Doflamingo froze.
He had never imagined someone would outright refuse his offer to "talk."
Even the Five Elders, hidden behind the World Government, wouldn't dare do that.
But facing the man before him, Doflamingo didn't dare question it.
Above him loomed a beast formed of pure Haki, a nine-layered super-tier magical Skyfall, and a golden Hundred-Armed Kannon.
The convergence of these three forces pressed down on him with a suffocating weight.
"Damn you, Marine Admiral… Don't let me live. If I survive this, I swear I'll kill you someday!"
BOOM!
The triple ultimate attack detonated.
The shockwave that followed rivaled even the Flowing Sakura Sovereignty unleashed by the two giants earlier.
The already-flattened harbor was once again swallowed in destruction.
No one knew how long had passed before the dust began to settle.
The golden titan formed by Tesoro's awakened Devil Fruit now looked utterly out of place.
Inside it, Tesoro felt a creeping dread.
Still, he anxiously scanned the ruins.
As the dust cleared, Luo Yu stood exactly where he had been, gourd in hand.
Before him, a massive crater had formed.
Doflamingo's once-proud flamingo coat now looked like a plucked chicken.
Half-buried in rubble, his bloodied body struggled to rise.
Seeing the once-mighty Warlord—who had always claimed to be the strongest—reduced to such a pitiful state, Tesoro's pupils shrank to pinpricks.
And the fact that he was still inside the golden giant made him feel like he was sitting on a bed of nails.
He never should've come here.
A ridiculous thought flashed through his mind.
"Cough… Tesoro… if you're going to act, now's the time!"
"If we join forces, we might break through. Just get me out of here alive, and I swear I'll make that Admiral regret it for the rest of his life!"
Doflamingo coughed up blood, screaming in desperation.
He had long since given up on his own men.
Tesoro was his only hope now.
If Tesoro could just create a little chaos, Doflamingo believed he might still escape.
"Hahaha! Doffy, what nonsense are you spouting?"
"Why would I attack a Marine Admiral?"
"Admiral Luo Yu, are you still recruiting special combatants? Do I look like I'm worth 20 million Berries?"
Tesoro burst into laughter.
His words rang out loud and clear.
Doflamingo's expression froze.
He looked up at Tesoro.
The golden titan, formed by his awakened powers, crumbled instantly.
Tesoro landed lightly on the ground, bowing respectfully.
The clean break was so swift, Doflamingo felt a surge of blood rise in his chest.
SPURT!
He spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed, eyes rolling back.
Unconscious.
This was the ally he brought in?
How had he ended up switching sides mid-battle?
In that moment, Doflamingo finally understood what Vergo's message—"Behave"—had really meant.
It wasn't about Luo Yu being told to behave.
It was a warning for him to behave.
Smoker and the others were stunned.
Tesoro's logic had caught everyone off guard.
Feeling the stares around him, Tesoro wiped the sweat from his brow.
Sure, what he did wasn't exactly honorable.
But better him than me.
Still, with someone like Luo Yu—who didn't play by any rules—Tesoro wasn't sure he'd made it out of this alive.
"Twenty million Berries?"
Luo Yu took a swig from his gourd, patted Tesoro on the shoulder, and grinned.
"Yeah… you do look like 20 million. Welcome aboard."
"Someone get Doflamingo on the ship. No—invite him aboard. Don't forget, Sengoku said he's a guest."
"Yes, Admiral Luo Yu!"
Smoker and the others snapped out of it and rushed to carry out the order.
They already had little presence on this ship.
Now that the number of special combatants had jumped from four to five, if they couldn't even handle errands, they might not even be allowed to show their faces.
As Doflamingo was hoisted onto the ship, Doll landed beside Tashigi and Ain, letting out a quiet sigh.
"I was really worried Admiral Luo Yu would kill Doflamingo on the spot."
"If he had, we'd have a hard time explaining it to HQ."
"I didn't expect him to follow Sengoku's orders so… precisely."
Tashigi took a drag from her cigarette, her cheek twitching.
"Vice Admiral Doll, you're new here, so maybe you don't know how Admiral Luo Yu operates."
"He didn't kill Doflamingo because he's probably waiting for Sengoku to raise the bounty."
"Everything he's doing now? Just milking the cow."
"Let's hope Doflamingo behaves from now on. Otherwise, next time… he won't be so lucky."
Ain nodded silently.
Doll watched the two of them clean up the aftermath and realized—for the first time—she might've been a little naïve.
Not far away, Tesoro had overheard everything.
Thinking back on what had just happened, he believed every word.
Whatever doubts he had were gone.
He quickly put on a smile and followed Luo Yu aboard.
Sure, he was worth less than Doflamingo's 30 million.
But for the first time, the Golden Emperor felt like being worth 20 million was a good thing.
Looking at the four special combatants gathered on the deck, he laughed and waved:
"Hey there! Sorry for the late intro—I'm Tesoro, your 20-million-Berry man. Nice to meet you all!"
One day later, after the massive warship had departed—
A CP0 vessel finally arrived.
Standing on deck, Spandam stared at the flattened harbor.
And in that moment, he realized—
His suspicions had been right.
The Five Elders had ordered him to have Doflamingo "test" Luo Yu.
But now?
He had just delivered a fortune straight into Luo Yu's hands.