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Chapter 1088: Doflamingo's Invitation! (Third Update)
More than four months ago.
Shanks led thirteen Celestial Dragons who failed to graduate successfully and were unwilling to waste their lives in the Land of the Gods. They caused a huge commotion in Holy Land Mary Geoise, traveling day and night.
They broke through the heavy interception of the Holy Land Garrison and Cipher Pol, desperately jumped down the Red Line, and plunged into the dark and cold Great Sea. Fortunately, none of them were lost.
Next, they snatched a ship and a Log Pose from a pirate crew and officially embarked on a non-stop escape.
Their first destination was the West Blue, the area Shanks was most familiar with.
Because other than him, the others had never left the vicinity of Mary Geoise.
In other words, they spent the past few months traveling and being overly cautious.
In the eyes of Shanks and the others, their identity as Celestial Dragons must have been stripped.
And even if the World Government wouldn't issue Wanted Posters due to their special status, they would definitely send people to apprehend them in secret.
These were fourteen escaping Celestial Dragons!
It was possible that even the Holy Knights would be dispatched!
So Shanks and the others hid along the way, choosing to avoid both police and Marines.
But what they didn't know was that no one was actually trying to apprehend them.
Their Celestial Dragon identity was indeed stripped; after all, this was a serious violation of rules, and it was impossible to pretend nothing happened.
Half a month ago, Shanks and his group finally arrived in the West Blue.
Later, they heard that there was a big monster from the Ninja World near the Flower Country.
They said it was the Eight-Tails Tailed Beast, which was not only strong but could also have normal communication with humans and would occasionally wander near the shore of the Flower Country.
This filled Shanks with interest, and he immediately led his group to find it.
The result did not disappoint him.
This Gyuki was indeed very interesting, and they heard a lot about the Ninja World.
And now, this Eight-Tails Island welcomed new guests.
"Are they also coming for me?" Gyuki was surprised and uncertain.
Actually, the main reason he couldn't defeat Shanks before was that he didn't use the Tailed Beast Bomb.
Since he finally had his own homeland, he naturally didn't want to destroy it with his own hands.
So, at that time, the two sides were purely in melee combat.
Shanks, with the help of the others, teamed up to defeat Gyuki.
Speaking of which.
Although Shanks had been training every day in the past few years, he was in a state of house arrest and being left alone, so his strength couldn't have had a significant improvement.
And the others were just students who couldn't graduate from the Celestial Dragon Holy Academy, so how strong could they be?
It was already very difficult for them to jointly suppress Gyuki, who wasn't using his full strength.
But no matter what, someone Shanks evaluated as very strong, Gyuki felt, shouldn't be weaker than himself.
Eh, are experts in this world really everywhere?
Gyuki was very speechless at this moment.
At the same time, his desire to travel far with Shanks and the others wavered slightly.
If it's like this staying at home, wouldn't it be even more dangerous outside?
Shanks didn't respond, but half of his blade showed a cold light.
The opponent's aura was slowly approaching, clearly walking step by step.
They completely disregarded us...
Shanks sighed inwardly.
He felt that a tough battle was about to befall them.
The person who came was most likely looking for them.
It might even be a member of the Holy Knights!
Eh, they stayed on this Eight-Tails Island for too long...
The atmosphere on the scene became unusually oppressive and tense.
It seemed that even the bird chirping and insect sounds disappeared without a trace at this moment.
Fifteen pairs of eyes stared intently in the direction from which footsteps gradually approached.
However, before the person was seen, a peculiar laugh was heard first.
"Fufufufufu~~~"
Everyone exchanged glances, frowned, and simultaneously drew their respective blades.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all, my fellow tribesmen who dared to fight their way out of the Holy Land for freedom..."
A tall, pink figure walked out from among the forest.
This person was over three meters tall with short golden hair.
He wore a pink feather coat on his upper body and red cropped trousers with white patterns on his lower body.
The leg hair on his calves was clearly visible, and he wore a pair of dark red sunglasses on his face.
His walking posture and footwork gave off an extremely arrogant feeling.
He didn't look like a good person, but he spoke of fellow tribesmen?
Could this person also be a Celestial Dragon?!
Everyone present felt their heart tighten. Shanks also felt heavy-hearted, thinking, 'As expected, he's a member of the Holy Knights!'
"Eh, why is everyone so serious? Well then, let me introduce myself first, Fufufufufu~"
"My name is Donquixote Doflamingo. By order from above, I am currently the President of the 'Sea Star Adventurers Association', but you can also call it the 'Top 100 Combat Power Association'."
"Because our main recruitment targets are experts who have achieved excellent results in previous Myriad Worlds Top 100 Combat Power Tournaments~"
As soon as Doflamingo appeared, he took the initiative, introducing himself in a long speech and explaining what the 'Sea Star Adventurers Association' was.
Actually, at first, he did want to use 'Top 100 Combat Power Association' as the official name.
But later, he felt that his association shouldn't only recruit the so-called 'Top 100 Experts'.
Moreover, he could understand Lord Imu's intention in having him establish this association.
It was for him to manage those civilian experts who were unwilling to join the official side.
Then there must be people who were unwilling to participate in the Myriad Worlds Top 100 Combat Power Tournament.
So he simply changed the name to 'Sea Star Adventurers Association'.
This seemed less official and more civilian.
Adventurer, that's very civilian!
"So, are you all willing to join and work with me to construct and manage the association?"
Doflamingo stated his purpose on the spot.
"What!!!"
Except for Gyuki, who didn't quite understand, everyone present, including Shanks, was greatly surprised.
"You're not here to apprehend us?"
"You're not a member of the Holy Knights?"
"Since you know our identity and plight, you still dare to seek us out?"
For a moment.
These students from the Celestial Dragon Holy Academy questioned Doflamingo, talking over each other.
Shanks remained silent; he was in thought, and also waiting for the other party's answer.
"Fufufufufu~"
Doflamingo seemed unsurprised, waiting for them to gradually quiet down.
"One by one, don't rush."
"First of all, I am not a member of the Holy Knights. Secondly, although your Celestial Dragon identity has been stripped, the higher-ups haven't sent anyone to apprehend you, so there's no need to be too nervous."
Doflamingo put his hands in his pockets, his gaze passing through their figures and focusing on Shanks.
He even just glanced at Eight-Tails Gyuki, then continued:
"Also, I'm not very interested in you all. I'm mainly here to find that former Roger Pirates crewmate, Shanks!"
"Mihawk told me that your talent is no less than his, but your brain has been somewhat influenced by people like Roger."
"Of course, this is very serious for the World Government, but for me, and for my association, it's not a big deal. Anyway, there's nothing you can do, Fufufufufu~"
Doflamingo's words were harsh, and his laughter made people even more uncomfortable.
But Shanks asked back with a blank expression: "Why should I agree to you?"
"If it's just a forceful threat, it's not enough. These people standing in front of you are all guys who fought desperately for freedom to break out of the Holy Land!"
Doflamingo grinned and asked:
"Don't you want to go see other worlds?"
With one sentence, Shanks's pupil suddenly contracted into a pinpoint.
(End of Chapter)
More than four months ago.
Shanks led thirteen Celestial Dragons who failed to graduate successfully and were unwilling to waste their lives in the Land of the Gods. They caused a huge commotion in Holy Land Mary Geoise, traveling day and night.
They broke through the heavy interception of the Holy Land Garrison and Cipher Pol, desperately jumped down the Red Line, and plunged into the dark and cold Great Sea. Fortunately, none of them were lost.
Next, they snatched a ship and a Log Pose from a pirate crew and officially embarked on a non-stop escape.
Their first destination was the West Blue, the area Shanks was most familiar with.
Because other than him, the others had never left the vicinity of Mary Geoise.
In other words, they spent the past few months traveling and being overly cautious.
In the eyes of Shanks and the others, their identity as Celestial Dragons must have been stripped.
And even if the World Government wouldn't issue Wanted Posters due to their special status, they would definitely send people to apprehend them in secret.
These were fourteen escaping Celestial Dragons!
It was possible that even the Holy Knights would be dispatched!
So Shanks and the others hid along the way, choosing to avoid both police and Marines.
But what they didn't know was that no one was actually trying to apprehend them.
Their Celestial Dragon identity was indeed stripped; after all, this was a serious violation of rules, and it was impossible to pretend nothing happened.
Half a month ago, Shanks and his group finally arrived in the West Blue.
Later, they heard that there was a big monster from the Ninja World near the Flower Country.
They said it was the Eight-Tails Tailed Beast, which was not only strong but could also have normal communication with humans and would occasionally wander near the shore of the Flower Country.
This filled Shanks with interest, and he immediately led his group to find it.
The result did not disappoint him.
This Gyuki was indeed very interesting, and they heard a lot about the Ninja World.
And now, this Eight-Tails Island welcomed new guests.
"Are they also coming for me?" Gyuki was surprised and uncertain.
Actually, the main reason he couldn't defeat Shanks before was that he didn't use the Tailed Beast Bomb.
Since he finally had his own homeland, he naturally didn't want to destroy it with his own hands.
So, at that time, the two sides were purely in melee combat.
Shanks, with the help of the others, teamed up to defeat Gyuki.
Speaking of which.
Although Shanks had been training every day in the past few years, he was in a state of house arrest and being left alone, so his strength couldn't have had a significant improvement.
And the others were just students who couldn't graduate from the Celestial Dragon Holy Academy, so how strong could they be?
It was already very difficult for them to jointly suppress Gyuki, who wasn't using his full strength.
But no matter what, someone Shanks evaluated as very strong, Gyuki felt, shouldn't be weaker than himself.
Eh, are experts in this world really everywhere?
Gyuki was very speechless at this moment.
At the same time, his desire to travel far with Shanks and the others wavered slightly.
If it's like this staying at home, wouldn't it be even more dangerous outside?
Shanks didn't respond, but half of his blade showed a cold light.
The opponent's aura was slowly approaching, clearly walking step by step.
They completely disregarded us...
Shanks sighed inwardly.
He felt that a tough battle was about to befall them.
The person who came was most likely looking for them.
It might even be a member of the Holy Knights!
Eh, they stayed on this Eight-Tails Island for too long...
The atmosphere on the scene became unusually oppressive and tense.
It seemed that even the bird chirping and insect sounds disappeared without a trace at this moment.
Fifteen pairs of eyes stared intently in the direction from which footsteps gradually approached.
However, before the person was seen, a peculiar laugh was heard first.
"Fufufufufu~~~"
Everyone exchanged glances, frowned, and simultaneously drew their respective blades.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all, my fellow tribesmen who dared to fight their way out of the Holy Land for freedom..."
A tall, pink figure walked out from among the forest.
This person was over three meters tall with short golden hair.
He wore a pink feather coat on his upper body and red cropped trousers with white patterns on his lower body.
The leg hair on his calves was clearly visible, and he wore a pair of dark red sunglasses on his face.
His walking posture and footwork gave off an extremely arrogant feeling.
He didn't look like a good person, but he spoke of fellow tribesmen?
Could this person also be a Celestial Dragon?!
Everyone present felt their heart tighten. Shanks also felt heavy-hearted, thinking, 'As expected, he's a member of the Holy Knights!'
"Eh, why is everyone so serious? Well then, let me introduce myself first, Fufufufufu~"
"My name is Donquixote Doflamingo. By order from above, I am currently the President of the 'Sea Star Adventurers Association', but you can also call it the 'Top 100 Combat Power Association'."
"Because our main recruitment targets are experts who have achieved excellent results in previous Myriad Worlds Top 100 Combat Power Tournaments~"
As soon as Doflamingo appeared, he took the initiative, introducing himself in a long speech and explaining what the 'Sea Star Adventurers Association' was.
Actually, at first, he did want to use 'Top 100 Combat Power Association' as the official name.
But later, he felt that his association shouldn't only recruit the so-called 'Top 100 Experts'.
Moreover, he could understand Lord Imu's intention in having him establish this association.
It was for him to manage those civilian experts who were unwilling to join the official side.
Then there must be people who were unwilling to participate in the Myriad Worlds Top 100 Combat Power Tournament.
So he simply changed the name to 'Sea Star Adventurers Association'.
This seemed less official and more civilian.
Adventurer, that's very civilian!
"So, are you all willing to join and work with me to construct and manage the association?"
Doflamingo stated his purpose on the spot.
"What!!!"
Except for Gyuki, who didn't quite understand, everyone present, including Shanks, was greatly surprised.
"You're not here to apprehend us?"
"You're not a member of the Holy Knights?"
"Since you know our identity and plight, you still dare to seek us out?"
For a moment.
These students from the Celestial Dragon Holy Academy questioned Doflamingo, talking over each other.
Shanks remained silent; he was in thought, and also waiting for the other party's answer.
"Fufufufufu~"
Doflamingo seemed unsurprised, waiting for them to gradually quiet down.
"One by one, don't rush."
"First of all, I am not a member of the Holy Knights. Secondly, although your Celestial Dragon identity has been stripped, the higher-ups haven't sent anyone to apprehend you, so there's no need to be too nervous."
Doflamingo put his hands in his pockets, his gaze passing through their figures and focusing on Shanks.
He even just glanced at Eight-Tails Gyuki, then continued:
"Also, I'm not very interested in you all. I'm mainly here to find that former Roger Pirates crewmate, Shanks!"
"Mihawk told me that your talent is no less than his, but your brain has been somewhat influenced by people like Roger."
"Of course, this is very serious for the World Government, but for me, and for my association, it's not a big deal. Anyway, there's nothing you can do, Fufufufufu~"
Doflamingo's words were harsh, and his laughter made people even more uncomfortable.
But Shanks asked back with a blank expression: "Why should I agree to you?"
"If it's just a forceful threat, it's not enough. These people standing in front of you are all guys who fought desperately for freedom to break out of the Holy Land!"
Doflamingo grinned and asked:
"Don't you want to go see other worlds?"
With one sentence, Shanks's pupil suddenly contracted into a pinpoint.
(End of Chapter)
