Nagato in One Piece - Chapter 33
At the former site of the Corrida Colosseum.
The once grand structure had vanished, leaving only some foundation stones that Nagato had not moved. Compared to the previous high walls, it could now only be described as a fence.
Cavendish and Diamante were still locked in fierce combat, but Cavendish had firmly gained the upper hand. Meanwhile, Law and the four CP9 members stood by Nagato’s side, with Nagato still standing silently, recovering his chakra.
“Weren’t the dwarves from Green Bit supposed to join us?” Nagato asked Law.
“That’s part of the mess you created yourself, Nagato,” Law responded, not with blame, but with a hint of frustration for his efforts going to waste. “Considering our manpower and combat strength, you sent me to negotiate with the dwarves. They were supposed to handle Donquixote’s irregular forces to prevent interference in our battles. But your earlier strike sent the entire Donquixote family flying. Without Doflamingo and the executives, the irregular forces in the kingdom are in chaos and can’t organize any resistance…”
At this point, Nagato’s plan had become clear.
Nagato would face Doflamingo, using Blueno’s ability for a surprise attack;
Lucci would take on Lao G, Kaku would face Dellinger, and Jabura would battle Gladius. Unfortunately, CP9’s combat strength was lacking, with only Lucci, Kaku, and Jabura being relatively strong, barely capable of holding their ground. The battle expectations were not promising, but Nagato had no better candidates in a short time and had to arrange it this way, even taking on the rest of the executives himself;
Blueno would assist Nagato. His ability was crucial in amplifying the advantage of a surprise attack, making the ambush successful. Even Nagato had to admit that facing Doflamingo and multiple executives alone would be extremely challenging.
Kumadori was responsible for approaching Violet, which wasn’t difficult as long as CP9’s secrecy was maintained, and informing Violet about the plan to overthrow Doflamingo, prompting her to take action;
Fukurou had the simplest task: assisting Blueno and controlling Rebecca. This was Nagato’s bargaining chip for later negotiations with Violet;
Kalifa was tasked with broadcasting the message to Dressrosa and the world. Hacking into Dressrosa’s and the world’s public channels was the result of CP9’s collective effort, leveraging their recent departure from the CP core intelligence division and the lack of major changes in the World Government’s media security. Such easy access to global broadcasting wouldn’t happen again.
Law was to secure support from the dwarves in Green Bit and, upon returning, confront an executive.
There was a crucial prerequisite: confirming the locations of Doflamingo and Sugar. Nagato didn’t wish to face the entire Donquixote family; ideally, the enemies would be only Doflamingo and Sugar. However, with a tight schedule and confirming that the upcoming Colosseum finals were the only event where both would appear, he had to choose this timing.
Thus, infiltrating the Colosseum with Human Path and triggering the toy rebellion became inevitable.
The entire plan was sound in design. Executed properly, Nagato would secure Dressrosa. The main concern was the limited combat strength on Nagato’s side.
However, Nagato proceeded boldly, driven by urgency and confidence in defeating the Donquixote family, regardless of the cost.
Returning to the present.
Law continued, “The dwarves saw the original mission we agreed on was no longer relevant, so they decided to take this opportunity to carry out their own plans.”
“What plans?” Nagato asked. “We provided information about the toys and asked them to help the Riku family. Now that Violet is with us, what other objectives do they have?”
“Their princess was captured by the Donquixote family long ago,” Law explained. “Rescuing their princess is one of their critical tasks.”
“And,” Law added, “after learning about Sugar’s ability, they discovered missing companions among their tribe. On the way here, when you neutralized Sugar’s power, it confirmed their suspicions.”
After Law finished explaining, he noticed Nagato standing still in deep thought.
“A princess…” Nagato furrowed his brows. “I seem to have overlooked something.”
In Dressrosa, Kalifa’s voice continued to broadcast across the kingdom. Globally, as the World Government and various national organizations responded quickly, many regions began to block the broadcast, restoring normal signals.
For now, the broadcast within Dressrosa remained unaffected.
“Donquixote’s crimes don’t end there. In fact, from the moment Doflamingo’s gang set foot on Dressrosa, they committed heinous sins!” Kalifa’s solemn demeanor added credibility to her words. “Eight years ago, a tragedy occurred in this country, a tragedy we still can’t bear to recall.”
Kalifa, presenting herself as a Dressrosa citizen, aimed to connect with her audience: “That night’s tragedy nailed the Riku family to the pillar of shame. However, some might remember King Riku’s abnormal behavior that night. Some must have questioned why the once benevolent and kind King Riku suddenly went mad.”
In the houses, streets, and alleys of Dressrosa, people who had been in chaos due to the toy transformations quieted down. They looked at the giant screens, stared at their indoor screens, or listened intently to the broadcast.
Kalifa had meticulously prepared for this broadcast. Starting with undeniable evidence of the Hobby-Hobby Fruit’s power, she gained the trust of Dressrosa’s citizens. She then revealed Doflamingo’s plot to usurp the kingdom, further discrediting the Donquixote family. This was a comprehensive strategy. Since there was no solid proof for the latter part, she relied on the trust built earlier to make it plausible, a kind of slippery slope argument.
Kalifa’s revelations continued, “This was all part of Doflamingo’s scheme! The String-String Fruit allows Doflamingo to implant strings inside a person, controlling their actions. That night, he used this method to control King Riku!”
“He and his executives secretly infiltrated the palace, posing as pirates demanding 10 billion Berries, threatening to destroy Dressrosa if King Riku didn’t comply. Terrified of their power, King Riku pleaded with the citizens to donate money. But from the beginning, Doflamingo’s real goal was the kingdom itself. He manipulated King Riku to turn against us, shattering our trust. Then he presented himself as a hero, deceiving everyone!”
Kalifa’s exposure continued, filled with subtle provocations and detailed corroborations. This conspiracy lacked strong evidence, but today’s dramatic events had already destroyed the Donquixote family’s credibility. Combined with the long-standing trust in the Riku family, most Dressrosa citizens were inclined to believe!
“Is this all… true?”
“Though hard to believe, the Donquixote family did deceive us! The tragedy of the toys is the most painful proof!”
“Tak, you were right beside me, and yet… I couldn’t recognize you for eight years! Oh God, I can’t imagine… You… sob, sob…”
“Eight years ago, King Riku was indeed crying. I thought he had gone mad, but… that didn’t make sense!”
The citizens of Dressrosa discussed endlessly, feeling guilt, sorrow, anger, and hatred. Undoubtedly, the Donquixote family had lost all footing in this country!
“Citizens, this is the truth of Donquixote’s crimes. We’ve been living in deception for eight years! All this was uncovered by Princess Viola, daughter of the Riku family. To clear her father’s name and bring back the transformed family members, she endured humiliation and infiltrated the Donquixote family for eight years!”
After discrediting the Donquixote family, the next step was to elevate Viola, or rather, logically take Dressrosa from Doflamingo!
“Zz… zz!”
However, the CP9’s signal could still be disrupted. Before Kalifa could finish her prepared speech, the live broadcast turned into static…
A moment of silence, and then the broadcast resumed.
“Fuffuffuffuffu!”
When the sound returned, it was that mocking laughter!
Become a Patron to read chapters ahead of public release and support me 😉
Read up to 40 chapters ahead on p atreon.
