Chapter 16: Pig Teammates
The negotiation between Su Xiao and Doflamingo could break down at any moment, but judging by the current situation, both sides had clearly reached an agreement.
Su Xiao gave Doflamingo a list. The authentic manufacturing materials for Alchemy Bombs and Apollo naturally did not exist in the One Piece world, but since he had previously manufactured explosives for the World Government, he knew what substitute materials to use. All these materials could be found in the One Piece world.
Doflamingo immediately arranged for people to procure these materials, but he was clever about it, sourcing them through underground channels. As the leader of the underworld, Doflamingo had extensive purchasing connections.
Initially, Doflamingo wanted to arrange for Su Xiao to manufacture bombs in the underground port, but Su Xiao refused, citing the humid environment, and set the manufacturing location on the fourth floor of the villa, the top floor.
Doflamingo naturally disagreed. It wasn't just Doflamingo; everyone in the Don Quixote Family opposed it. In Sugar's words: "I don't want anyone making bombs above my head."
After some negotiation, the manufacturing location remained on the fourth floor of the villa, on the condition that Pica thickened the walls and floor of the fourth floor to three meters.
Su Xiao understood that his cooperation with Doflamingo was very unstable. After repelling the Big Mom Pirates, the two sides would likely fall out, but that didn't matter.
Pica completed the wall thickening work in just two hours. He not only thickened and compressed the rock layer but also added steel plates inside the rock layer. Now, even if a cannonball hit the fourth floor of the villa, it wouldn't crack open a single fissure.
Even so, Sugar still pouted, hugged her pillow, and went to sleep in the underground port area.
Doflamingo's subordinates were very efficient. In less than a day, some of the materials were delivered.
In front of a stone table, light flickered in Su Xiao's hands. Dozens of seconds later, an Alchemy Bomb was manufactured. He immediately checked the bomb's attributes.
Seeing the bomb's attributes, a smile appeared on Su Xiao's face. Two-thirds of the plan had been realized.
Su Xiao's progress was smooth, but bad news soon arrived. All of Doflamingo's fleets had suffered defeats. The Don Quixote Family had three top executives, each leading their own fleet in battle against the Big Mom Pirates.
Pica won, but his own forces were completely annihilated.
Trebol was defeated, all his ships sunk into the sea, and Trebol himself was missing.
Diamante was defeated, most of his pirate crew fled, and Diamante himself was severely injured and escaped back to Dressrosa.
Of the three top executives, two had suffered defeats—one severely injured, one missing. Diamante could now only rest in bed; even sitting up would make him cough up several mouthfuls of blood. Among the three top executives, only Pica remained combat-ready.
As for the regular executives, they were even more pitiful. Lao G was attacked by unknown individuals and died directly at sea. Based on Su Xiao's guess, it was most likely an enemy contractor.
If things had progressed according to the original development of the One Piece world, the Don Quixote Family would have successfully blocked the Big Mom Pirates and established a stable cooperation with Kaido.
But with the addition of contractors, it was hard to say who would win. Judging by the current battle situation, the Big Mom faction had at least a seventy percent chance of victory.
Below is the battle report Su Xiao obtained through Doflamingo. Since both sides were now in the same boat, Doflamingo wouldn't hide these matters.
Lao G: Killed in action.
Machvise: Captured.
Gladius: Severely injured.
Trebol: Whereabouts unknown.
Diamante: Severely injured.
Jora: Severely injured.
...
From this battle report, it was clear that the Don Quixote Family had been badly beaten. Their opponent was, after all, one of the Four Emperors. Although Doflamingo had considerable power, it wasn't enough to oppose an Emperor. Moreover, his ally Kaido wasn't that reliable.
After suffering these casualties, Doflamingo decisively abandoned further naval battles and instead fortified Dressrosa. In other words, the next battle would see the Big Mom Pirates attempt a landing. For the Don Quixote Family, this was the greatest advantage in this war. If the Big Mom Pirates tried to land without paying a certain price, then there was no need to continue the war; surrendering would be the best option.
It was really tough on Doflamingo. Leading a group of pig teammates to this point was basically relying on his personal ability.
The morning after Su Xiao arrived in Dressrosa, he noticed that Dressrosa had become like an "iron bucket." Several landing points on the island were heavily garrisoned with pirates.
The biggest advantage of defending Dressrosa was the massive rocks along the island's edge. Unless the Big Mom Pirates had water in their brains, they wouldn't land in those rocky areas. Those positions weren't just difficult to attack; they were simply shooting galleries.
Morning sunlight streamed into the room. Su Xiao was enjoying breakfast, while Bubu Wang was still sound asleep on the bed.
Although Su Xiao had agreed to help Doflamingo manufacture bombs, he would keep his mana above fifty percent. When he previously helped the Navy manufacture bombs, he restored his mana by drinking a potion made by Dr. Vegapunk. Although Doflamingo had also obtained similar potions through underground channels, the quantity was limited.
Even so, Su Xiao had helped Doflamingo manufacture over nine hundred Alchemy Bombs and two Apollo.
Su Xiao was waiting for the Don Quixote Family and the Big Mom Pirates to engage in full-scale war. But one thing puzzled him: the pace of this war was too fast. If the promotion/main mission revolved around this war, he would leave this derivative world soon.
But there was another possibility: the final part of the main mission would unfold after the war ended.
This wasn't Su Xiao's baseless speculation. After all, to experience the Summit War, the Dressrosa naval battle was a necessary event. In other words, this was the starting point of the Summit War.
"An ominous premonition..."
Su Xiao muttered to himself. If his guess was correct, the final part of the promotion/main mission would point directly to a very dangerous island.
"What?"
Hearing Su Xiao's muttering, Dellinger, sitting across the stone table, looked puzzled. Dellinger was an executive of the Don Quixote Family, a cross-dressing man. Don't think this cross-dresser had a beautiful appearance; Dellinger gave the impression of a perverted, cross-dressing teenager with a fetish.
"Nothing."
Su Xiao put down his utensils and signaled Dellinger to take the Alchemy Bombs on the table. Dellinger was essentially the spy Doflamingo had sent to monitor him.
"Tell Doflamingo the next batch of bombs will be ready in at least a day."
As soon as Su Xiao finished speaking, a sudden explosion came from afar. He stood up, quickly walked to the window, and saw a ball of fire appear on the coast of Dressrosa. The Big Mom Pirates had attacked, and their momentum was overwhelming. It was clear they intended to break through Dressrosa in one go.
Big Mom was furious. Her eldest son was dead, and she would vent her rage on the island of Dressrosa.