"Hey, hey, hey, I hope so," Doflamingo grinned, handing a document to Yuno.
Yuno took it and flipped through the pages. "Oh? Like Fishman Island, it's on the seabed? That's a bit tricky."
The document listed the headquarters of the Deep Ocean Current as Undersea City!
Deep beneath the seabed in a certain area, encased by layers of bubble membrane, stood a submerged stronghold similar to Fishman Island.
This fortress was both natural and artificial, making it a very unusual location.
Dangerous currents swirled all around it, making entry nearly impossible without knowing the exact route. If careless, one could be swept away by the current known as the White Dragon and vanish without a trace—ship and crew alike.
"Hey, hey, Umit is known for being a coward. Killing him won't be easy," Doflamingo chuckled.
Umit's lair, thanks to its location, was rarely accessible. So long as he remained inside, ordinary people could not touch him.
Of course, there were exceptions.
Though the fortress lay beneath the sea, it wasn't at the extreme depth of ten thousand meters like Fishman Island—more comparable to the depth of Impel Down.
That meant ordinary people were helpless against him, but some top pirates could still attack him directly from the surface—their blows reaching all the way to his underwater castle.
This was why Umit remained cautious when dealing with pirates of that caliber.
"As long as we know where it is," Yuno said calmly, flipping through the documents.
"Hey hey hey... then I wish you success!" Doflamingo smiled.
The next day, the sun shone brightly.
The weather on this island always seemed pleasant—clear skies, warm breezes—perfect for a resort, which explained its growing reputation as a vacation spot.
But Yuno had no interest in leisure.
He sailed alone on a small boat toward the waters controlled by the Shipping King, Umit.
He knew Doflamingo wouldn't openly break with Umit, so he would have to take matters into his own hands.
Yuno didn't want to wait; he needed a base of operations to expand his power.
The information Doflamingo provided pointed him to a perilous stretch of sea known as the Volite Sea, where Umit's headquarters lay hidden beneath the waves.
The Deep Currents specialized in transport, conducting business with numerous factions.
They relied on giant seahorses as power sources for their vessels, and their mastery of sea currents allowed them to move goods quickly and efficiently.
Even Charlotte Linlin (Big Mom) did business with them, making Umit a major force in the transport of sweets and desserts.
But "business" wasn't exactly the right word. Umit's services were less a trade and more protection money—clients paid because refusing was riskier.
Still, there was an advantage: factions connected to Big Mom enjoyed a degree of protection, since others were wary of crossing her.
Because Umit's network relied on undersea navigation, he needed the special resin of the Alchiman mangrove trees from the Sabaody Archipelago.
But that resin supply was completely monopolized by the Donquixote Family.
Every shipment cost Umit heavily, and he bitterly resented it. The resin was abundant at Sabaody, yet Doflamingo's men squeezed massive profits from it.
This had already sparked friction between the two sides—and Yuno intended to widen the rift.
The Deep Currents were a vast underground syndicate, led by the "Shipping King" Umit.
To control the transportation industry, they employed vast manpower, though most were ordinary workers. Only a handful stood out:
- General Manager Umit, bounty over 500 million
- Admiral Ulunya, bounty over 400 million
- First Mate Neil, bounty over 200 million
- Several others, each worth over 100 million
But Yuno didn't concern himself with numbers. Unless they had the power of the Four Emperors, numbers alone meant nothing.
Despite the raging undercurrents of the Volite Sea, the surface waters remained calm enough for ships to pass freely.
One such place was Crescent Island.
A nondescript landmass within the Volite Sea, it boasted no famous products or pleasant climate—simply another ordinary island in the New World. Its crescent shape was its only distinguishing feature.
Yuno's destination was clear. Crescent Island lay under Umit's jurisdiction, serving as both a transit hub and branch base of his empire.
If it were attacked, Umit could not ignore the blow. Half his transport capacity would collapse, devastating his business.
Yet Umit was timid. If he sensed real danger, he might abandon the branch to save himself—even if it meant losing power.
To avoid drawing attention, Yuno concealed his identity, landing in the guise of Yeld, without his iconic black-and-white mask.
The Shipping Bar was just what the name implied—an establishment tied to Umit's operations.
Yuno entered quietly, ordered a beer, and sat in a corner.
Bars were always gathering spots for all kinds of people and, more importantly, for information.
In his past life and now, Yuno favored such places for intelligence. With his sharp perception, separating truth from noise was effortless.
One burly man's words caught his ear.
Taking a sip of beer, the man grumbled, "I don't know what the higher-ups were thinking, going to war with the Donquixote Family. Since it started, we've lost countless men, and our business has taken a hit. Many factions have already cut ties with us."
He shook his head, adding sarcastically, "But at least it's over now. Lord Umit must've paid a price to reach terms with them. He's a good boss in other ways, but… a little too timid."
At that, a thin, sharp-faced man with a monkey-like chin glanced around. Seeing no one paying attention, he whispered, "I heard Lord Ulunya wasn't happy about it. He and the boss quarreled—maybe even fought. Not sure if it's true."
"What? For real?"
"Lord Ulunya loves fighting and he's strong—no weaker than a Donquixote officer. If it really came to blows, he wouldn't back down from them!"
"It's possible the two lords have been at odds for a long time. Lord Umit dislikes fighting and prefers stable business, while Lord Ulunya thrives on battle and is more interested in expanding his power! Personally, I think Ulunya is more to my liking—he's willing to pay the price for peace."
"It seems Lord Ulunya declared war on the Donquixote Family this time without Lord Umit's permission, didn't he?"
"Fool, the Donquixote Family has already come to our doorstep! If we don't fight, are we supposed to beg for peace? They'll think we're afraid of them. We're both kings of the Underworld—who's afraid of whom?"
"That's the power of Yaksha, Donquixote Doflamingo… the authority of a Warlord of the Sea, with the legal right to plunder at will…"
"Hush! Don't say that so loudly, or someone might overhear."
"I'm worried what will happen if the two lords truly fall out…"
"…"
Although the voices were hushed, they couldn't escape Yuno's sharp perception.
"Huh… is something like this happening again?" Yuno muttered to himself, his thoughts racing, weighing whether there was any room for maneuver.
With his strength, he could have crushed them outright, but Yuno preferred to save effort by using his wits.
Disagreements between a leader and his second-in-command were nothing unusual in the pirate world. Many ambitious men tolerated being subordinates only until the chance came to replace their boss. Perhaps Ulunya was one of those men.
If even the lowest-ranking lackeys knew about the tension between Umit and Ulunya, then the likelihood of open conflict was already eighty or ninety percent. Perhaps both were already wary of each other…
Yuno's eyes gleamed as he smiled faintly. After paying the bill, he walked out.
Unfamiliar with the island, he decided to gather more information first.
After several days, Yuno had a general grasp of the situation. Thanks to some "friendly" intelligence offered by his subordinates, his suspicions were confirmed—Ulunya had long been preparing to dethrone Umit.
Crescent Island held a key position along the Deep Current routes, serving as a transit hub for many transport fleets. Ulunya had been stationed here for years, and most of the forces on the island were loyal to him. In essence, it had already become his stronghold.
With so many men under his command, information filtered upward through layers of subordinates. As long as one channel of communication was secured, even false reports could slip through unchecked. This was how Ulunya bypassed Umit and directly declared war on the Donquixote Family.
When Umit learned of it, he was furious, and relations between the two men grew even more strained.
Ultimately, Umit relied on his ties with Charlotte Linlin to temporarily stabilize the situation. The rest of the Underworld wrongly assumed he had made some concession to force the Donquixote Family to back down.
Ulunya, however, despised this "survival by ceding territory" and resolved to eliminate Umit once and for all. To him, Umit was too weak—unworthy of the title Shipping King!
Ambitious and cunning, Ulunya knew he needed a "just" reason to depose his superior. Rumors spread in the bars—clearly seeded by Ulunya—that he was acting in the name of justice.
Justice, after all, mattered in the eyes of others. Replace the boss, but prevent the faction from collapsing—that was the principle Ulunya understood well.
This time, his preparations were thorough.
…
"Controlling the intelligence hub and preparing a surprise attack? Not a bad plan," Yuno mused. "But if Umit still holds the title of Shipping King, then clearly, Ulunya's scheme has failed. Umit is cautious to the extreme—there's no way he'd let his power erode so easily. Perhaps Ulunya has been under his watch all along."
Yuno chuckled darkly. "Then… I'll just add fuel to your fire."
From his waist, he pulled out a Den Den Mushi he had once taken from Simon Sandi. Dialing a number given to him by a "friendly" source, he put the receiver to his lips.
His voice burst out in panic, broken by heavy gasps:
"No! This is terrible, sir! Ulunya-sama—he's gathered troops on Crescent Island! He's preparing to strike headquarters and replace us! We can't allow it—how could someone like him take over? Quickly, inform Lord Umit—!"
Before the other side could reply, Yuno feigned a scream, pulled the receiver away, and in a different voice snarled:
"Damn it, the news has leaked! Report to Ulunya-sama at once!"
Click. He hung up.
Dialing another number, he changed his tone again:
"Your plan has been exposed. Lord Umit is gathering troops at headquarters. If you don't act now, you'll be crushed. Rally your men immediately if you don't want to die!"
…
After finishing his act, Yuno laughed to himself. Whether the deception worked or not didn't matter—if it failed, he could always rely on overwhelming strength to crush everything.
His figure vanished into thin air.
But this alone wasn't enough. The island itself had to descend into chaos.
Although most inhabitants were Ulunya's men, many others were simply passing through Crescent Island on business.
Within half a day, the rumor spread like wildfire:
[Lord Ulunya and Lord Umit have broken ties! Both are gathering troops on Crescent Island for battle!]
At first, no one believed it. But soon enough, fighting erupted across the island—fueled, of course, by Yuno's subtle hand…
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