While the world's attention was fixed on the impending clash between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Donquixote Pirates, another group was quietly infiltrating Dressrosa.
To carry out the task Doflamingo had given him, Vergo spared no effort. He had made thorough preparations long before even entering Dressrosa's waters, waiting only for Doflamingo to arrive and take over.
The events Vergo set in motion, however, took place before Doflamingo's battle with the Whitebeard-allied fleet.
As a Marine, Vergo had to operate under the guise of hunting pirates. If his actions drew the attention of the higher-ups, it would be suicide.
One day, Vergo set out on his warship, preparing to capture some pirates.
It was time to tear away the mask of Dressrosa's false peace and subject it to the wrath of pirates.
Aboard the warship, the Marines felt fortunate to have a commander as capable as Vergo. In the New World, death was always just around the corner. Without a reliable superior, their lives had no guarantee.
"Commodore Vergo is amazing! He led us to capture so many pirates on this one trip."
"Haha, yeah, he's incredible. And he's a great guy, too. He shared all the credit with us."
Inside his cabin, Vergo listened to the Marines' praise with a stoic, unchanging expression.
"Adjutant, when will we reach Dressrosa?" Vergo asked, stepping out of his cabin.
Seeing their respected Commodore, the Marines immediately fell silent. It wasn't proper to talk about someone behind their back, even if it was praise.
"Reporting to Commodore Vergo, we should arrive in one day," the adjutant replied respectfully.
Vergo nodded without expression and turned to leave.
"Commodore Vergo is so serious."
"I don't even dare to breathe when he's asking a question. His presence is just too powerful."
As soon as Vergo was gone, the idle Marines resumed their chatter.
Vergo paid them no mind. He was focused on how to take Dressrosa smoothly and quietly. It had been years since he had last seen Doflamingo; he had to have a worthy gift prepared.
Vergo knew that Doflamingo did not want to be seen as a villain, at least not in the eyes of the public. He had to appear as a savior to facilitate his rule.
After much thought, Vergo devised a plan. First, he would ruin the reputation of the Riku Royal Family. That was simple enough. He would use his String-String Fruit to manipulate King Riku into slaughtering his own people, causing him to lose their trust. Next, he would release the pirates he had captured onto Dressrosa, letting them pillage and kill the citizens. He would then spread rumors, twisting the facts to place all the blame on King Riku.
Then, Vergo himself would make a grand entrance, "saving" King Riku and Dressrosa by eliminating all the pirates. Afterward, he would slaughter his own men and pin everything on the Riku family, causing them to lose the support of the World Government.
Finally, with the people turned against him and the World Government no longer trusting him, King Riku would be driven to suicide. With one final push, the stage would be set for the main character's entrance.
That was Vergo's plan. Of course, there were minor details he had to be careful with to avoid disrupting Doflamingo's grand design. The worst-case scenario would be his identity as a mole being exposed, the citizens of Dressrosa refusing to cooperate, and the Tontatta tribe turning against them. While these might seem like minor consequences, they were unacceptable to Doflamingo.
If he could acquire all these assets with a good reputation, who wouldn't choose that path?
One day, with half a day's journey left to Dressrosa, the pirates aboard the warship were subjected to inhuman torture by the Marines. This was, of course, on Vergo's orders. To make a horse run, you have to feed it grass. These vicious pirates, having suffered such cruelty, would naturally vent their anger and resentment on the common people. It would be quite a show.
That night, the tortured and abused pirates, with a little help from Vergo, prepared to make their move.
"Brothers, let's do it! If we don't escape, these Marines will torture us to death," one pirate whispered.
"These damn bastards. Once we're free, we'll make them pay."
"Captain, should we launch a sneak attack? Kill them under the cover of darkness?"
The escaped pirates' eyes gleamed with hatred, like a pack of hungry wolves.
"No. We're no match for that Marine commander," the captain said. Though his heart burned with hatred, he was wise enough not to let anger cloud his judgment. "I heard them say we're not far from Dressrosa. Let's get there, have a good meal, let off some steam, and then get out of there. We can get our revenge later."
"Yes, Captain!" his men whispered in reply.
"Let's go!"
Under the cover of night, the pirates easily made their way to the edge of the warship. But they had no boat. How were they supposed to leave?
"Captain, we don't have a boat. What do we do?" a pirate asked.
"Captain, maybe we should just fight the Marines!" another suggested.
"We will get out of here," the captain said with determination.
Vergo, who had been watching them from the shadows, had prepared everything. To ensure these fools made a clean getaway, he had gone to great lengths. First, he gathered all the Marines for a "celebration," creating the perfect opportunity for the pirates. At the same time, he had several small boats lowered from the warship, providing them with a means of escape.
"Captain, over there! I think I see a few small boats!" a sharp-eyed pirate reported excitedly. What could be more exhilarating than cheating death?
"Yes! This is great!"
"Quick! To the boats!"
On the captain's order, they all scrambled into the small boats and quickly rowed away, heading for Dressrosa under the cloak of darkness.
In the ship's mess hall, the Marines were drinking merrily. It was Vergo's idea to get them all drunk.
As the door opened, the half-drunk Marines saw their Commodore return and swarmed him with enthusiastic praise.
"Commodore Vergo, you're back! Quick, brothers, a toast to the Commodore! If it weren't for him, we wouldn't be having such a good time!"
"Yeah, to the Commodore!"
"Cheers," Vergo said, taking a cup and pretending to drink. He hadn't actually swallowed any; after all, he had put something in the wine.
"Hahaha!"
The party continued, but Vergo quietly slipped away. He had to go ahead and give King Riku and his family a little surprise.
Using the power of the String-String Fruit, Vergo flew through the night sky, rapidly approaching Dressrosa.
A dark and windy night for murder. It was just as the saying went.