Chapter 37: A Mad Plan
After six hours of the Big Mom Pirates' nearly island-surrounding assault, they still hadn't breached the boulder region. Following six hours of intense combat, both sides were inevitably exhausted, both mentally and physically. Thus, the Big Mom Pirates chose to withdraw from the boulder area and return to their ships.
Behind the boulder region, various debris was piled beneath the rocks to facilitate the Don Quixote Family members' charge up onto the boulders. This was the advantage of the defenders—they could ascend the boulders without suffering too many casualties, whereas climbing up from the outside meant enduring lead shot and blades swinging down from above.
Several pirates sat huddled together, their gazes vacant, mechanically chewing on food.
"We... should we run?"
A Don Quixote Family member spoke, his breathing rapid, a glimmer of life returning to his dull eyes.
The nearby pirates shuddered, warily observing their surroundings.
"At this rate, we'll die here sooner or later. I joined the Don Quixote Family to be cannon fodder? I wanted to become..."
This pirate's nerves were clearly frayed, on the verge of snapping.
"But..."
Another pirate started to speak, only for terror to flash in his eyes.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out across the coast. The pirate who suggested fleeing opened his mouth slightly, a bloody hole appearing on his forehead.
With a thud, the fleeing pirate collapsed.
"My life belongs to the Young Master. Anyone who tries to run dies."
A scar-faced pirate shoved his short gun back into his waistband, chewing on some preserved dry rations.
"Of... of course, our lives were given by the Young Master. That bastard deserved it, t-to think of running. Ha, haha."
A trembling pirate chimed in. The scar-faced pirate glanced at him but ignored him.
"Right, we must never betray the Young Master."
"We'll hold out to the end."
One by one, the pirates stood up to pledge their loyalty. No one dared mention fleeing again—who knew how many of Doflamingo's die-hard loyalists were among them?
"They're coming again!!"
A roar came from the distance. The scar-faced pirate tossed aside his rations, grabbed his bloodstained blade, and charged up onto the boulder.
Inside the fourth floor of the villa, Su Xiao's brow was furrowed. While the prolonged war was good news for him, judging by the current situation, if Katakuri broke into Dressrosa, his main mission would fail. Moreover, given the enmity between Su Xiao and Katakuri, the latter would undoubtedly lead his fleet to hunt Su Xiao across the world, to the death.
After a moment's thought, Su Xiao stood up and left the room. Ten minutes later, he found Doflamingo at the edge of the boulder region.
"We... can't hold out much longer."
Doflamingo was smiling. Since setting foot in the New World, he had never directly clashed with any of the Four Emperors. This conflict with the Big Mom Pirates was, for him, a kind of trial.
If he survived this ordeal, he would become the overlord of the seas around Dressrosa, with no pirates daring to invade lightly.
"Jack withdrew in a hurry."
Su Xiao also knew Dressrosa couldn't hold out much longer. Jack seemed to have left angrily on a flimsy excuse, but both Su Xiao and Doflamingo sensed something was off.
Regardless, the Beasts Pirates and the Don Quixote Family were allies. For them to suddenly retreat now—if Doflamingo defected to Red Hair or Whitebeard, Kaido and Big Mom could only watch helplessly.
Though artificial Devil Fruits had many flaws, pirates craved power. Even dreamers like Whitebeard and Red Hair wouldn't refuse artificial Devil Fruits; they would just use them more cautiously.
But Kaido had simply pulled his forces back. It made no sense logically or emotionally.
"I've investigated the situation there through underground channels. Both Charlotte Linlin's and Kaido's territories were attacked. The attackers' identities are unknown for now—they don't seem to be from the World Government or the Revolutionary Army."
Doflamingo remained calm because he knew Big Mom and Kaido's territories were also in turmoil.
The Don Quixote Family was in a tough spot, but the Big Mom Pirates weren't much better. They had to send forces to Dressrosa while protecting their own territories—the pressure was immense.
In truth, it was no longer about who would crush whom, but who would break first.
"If we..."
Su Xiao's voice grew softer, and Doflamingo's mouth slowly opened.
"You... are you insane?"
After hearing Su Xiao's described plan, Doflamingo was visibly stunned.
"I don't want to fight Katakuri to the death again. Without a severely injured Cracker to hold him back, he'll be even harder to deal with. The reason he hasn't acted is that he's wary Jack might still be on the island. Once Jack shows up in Kaido's territory, Katakuri will strike immediately."
"This..."
Doflamingo hesitated, weighing whether to go along with Su Xiao's mad plan.
"If everything goes smoothly, we can set out tonight."
Su Xiao turned and walked toward the King's Plateau.
"Fufufufufu, you'd better be quick."
"Leave it to fate."
Su Xiao waved a hand without looking back and walked away.
Returning to the fourth floor of the villa, Su Xiao locked the door, forbidding any Don Quixote Family members from entering.
On the coast, the pirates fought fiercely, while the civilians of Dressrosa trembled in fear. Su Xiao, however, remained unusually at ease. Yet, this peace wouldn't last long.
At seven that evening, the fighting on the coastline ceased. The Don Quixote Family held the inner side of the boulder region, while the Big Mom Pirates held the outer side. In effect, the Big Mom Pirates had already landed on Dressrosa.
Around eight o'clock, after dozens of small skirmishes, the war gradually subsided—at least for the night. Come morning, the conflict between the two forces would resume. At this rate, the Don Quixote Family would eventually be wiped out. The Big Mom Pirates simply had too many men. Once the terrain advantage was lost, the war would end quickly.
Around ten at night, inside the villa's living room on the King's Plateau.
The room was pitch black. Three people, one dog, and one cow sat on the sofas.
"Young... Young Master, is this really okay?"
A somewhat simple voice came from the darkness.
"You might die. Still dare to go?"
Doflamingo's voice was low.
"Of course I dare!"
The simple voice trembled but answered firmly.
"Then let's begin. By morning, if Charlotte Linlin doesn't make a move, Dressrosa will fall."
Su Xiao's voice came from the darkness.
"Exactly. In the end, it depends on her choice—whether she'll risk losing her position as an Emperor to destroy us, or..."
This time it was Doflamingo. His sunglasses reflected a faint light in the darkness. The room fell silent. Two figures stood up and walked out.
Moments later, the sound of spinning propellers came from outside the villa. In the darkness, Su Xiao pulled out a communicator. Bubu Wang was handling this task; Su Xiao himself couldn't leave Dressrosa, lest Katakuri strike.
There was no need to worry about Bubu Wang's safety. In a pinch, it could escape into the sea. Su Xiao had attached five locators and an emergency escape device to it. With its "You Can't See Me" ability and an oxygen tank, once it dove into the sea, even an Emperor couldn't touch it.