"C-Clown… what's going on? Can you still protect me?"
Caesar Clown couldn't help but speak up.
Doflamingo's face was ashen.
He had always ruled from above, commanding absolute submission.
Now, being seen in such a pitiful state was worse than death.
Especially with both Caesar and Trafalgar Law present.
"You… damn Marine. How dare you treat me like this? Don't think I'm like the other Warlords!"
Doflamingo's face twisted with rage. He struggled to pull a Den Den Mushi from his tattered flamingo coat.
"This is a direct line to the Five Elders. Among all the pirates in this sea, I'm the only one who has it."
"Let's see how you explain yourself today."
He slammed the call button.
The moment he pulled out that trump card, even Caesar and Law froze.
Even the Marines aboard the warship turned pale.
They were used to dealing with Fleet Admirals.
But the Five Elders—those hidden behind the World Government—this was a first.
"Moshi moshi. This is Donquixote Doflamingo. Get Yamamoto on the line—now. Or I'll start spilling Celestial Dragon secrets."
Feeling the weight of everyone's gaze, Doflamingo's grin grew more twisted.
He had never feared playing the background card.
All eyes locked on the Den Den Mushi.
Everyone waited to see if the other end would really be the Five Elders—and what they would say.
"Doflamingo, shut your mouth."
A deep voice finally answered.
"Stop threatening us with Celestial Dragon secrets. Don't forget—you're just a slightly heavier chess piece to us."
"Weren't you supposed to help us suppress the new Admiral? What, calling to report success?"
The crowd's expressions changed dramatically.
They hadn't expected such words—from the Five Elders themselves.
Now they understood where Doflamingo's confidence had come from.
If the Five Elders were truly backing him…
Would they really step in to protect him?
All eyes turned to Luo Yu.
What would he do?
"You want good news?"
"I'll show you good news. If I don't get an explanation today, I won't let this go!"
Doflamingo roared.
The Den Den Mushi switched to visual mode.
On the other end, Yamamoto froze.
Then his face twisted in horror.
He nearly crushed the receiver in his hand.
"Yamamoto, what's wrong?"
Issho, standing nearby, frowned.
But when they saw the image—Doflamingo in Seastone cuffs—their faces turned to stone.
"You… you were captured by that brat?"
Yamamoto demanded.
Only one person would dare shackle a Warlord like that.
The new Admiral they deemed uncontrollable.
And now, everything they'd just said had been overheard.
"Doflamingo, you bastard!"
Yamamoto snapped.
Doflamingo sneered.
"Heh. Not my fault. That brat dared to treat me like this."
"Hey, brat. I suggest you crawl over here and apologize. Or I'll make the Five Elders order you to do it."
Everyone's faces turned grim.
They stared at the Den Den Mushi.
It felt like a checkmate.
What if the Five Elders really forced Luo Yu to apologize to protect their secrets?
All eyes turned to him again.
Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Doflamingo's grin widened.
But then—
A voice shattered his triumph.
"Doffy, that fake Five Elder act was pretty convincing."
"Too bad it's 3:30. Tea time. I'll be having my drink now."
BOOM!
Luo Yu took a sip from his gourd.
Then unleashed a devastating wave of Conqueror's Haki, fused with Armament Haki.
It surged forward like a tidal wave.
In a blink, it closed the hundred-meter gap.
Doflamingo's pupils dilated.
He hadn't expected this.
Not even a pause for the Five Elders.
Just a casual dismissal—and another beatdown.
"You little brat! I'll kill you—!"
BOOM!
The Haki slammed into him.
He flew like a cannonball, crashing into rubble hundreds of meters away.
Blood sprayed from his mouth.
His eyes rolled back.
Unconscious.
The entire crowd was stunned.
Caesar's face was frozen in disbelief.
His supposed backer had tried to call an even bigger backer—
And still got flattened.
Apparently, background meant nothing to this new Admiral.
What chance did Caesar have as a bargaining chip?
"A-Admiral! I surrender!"
"I heard you're recruiting special combatants—each worth 20 million Berries."
"If you don't mind, I'm available! Among scientists, I'm quite capable!"
"Who knows, I might even be worth 30 million!"
"Thirty million?"
Luo Yu let his Haki fade, took another sip, and glanced toward the warship.
"Hahaha! That guy really is a slippery one,"
Blue Ogre Dorry laughed from the deck.
"Already trying to sell himself again."
"But the one who asked for 30 million is still lying in the dirt. Looks like we 20-millioners are being underestimated."