Chapter 28: Donquixote Family Executive! Lao G

Chapter 28: A Key Executive of the Donquixote Family! Lao G

Five bullets streaked through the air. To ensure precision, Cui Ze did not aim for the enemy's head, but for the larger target of the chest and abdomen.

In the blink of an eye, the dark, rounded musket bullets reached the elderly man in the tight-fitting suit, appearing as though they would pierce his withered, shriveled frame. Sensing the lethal threat from the gunpowder weapon, the old man’s expression shifted slightly, and his forward momentum stalled.

The next instant, the old man planted his left foot heavily on the railing of the Navy warship. Using it as a pivot, he swung his body sideways, arching his upper torso downward while simultaneously posing his hands into the shape of a capital letter "G."

"Lumbago Style!"

The bullets whistled past the old man’s side by a hair's breadth, failing to inflict any damage. Observing a posture that resembled a man suffering from a sudden bout of lower back pain, Cui Ze instantly identified his opponent.

He was a mid-level officer of the Donquixote Family, a combat instructor belonging to the "Diamond" Diamante’s division—Lao G! A master of physical arts who only grew more cunning with age.

'Sending a family executive to brazenly attack a Navy warship?'

Quickly swapping to a fresh, fully loaded firearm, Cui Ze resisted the urge to look up at the sky. 'Is Doffy trying to pull a Jack the Drought and challenge a Navy Admiral one-on-one? You’re quite brave, aren't you?'

Cui Ze did not know that Doflamingo’s complete plan did not actually include a "one-on-one against a Navy Admiral." At most, it was a "one-on-one against a severely wounded Navy Admiral." However, upon sensing that Zephyr was still at the peak of his strength, Doflamingo had altered his tactical approach on the spot.

Otherwise, it would not have been just this single-masted pirate ship attacking the Navy warship; the *Numantia Flamingo*, currently watching the show from the sidelines, would have joined in as well.

The Demon Goat pirate ship indeed concealed a large number of the Donquixote Family’s Diamond division members, but the rest of the main force was waiting on the *Numantia* for the Young Master’s orders.

...

High above, a sharp red glint flashed in Zephyr’s eyes. He activated his Observation Haki, swiftly scanning the situation on the single-masted pirate ship below, and immediately felt at ease. Compared to other rookie pirate crews just entering the Grand Line, the number of personnel and the combined strength of the group below were indeed on the higher side. Within the Demon Goat pirate ship, there were two individuals with considerable strength—the type with bounties roughly between sixty and seventy million berries.

If this group of pirates had attacked a Navy warship at a regular branch base, they might have actually succeeded. But for the Navy’s elite training camp, this level of strength was just right for training recruits.

"Navy soldiers who haven't been baptized by a hail of bullets are like flowers in a greenhouse—weak and useless!" Zephyr looked up at Doflamingo. "Donquixote Doflamingo, you had better worry about your own men! Don't end up losing that entire ship of subordinates!"

"Fufufufu... Admiral Zephyr, please don't talk nonsense," Doflamingo replied with a detached expression, as if he hadn't taken Zephyr’s words to heart at all. "I will repeat myself once more: I am a legitimate businessman who has entered the Grand Line from the North Blue, not some low-class pirate with a bounty on his head!"

...

On the sea, the boarding battle between the Navy warship and the pirate vessel raged on, with the sounds of gunfire, clashing steel, and screams echoing incessantly. Many pirates stormed onto the deck of the Navy ship, clashing with the elite marines, while many marines used the pirates' grappling lines to counterattack, causing significant destruction on the pirate ship.

Cui Ze remained locked in a standoff with Lao G. By this point, Cui Ze had exhausted four flintlock pistols, but every bullet had been dodged by the lightning-fast Lao G through various bizarre movements. The recruits who had been reloading his weapons had since moved on to fight other pirates. Cui Ze held only his final, fully loaded flintlock.

Bang!

Another bullet whistled from the muzzle, blasting toward Lao G’s heart. The latter once again struck a "G" pose, dodging the shot while closing the distance to about ten meters. Cui Ze knew well that his own combat skills were no match for a master of physical arts like Lao G, so he had no intention of engaging in close-quarters combat.

However, Lao G stomped his feet heavily on the deck, channeled power through his waist and abdomen, and spun his entire body in mid-air. He spiraled toward Cui Ze, rapidly closing the gap. This was a high-speed movement technique Lao G had developed as a variant of his "Lumbago Style."

Cui Ze retreated repeatedly, firing two shots, but the bullets were deflected by the spinning force of Lao G’s momentum. Cui Ze’s heart sank.

"Lumbago Style: Ice Form!"

Lao G, having spiraled right in front of Cui Ze, thrust his fists out like lightning. Moving with a speed that defied human visual perception, he struck toward Cui Ze's shoulders. Lao G intended to first disable the "sharpshooter's" arms.

"Hoo—"

Cui Ze remained extremely calm. He inhaled two streams of air, thick as white pillars, into his nostrils, immediately triggering the physical enhancement from [Total Concentration: Beast Breathing].

"Iron Body!"

Cui Ze tensed his muscles throughout his body, concentrating his strength into his shoulders. Under this power, his once-supple shoulders turned as hard as iron. This was the effect of [Iron Body]!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Lao G’s fists slammed into Cui Ze’s shoulders. The strikes, which should have caused excruciating pain, resulted only in a dull, ineffective thud. Seeing that his first attack had failed, Lao G quickly switched his technique.

"Lumbago Style: Eye Piercing!"

His fists moved upward, shifting from the shoulders to the much more vulnerable eyes. Seeing this, Cui Ze was not alarmed but delighted. He maintained the full output of [Total Concentration: Beast Breathing] while slightly bending his knees. Because of this slight movement, Lao G’s punch, aimed at the eyes, struck his forehead instead.

Lao G’s expression remained unchanged. "Eye Piercing" hitting the eyes might have temporarily blinded his opponent, but hitting the forehead... the opponent would likely pass out on the spot!

Smack!

The fist collided with the forehead, the sound far less dull than before, but rather quite crisp. Lao G froze; as a master of combat, he clearly felt that something was wrong with the impact.

"My turn!"

Taking advantage of the moment his opponent was stunned, Cui Ze flashed a wicked grin. The [Imitation: Madonna of the Dissection] slid into his hand, and he swung it upward with a light flick!

The defense-ignoring scalpel sliced through Lao G’s tight-fitting suit and the soft flesh of his abdomen as easily as cutting through butter. Blood blossomed instantly!

***

Regarding the plot point of "Doflamingo attacking the Navy training ship": Some readers might think it's impossible for Doffy to make such a brainless move. In fact, that is true! As mentioned in the previous chapter, Doflamingo had prepared multiple plans. The ultimate goal of all plans was to "sink the Navy warship and annihilate all members of this training camp." But the "ultimate goal" only represented an "aspiration."

Under what circumstances could Doflamingo achieve that goal? Only if Zephyr were not on the ship, or if Zephyr had been severely wounded in a previous battle with Kaido. Only then would Doflamingo personally attack the Navy ship.

And the reality? Doflamingo realized Zephyr was still at his peak, so he initiated "Plan B of the First Strategy": secretly inciting North Blue rookie pirates to attack the training ship to help Vergo accumulate military merit, while he himself continued to pose as a harmless bystander.

Regarding Doflamingo's status in this book at this current stage: He has just unified the North Blue underworld and, after years of lying low, is stepping into the Grand Line for the first time! At this point, Doffy has not yet made his identity as a pirate public, has not met Vice Admiral Tsuru, and has not met Rosinante. (Rosinante only returned to the family as an undercover agent after Doffy formed his pirate crew and set sail, which happened after Vergo infiltrated the Navy.)

In short: Doflamingo is still a rookie pirate who has just set out to sea. He wants to make a name for himself with a big score—what’s wrong with that?