With no one to stop it, Farul galloped with all its might, carrying the four people towards the Royal Palace plateau.
Cavendish continuously cut a path with the sword in his hand.
At this moment, everyone placed their hopes on Luffy.
In the town, Sabo stood in front of the Marine, who were forced to retreat repeatedly by his offensive, unable to break through his defenses.
In a corner of the battlefield, Zoro confronted Pica. Zoro's expression was stern, his three swords gleaming with cold light.
Pica's figure was massive, yet he moved nimbly. The two instantly clashed, the sound of metal colliding was incessant, sparks flew, and cracks appeared on the surrounding ground.
Usopp and the others, after a difficult battle, finally met up with King Riku. King Riku brandished his weapon and shouted, "For the Kingdom!" Everyone responded in unison, their morale high.
As soon as Farul reached the flower field, Kyros rushed into it, his heart burning with anxiety, his gaze eagerly sweeping through the flowers, not missing any corner, intent only on finding Rebecca.
At this time, Robin and the others also met up with Luffy. Seeing the stairs that led nowhere, Bartolomeo directly used his Barrier ability to form a transparent staircase leading to the Royal Palace.
Cavendish chose to stay behind to protect Robin and Bartolomeo.
But strangely, apart from the advancing Pica, no one came to stop Luffy.
Finally, Luffy, carrying "Package Law," returned to the Royal Palace. (Finally here!!!)
Law was still being carried blankly, so... when would he finally be unbound? Stepping into the Royal Palace, the entrance was silent, the vast hall was empty, with only dim light slanting in from the windows, outlining various shapes of light spots on the ground.
Luffy's footsteps echoed in the silent space, sounding exceptionally clear.
He looked up at the second floor, only to see Doflamingo leaning quietly on a chair, his iconic pink feather coat draped casually over him, his long legs crossed.
Doflamingo looked up at the sky, his eyes deep and complex, as if in that endless firmament, he could find the answers he sought.
Sunlight fell on his face, outlining his stern profile, that subtle smile, he occasionally said something, but no one answered.
Luffy carried Law to the second floor, looked around, and saw a familiar building. Wasn't that where Orochimaru slept? Then he looked at the red wine on the table by the door. Hmm... it looked like it was left for Orochimaru, so it was Orochimaru's item storage area? As if he thought of something, Luffy stroked his chin and nodded.
Luffy turned to look at Law on his shoulder, a brilliant smile on his face as always.
Ignoring Law's astonished and resistant expression, he manipulated Law's entire body like a doll, bundling him up and placing him on the table.
After placing him, Luffy felt the posture wasn't quite right, so he casually adjusted Law's body posture to make him lean a little more comfortably.
Law only felt a dizzying spin; as soon as he managed to steady himself, his face immediately darkened, a vein throbbing slightly on his forehead. He suppressed his anger and said,
"Straw Hat Captain... what are you doing?"
In his opinion, they were currently in enemy territory, fraught with danger, yet Luffy was making such a bizarre move.
Luffy grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, laughing carelessly, and replied as a matter of course:
"Putting away luggage! See, this table is perfect." As if in his eyes, Law was truly just a piece of luggage that could be placed anywhere.
Law almost coughed up blood from anger, his eyes wide, and he shouted at the top of his lungs:
"I told you! Find the key first!! Unbind me! Let's deal with Doflamingo together!"
Luffy, however, waved his hand dismissively, still grinning: "No, Mingo is mine."
Although Luffy was smiling, his eyes were serious. This battle with Doflamingo would not allow anyone else to interfere.
Doflamingo watched the two bickering, a playful smile on his lips, and interrupted their conversation: "Here you are. Would you like a drink first? I have some excellent wine."
Luffy's eyes immediately lit up, and a brilliant smile appeared on his face, "Wow, really? I'm a little thirsty!"
Saying that, he strode to the table and sat down, completely unconcerned about Doflamingo opposite him.
Doflamingo elegantly picked up the crystal wine bottle on the table and gently swirled it. The ruby-like clear wine liquid inside rippled, reflecting a captivating halo under the soft light.
"This is a fine vintage from the oldest winery in North Blue, and the year is superior."
Doflamingo said, slowly pouring himself a glass, and then handed the red wine bottle to Luffy. He didn't have the habit of pouring wine for others.
Luffy grinned, revealing his iconic white teeth, and took the wine bottle with a smile.
He didn't follow any of the elaborate rituals of wine tasting, tilting his head back and taking a big gulp directly from the bottle, "Gulp!"
After swallowing the wine, his brows furrowed, and his face was full of disgust, "Some sour grape juice."
Law, who was thrown on the table, had a face full of disbelief, his eyes wide like brass bells, staring intently at the scene before him.
"Straw Hat Captain! What exactly are you doing?!" he roared at the top of his lungs.
"We're here to deal with him, not to taste wine!" However, his shouts received no response.
Luffy and Doflamingo seemed deaf, completely ignoring Law's yelling.
Doflamingo's long fingers gently caressed the base of the wine glass, his movements slow and elegant, then he slowly swirled the glass and took a small sip of red wine.
"In the eyes of those who don't understand..." Doflamingo slightly narrowed his eyes, his gaze passing through the blood-red wine in the glass, through the glass to look at that building, a hint of hidden emotion flashing in his eyes, his tone carrying a profound meaning that others found hard to decipher.
"It indeed tastes like sour grape juice. But this wine is extremely suitable for Orochimaru.
He dislikes strong-smelling wines, and the characteristics of this wine are as if tailor-made for him."
Upon hearing this, Luffy stared intently at Doflamingo, his expression earnest to the point of stubbornness, shaking his head like a rattle drum:
"No, I don't like it. Like is like, dislike is dislike, there's no such thing as suitable or not suitable."
He slapped the table, emphasizing his point, "Just like I like to eat meat, and I don't like to eat cherry pie. No matter how delicious others say cherry pie is, I just don't like it.
This wine is the same. I think it tastes like sour grape juice, so I just don't like it."
Doflamingo couldn't help but chuckle at his words. He paused, a different light flashing in his eyes.
"However, people always change. Who knows, maybe one day, when you taste this wine again, it will feel different."
Luffy's face was solemn, his gaze fixed on Doflamingo, his eyes filled with an undeniable firmness: "No, like is like, hate is hate! I hate cherry pie!!"
Doflamingo's lips, which had been curved in a playful smile, suddenly twitched uncontrollably.
He never expected Luffy's train of thought to suddenly jump from wine to cherry pie.
He paused, trying to bring the topic back, his tone unconsciously gaining a few degrees of severity:
"I said Orochimaru is more suited for wine!" The implication was to remind Luffy not to ramble about irrelevant things.
But Luffy seemed not to hear Doflamingo's words, his eyes wide, still loudly repeating to himself: "I know! I said I hate cherry pie!"
His serious demeanor made it seem as if Doflamingo was not discussing Orochimaru and wine's compatibility with him, but rather whether cherry pie should exist in the world at all.
Law watched the two of them going back and forth, fuming with impatience, trying to break free from the Sea Stone's restraints.
"You two! Can you stop talking about useless things and just fight already?!"
But his protests were still ignored, and this peculiar conversation continued to echo in the empty room.
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