One Piece, I'm just an adventurer.

“You’ve been wrong about one thing from the beginning. In my eyes, you’re not much different from Doflamingo. He’s just a slightly stronger ant,” Lin Yi said calmly.

Trebol wanted to say something more, but Lin Yi didn't want to waste any more words. With the same punch, he shattered Lin Yi's heart. Not long after, a Devil Fruit was reborn in the pile of fruit.

Excellent! Lin Yi was in high spirits, having obtained two Devil Fruits.

At this very moment, far above the North Sea, there is a port city called Spedamaelz. The city is bustling and noisy, with ships coming and going, and the sea breeze is filled with the smell of seawater and fish.

However, the atmosphere was completely different inside Don Quixote's residence in the city. Doflamingo sat in a luxurious chair, his already gloomy face now as dark as the clouds before a storm, sending chills down one's spine.

He clutched a Vivre Card tightly in his hand, the card slowly burning and disappearing in his palm. Flames licked the card, making faint crackling sounds, like the whispers of death. As the Vivre Card gradually turned to ash, Doflamingo's eyes filled with unparalleled rage.

It had been so long since I'd felt this anger since leaving that decaying city.

Just moments ago, Torrebol, his childhood follower and someone he considered family, died in an utterly ordinary transaction. How could he not be furious?

He shouted "Diamanti" towards the outside of the hall.

Not long after, a tall man, over five meters tall, wearing a fur-brimmed hat, with two facial markings, a red cloak, and a Western-style sword at his waist, dressed like a tribal native, walked in.

Diamanti knelt on one knee and respectfully said, "Young Master."

Doflamingo's voice was chillingly cold: "Diamanti, Trebol is dead."

"What? Who? Who dared to kill Torrepol?" Diamanti's voice was filled with anger and disbelief.

Doflamingo's angular face was now covered in frost, and his sharp, hawk-like eyes flashed with a chilling light as he coldly said, "Whoever dares to kill a member of the Donquixote Family must pay a terrible price in blood!" His voice seemed to come from the deepest hell, cold and filled with endless killing intent.

Upon hearing this, Diamante, who was standing to the side, trembled inwardly, but quickly and respectfully nodded in response: "Yes, young master! I will immediately go and summon all members of the Donquixote Family. This time, I will make sure that the whole world understands what terrible consequences will befall those who offend the Donquixote Family!" After saying this, Diamante did not dare to delay for the slightest, turned around and left in a hurry, leaving only Doflamingo's tall and majestic figure standing there like an unshakable mountain.

Meanwhile, Lin Yi, who was in high spirits, was unaware that Doflamingo had decided to send out his entire force to take revenge on him.

Enjoying the food prepared by Chiyo, Lin Yi pondered the affairs of the Kingdom of Nordis. It was clear that Doflamingo's influence lay behind the desolation of the land, and it was even possible that the king had been controlled by Doflamingo, just like in the Kingdom of Dressrosa, where the king was manipulated into doing things against his will. However, the specifics would only be known after meeting the king.

Just as Lin Yi and his companions were eating, a large number of soldiers poured out of the Kingdom of Nordis. They were fully armed and carried guns and cannons. Led by a middle-aged general who was over 3 meters tall, they surrounded the Traveler.

The middle-aged general stood among the soldiers and shouted, "You villains who murdered Lord Torrepol, you are surrounded! Surrender and await the judgment of the Don Quixote family!"

"They're so slow." Lin Yi had anticipated being besieged, but he hadn't expected the Kingdom of Nordis to act so slowly. He had already eaten a meal when these people finally arrived. If they escaped, these people wouldn't get a single thing.

Seeing that Lin Yi did not respond, the general decisively ordered the guns to be fired at the Traveler.

The sound of gunfire erupted, but Lin Yi and his companions were determined not to let the Traveler be harmed. Everyone sprang into action, blocking the attack. At the same time, Da Pan and his group charged into the ranks of the soldiers, instantly felling them one by one.

Of course, none of them killed them, after all, these people were not notorious pirates, but a group of ordinary soldiers.

Before long, the group of soldiers was taken down by Da Pan and his men. The middle-aged general was quite capable, but he was still captured alive by Da Pan.

Da Pan led him to Lin Yi.

Lin Yi looked at him and asked, "What's your name?"

“Karl Bright.” The man trembled slightly and answered honestly.

"Who ordered you to arrest us?" Lin Yi asked sharply, his eyes fixed intently on the person in front of him.

"It's...it's King Kimi." The man's voice trembled slightly, but he still gave the answer without hesitation, as if he had expected to be asked this question.

Hearing this, Lin Yi frowned and asked in confusion, "Oh? Why did you betray your king so readily?"

Upon hearing this, Carl Bright gave a bitter smile and sighed helplessly, saying, "I know perfectly well that with my strength, I am no match for you. Even the incredibly powerful Trebol died tragically at your hands, yet the King still sent us here to carry out such an almost impossible mission. This is clearly just sending us to our deaths. In fact, all of this is just a show put on by the King for Doflamingo." After saying this, he sighed heavily again, his eyes revealing deep despair and helplessness.

"Heh, you do have some self-awareness. Can you tell me about the matter between the King and Doflamingo?" Lin Yi gestured for Da Pan to release Karl Bright.

Carl Bright paused for a moment, then said, "Although I don't know what gives you the confidence, I think you'd better leave. Doflamingo is not someone you can handle."

"You don't need to worry about that. You just need to answer my questions," Lin Yi said in a cold tone.

Carl Bright gave Lin Yi a deep look and said, "Doflamingo came to the Kingdom of Nordis three years ago, and he conquered us with his overwhelming strength."

He trembled as he spoke, and after a long pause, he continued, "That day, under his control, many brothers took up arms and pointed them at their comrades. He only stopped after half the soldiers were dead. Later, he spoke with the king in the palace for a while and then left. Then, that kind of ore appeared in the land of the Kingdom of Nordis, but the land became unusable for growing crops. At this time, Doflamingo reappeared in the Kingdom of Nordis. He made a deal with the king: nine-tenths of the ore mined by the kingdom would be given to him, and he would provide food to the Kingdom of Nordis."

"There's still 10% left."

That one-tenth was used by the kingdom to trade with other countries for resources other than food.

"So you mean the land problem was caused by Doflamingo? Just to turn the land into ore?"

“I’ve secretly investigated. Doflamingo has a subordinate named Serka, who is a user of the Stone-Stone Fruit,” Karl Bright said, stopping there.

Lin Yi nodded; he had a rough idea of ​​Doflamingo's scheme. It seemed that a certain substance existed in the land of the Kingdom of Nordis, and Doflamingo, having somehow learned of this, was consumed by greed. He had his subordinate, Serka, use his Devil Fruit powers to condense this substance into a special ore, then used force to coerce the king into serving him, bringing the entire Kingdom of Nordis under his rule and accumulating immense wealth for him.

"You can leave with your men," Lin Yi gestured to Carl Bright, indicating that he could depart.

"You're not going to kill me?" Carl Bright asked in surprise.

"I'm not the kind of person who kills without blinking an eye," Lin Yi glared at him and said.

Upon hearing this, Carl Bright couldn't help but think to himself that he would never kill all of Torrepol's men.

Although he was inwardly resentful, Carl Bright still bowed and thanked him. This was not only because Xie Linyi had spared him, but also because Xie Linyi had not killed his soldiers.

Lin Yi waved his hand dismissively. Watching Carl Bright leave, Lin Yi pondered. Killing Trebol would definitely not let Doflamingo get away with it; he might already be on his way. Although he wasn't afraid of Doflamingo, Filina and the others were still a bit lacking in strength. However, they could be used as experience points.

Meanwhile, Carl Bright returned to his post with the wounded soldiers, and then went alone to the palace to meet the king.

Upon his arrival, King Kimi asked, "Have you told him everything?"

It turns out that King Kimmy deliberately made Carl Bright reveal those things.

Carl Bright respectfully replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, I have informed Lin Yi of the matter, but..."

Seeing that he was speaking hesitantly, King Kimi said, "Just say what you want to say."

“Yes, Your Majesty, I am worried that Lin Yi will not be a match for Doflamingo. If so, will Doflamingo take his anger out on us?” Carl Bright asked.

Looking at this subordinate who had already been traumatized by Doflamingo, King Benito sighed, "Don't worry, we're still useful to Doflamingo. If he takes his anger out on us, I'll take full responsibility."

"Your Majesty, that's not what I meant, I just..." Carl Bright hurriedly explained. But before he could finish, King Kimi interrupted him.

"Alright, I understand what you mean. Besides, Lin Yi and the others are quite strong. They've already made a name for themselves in the West Blue. It won't be easy for Doflamingo to take them down. Even if Doflamingo wins in the end, he'll suffer significant losses. Perhaps then we'll have a chance to break free from Doflamingo's control."

"I swear to serve Your Majesty to the death," Karl Bright declared his loyalty. King Kimi did not doubt this, for if Karl Bright harbored any disloyalty, he would have been dead long ago.

Gazing at the white clouds in the sky, King Kimi fell into deep thought, hoping that they could defeat Doflamingo.

Chapter 26: Doflamingo's Arrival, Fierce Battle

Unaffected, Lin Yi and his companions enjoyed themselves to the fullest. However, many people recognized them as the murderers of Torrepol and dared not approach them.

But it didn't matter; Lin Yi and the others didn't care much and continued eating and drinking as usual.

The Traveller had suffered considerable damage during its last encounter with a severe storm. Therefore, after repelling Carl Bright, Lin Yi immediately began searching for a place where the ship could be repaired.

After a difficult search, he finally found a shipyard and slowly steered the battered Traveller into it.

However, when the ship repairman saw Lin Yi and his companions, along with the badly damaged cruise ship, his face instantly contorted with terror. He waved his hands repeatedly, muttering, "No, no! I can't possibly repair this ship for you!" No matter how much Lin Yi pleaded with him, or even offered to pay exorbitant repair fees, the repairman remained adamant, stating that he would absolutely not take on the job.

It turned out that this guy was well aware of the intense conflict between Lin Yi and Doflamingo. He feared that helping Lin Yi repair the Traveller would provoke Doflamingo's furious retaliation. After all, Doflamingo was a fearsome overlord of this sea; offending him could mean certain death. Faced with such a firm refusal, Lin Yi had no choice but to resort to some force.

After a friendly exchange, the shipyard owner "willingly" agreed to take on the repair package for the Traveller.

After an inspection, it was found that the main keel of the Traveler was not damaged and was relatively easy to repair. Upon learning this, Lin Yi and the others breathed a sigh of relief, as the Traveler had been with them for quite some time and they had grown attached to it.

The rest of the time is spent waiting, waiting for Doflamingo, this "experience pack," to arrive.

During this time, Lin Yi found the researcher, Tatu. Sure enough, Bellamy's father had died at the hands of members of the Donquixote Family. In his research, he discovered a radioactive substance in the ore, which was very harmful to the human body. He informed the king of his findings, but the king was unable to protect him properly, and he was killed by Doflamingo's men.

After learning of Bellamy's father's death, King Kimi had a verbal conflict with Doflamingo, but it didn't change anything. In the end, the king made a request that only young people aged 15 to 30 be allowed to participate in mining, while the rest of the citizens could live normal lives.

This requirement was made because studies have found that young people aged 15 to 30 are more resistant to this radioactive substance than other age groups, but many still lost their lives.

In order to ensure that the Kingdom of Nordis would serve the Donquixote Family well, Doflamingo agreed to King Kimi's request.

Eight days passed quickly. During this time, Lin Yi had the group intensify their training to prepare for the upcoming battle.

That day, Simon, who was stationed at the port, reported to Lin Yi that he saw a pirate ship flying the Donquixote Family flag approaching the Kingdom of Nordis. In order to avoid causing too much damage to the Kingdom of Nordis, Lin Yi and his companions went to the port. The ships and crew there had already been dispersed by King Kimi's men.

Standing at the port, they waited quietly for Doflamingo's ship to approach. Soon, a giant ship shaped like a flamingo resting on a lake slowly grew larger in their eyes.

"Is this Doflamingo's Flamingo? It's so flashy!" Looking at the bird-headed figure wearing the same glasses as Doflamingo, Lin Yi was speechless. No wonder Luffy called Doflamingo "Birdman".

On the Flamingo, Doflamingo, standing 3 meters tall with blond hair, wearing sunglasses, a pink feather coat, cropped trousers, and pointed shoes, stood on the head of the bird at the bow of the ship, exuding a menacing aura that inspired fear.

Behind him stood Pica, the user of the Stone-Stone Fruit, and Diamante, the user of the Flutter-Flutter Fruit, both high-ranking members of the Donquixote Family.

As the Flamingo drew closer to the port of the Kingdom of Nordis, Doflamingo finally saw Lin Yi and his companions clearly. A cruel smile curled at the corner of his lips. "I didn't expect you'd actually dare to stand here and greet me. You really aren't afraid of death."

Clearly, the Don Quixote family had already obtained information about Lin Yi and his group.

As the words exploded in the air like thunder, an extremely violent aura, like a raging torrent, surged towards Lin Yi and the others like a tidal wave! This aura was almost tangible, carrying a suffocating pressure and terrifying power, as if it would crush everything into dust. Everyone instantly felt an unprecedented sense of oppression, and even the air seemed to become heavy.

However, faced with such a powerful aura, Lin Yi merely raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a disdainful smile: "Doflamingo, is that all the skill you have? It's rather disappointing!"

As he spoke, an aura even more domineering and fierce than Doflamingo's suddenly erupted from his body. This aura was like an ancient beast awakening, roaring towards the Conqueror's Haki released by Doflamingo.

Two equally powerful and aggressive auras collided violently in mid-air, instantly creating countless vortexes of air. The surrounding space was distorted and rippled by the intense collision. Surprisingly, despite Doflamingo's overwhelming Conqueror's Haki, he was completely defeated in the clash with Lin Yi's Conqueror's Haki!

The people standing beside Lin Yi were all formidable individuals. Although they could clearly feel the shock of the clash between their auras, they themselves were not greatly affected. Chiyo, who was slightly weaker, was also unharmed under Lin Yi's deliberate protection.

However, compared to the other side, Doflamingo's situation was far more disastrous! Apart from a few relatively strong executives, the rest of the members began rolling their eyes one by one, then collapsed to the ground as if all their strength had been drained. These fallen individuals lay sprawled about, some twitching slightly as if experiencing a terrible nightmare; others had their eyes tightly closed, their faces as pale as paper, evoking pity. The once lively and bustling scene instantly became deathly silent, leaving only Doflamingo and his executives barely standing, their faces showing fear and unease.

Doflamingo hadn't expected that the person opposite him also possessed the qualities of a king, and that Lin Yi's Haki was significantly stronger than his own.

"You're no good either, Greyhound," Lin Yi mocked.

Doflamingo, his expression crazed, said in an icy tone, "Fufufufu, I never expected someone like you to appear in the world. This is getting more and more interesting. But since you dared to kill members of my Donquixote Family, then you can only die."

"Really? But your strength seems a bit weak," Lin Yi said nonchalantly.

"Dare to insult the young master, die!" Diamante, standing beside Doflamingo, was instantly enraged upon hearing Lin Yi's contemptuous words. His eyes widened, his face flushed red, and he lunged at Lin Yi like a ignited powder keg. His right hand gripped the gleaming rapier, and like a bolt of lightning, he thrust it straight at Lin Yi's throat with astonishing speed.

Just then, a figure flashed past and stood firmly in front of Lin Yi. It was Da Pan who made his move. He gripped a powerful and imposing dragon-shaped staff tightly in both hands and fearlessly met Diamanti's fierce attack.

"Heh heh, you think you can fight my brother? You overestimating yourself, you're far from good enough!" Da Pan sneered at Diamanti as he brandished his dragon-patterned staff, engaging in a fierce exchange with him. In an instant, staff shadows blurred, sword light flashed, and the two exchanged blows, neither giving an inch.

However, the fierce battle didn't last long. Fiona, who had been watching from the sidelines, suddenly had a flash of inspiration, because she noticed that Diamanti was also a skilled swordsman. For Fiona, who was also adept at swordsmanship, such an opponent was undoubtedly extremely attractive, and her inner fighting spirit was instantly ignited.

"Da Pan, let me have this opponent!" Fiona shouted, and in a flash, she joined the battle. With a light flick of her wrist, a snow-white longsword radiating a chilling aura appeared in her hand—the Snow Drinking Sword.

Faced with Fiona's intense desire for battle, Da Pan seemed somewhat indifferent; this kind of enemy no longer aroused his interest much. He smiled slightly, nodded gently, and then stepped back without hesitation, giving Fiona the opportunity to fight Diamanti.

Seeing that Da Pan had so readily handed him over to someone else as if he were a piece of merchandise, Diamanti was instantly enraged, his anger burning like a volcano about to erupt.

His eyes widened, almost popping out of their sockets, as he stared intently at Da Pan's repulsive face. He cursed inwardly, "How dare this wretched fellow look down on me like that? Am I really that insignificant in his eyes?"

As his anger grew, his sword attacks became increasingly fierce.

Diamante is a powerful user of the Flutter-Flutter Fruit, and the cloak he wears is made of incredibly hard steel through his magical ability. With the added power of his aura, this steel cloak is like an indestructible shield, making it difficult for even the formidable Fiona to break through his defenses for a time.