Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
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Doflamingo suddenly turned around, the crystal chandelier casting broken light and shadow across his face. "The factories in Dressrosa..." He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty. "After collecting the money, abandon them all."
Footsteps sounded in a panic from the corridor, and Sugar peeked out timidly, holding a doll.
Doflamingo crouched down and stroked her head, but his fingertips shook uncontrollably. "The Tontattas, especially Princess Mansherry..." His voice suddenly rose. "Lock them in special cages now!"
As long as they had the Tontatta princess, the Tontattas would willingly follow them. This labor force was essential.
"Yes! We'll go now."
"Do we really have to retreat? We..."
"Sigh..."
"Our kingdom, which we've operated for ten years..." The executives of the Donquixote Family stood at the port, the sea breeze carrying the smell of gunpowder washing over them. Every face was filled with reluctance and struggle.
"Should we rob the rich ones?"
"Rob my foot! We'd be back on the trending list in less than a minute if we tried robbing anyone!"
"..."
Diamante gripped his long sword, his knuckles white from the force. He stared intently at the streets of Dressrosa, the once prosperous scenes they controlled now a burden they had to abandon.
"Damn it... The kingdom we've run for so many years, and we have to flee like this..."
Trebol's mucus dripped uncontrollably from his body, his expression unstable, his voice hoarse. "I'm telling you, I'm telling you... Now is not the time to be stubborn. The Marine Admirals are not to be messed with. Even Crocodile fell. If we don't leave, are we waiting for Kizaru to kick us into prison?"
A hint of fear flashed in his eyes. He knew that facing a Marine Admiral, they had almost no chance of winning.
Veins bulged on Gladius's forehead. He slammed his fist onto the ship's railing, splinters flying. "Shit! If only we had a little more time..."
Pica remained silent. He knew better than anyone that confronting Admiral-level power head-on would only lead to complete destruction.
"Mingo's judgment is correct. Retreating now is the only way to preserve the family's future."
Sugar hugged her teddy bear tightly, her large eyes filled with unease.
She had never seen the family in such a sorry state. Even Doflamingo's back seemed tense and suppressed.
She whispered. "Young Master, do we really have to leave?"
Doflamingo stood at the bow, the sea breeze ruffling his pink feather coat. The signature cold smile was still on his lips, but his eyes were darker than ever.
"Fufufufufufu... Don't make faces like stray dogs. We haven't lost yet."
He slowly raised his hand, pointing towards the distant horizon. Punk Hazard, the island shrouded in mist, was their last retreat.
"We have our most important factory there. SMILE production must not stop," Doflamingo's voice was low and dangerous. "If we lose it, Kaido's wrath will be more terrifying than the Marines' pursuit."
The family executives exchanged glances, then finally gritted their teeth and nodded. They had no choice but to follow the Young Master's decision.
At night, in the silent darkness, the ship slowly sailed away from the port. The lights of Dressrosa gradually faded into the night, and for Doflamingo and his family, everything became unknown.
...
Three days later, the afterglow of the setting sun cast its light on the island's port. The sea breeze carried a salty, damp scent, brushing against everyone's tense faces.
Although the heat of the Shichibukai incident had subsided, there were still countless help-seeking videos filmed by the public on TikTok, and the comment section was flooded with videos tagging nearby Marine bases.
On a certain island, on the training ground, Zephyr slowly took off the sunglasses he had worn for many years, his knuckles slightly white from the effort.
He stood in the center of the training ground, his eyes showing a hint of tiredness but also immense determination. Behind him stood dozens of Marine soldiers, each face filled with disbelief.
"I'm leaving the Marines," his voice was hoarse but firm, startling a flock of seagulls perched on the cannon platform.
"Teacher Zephyr!" Ain took a sudden step forward, her blue hair whipping violently in the wind. Her fingertips unconsciously dug into her palms. "Is it because of... Admiral Ron?"
This sentence brought instant silence to the entire training ground. Everyone's gaze focused on Zephyr's tense profile.
Zephyr shook his head slightly. It was really not easy to say those words... A complex emotion flashed in his eyes, but it finally settled down.
"No, Ain," his voice carried a hint of weariness, but his tone was unusually firm. "This isn't because of Ron, but because of my own choice." He took a deep breath and continued. "I've been thinking, what is true justice? Are the Marines' justice truly what I seek?"
The soldiers on the training ground exchanged bewildered looks. They had never imagined that Teacher Zephyr would say such words. They knew that Zephyr had always been their role model, and his decision was like a bolt from the blue for them.
"Teacher Zephyr, have you... have you really decided?" A young soldier couldn't help but ask, his voice laced with a hint of a choke.
Zephyr nodded, his eyes showing a hint of resolve. "Yes..."
Just then, a steady sound of footsteps broke the frozen atmosphere.
Ron walked over, followed by several soldiers carrying wooden boxes. The boxes were neatly arranged with brand new smartphones.
"No need to be nervous, everyone," Ron said with a gentle smile, the fine lines at the corners of his eyes relaxing. He personally handed the phones to everyone one by one. The metal casings gleamed warmly in the sunset.
"These are gifts for you."
Binz carefully swiped the screen, his eyes reflecting the flickering icons.
"What is this...?" Before he could finish his question, Ron leaned over and demonstrated, tapping his finger on the screen.
"This is a mobile phone, a popular tech and entertainment product in the sea right now," Ron explained patiently.
Everyone looked a bit confused, clearly not knowing what this thing was.
But it looked like a block of metal. What was so entertaining about it?
Were they supposed to play with building blocks?
Ron saw everyone's confusion, smiled, and explained.
"There's a music note icon on it, called the TikTok App. It's our main entertainment software.
Of course, many other entertainment software will be released later.
Open TikTok, start by registering an account with real-name verification, and then come up with a catchy ID."
As he spoke, he operated the phone, and a registration interface popped up on the screen.
"Next are TikTok's basic functions. See, you can shoot videos like this, and TikTok... can let the whole world hear your voice."
"TikTok has other functions, for example..." Ron continued to demonstrate, sliding his finger across the screen, showing various features.