Chapter 31

The Red Line was a monolithic wall of red earth that circled the globe, a barrier that crushed the dreams of countless pirates. For most, the only way through was to coat their ship and dive ten thousand meters into the crushing darkness of Fish-Man Island.

But the Clockwork Rose didn't dive. It soared.

"Altitude: 12,000 meters," Laki reported from the crow's nest, her goggles reflecting the sea of white clouds below. "We are clearing the Red Port. Mary Geoise is directly beneath us."

"Keep the Cloud Dials active," Kurumi ordered, standing at the prow. "If the Celestial Dragons look up and see a pirate ship, Admiral Kizaru will be up here in a flash of light."

"I don't want to see him again!" Perona shivered, hugging the mast.

The ship glided silently over the Holy Land, a ghost in the stratosphere. As they crossed the ridge, the weather changed instantly. The calm winds of the first half of the Grand Line were replaced by violent, erratic storms. Lightning strikes were purple. Rain fell upward.

"Welcome to the New World," Kurumi grinned, feeling the erratic magnetic fields. "Carmen, ignite the rear thrusters. We’re going to Dressrosa."

The Land of Passion

Dressrosa was beautiful. A vibrant island of acacia trees, stone villas, and the scent of flowers and sangria.

"So many colors!" Perona floated above the deck as they docked in a secluded cove away from the main port. "And look! Living toys! Toy soldiers, toy bears… they're walking and talking!"

"Don't touch them, Perona," Kurumi warned, holstering her black muskets. "Those toys used to be people. They are the victims of a Devil Fruit curse. If you touch them, you might catch… stupidity."

"Eeeh?!" Perona flew back to the ship.

"Laki, stay with the ship. Keep your Mosa Mosa fruit ready. If anyone approaches, accelerate a warning shot near their ear. Carmen, you're with me. We have a King to visit."

Carmen adjusted her red dress, her skin radiating a faint heat wave. "A King? Does he eat well?"

"He eats kingdoms," Kurumi replied.

The Royal Palace

The Palace of Dressrosa sat atop the massive King's Plateau, overlooking the entire country. It was heavily guarded, but for a user of Zafkiel and a heat-human, guards were merely kindling.

They didn't sneak in. They walked through the front gate.

"Halt!" A squad of guards lowered their halberds. "This is the Royal Palace! No civilians allowed!"

Carmen stepped forward. She snapped her fingers.

Heat Haze.

The air around the guards shimmered violently. The temperature spiked to 50 degrees Celsius, then 80, then 100. The guards gasped, sweat pouring down their faces, their armor becoming too hot to touch. They collapsed from heatstroke before they could even scream.

"Undercooked," Carmen scoffed, stepping over them.

They walked up to the royal pool deck.

Lounging on a deck chair, wearing a pink feather coat and sipping wine, was Donquixote Doflamingo.

Standing beside him were his top executives: Trebol (the sticky man) and Diamante (the flag man).

"Fufufufu…" Doflamingo chuckled, not looking up from his glass. "I sensed a disturbance in the temperature. And here I thought summer had come early."

He lowered his sunglasses, looking at Kurumi.

"Welcome to my humble abode, 'Time Witch'. You survived Marineford. And you kept my guns."

"They served me well," Kurumi said, stopping ten paces away. "Though the recoil is a bit… aggressive."

"Who is this brat?!" Trebol sneered, slime dripping from his nose. "Doffy! Should I stick her to the wall? Ne, ne, Doffy?"

"Try it, slime-ball," Carmen lit a cigarette with her thumb. "And I'll boil you into glue."

Doflamingo raised a hand, silencing Trebol. He sat up, his grin widening.

"You didn't come here to return the guns, did you? You came here because the New World is scary, and you want the Joker's protection."

"Protection?" Kurumi laughed softly. "No. I came to trade."

The Negotiation

Kurumi pulled a chair over and sat down, crossing her legs. She looked perfectly at home in the presence of a Warlord and underworld broker.

"I know what you're building, Joker. The SMILE factory. The trade with Kaido. The artificial Zoan army."

Doflamingo’s smile froze for a microsecond. The veins on his forehead pulsed. "You know too much for a dead Marine."

"I also know about Punk Hazard," Kurumi dropped the bomb. "I know that Caesar Clown is conducting experiments there. And I know that a certain 'Surgeon of Death'—Trafalgar Law—is currently plotting to destroy the SAD production room to break your leash on Kaido."

The air in the palace turned heavy. Conqueror's Haki radiated from Doflamingo, cracking the stone tiles.

"Law…" Doflamingo whispered the name with venom. "That brat is working for the Government."

"Is he?" Kurumi tilted her head. "Or is he waiting for the Straw Hat to arrive so they can form an alliance to take your head?"

Doflamingo stood up. He towered over her. "Why tell me this? If you want to take me down, you'd join them."

"Because I don't care about your kingdom," Kurumi lied smoothly. "I care about the chaos that follows. If Law destroys the factory, Kaido comes for you. If Kaido comes for you, the balance of the world shifts too fast. I need time."

She stood up.

"I will go to Punk Hazard. I will secure Caesar Clown for myself. Law won't get him. Luffy won't get him. And in exchange…"

She pointed at the chest Doflamingo kept hidden in his vault—the one containing a certain Flame-Flame Fruit.

"You give me the Mera Mera no Mi."

Doflamingo stared at her. "Ace's fruit? I was saving that for a special event at the Colosseum."

"Cancel the event," Kurumi said cold as ice. "Or Law destroys your factory in three days. Your choice."

The Test

"Fufufufu! HAHAHAHA!" Doflamingo laughed, throwing his head back. "You have guts! You come into my house, threaten my business, and demand a Logia fruit?!"

He snapped his finger. A thin, invisible string shot out—Bullet String. It was aimed right between Kurumi’s eyes.

Bang.

Laki’s bullet intercepted it mid-air.

From the ship docked miles away, Laki had fired a Mosa Mosa accelerated round. It traveled so fast it was invisible, shattering the string inches from Kurumi’s face.

Doflamingo blinked. He looked at the shattered thread. "A sniper? From that distance?"

"My crew is capable, Joker," Kurumi didn't flinch. "And my cook here…"

Carmen stomped her foot. The pool water behind Doflamingo boiled instantly, sending a geyser of steam into the air.

"…can turn your blood into soup before you move your fingers."

Doflamingo looked at Carmen, then at the direction of the sniper shot. He grinned. He respected power.

"Fine," Doflamingo sat back down. "Go to Punk Hazard. Stop Law. Bring me Caesar—or at least, keep him out of Law's hands. If you succeed… the Mera Mera no Mi is yours."

"A pleasure," Kurumi stood up.

"But," Doflamingo’s glasses glinted. "If you fail… I'll turn you and your pretty crew into dolls for my gladiators to play with."

"I'd like to see you try," Kurumi turned her back on him.

As they walked out of the palace, Carmen let out a breath she had been holding. "That guy… is a monster. My heat didn't even make him sweat."

"He is a demon," Kurumi agreed, her hands trembling slightly now that she was out of sight. "But demons can be bargained with. Now we have a mission."

"Punk Hazard?" Carmen asked.

"Yes," Kurumi looked north. "We’re going to crash a reunion between a rubber man, a surgeon, and a smoky Vice Admiral. And I’m going to steal the scientist right from under their noses."

"Why do we need Caesar?"

"Because," Kurumi’s eye ticked. "He knows how to make Devil Fruits. And I have a theory about Awakening that requires a mad scientist."