Chapter 289

Future chapters at patreon.com/FFAddict.

Additionally, I have many new works readers may be interested in. Go look, if you wish! 

Dressrosa!

Doflamingo has had his sights set on this country for more than just a day or two.

However, his actual plotting for it only started recently.

Because even the first half of the Grand Line couldn't contain his ambition; venturing into the New World was inevitable.

And in the New World, most of the territories were already divided among many monstrous powerhouses.

As a cunning figure, Doflamingo's greatest strength was his patience.

He would never recklessly compete for territories with those monsters, knowing that even if he won, it would be a pyrrhic victory.

Dressrosa was different, belonging to his family hundreds of years ago.

Now, it's a World Government member country, most importantly, sufficiently independent, not under any particular power.

This was very rare!

That's why Doflamingo wanted to reclaim it as his own. No, it would be more accurate to say he wanted to return it to its rightful owner!

Of course, he didn't plan to have the current royal family hand over Dressrosa right away.

He needed a plan, a perfect plan to take over the country without causing public backlash or investigation by the World Government.

After all, being a Warlord of the Sea didn't mean he could do whatever he wanted.

Activities like covertly taking over a country must absolutely not be discovered.

(Crocodile: You understand me.)

Seeing everyone holding detailed reports on Dressrosa, Abel knew that within a couple of years, the country would likely change rulers.

But, what did it matter to him?

He was now a member of the Donquixote Family, a beneficiary.

He had no interest in playing the hypocrite.

After the meeting, several top executives stayed behind, probably for some other arrangements by Doflamingo.

Such matters required patience, and steadiness was necessary.

Doflamingo was probably just starting to lay out his plans, as they did in the North Blue, stabilizing their own base first, then secretly sending people to lay the groundwork.

Once ready, they could shift focus without wasting any time.

From this, it was clear that Doflamingo was very strategic, always planning several steps ahead, rarely engaging in battles he wasn't sure of winning.

Having no immediate tasks, Abel took Baby-5 to personally escort the Treasure Tree Adam back to the North Blue.

The artifact was too valuable, and he wouldn't rest easy until it was safely delivered to Tom.

And Tom's blueprints were still struggling to come together, which was frustrating.

Abel knew this couldn't be hurried and comforted himself that good things take time.

However, this trip back to the North Blue wasn't entirely without gain, at least there was some good news.

He had been searching for the 'furious one' for a long time.

Previous hunts all ended in failure, with no one's soul meeting the requirements.

This undoubtedly greatly slowed down Baby-5's growth.

But this time, the family's intelligence personnel shifted their attention to other seas and the Grand Line.

The first report caught Abel's attention.

The 12th generation pillar of the Happo Navy - Sai!

In his prime, this great pirate had a bounty of over 500 million!

But he had long since retired, and even his proud pompadour flattened by Garp in one punch, never again to showcase the prowess of 'Sai'.

It was also because of this punch that Chinjao harbored endless hatred towards Garp.

Merely mentioning Garp or anyone related would instantly throw him into a rage.There's a high probability it meets the criteria.

If Abel hadn't repeatedly informed the intelligence agents to widen the range of candidates without worrying about the target's strength and bounty, he would have suspected they were deliberately trying to set him up.

But on second thought, this old guy was already 64 years old, his strongest attacks had been disabled by Garp, and he had been in retirement for so long, probably retaining less than half of his original strength.

In the original story, he was even beaten up by Luffy at the age of 78.

At that time, though he was older and had many old wounds, his spearhead was recovered, and it couldn't be said he won unfairly.

In a one-on-one, Abel felt he had a great chance of winning.

But the problem was, this guy had been hiding for so long, always tucked away in the his country, hardly ever showing himself.

If he went knocking on their door, would the Chinjao family and the his crew just stand by and watch?

Win or lose, escaping would likely be difficult.

"This is a tough nut to crack, let's keep looking."

Abel considered Chinjao as a 'backup' option. If there were no better choices, he might take the risk.

Using Garp's name might just lure the guy out of his hideout.

The second piece of intelligence was about a pirate named Luo Qing, a rising figure in the East Sea.

With a bounty of 45 million Berries, he was a possessor of the Honey Badger Devil Fruit.

Arrogant and quick-tempered, he often committed massacres, causing terrible repercussions.

"The East Sea, huh?"

Abel frowned; he wasn't keen on going there, even though his master, Koshiro, was good to him.

But thinking about the Red Hair Pirates often stationed there, as well as the Iron Fist Garp, who occasionally returned to the East Sea to visit his grandson.

Encountering the former was manageable, as long as he didn't provoke them, there would likely be no trouble.

But if he encountered the latter, it would all depend on Garp's mood.

Needless to say, that was an extremely troubling possibility.

Not to mention, being from the Donquixote family, if he encountered Garp, whose strength hadn't diminished with age, the old man would surely not let a family officer like him off easily.

"A backup option, then. Put him before Chinjao. Now, who's this last person?"

Abel muttered to himself, then flipped to the last page.

The Berserk Knights Pirates, captained by 'Beast' Howard, had a bounty of 130 million Berries.

Known for his extremely brutal and ferocious nature, he was easily provoked.

Once, when someone accidentally stepped on his foot in a restaurant, he slaughtered everyone inside.

His rage led him to destroy three streets in succession, causing countless injuries and deaths before calming down and leaving.

Moreover, he was incredibly lecherous, leading a dissolute private life, often abducting beautiful women. To date, he had fathered 32 known bastard children!

Not long ago in the New World, he encountered the Warlord Mihawk and suffered a severe defeat; his entire crew was slaughtered, leaving only 'Beast' Howard to flee back to the West Sea in disgrace.

Note: Rumors claim that 'Hawkeye' Mihawk, one of the Warlords, was spotted in the West Sea, apparently pursuing 'Beast' Howard. (Unconfirmed)

"'Beast' Howard? So hot-tempered?"

"And 32 bastard children? What a complete scumbag."

Abel decided that was the man to go after.

Head to the West Sea first, take down Howard.

If that didn't work out, make a trip to the East Sea.

Leave Chinjao for last, dealing with the toughest challenge at the end.