Chapter 129

[SEA CALENDAR YEAR 1501]

Months flew by, and the Donquixote family emerged as a rising power in the New World. Leveraging my knowledge of weapons, we smoothly transitioned and converted a large island near Dressrosa into our primary factory for weapons manufacturing.

Within these few months, the number of pirates serving under the Donquixote banner swelled to nearly ten thousand. Despite this influx, Dressrosa remained serene, as only pirates with enough authority and rank within the Donquixote Pirates were allowed to enter the main island. The rest were stationed on the surrounding islands.

The Donquixote family came to conquer close to twenty-four islands in total, including four unaffiliated kingdoms. Our burgeoning weapons industry caught the attention of many parties.

Originally, many thought that after pushing back the Marines, they would retaliate with full force. Contrary to everyone's expectations, neither the World Government nor the Marines showed much interest in Dressrosa's affairs.

Occasionally, Cipher Pol members were executed in the central square of Dressrosa, but despite the loss of multiple agents, Cipher Pol continued to infiltrate the lower ranks. The inner circle, however, remained tight, only expanding with the addition of Scarlett. The Riku family returned to rule Dressrosa, with King Riku openly declaring that his family would become vassals of the Donquixote brothers.

The World Government sent emissaries to mediate the matter, but they were killed before reaching the island. Many Celestial Dragons, especially those from the Donquixote family, petitioned the Elders to regain control of the kingdom once ruled by their family, but the Elders showed no interest and dismissed the matter.

Tensions between the Donquixote family and the Big Mom Pirates had been mounting. Just a month after Reverie, Charlotte Perospero, Big Mom's eldest son, arrived in Dressrosa, demanding the Donquixote brothers surrender and follow him back to Whole Cake Island as captives. Rosinante, once again, demonstrated why the Lightning Logia is to be feared, razing the half-dozen ships that accompanied Perospero's vessel and capturing Big Mom's eldest son.

Upon hearing the news, Big Mom personally embarked on a mission to deal with the Donquixote brothers. Fate, however, had other plans. She clashed with Whitebeard in the open seas and was grievously injured, forcing her to retreat back to her main base. Katakuri later made a trip to Dressrosa and paid a hefty ransom to release Perospero.

Another significant event was the advent of the Seven Warlords. Their first mission, mandated by the World Government, solidified their reputation. The seven ruthlessly slaughtered hundreds of pirates and quelled kingdoms showing signs of rebellion, reminding them of the true price of freedom. The propaganda following their actions was a stark warning to all who dared to challenge the World Government's authority.

The entire world soon became aware of a new power called the Shichibukai, a group gaining significant momentum. However, their presence didn't dramatically alter the status quo in the New World, as many pirates could still go toe to toe with the Shichibukai. This wasn't the case in Paradise, the first half of the Grand Line, where the reputation of the Shichibukai was tremendous.

Hector 'The Butcher' started raiding unaffiliated countries left and right, and even fleets belonging to affiliated kingdoms weren't safe from him, as the World Government had only restricted them from attacking the kingdoms directly. Mihawk, given the moniker 'Hawkeye,' began hunting down pirates known for their swordsmanship, cementing his fearsome reputation.

Shakky, on the other hand, was more interested in hunting down pirates who had targeted the Kuja during her absence. Although Amazon Lily was a safe haven, the Kuja tribe's primary profession was piracy, leading to inevitable clashes with other pirate groups. Shakky took it upon herself to hunt these troublemakers, using her authority as a Shichibukai.

Not every Shichibukai had a smooth sailing experience, especially Gecko Moria. Many began to question his status as a warlord. While Mihawk and Crocodile were also rookies, Mihawk had already claimed the title of the greatest swordsman genius of the century and was on his way to becoming the strongest swordsman in the world.

Crocodile repeatedly challenged the Whitebeard Pirates to fulfill his dream of besting the strongest man in the world. Despite his repeated losses, his willingness to face the Whitebeard Pirates made him worthy of the Warlord title. Gecko Moria, however, found himself increasingly frustrated. Determined to prove his worth, he set his sights on bringing down one of the foremost contenders for the position of Emperor in the New World: Hundred Beasts Kaido.

Royal Palace, Dressrosa

Inside the meeting hall, the core members of the Donquixote family were seated around a large table. Despite their young ages, everyone in the inner circle was given a seat, symbolizing their importance. The eldest among them was Issho, while Doffy, currently eighteen, occupied the main seat. I, having recently turned sixteen, sat directly opposite my brother.

Doffy's face showed a fleeting hint of sadness as he surveyed the empty chairs, likely remembering the family members we had lost. The atmosphere, however, quickly shifted as Scarlett, wearing glasses, adjusted the frame and neatly laid out the new bounty posters for all to see.

"Ahem! Master Doffy, a new set of bounties has been released after our recent capture of Yorkshire Island. Your burning down of the Marine base must have really irked them," Scarlett said, her voice carrying a mix of pride and concern. I couldn't help but marvel at how the World Government and the Marines always managed to get such clear pictures of us, despite my efforts to eliminate all their agents. It seemed common that people were taking pictures and selling them to Marine bases. I made a mental note to weed out these potential information leaks.

"Oh, Young Master Ross, look! Your bounty has finally reached the billion mark," Lucci commented, picking up my new bounty poster and admiring it. Mansherry immediately grabbed it, climbed onto my shoulder, and waved it in front of me.

[WANTED]

DEAD OR ALIVE

DONQUIXOTE ROSINANTE

1,019,000,000 Belly

I couldn't help but smirk at the rapid increase in my bounty. Unlike Doffy and Issho, I had been very active on the open seas. With my Lightning Logia abilities, I had superior speed, allowing me to cover long distances and regularly clash with various parties who thought they could challenge the budding power of the Donquixote Pirates.

I destroyed them all, sinking Marine scout ships and ships of other powers within our territory without exception. The Big Mom Pirates had been relentless in clashing with us, but in the last two months, their numbers had drastically reduced.

It seemed something significant must have happened within their territory. I had stayed in Dressrosa for so long because I feared Big Mom herself would descend upon us, but even months after her clash with Whitebeard, there was no movement from her. So, I had decided to proceed with my plans.

I swiped the table to check out the other bounty posters being passed around. Almost everyone in our inner circle has a bounty now, even little Shyarly and Lucci. Despite my repeated efforts to keep their identities secret, the Marines had somehow sniffed out their allegiance to the Donquixote family.

This couldn't be helped; however, no one knew the true terror of the children being raised by us. Most of their bounties were just a few million, more of a formality to tempt random pirates to go for the kill. But under Issho's constant protection, unless someone of Admiral level personally targeted the children, none would be able to get past him. And it wasn't like the children hadn't been targeted before, but everyone who did so ended up with horrible deaths. Those who died were the lucky ones; those captured experienced a fate worse than death.

[WANTED]

DEAD OR ALIVE

DONQUIXOTE DOFLAMINGO

749,000,000 Belly

[WANTED]

DEAD OR ALIVE

'FUJITORA' ISSHO

629,700,000 Belly

"Hell yeah, I finally reached thirty million!" Smoker bellowed in delight, clutching his bounty poster and winking at Gladius next to him. The spiky-haired kid just sulked, eyeing his poster, which displayed a 24 million bounty.

"So, little brother, are you sure about this?" Doffy questioned me as I disclosed my plans to venture back into the open seas.

With Dressrosa steadily on track, my absence would not make much of a difference with my brother and Issho here and me being ot there would serve as a constant reminder and deterrent to anyone who might set their sights on the kingdom. Even the Elder Planets would think twice about making a move, knowing that I was the bigger threat among the two Donquixote brothers.

"As long as they can't take me down, they'll measure their actions before targeting Dressrosa," I continued. "However, I've noticed that, for some odd reason, the Elders have stopped actively targeting us. Although there is a continuous influx of CP agents, it seems more like a formality than genuine action."

The Marines are also in over their heads, with the number of pirates steadily increasing despite it being more than a year since Roger's execution. Even the threat posed by the Shichibukai is not taken seriously by aspiring pirates, leaving most Marine forces occupied with stabilizing the Four Blues and the first half of the Grand Line.

"I had thought Big Mom would come straight for us, but it seems she's facing some trouble of her own. Delaying things any longer would only slow down our progress, and I have solid intel about the whereabouts of Senor and Diamante." I replied while caressing Sandai Kitetsu, which lay on the table in front of me.

The sword had served me well and often gave me the vague feeling that it had a spirit of its own. Despite its numerous cracks, it still held on as if wanting to accompany me until the end. I had been sparingly using my sword in recent months, as I understood that Kitetsu was at its limit.

As I grew stronger, the burden on the black blade became overwhelming, and I did not want to completely destroy it. I hoped to restore it and pass it down to someone in the future. Even Iceburg had carefully studied my blade after I told him that the Klabautermann was no myth. If possible, in the future, I would take him to see a ship that had nurtured its own water spirit.

After a brief distraction, I turned back to the meeting as Scarlett coughed to catch my attention.

"Who are they, Ross? Are they part of the family?" Leo questioned, seated on the table in a miniature chair that was fashioned to accommodate their short stature.

Meanwhile, Mansherry had made my shoulders her throne. Being alongside me constantly whenever I tempered my body made Mansherry closer to me than the rest of the family. Perhaps she instinctively knew that I was the strongest in the family. She was one cunning dwarf.

"Yes, Leo! They were part of the family since the day it was established. We were powerless back then to help save them from the tragedy," I said sincerely, not hiding our inability to save them back then.

Finally, after more than a year of searching and greasing the hands of corrupt Marine officers, I had confirmed that Senor and Diamante were alive.

Doffy, hearing that the original Cadres of the family were still alive, clenched his fist. The bounty poster in his hand burned to a crisp and turned to ashes. "Where are they?" he whispered, his eyes glinting with determination.

"Where else? Impel Down," I replied. "Despite their lack of notoriety, because of their original connection with us, they are being treated harshly. Maybe the World Government thinks they know many secrets. As per the latest intel, they should be confined to Level 6. Both are Devil Fruit users, and the World Government wouldn't want them resurfacing in this world."

"So that bastard Kaido didn't even grant them the mercy of death, huh? He left them to be tormented by those Marine bastards!" Doffy's veins popped, and his anger was boiling over. As if responding to his mood, his arms turned to purplish-blue flames, about to devour the expensive red oak table.

Gladius, reacted swiftly and covered the entire table with crystal. The kid was used to Doffy's mood swings, and since he had gained control of his Crystal Fruit, he had saved many buildings and furniture from my brother's temper tantrums.

This time, however, I couldn't admonish him. Doffy's anger was something I could relate to. While he expressed it outwardly, I kept mine simmering inside, ready to unleash my wrath on our enemies responsible for the incarceration of our family members.

Doffy's fingers drummed on the crystal table, his frustration palpable.

Iceburg, who had been pondering the matter, spoke. "The fact that they are in Impel Down means Kaido didn't kill them because he wanted them to suffer, but he might as well have. It's a death sentence of another kind."

Giolla, who had been silent until now, nodded solemnly. "Rescuing them will not be easy. Impel Down is a fortress, and Level 6 is reserved for the worst of the worst. If young master Ross hadn't told me about its existence, I wouldn't even have known. Senor and Diamante must be suffering as we speak. But with the right plan, we might be able to pull it off."

"We'll need to be quick, and we'll need to be smart," I said, leaning forward. "This isn't just a rescue mission; it's a statement. We need to show the world that the Donquixote family is strong, that we take care of our own, and that anyone who crosses us will pay dearly, even if its the Marines."

Doffy's gaze met mine, his eyes burning with resolve. "We'll get them back, Ross. No matter what it takes."

I nodded. "We'll free them, and we'll make sure the World Government regrets ever crossing the Donquixote family."

"So what are we waiting for, and when do we leave?" Doffy questioned, setting his mind on the task.

Issho, who had been listening intently, finally spoke. "I will accompany you, Ross Kun. My gravity powers will be crucial in navigating Impel Down's defenses."

"No, Issho-san, it's not time yet. Before we start, Shyarly, I need you to try and divine our path if possible. Issho-san, I want you back here, protecting our base. I will go ahead and scout the area. All the sea routes to Impel Down are controlled by the World Government, and attacking them outright is not a simple task. We have to consider Marine reinforcements, and I have a few things to take care of once we reach Impel Down," I explained.

Although we were strong, we were not yet at a level where we could disregard everything. Even Whitebeard, at his peak, would think twice before targeting one of the three major strongholds of the World Government.

Scarlett interjected, "We'll need to divert the Marines' attention. A major distraction, something that will draw their forces away from Impel Down and give us the opening we need." Despite her tender age, she had an acute mind and understood the implications of my words.

I nodded. "Scarlett is right. We'll need to coordinate a series of attacks on Marine bases across the New World, but these shouldn't be carried out by our family, as it would attract too much heat after we attack Impel Down. We need to instigate other forces to act by spreading some rumors, which I will take care of. This will spread the Marine forces thin and create the chaos we need."

Leo, eager as always, piped up, "What about us, Ross? What can we do to help?"

I smiled at the enthusiasm of the Tontatta warrior. "You and Mansherry will have crucial roles. Mansherry's healing powers might be needed if we encounter severe resistance, and your stealth and agility, Leo, will be invaluable in infiltrating the prison."

Mansherry beamed, gripping my shoulder tighter. "We'll do our best, Ross! We won't let you down."

Before leaving the room, I paused and looked at Doffy. "We'll bring them back, brother. I promise."

Doffy nodded, his eyes burning with determination. "I know we will, little brother. And when we do, the world will tremble before the Donquixote family."

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