Chapter 101: Players' Pre-Battle Preparations
To successfully kick Doflamingo in the butt, a series of meticulous action plans are necessary.
Violet: "First, find Doflamingo's location. Second, under the cover of night, climb through the window into Doflamingo's bedroom, and when he's sound asleep and completely unsuspecting, pin him down on the bed. Then, when he can't get up, unleash a flurry of punches while warning him never to lay a finger on any of R'lyeh's islanders or staff again. Finally, before anyone can react, make your escape and remain a mystery."
"That concludes my entire plan."
Sabo stroked his chin: "Hmm..."
The plan sounds good at first glance, but if you think about it carefully, isn't it just a "find the person, beat them up, and run away" trilogy?
That's way too simplistic and crude!
Ginny and the others looked at Law and Rosinante. Compared to them, who had only heard about Doflamingo from others, these two knew more about him.
Luo: "Since we have chosen to take the initiative, we should make the most of our advantages."
Doflamingo is not an easy enemy to deal with. Although the String-String Fruit he ate seems to be more of a support skill, his combat power is astonishing due to Doflamingo's terrifying ability to develop his Devil Fruit.
Looking back at Violet's past enemies, none of Dragon, Kuzan, or Garp truly intended to kill her; Tesoro had only recently eaten a Devil Fruit and couldn't unleash its full power; and the Desert Ant Lion and the Spider Queen were, in fact, non-human beings...
It can be said that the only battle that can be considered a rough reference is Violet's initial fight against Basque Jolteon. Although Basque Jolteon was completely incomparable to Doflamingo in terms of combat experience, Devil Fruit development, and mentality, Violet's strategy of turning the tide by taking advantage of the weather in that battle was still very inspiring for Law.
"We need to lure Doflamingo to the place we've arranged."
Human factors cannot be changed in a short time, so the right time and place must be utilized to the fullest extent.
Luo looked at Vera: "Island Master, do you have any [Universal Pointer] left?"
"Oh, this!" After completing the quest [...He's the village chief of the newbie village? No!], the system rewarded him with two [Universal Pointer], a [Host Flare] blueprint, and varying numbers of rubies and sapphires. "Two more."
Robin: "Does Law mean to lure Doflamingo to a place like the desert ant lion that the island lord fought before?"
Violet: "If that's the case, we can use [hostile flares]."
[Hostile Flare] is a one-time use item. After use, it will attract an additional seasonal boss to actively track the location where the flare was used.
This was an unexpected delight.
Luo: "Last time, the island lord said how long it would take for those spider nests to mature and hatch into the spider queen?"
"Ten to fifteen days."
Having received the answer, Law looked at Ginny. With just a glance, Ginny understood Law's plan: "Ten to fifteen days is enough to create and spread the message to lure Doflamingo to our planned location."
Creating a convincingly fake message and then delivering it to Doflamingo within a specified timeframe in a way that doesn't arouse suspicion is a rather delicate task.
Ginny looked at Robin: "I'll need Robin's help with some messages later."
This was Robin's first time participating in such an important group activity since arriving on R'lyeh Island, and she felt a mix of nervousness and excitement.
She nodded earnestly: "Please feel free to give me any instructions then."
“And Mr. Rosinante.” Ginny smiled as she looked at the tall, semi-transparent man behind Violet. “We’ll need Mr. Rosinante’s advice on what kind of information we need to entice Doflamingo to go there.”
Although they were there planning how to beat up his older brother, Rosinante didn't resist at all; on the contrary, he participated quite enthusiastically.
Sigh, Doflamingo, sigh, his popularity!
Law: "As for the location of the battle, Sabo and I will select a suitable deserted island, and the island owner will plant a spider nest on it. After Ginny's news spreads, we will wait there, confirm the movements of Doflamingo and the Donquixote Family, and then light the [hostile flare] to attract the seasonal boss."
Luo looked at Violet and instructed her, "The ultimate plan this time is not to kill Doflamingo, but to show him our strength. If... the island lord must prioritize his own safety."
Whether it's Law or Rosinante, in their hearts, Violet's safety is far more important than their hatred for Doflamingo.
In fact, if R'lyeh hadn't harbored such intense hatred towards Doflamingo, and if Doflamingo hadn't been someone who wasn't inclined to back down, Law and Rosinante, who were well aware of Doflamingo's danger, would have been the first to oppose Violet fighting him.
[You have customized a new event!]
The "Winner Takes All" event has begun.
[The Donquixote Family's favorability rating has decreased to "Incompatible"]
Enjoy the game!
——
"Celestial Dragons?"
"Not a Celestial Dragon, but a former Celestial Dragon."
Vera and John stood face to face in that familiar dream garden, which had been completely transformed by their fierce battle.
An invisible, ferocious sword aura ripped up the earth, tearing out its vital organs and exposing them to the scorching sun in broad daylight. Flowers and tree roots, usually hidden from the sun, lay pale and intertwined, exposed to the cracks torn open by the sword aura.
Not a single sword strike was gentle or rational. The crazed player faced John, whose madness was no less than the player's, and in the end, these strokes of pure madness were left in the soil.
John paused for a second after Vera carefully corrected his misuse of the word, then threw his head back and burst into laughter.
“Hahaha!” John looked at Vera mockingly, “You have quite the nerve, kid. With your pathetic skills, it seems I’ll be seeing you in hell soon.”
"I must try it out sometime and see what it feels like to pierce your heart outside of a dream."
“Ha, I have no interest in listening to the ravings of a dead man…” Vera slowed her breathing, focusing all her attention on John.
Every breath he took, the way his arm muscles strained when he raised his sword, the way his pupils constricted slightly with excitement before each attack...
Violet felt as if she had returned to the snow-covered Kingdom of Drums, where the dragon gave her a rope woven from grass and taught her how to find and capture the Labangs hidden in the snow.
"It's not just about seeing with your eyes, but also about hearing with your ears and smelling with your nose. Is there a sound different from falling snow? Is there the smell of freshly broken branches...?"
oh?
John raised an eyebrow at Vera with interest. Was that... Observation Haki?
The first release of her Observation Haki was like that of a fledgling eagle just hatching, cautiously sensing the world with her tender yellow beak and wet feathers. But soon, the ambition and predator instinct flowing in her blood quickly awakened. Her tentative movements paused for a moment, and then swept through the entire dream with an unstoppable momentum!
John: !
Her breathing stopped? No, it didn't stop, it completely blended into its surroundings.
Every flower, every leaf, and every grain of soil in the garden became a part of Violet; they opened their eyes, and all eyes were on him from all directions.
John's fingers, which were resting on his sword, twitched slightly. He hadn't felt this excited in a long time since the Battle of God Valley.
John said that fighting is like flirting; only an evenly matched opponent who is on the same wavelength can ignite his fighting spirit.
Violet disappeared.
John licked his lips and unleashed his Observation Haki in front of Vera for the first time.
He knew that Vera possessed a strange and powerful weapon, a weapon with an extremely strong presence. To launch a sneak attack with that weapon was no different from launching a sneak attack with a torch in the middle of the night.
But...no?
John was clearly informed by his Observation Haki that the weapon had simply vanished into thin air.
Just as John was surprised by the information he had gleaned with his Observation Haki, a faint whooshing sound came from his left rear. John quickly turned around and crossed his two rapiers in front of him, but a gray shadow was faster than him, piercing through the gap between the blades and thrusting towards his face!
John's extensive combat experience led him to abandon any thought of retreating or dodging. Instead, he twisted his arms backhand, crossing the sword in the weapon and turning it to one side.
John tilted his head slightly, but the sharp tip of the weapon still severed a strand of hair on the side of his neck, leaving a faint scar on his cheek.
Having missed her first strike, Valerie used her strength to change her thrust into a jab, aiming for John's vulnerable throat.
John leaned back and forcefully raised his head, his chin and throat almost forming a straight line, the wind generated by Violet's attack brushing against his smooth neck as it swept upwards!
Now!
To avoid this attack, John's vision was greatly impaired. In the battles of the past few nights, Val had created similar openings, but John's rich combat intuition allowed him to deduce Val's next move from the movement of her weapon even with his vision obstructed and without using Observation Haki.
But this time, John didn't notice anything.
Vera kicked John's legs hard, then nimbly grabbed his collar and forced him down!
Bang!
"Huff, huff..."
The stone spear was pressed against John's face, and Vera knelt on his chest, breathing heavily.
John, still holding his rapier, looked up at Vera against the light.
"I won. Take back what you said earlier."
John considered countless ways to retaliate, but in the end he released his grip on the sword and raised his hand to support the swaying, about-to-fall Vera.
The result of the first use of Observation Haki was that Violet felt so tired that her vision blurred.
"Well done." Vera heard John's voice in her ear. "You've basically graduated. With this level of skill, you can beat up that Doflamingo guy without disgracing me."
"Remember this: your training has only just begun. Don't come to the underworld to see your teacher so soon."
"You bastard, you're not my teacher..."
"Heh, as arrogant as ever." John looked at the gradually deteriorating sky and clouds, knowing that this place, constructed from dreams and allowing the living and the dead to briefly come into contact, was rapidly collapsing. "But only a brat like you, who doesn't know the immensity of the sky and the earth, would dare to clamor to beat up that kind of guy."
Even former Celestial Dragons who have been stripped of their titles still hold a status that ordinary people cannot even imagine.
John wrapped one arm around Wilt's waist and carried her to the edge of the dream, then tossed her out.
"Keep up the good work, kid, you'll achieve your goal someday..."
John raised his hand to wipe the bloodstains on the side of his face and licked the blood off his index finger.
"Try beating up a real Celestial Dragon."
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