Chapter 203: About to Clash with the Donquixote Family?

"What intel did you get from the underworld? Do you know what the Donquixote Family is planning?"

The fact that Wood had managed to establish connections with the underworld so quickly was something that had caught Sengoku by surprise. He hadn't expected Wood to be this resourceful in such a short amount of time.

But because of this, Sengoku was eager to know if Wood had any information that he himself might not be privy to.

"I haven't been involved with the underworld for long, so all I know is that the Clown seems to be planning something big, involving something very valuable," Wood replied.

Hearing this, Sengoku sighed in disappointment. Wood knew much less than he had hoped. In fact, Sengoku suspected that Wood had only guessed that this mission involved the Donquixote Family due to his sharp mind.

But Sengoku didn't find this surprising. After all, he had only learned so much through a mole within the Donquixote Family. For Wood, who had only recently started mingling with the underworld, to catch wind of anything was already impressive. If Wood had known more than Sengoku, that would have been cause for concern.

"The mission I want to assign you does indeed involve the Donquixote Family," Sengoku continued. "I've received intel that Donquixote Doflamingo, acting as an intermediary, plans to sell the 'Ope Ope no Mi' currently held by the pirate Diez Barrels to the World Government for five billion Berries."

"And I also know that while Doflamingo is supposed to be the go-between, he's secretly planning to double-cross both parties. He intends to pocket the five billion Berries from the World Government and take the 'Ope Ope no Mi' for himself."

Diez Barrels was a former Navy officer who had turned pirate. He was also the father of the Red Flag, X Drake. After acquiring the "Ope Ope no Mi" by chance, he had planned to sell it to a high-ranking figure in the World Government through the dark intermediary, Doflamingo.

But upon learning of the legendary powers of the "Ope Ope no Mi," Doflamingo had his own designs on the fruit. He shared his plan to betray both sides with his trusted family members.

Doflamingo, often labeled as a rogue of the seas and notorious for his despicable actions, was, however, known for his loyalty to his family. Even with such a treacherous scheme in mind, he hadn't kept it from those he trusted.

But what Doflamingo likely hadn't anticipated was the presence of a traitor within his own family—his own brother, Donquixote Rosinante, also known as Corazon, the second-in-command of the Donquixote Family.

Rosinante, secretly a Marine Vice Admiral with the code name "Clover" (Marine ID: 01746), had lost his status as a Celestial Dragon and, after being rescued by Sengoku in his youth, had joined the Marines to prevent his brother from causing further chaos.

Rosinante had witnessed Doflamingo murder their father, leading him to believe that his brother was a true demon who needed to be stopped to prevent him from plunging the world into turmoil.

The true power of the "Ope Ope no Mi" was the ability to grant immortality through the sacrifice of the user's life—a power so coveted that the World Government was willing to pay five billion Berries to acquire it.

Sengoku did not disclose this particular detail to Wood. He merely explained that the fruit was worth five billion Berries. Wood's mission was to prevent Doflamingo from succeeding in his double-cross. And if possible, he was to destroy the entire Donquixote Family. Recovering the "Ope Ope no Mi" was ideal, but if that wasn't possible, destroying it was acceptable. As for the five billion Berries from the World Government, if Wood could get his hands on it, it could be used as "operational funds."

In other words, Sengoku wanted to achieve his goals without lifting a finger, with Wood doing all the dirty work. The so-called "operational funds" were funds Wood would have to obtain himself.

But from Sengoku's perspective, he was contributing as well. After all, he was providing Wood with information he might not have otherwise known.

"The Donquixote Family is currently located on Minion Island, where Diez Barrels is also based. If you make it there, look for a man named Corazon, one of the Donquixote Family's officers. He's our mole within the family and will assist you in completing your mission."

Sengoku's goal was to bring down the Donquixote Family in one fell swoop, but what he didn't realize was that Corazon had his own agenda. Corazon also wanted the "Ope Ope no Mi," but not for himself. He didn't seek immortality—he wanted to save a boy named Trafalgar Law from the fatal Amber Lead Syndrome.

Corazon knew that he couldn't face the World Government, the Donquixote Family, or Diez Barrels' pirate crew on his own. If everything went according to Doflamingo's plan, the Donquixote Family would undoubtedly emerge victorious.

To save Law by securing the "Ope Ope no Mi," Corazon needed to throw a wrench into Doflamingo's plans. He needed another powerful force to intervene, giving him the chance to act in the ensuing chaos.

Wood weighed his options. He had the blueprints for the ancient weapon, Pluton, and the ability to read the Poneglyphs, thanks to Nico Robin. If he could secure five billion Berries as well…

But it wasn't just about the money. As a Marine, it was his duty to undertake dangerous missions. Of course, if he could also complete his system's objectives and make some extra cash on the side, that would be ideal.

So, after finishing their stint as fishmongers, Wood and his crew left the island and acquired a permanent log pose to Minion Island from the black market, setting course for their next destination.

Facing off against the Donquixote Family was no small feat. They were far more formidable than the riffraff of Enies Lobby. As such, Wood had no intention of involving Robin or Ruth in this mission. He planned to have them drop him off at Minion Island and then wait for him on a nearby island.

Part of the reason was that Ruth and the others simply weren't strong enough to be of any help. Another reason was that Wood's undercover identity as a Marine didn't lend itself to group activities.

It wasn't that Wood didn't trust Ruth and the crew, but in a world full of strange Devil Fruit powers, who knew what could happen if they were hypnotized or something?

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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 320+ at p@treon.com/Betek and change @ to a