Chapter 170: The Natural Enemy of the Wise is Arrogance

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"Vice Admiral Tsuru, by coming with such fanfare, is it really going to be effective?"

Tsuru looked out to the sea and without turning her head, she countered, "What do you think?"

"I think there's a high probability that the enemy won't come."

"Reasons?"

"Although according to the intelligence we've received, the Donquixote family has recently started to intensify their search and acquisition of Devil Fruits, this does not prove anything. It's been common practice for them, and it's normal to increase their efforts when the gains are small."

"Furthermore, I believe there is no need for them to take this risk. Compared to a Devil Fruit of uncertain authenticity, would they really give up their family's stronghold? This would be a severe blow to their reputation in the underworld."

"If it weren't for the threat of those three warships, people from the Donquixote family might have come to investigate. But the current situation is almost forcing them to stay at their stronghold, preventing them from coming over."

"I suspect Vice Admiral Tsuru deliberately arranged it this way, attempting to exploit Doflamingo's suspicious and cunning nature by using reverse psychology. However, the human mind is the hardest to predict; they could think one step less or one step more and reach a completely opposite conclusion."

"Lastly, the latest message we received indicates that not a single ship has left Spider Miles. Every member of the Donquixote family has stayed put."

"Our plan has failed."

Listening to the analyst's briefing, Tsuru did not react.

Even upon hearing that the plan had failed, her expression did not change.

She remained calm and composed, as if everything was still within her control.

"Cassandra, how's the weather today?"

"The weather? It seems to be a rainy day today."

Tsuru looked up at the increasingly dark clouds, sensing the oppressive atmosphere of an approaching storm, "Yes, a rainy day, a stormy one with flashes of lightning and thunder coming soon."

"Thunder and lightning?"

The aide was puzzled, finding it hard to keep up with Tsuru's train of thought.

They were just discussing their failure, and suddenly the topic changed to the weather – what did this mean?

Could it be that members of the Donquixote family would be struck dead by lightning?

That would be absurd.

"Cassandra, do you know what the greatest 'enemy' of a wise person is?"

"Someone wiser?"

"It's arrogance. Excessive confidence slowly turns into arrogance."

"Are you referring to Doflamingo?"

"I'm talking about myself."

"Vice Admiral, you are too modest. How could someone who speaks like this be arrogant?"

"Then why are we still here? With no intention of retreating at all?"

"Uh..."

"Send the order down, everyone on high alert. The person we're waiting for should be arriving soon."

"Yes, Vice Admiral!"

Though Cassandra was left confused by Tsuru, she immediately complied with the order.

In her mind, she couldn't help but wonder, could Vice Admiral Tsuru really be the type of person so arrogant as to not admit defeat?

No! That couldn't be possible!

There had never been such a rumor over the years.

There was only one possible answer left.

Arrogance, in the sense of absolute confidence!

"So, are they really going to come?"

Cassandra also looked up at the sky for some reason, it was about to start raining soon.

..."Damn it, running into this kind of freak weather," grumbled Doflamingo as he moved swiftly through the air using 'Sky Path.'

The so-called 'Sky Path' was essentially the use of threads so thin they were invisible to the naked eye, tied to the clouds above, thereby achieving a towing effect which allowed him to fly at high speed in mid-air.

Doflamingo was considered a genius among geniuses when it came to exploiting the powers of Devil Fruits. Others who consumed the Ito Ito no Mi, or String-String Fruit, might not have even considered using it in such a way.

However, 'Sky Path' had one major flaw: it required the presence of material around that could be lassoed with threads. Without such material nearby for lassoing, 'Sky Path' would fail.

Furthermore, it was extremely dangerous to use 'Sky Path' in thunderstorms, as the threads latching onto clouds greatly increased the chances of getting struck by lightning. This was precisely the reason for Doflamingo's sudden frustration and frown.

Fortunately, their target island was already beneath him, and he had spotted no Marine warships in the surrounding sea, indicating he had managed to arrive before the Navy.

Now, all he needed was to get to the Ope Ope no Mi, or Operation Fruit, before anyone else.

Doflamingo's eyes narrowed as he rapidly descended towards the island.

The streets were in total chaos.

Ever since the news of the Operation Fruit's presence leaked out, the pirates who were already on the island eagerly set out to find it.

And they actually found it! It was a plain-looking woman with short hair holding a box that contained the Operation Fruit.

How could they be so certain? Some confidently swore they had seen it with their own eyes. Could it be a deception? It was unlikely that so many would lie collectively without good reason.

The truth often lies behind the possibilities that one dismisses at first.

The short-haired woman acted decisively, always managing to escape when trapped, with her pursuers growing in number behind her.

"Chase her, don't let her get away!"

"Leave the Operation Fruit, and we'll let you go."

"Let's go together; she can't escape!"

Just as the woman was cornered once again, the pirates began to turn on each other in a frenzied brawl.

"Doflamingo asked from his perch on a rooftop.

But before the woman could attempt to flee again, she found herself unable to control her own body, forced to walk towards Doflamingo.

Doflamingo did not want to waste time. He flicked a thread, snatching the box from the woman and opened it.

BOOM!

The box exploded the moment it was opened, and the blast was powerful. Unprepared, even Doflamingo was seriously injured!

The explosion served as a signal, and a swarm of Marines emerged from hiding, quickly surrounding Doflamingo and the other surviving pirates.

The trap was abundantly clear.

There was no Operation Fruit—it was all a ploy by Tsuru to lure Doflamingo into a trap.

But as the smoke cleared, Doflamingo's voice rose once more with rage-infused laughter, "Fah-fah-fah-fah-fah, to set up such an elaborate stage, what an honor this is, Tsuru!!!"