Chapter 700

Chapter 700 is titled "His Own Pace".

Cover Page
Caribou's Kehihihihi in the New World Vol. 21 - "I Returned Out of Curiosity and They're Looking for Me".

Instead of leaving the island, Caribou returns to the country.

Short Summary
While the big news of Doflamingo's resignation and the Supernovas' alliances spread throughout the world, the Marines top brass are having a meeting on how to deal with Doflamingo's empty seat in the Shichibukai as well as another potential empty seat due to the Straw Hat Pirates and Heart Pirates alliance.

Meanwhile, Doflamingo receives a call from Law but before he could negotiate Caesar's release, Luffy butts in and yells at the former Shichibukai for helping Caesar. Unfazed, Doflamingo tells Luffy to come find him in Dressrosa because he has something Luffy would stop at nothing to get. Before he could elaborate any further, Law took the phone back and told his former captain the location of Caesar's release, Green Bit and ended the call.

While the crew are having breakfast, Kin'emon told the story of how he, his son and a comrade got shipwrecked; one got separated while the rest landed on Dressrosa only to be attacked by Doflamingo's crew. Momonosuke hid on a ship which carried him to Punk Hazard, so Kin'emon's friend and ally Kanjuro allowed himself to be captured to help him rescue his son. Moved by the story, Luffy and the crew decided to save Kin'emon's friend while Law reminds them that their mission on Dressrosa is to destroy Doflamingo's SMILE Factory.

On Dressrosa, Doflamingo awaits the arrival of Trebol for an item he asked him to retrieve. When Trebol returned with it, Doflamingo asked his top gladiator Diamante to guard it. He thinks that if Luffy knew that his brother's Devil Fruit is in the possession of the Donquixote Pirates, he would come to get it and then see the alliance with Law as a burden.

Back with the Straw Hats, the group have finally arrived to Dressrosa, ready to begin the first step of defeating Kaido.

Long Summary
The news of Doflamingo's resignation from the Shichibukai spreads quickly around the world. On one island, one man asks another if they had a weapons deal with the Donquixote family. One of them is trying to call the family, but no one is answering at the other end. The first man proclaims that they need the weapons from him to put a war in their favor. Jewelry Bonney reads about Luffy and Law's alliance curiously while eating a piece of pizza. People react to the news, assuming that the alliances will lead to no good, and that Doflamingo must have had his reasons for resigning. Among these readers is Jinbe.

At the Kid Pirates' base, the crew is reading the stories and wonder how their alliance made the news. Someone asks who the journalist who reported the story, Absa, is. Apparently he had been getting huge news scoops all over the place. Kid says it does not matter how their alliance got leaked. What bothers him is Luffy and Law teaming up. He correctly theorizes that Luffy and Law are also going after a Yonko, and wonders which one it is.

At Dressrosa, several Den Den Mushi are ringing off the hook. Doflamingo, however, is taking the call from Law and the Straw Hat Pirates. The Straw Hats are amazed he picked up, but are warned by Usopp to be quiet so he does not hear them. Luffy shouts his name into the receiver and declares he will be Pirate King, prompting a slap from Usopp, but to no avail. Luffy continues, making sure he was correct in thinking that Doflamingo was Caesar's superior and that he was aware of what Caesar did to his subordinates and the children. He tells Doflamingo he will give Caesar back as per the deal, but begins to threaten Doflamingo if he does anything like that again and is about to finish when Doflamingo asks if it was two years since Ace's death.

He then remembers Luffy disappearing only to reappear two years later and asks what he has been up to. Luffy refuses to answer, but Doflamingo tells him he has been looking forward to meeting him. Doflamingo goes on to say that he has something that Luffy will most surely be interested in. Luffy instantly assumes Doflamingo is talking about meat and starts fantasizing as Law pushes his head away from the receiver, warning him not to get pulled into "his pace". He reclaims the conversation, asking Doflamingo not to go off on tangents, and saying he will get Caesar as agreed. Doflamingo reminds Law of what could happen if he gets tricked.

He then asks for confirmation that Caesar is alive and well. Law points the receiver toward Caesar as the bound scientist begins a tearful apology but is cut off as Law takes back the receiver. He tells Doflamingo that in eight hours they will deliver Caesar to the southeast shore of Green Bit, the deserted island just north of Dressrosa, and leave him there at 3pm, which is as far as Law is willing to go to accommodate Doflamingo. Doflamingo pretends to act hurt, saying he was looking forward to maybe having a drink and catching up with an old friend. Law responds by declaring their conversation over and hanging up.

Luffy remarks how he almost strayed from the objective, and Usopp remarks that Luffy's eyes (in the shape of meat) tell a different story. Sanji then realizes that they don't know how many men Doflamingo will bring. Law tells him that the number does not matter, and if everything goes according to plan, then Caesar will work as a successful decoy. Usopp understands Law's plan now. While Doflamingo is distracted, they will use that window to destroy the SMILE factory. Law tells Usopp he is correct, but there is just one problem. He doesn't know where the factory is. Franky reassures him that the factory has to be massive and they should be able to see it easily, at which point he could just take care of it with his laser. This gets Usopp and Chopper excited. Law goes on to say that the difficulty in procuring intelligence was bothering him. Nami reasons that the factory is a high priority, so it could be that the information is top secret and not easily available.

Kin'emon asks that since Law mentioned Green Bit, whether or not they would be going to Dressrosa. Law assures him they will be arriving at Dressrosa. Luffy asks Law if he had ever been to "Dressroba". Law says no, since it is a country that Doflamingo controls entirely. Luffy gets excited, saying he smells another adventure nearing, and they will make a plan once they get there. He cannot wait to see what Dressrosa is like and hopes to go to Wano Country as well. Law asks him if he really thinks they could land without having a proper plan in place. Luffy asks Sanji what they are having for breakfast, and Sanji replies it is just sandwiches. Chopper asks for a cotton candy sandwich while Robin just asks for tea. Law tries to tell them that he does not like bread, but is shocked at how easily he was swept in by the crew's pace and ignored.

During the meal, Kin'emon starts telling the story behind why he went to Punk Hazard. He asks Law if he knew a place called Zo. Law is surprised, since that is where his crew is, and once the mission at Dressrosa was complete, he was planning on going to Zo. Kin'emon eagerly asks if he and Momonosuke could join them on their trip to Zo. Luffy wholeheartedly agrees, and decides they should go to Wano while they are at it. Law tries to interject, but Kin'emon continues his story. Kin'emon, Momonosuke, and two other samurai were on their way to Zo when they were shipwrecked. Kin'emon, Momonosuke, and one of the other samurai washed ashore on Dressrosa. Momonosuke continues, saying they were attacked the moment they landed in Dressrosa. They met some children on a ship who said they needed medical attention. Kin'emon got off the ship to help them, but it set sail right after that, trapping Momonosuke on board. Kin'emon proceeded to follow Momonosuke only because his comrade, Kanjuro, stayed behind to hold off the enemies. Kin'emon now vows he must return the favor and save Kanjuro. Franky and Chopper are deeply moved by Kin'emon's story and Luffy declares they will save him as well. Law yells at them not to get distracted.

The scene changes to Marine Headquarters, where Commodore Brannew is giving a speech about how there must be seven Shichibukai, no more and no less, saying their loyalty and power is supposed to serve as a deterrent to other pirates. He lists off the current roster: The strongest swordsman in the world, Dracule "Hawk-eyes" Mihawk, the depraved king of Dressrosa, "Heavenly Yaksha" Donquixote Doflamingo, the human weapon, "Tyrant" Bartholomew Kuma, the ruler of Amazon Lily, "Pirate Empress" Boa Hancock, the rookie behind the Rocky Port Incident, the "Surgeon of Death" Trafalgar Law, the living legend "Star Clown" Buggy, and the one that he had mentioned earlier. That made seven people until the story broke that morning that Doflamingo had resigned. He adds that Law's position is in jeopardy as well depending on his intentions. Brannew goes on to say that the Shichibukai are supposed to be held in the same kind of esteem as the Marines and Yonko, but is cut off by Sakazuki, who tells Brannew that he has made his point. He asks if Brannew thinks Law and the Straw Hats can move freely, adding that Smoker filed his report yesterday, and that the matter will be cleared up within a day, saying that Fujitora has been dispatched to deal with them.

On Dressrosa, someone asks Doflamingo not to make hasty decisions. Baby 5 asks a little girl where Trebol is. The old woman playing cards wonders what Doflamingo is thinking, and another subordinate declares he is ready to fight if the Marines show up, while the old man replies that his orders are absolute. Baby 5 then spots Trebol high above on a tower, commenting on how funny everyone looks in pandemonium and wonders if the outside world is anything like what he is seeing. He comes down and asks Baby 5 if the rumors about her latest fiancé getting killed were true. Baby 5 tells him he is invading her personal space, and that there is a fine line between persistence and annoyance. Trebol then asks if she likes it when he is persistently annoying. Baby 5 tells him to shut up and that Doflamingo asked for him, adding that he should bring "that" with him, and reminds him again about personal space. He tells Baby 5 she needs to be more discrete in picking her men, and then asks her to marry him, adding that he was just joking. Baby 5 wonders if he actually needs her, prompting the two old people playing cards to tell her not to go there.

In another room, Doflamingo is praising Diamante for his supervision of the colosseum. Diamante shrugs it off and says that Doflamingo's royal charisma is the real reason behind colosseum's success. Doflamingo insists it is all due to Diamante's know-how, and calls Diamante the savior. Diamante tries to rebuke this, and Doflamingo is about to agree this time, only for Diamante to change his mind and take all the credit. Trebol then drips down from the ceiling, saying he has the thing Doflamingo asked for. Doflamingo then reminds him about personal space before taking the box and telling Trebol to take a seat.

Doflamingo gives the box to Diamante, who tries to argue that he is unfit to hold the box until Doflamingo agrees with him again, at which point he changes his mind and takes it. Doflamingo opens the box and takes out a Devil Fruit, saying he really did have something that Luffy would be interested in, the Mera Mera no Mi, saying there is no way Luffy would let anyone have his brother's power.

Meanwhile, the Straw Hats and company have just arrived at Dressrosa, and are more than excited to disembark.

Chapter Notes

 * This is the first chapter of the Dressrosa Arc.
 * Jewelry Bonney, Brannew, and Sakazuki appear for the first time after the timeskip.
 * Brannew was promoted to Commodore at some point during the timeskip.
 * The Marine Headquarters in the New World is shown.
 * The hideout of the Kid Pirates is shown.
 * The vessel Absalom and Hogback used to escape from Thriller Bark is seen leaving the Kid Pirates' hideout.
 * The person who wrote the articles about the alliances is referred to as Absa.
 * It is revealed that Kid's alliance is also after one of the Yonko.
 * Law tells Doflamingo that he will return Caesar as promised.
 * Kin'emon and Law said that they wanted to go to a place called Zou. Law says his crew is there.
 * It is revealed that the samurai held at Dressrosa is named Kanjuro.
 * Buggy became a Shichibukai at some point during the time-skip, and now sports the epithet "Star Clown".
 * Doflamingo's epithet is revealed to be "Heavenly Yaksha".
 * The existence of an unnamed member of the Shichibukai is mentioned.
 * Sakazuki has sent someone named "Fujitora" to deal with Luffy and Law.
 * The four suit seats of Doflamingo's crew - heart, club, diamond, and spade - are shown. The owners of the club and diamond seats have been revealed respectively as Trebol and Diamante. The heart seat is currently vacant, but was meant for Law, as stated by Buffalo in Chapter 695. Only one owner remains unintroduced (the owner of the spade seat), but he/she is seen as a massive silhouette with spiked shoulders.
 * Doflamingo is in possession of Ace's Devil Fruit, the Mera Mera no Mi.
 * The Straw Hat Pirates, Law, Kin'emon, and Momonosuke arrive at Dressrosa.
 * When the Kikoku is seen before Law enters the Thousand Sunny's kitchen, his white crosses pattern is replaced by the flower-like edges of Zoro's Shusui.

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