Chapter 163 Popping Up

At last, this pirate ship of unknown origin anchored off the outer periphery of Enies Lobby—remaining hidden beneath the surface of the water, of course.

"Captain, another call is coming through." Monet walked over, holding the Den Den Mushi.

Why did she use the word "another"? Because Donquixote Doflamingo had been continuously pestering them. The calls had been coming one after another, which clearly betrayed his mounting anxiety.

It was worth noting that Trafalgar Law did not seem to be on the ship at the moment.

"Could that be Doflamingo again?"

Despite saying this, Qiubai directly took the Den Den Mushi... because he knew for a fact that it could not be Doflamingo. If it were Doflamingo, the call would have been disconnected immediately.

"No, it is an even bigger figure."

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku?"

Sengoku, on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, was momentarily taken aback by this greeting. He had not offered any introduction, yet the other party had instantly guessed his identity.

As for how Sengoku had managed to contact them, the explanation was simple enough: it was undoubtedly information leaked by Doflamingo.

"You know who I am? That makes things simple. What do you want? Or what will it take for you to release the Celestial Dragon? Feel free to state your demands." Sengoku's attitude was worthy of a true professional—this was likely the legendary art of knowing when to yield and having to bow one's head when under low eaves.

Yet, no matter how humiliating it felt, ensuring the safety of the Celestial Dragon was paramount at the moment.

"Tsk tsk, you're making me sound like a terrorist. Has the Fleet Admiral moonlit as a negotiation expert before?"

Qiubai said this with zero self-awareness; actual terrorists were far more endearing than him.

Still, it was a rare opportunity delivered right to his doorstep, and Qiubai had no intention of letting it go to waste. "Let me state for the record that the great Celestial Dragon, the noble Charlos-gū, specifically sought us out because she wished to experience an undersea sightseeing tour aboard a pirate ship. Things are completely different from what you imagine."

That explanation wouldn't fool an absolute idiot, and Fleet Admiral Sengoku was vastly superior to an idiot in every conceivable way. When it came to pure intellect, he won by a landslide.

"However, since the new Fleet Admiral has put it that way, we naturally have to grant you some face. So... order the Marines in Dressrosa to attack Doflamingo, but manufacture enough of a gap to allow his entire crew to escape—in other words, force the King to abandon his country. That should be easy enough for you to accomplish, isn't your man already stationed there?"

"Let Doflamingo go? Is that your demand?"

At this, Sengoku could at least be certain that Qiubai's faction had indeed parted ways with Doflamingo.

"Yes, I simply believe that pirates ought to be drifting across the sea."

Qiubai's excuse was terribly flimsy. If they had truly broken away, why not seize the opportunity to completely destroy the Donquixote family? Although being used as a pawn was infuriating, Sengoku felt that would have been the logical course of action.

What Sengoku did not know was the kind of look Monet was casting at Qiubai from behind right at that moment. Given the concentration of forces gathered in the waters surrounding Dressrosa, Doflamingo would undoubtedly be crushed to death no matter how they struck. The Marines had been holding their fire because they were afraid of hitting the rat—after all, they had previously assumed the Celestial Dragon was Doflamingo's hostage.

If Qiubai had demanded that the Marines eliminate Doflamingo instead, there was a ninety-nine percent chance they would have complied. First, compared to a Celestial Dragon, Doflamingo meant nothing; second, it would have been a convenient side task anyway. Simply having Vice Admiral Garp land ashore alone would have practically settled the matter.

Yet Qiubai had not made that demand. His reason was not to spare Dressrosa from the ravages of artillery fire, but rather to ensure that Sugar was not caught in the crossfire—even though they had been unable to take Sugar with them at the time, that did not mean Qiubai had forgotten Monet's younger sister.

Although Monet had expressed no opinions on Qiubai's plan from beginning to end, it did not mean she felt no concern for her sister. Yet now, it could practically be said that for Sugar's sake, Qiubai had abandoned the chance to deal a fatal blow to the Donquixote family.

After this affair, they would truly and thoroughly become mortal enemies, yet Qiubai had chosen to spare this enemy.

No, this was not done for Sugar's sake; more simply, it was done for Monet alone. Without a doubt, Qiubai needed Monet.

Perhaps eliminating Doflamingo while having the Marines merely protect Sugar was also an option, but that would have meant both sides holding hostages. Once he realized the importance of Sugar, what the "Strategist" might do completely exceeded Qiubai's ability to predict.

Thus, weighing the two alternatives... he decided to let Doflamingo run.

In reality, due to the urgency of the situation, Doflamingo's Warlord title had not yet been revoked, and the disappearance of the Celestial Dragon remained an absolute secret. Many low-ranking Marine officers were still oblivious, merely believing they were moving to annihilate the Donquixote family.

As for the witnesses on the Sabaody Archipelago, they had been contained as much as possible. While a few would inevitably slip through the cracks, it should not disrupt the grand scheme.

Afterwards, Doflamingo would likely retain his title as a Warlord, because he was currently taking the fall for this incident ten thousand times over.

"Is that your wish? It is easily fulfilled..." Sengoku's reaction was remarkably swift, as if Qiubai had placed the seven star-marked dragon balls right before his eyes.

On one hand, Qiubai held hostages; on another, Sengoku roughly understood that the other party was a loose cannon capable of anything; and on yet another hand, he was secretly pleased to do it. A pirate suddenly turning into a king? Naturally, it was a provocation against the Marines and the World Government—a blatant slap to the face.

Therefore, seizing this opportunity to drive Doflamingo away posed no problem. In fact, Sengoku's original intention had been to use this exact pretext to completely eliminate Doflamingo. The man jumped around too wildly and could fully be treated as a severe threat.

The status of a former Celestial Dragon remained sensitive, but if he were taken down using the incident involving a current Celestial Dragon as justification, no one could raise any objections.

It was only a pity that he now had to prioritize fulfilling Qiubai's "demand." Still, reclaiming Dressrosa could be counted as a modest achievement.

"Very well, in that case, our conversation can continue. Once Doflamingo has made a clean getaway, please come to the outer waters of Enies Lobby. Charlos-gū has indicated that her sightseeing tour should come to an end, and she wishes to disembark now..." The Celestial Dragon was, in truth, a very hot potato. Having subjected her to various forms of conditioning, Qiubai naturally wanted to send her back as quickly as possible.

"We can discuss the specific location in detail later."

"Oh, and almost forgot to mention—when the time comes, I must ask the Fleet Admiral to come alone. If any warship-like objects appear within my line of sight, this agreement will be instantly voided."

"...No problem. I will reach Enies Lobby shortly."

His prior deduction had been correct: the Fleet Admiral was currently navigating the exclusive Marine currents encircled by the Gates of Justice, meaning he could indeed arrive at Enies Lobby very quickly.

Yet, what on earth was Qiubai's underlying reason for kidnapping a Celestial Dragon? It remained a mystery. Was it truly worth taking such a massive risk merely to drive Doflamingo out of Dressrosa?

The fact that Qiubai had agreed to return the Celestial Dragon so smoothly only heightened Sengoku's vigilance... countless experiences told him that pirates with unknown motives were far more troublesome.

As for Qiubai, forcing Doflamingo to abandon his kingdom was already a painful enough blow. It meant that years of meticulous planning had all gone down the drain... once he left that country, dreaming of ever returning was nothing short of sheer fantasy.