Chapter 26: A Flamingo Descending from the Heavens!

Cui Ze’s covert observation of Vergo lasted until the end of combat training, though, unfortunately, he discovered nothing.

At lunchtime, Cui Ze headed to the cafeteria. On the way, he ran into Hina and immediately shared this piece of intelligence with her.

"Vergo didn't have any food scraps stuck to his face today?"

Upon hearing Cui Ze's "secret intelligence," Hina’s face instantly darkened.

Are you kidding me?

She was naturally beautiful, and the line of people chasing Hina could stretch from the Sabaody Archipelago all the way to Marineford!

There were plenty of people who wanted to talk to her about the stars and the moon, yet here he was, talking to her about a sloppy man who couldn't keep his face clean!

Cui Ze, have you lost your mind from killing too many fish in the galley?

"Right."

Cui Ze sensed the strange expression on the pink-haired beauty’s face immediately. His vast experience told him he shouldn't continue down this path, so he changed his tone at once.

"The main thing is, I have a rather bad premonition."

This finally made Hina take him seriously.

A premonition.

That sort of thing was quite metaphysical. But it was still more reliable than some bizarre intel about a slob!

Just as Hina was about to ask for more details, Cui Ze bypassed the topic of Vergo entirely and brought up something else.

"Hina, I recall you mentioning that before I regained consciousness, I was in a coma on the Navy warship for a full three days?"

Hina blinked, immediately casting the boring slob aside.

"Mmhmm!"

Cui Ze followed up, "And it’s been three or four days since the Navy warship left the ancient island... In other words, are we currently in the sea near that zombie island?"

Cui Ze had been calculating this for days, and today he finally found the opportunity to ask.

The reason he was so concerned about the zombie island wasn't because of any lingering life experiences there, but because he had fished up the [Beast Breathing] technique on that island!

Even though Cui Ze had only developed [Beast Breathing] to the "Total Concentration" level, one must plan for the future, and he needed to factor in the potential for further upgrades to the technique.

The zombie island was the only location he knew of associated with [Beast Breathing], so he was quite invested in the matter.

"Theoretically, that’s correct, but..." Hina frowned, sounding uncertain. "The training ship’s route isn't fixed, and the Grand Line is simply too vast..."

Hina left the rest unsaid, but Cui Ze understood.

At most, she could only confirm that the Navy ship was on the same latitude as the zombie island; she couldn't definitively confirm if they were currently in its vicinity.

With that, Cui Ze had to abandon his plans for fishing that night.

"Hina, what was the previous name of that zombie island?"

"Kamado Island—a strange name, isn't it?" Hina quickly provided the answer. "I have a deep impression of that odd-named island too!"

The corner of Cui Ze’s mouth twitched slightly.

What an inescapable "Uchiha Tanjiro" he was!

He had popped up again today!

"That zombie island—I mean, Kamado Island—it must have been a very peaceful and harmonious place before, right?" Cui Ze steered the conversation. "How did it end up in such a ghostly state?"

"According to the instructors, an incredibly evil pirate was using humans for experiments on the island, which is what ruined it!" Hina said indignantly, even waving her small fist with some excitement.

"If it weren't for the fact that the pirate was a rare Devil Fruit user who needed to be sent to Impel Down for imprisonment, he would have been executed by justice long ago!"

Cui Ze had already learned the general intelligence regarding Muzan from Ulti, that little Oni girl, but now he had filled in the gaps regarding the disposal plan.

Cui Ze was more focused on another point.

"So, does the elite training camp’s assessment include Impel Down?"

"Why would we go to a prison?" Hina asked, puzzled.

"If we don't go to Impel Down, how are we supposed to lock up that evil pirate?"

"Oh, about that..." A joyful smile suddenly appeared on Hina’s face, and her eyes shimmered with longing.

"A Vice Admiral from Headquarters will be coming to take custody of the prisoner~"

Watching the look on Hina’s face, a thought occurred to Cui Ze.

"Could the Vice Admiral coming be Vice Admiral Tsuru?"

"Heehee! That’s a secret between Navy sisters!"

Despite saying that, Hina’s expression clearly read, 'Beg me to tell you'~

Cui Ze was still curious about the final fate of that "scum of the earth" Muzan. He immediately put on a pitiful, inquisitive face, satisfying Hina’s little vanity.

"The one coming to the training camp to escort the prisoner is Vice Admiral Tsuru!"

Even as she lowered her voice, Hina couldn't hide the anticipation in her tone.

"Vice Admiral Tsuru will arrive by tomorrow morning at the latest! All the sisters are looking forward to it!"

It seemed Vice Admiral Tsuru held quite high prestige among the female Navy personnel...

Just as Cui Ze was reflecting on this, a familiar sense of mental pressure descended from the sky, instantly sweeping across the entire warship cafeteria.

A few unprepared Navy soldiers had their eyes roll back, losing consciousness and collapsing to the floor under the mental shock, though most remained awake.

"Haoshoku Haki!"

"Who is it?!"

"Someone dares to come here and cause trouble!"

Chaos erupted in the mess hall as the Navy soldiers rushed out in a flurry of agitation.

Cui Ze mingled with the crowd, but before he could even step onto the deck, he heard a nearly iconic, strange laugh.

"Fufufufufu..."

As the laughter reached his ears, combined with Vergo’s odd behavior earlier, Cui Ze instantly identified the intruder.

He stepped onto the deck and looked up.

Sure enough!

What a massive pink flamingo!

High in the sky, not far from the Navy warship, a defiant, large flamingo was hovering.

His signature pink feather coat danced in the wind. Beneath his spiked, golden hair were eerie, dark sunglasses that concealed his eyes. A sinister smile hung on his lips, and he released his "I alone am honored in heaven and on earth" Haoshoku Haki without restraint!

Donquixote Doflamingo!

It wasn't just the training camp students who felt the impact of the Haoshoku Haki; the instructors were the first to spot this audacious flamingo.

Zephyr used Soru to leap into the sky, meeting Doflamingo’s gaze from a distance.

"Golden-haired brat, daring to intercept a Navy Headquarters warship—it seems Impel Down is about to have another guest!"

Feeling the pressure of the Navy Admiral’s aura, a bead of cold sweat slowly trickled down Doflamingo’s forehead, though he wasn't overly intimidated.

"Fufufufufu..."

Doflamingo rested his right hand on his forehead and let out a loud laugh toward the sky.

"Navy Admiral 'Black Arm' Zephyr, are you trying to overthrow the World Government?"

"You brat, what are you babbling about?!"

Zephyr frowned, clenching his knuckles and producing a series of sharp, explosive cracks.

"I think you are—"

"I am no low-level pirate, 'Black Arm' Zephyr!" Doflamingo saw that Zephyr was truly being provoked and abruptly changed his tone. "Donquixote Doflamingo—that is my name."

"Donquixote..."

Zephyr’s aggressive stance came to a sudden halt.

Even though he had ignored politics for many years, as a Navy Admiral, Zephyr possessed knowledge of many hidden secrets of the sea.

This included the identity of the arrogant, golden-haired brat in front of him.

"So, you’re just a cast-off Celestial Dragon from Mariejois!"

Zephyr wore a mocking expression. As a man who championed justice, he had never liked these parasites of the world.

If he were at Navy Headquarters or Mariejois, Zephyr would have maintained the basic etiquette required when facing a Celestial Dragon—who was he to compete with Garp's achievements anyway?

But elsewhere, Zephyr didn't care much for these so-called World Nobles!

Especially not for a cast-off Celestial Dragon who wasn't even recognized by Mariejois anymore!

Hearing Zephyr’s words, blue veins bulged on Doflamingo’s forehead, and the intensity of his Haoshoku Haki spiked significantly; he was clearly enraged.

Zephyr narrowed his eyes. "What’s the matter, Doflamingo? Tired of being a gang leader in the North Blue, and now you want to try out a new life as a pirate?"

"Fufufufufu..." Doflamingo chuckled low.

"Gangster? Pirate? I am but an ordinary citizen with no bounty!"

"An ordinary citizen? Hmph!" Zephyr snorted coldly.

"Daring to intercept a warship—that is something only pirates do!"

"Who said I was intercepting the warship?" Doflamingo pointed to the sea below, his expression unwavering.

"I received intelligence that pirates were about to attack this Navy ship, and I am merely a kind-hearted citizen here to warn the Navy to be safe!"