubai’s question had been abrupt and contextless, but Law’s answer was perfectly apt. Still, Dressrosa’s eventual fate would likely be far better than that of Flevance, the "White Town"—being controlled by pirates and becoming a hub for the world’s underground trade was, in any case, better than total annihilation.

Law then gleaned something from Qiubai’s words.

"Is Doflamingo planning to make a move on this country?"

Qiubai nodded decisively and replied, "And it will happen immediately."

Law opened his mouth, but nothing came out. In such matters, neither he nor Qiubai possessed the power to intervene. No one could stop Doflamingo.

After a brief silence, Qiubai placed the box of sugar cubes sitting on the side of the table in front of Law, then pointed to the coffee cup by his own hand.

"Can you swap the positions of these two things?"

Law was not foolish enough to use physical contact to move them. While he did not understand how Qiubai knew of such things, he understood what was being asked of him.

"ROOM."

He hovered his hand over the table, and a strange, spherical space enveloped both the box and the cup.

Suddenly, as if by spatial teleportation, the two items traded places. Or rather, it wasn't just "like" spatial teleportation; it was exactly that. This exchange was one of the abilities of the Ope Ope no Mi, which Law called "Shambles."

"It really worked... I must say, it is a convenient ability. That solves the problem." Qiubai reached out to touch the sphere Law had created, but felt nothing.

Only within this "ROOM" could Law fully manifest the powers of his Devil Fruit. The space functioned as his operating theater, where his capacity for control grew exponentially.

"On that day... will Doflamingo use that technique?" Law asked. He knew Qiubai wouldn't have asked for such a demonstration without reason, and the thought brought to mind a scene he had once witnessed.

"That technique? Oh, you mean the 'Birdcage'... I suppose he will," Qiubai replied.

Once the operation began, Doflamingo would undoubtedly seal off the entirety of Dressrosa.

However, the blockade of the "Birdcage" would be utterly useless against Law’s abilities. It would be akin to locking Kuroko in a cage—Kuroko from Academy City, that is.

In reality, there were at least two other ways to escape the Birdcage, requiring the abilities of Ain and Bepo respectively. But without a doubt, Law was the most suitable, as the other two methods required one to "shrink" then "drill" through, a method of escape that looked somewhat undignified.

Law’s ability carried some risks for him, but here, it was likely not an issue.

"What will become of this country afterward?" Law asked again.

If Doflamingo used the "Birdcage," what would he do inside that enclosed space? Law could guess some of the scenes just by imagining it.

Qiubai returned the sugar cube box to its original place, pulled the coffee cup back, and downed the black liquid in one gulp. "Doflamingo wants to be the king of this country. If you want to replace a 'natural, expected existence,' what do you think is required?"

It was a rhetorical question; Qiubai did not need Law’s answer. "There are many things required, but among them, the most essential... must be iron and blood."

Doflamingo’s plan was simple. He would appear before King Riku, threatening him in his capacity as a Warlord of the Sea: the country had to pay a massive sum of 10 billion berries, with a deadline of only one day. If they failed, or if they leaked his existence, he would plunder the land.

King Riku’s personality, habits, and subordinates were all well-known to Doflamingo, so the King’s reaction was easy to predict: to avoid bloodshed, the "benevolent" King would beg his subjects for "donations." Given his prestige, a significant portion of the populace would surely empty their coffers.

Regardless of the intent, the role of the extortionist would effectively be transferred from Doflamingo to King Riku.

Would Doflamingo keep his word? While 10 billion was a staggering amount, money was not his goal at all.

Afterward, Doflamingo would use his "Parasite" strings to control the King and his guards, orchestrating a massacre of the very citizens who had paid the ransom.

The situation was easily parsed: the King takes the money, then kills the citizens who paid it.

The image of a tyrant would be established instantly, and the prestige accumulated by the Riku royal family would collapse in a heartbeat.

At that moment, Doflamingo would descend as a "savior." He would put an end to the riots, becoming a "hero." Coupled with the fact that the Donquixote family were the original royals of the land...

By manipulating "public opinion," Doflamingo would become the new King of the country.

The plan was highly executable, and while Qiubai had no way to change Doflamingo’s script, he had his own areas of expertise. For instance...

Flipping the table, perhaps?

"Under the framework of the Donquixote Pirates, neither you nor I can change what Doflamingo intends to do, so certain things in this country are destined to happen."

Qiubai’s departure from the Donquixote Pirates was a matter of course. The question was whether things would go as planned, and whether such a long stint of working for them would yield the appropriate returns.

"However, I will have a proper chat with Doflamingo. After that, this country..."

He left the second half of the sentence unsaid.

Perhaps there would be a positive change for the country.

Or perhaps it would become the next "White Town."