One Piece: I am the Fleet Admiral?

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Follow Vergo's line of sight.

We see that in the spacious living room, the Donquixote Family officers were gathered.

Among them, Doflamingo was seated in the center, lounging on the couch with a grin.

"Um?"

Hearing Vergo's news, Doflamingo couldn't help but react.

Though he had been operating in North Blue, he always kept an eye on the happenings of the Grand Line, knowing just how vast the world truly was.

He knew exactly who Whitebeard was and what the name represented.

To put it bluntly, in his mind, Whitebeard was practically invincible.

But today, Vergo brought news that Whitebeard was seriously injured by Vice Admiral Garp and had retreated.

No way, right?

If Garp in the Marines was really that powerful, why were they still stuck in the first half of the Grand Line?

Why not lead the charge into the New World and start capturing the major pirates there? Wouldn't the second half of the Grand Line be much easier to patrol?

Doflamingo felt a deep sense of disbelief.

"Impossible, why would Whitebeard attack that Marine base for no reason?"

"Exactly, even Pica knew there was a trap. It's not like Whitebeard wouldn't have thought of it."

"Could it be that Whitebeard has been undefeated for so long that he got overconfident?"

The officers, still recovering from the shock, began voicing their opinions.

Everyone shared the same doubts.

They couldn't comprehend Whitebeard's move.

"Vergo, do you have any more specific information?" Doflamingo asked.

"No, since we're in the Four Seas, we're too far from Marineford."

Vergo shook his head and said, "Even the officers on the outside wouldn't know much about the deeper intel."

Doflamingo clenched his fist tightly, suppressing the unease growing within him.

This lack of control over the situation was driving Doflamingo, who had a strong need to control everything, completely mad.

The atmosphere in the living room grew heavier.

The officers could feel Doflamingo's anxiety and quickly fell silent, not daring to speak.

"Don't worry, Doffy. Once I'm transferred back to headquarters, I'll be working closely with the Fleet Admiral."

Vergo stepped forward, offering soft reassurance. "When that happens, we'll know everything going on within the Marines."

"Mm."

Doflamingo forced a smile. "When will you be going back to headquarters?"

"I've heard that after all the newspapers in the Four Seas are acquired, Rosinante will be transferred back. I should follow along."

"The newspapers?"

Doflamingo frowned, his mind turning.

He thought for a moment, then raised his head and said, "Besides dealing with the Mafia, let's also help you handle the newspaper situation."

Before, Doflamingo had learned that the Fleet Admiral promised Vergo that if he successfully organized the Mafia operations and made them profitable, the Fleet Admiral would personally take him under his wing for training.

So Doflamingo had led all the officers back to this troublesome place.

During this time, they had been working tirelessly in secret, helping the Marines get everything done behind the scenes.

This was largely thanks to their Mafia background—anyone else would have been completely overwhelmed by the task.

Even so, as the young master, Doflamingo had exhausted himself.

However, there had been benefits.

At the very least, everyone recognized that Vergo wasn't just a capable and gentle person but also someone worthy of being trained by the Fleet Admiral himself.

This reputation had apparently even reached Marine headquarters.

Originally, Doflamingo had planned to leave with the officers, but with this new development, he now wanted to place Vergo at headquarters as soon as possible.

"But your brother, Rosinante, seems to have his own plans," Vergo added.

Dear brother…

Doflamingo's expression became complicated.

All these years, he had believed Rosinante to be dead.

Unexpectedly, not only was he alive, but he had risen to become a Commodore at Marine headquarters, in charge of all Marine communications.

His position, status, and the trust he had from the top brass were far from ordinary.

"Then let his plans fail, and you can take the spotlight."

Doflamingo suppressed his thoughts and spoke in a deep voice.

He trusted Vergo more than Rosinante.

Naturally, he hoped that the more contributions Vergo made, the better, allowing him to climb higher in rank.

After all, they were operating in secret, holding the initiative and advantage.

Vergo had no objections.

"Oh, by the way, I need more specific information about that Marine base. I'm very interested in it—find a way to get it for me."

With that, Vergo left, carrying out Doflamingo's orders.

As an undercover agent, it's crucial to maintain a sense of normalcy, or suspicion could easily arise.

After relaying the urgent information to the family, Vergo knew his task was complete. Calmly, he entered a nearby bakery, bought some bread for himself and his colleagues, and waved goodbye to the shop owner with an approachable smile.

Upstairs.

Everyone in the Donquixote Family watched silently from above.

"To make sure we can operate more smoothly at sea in the future, we'll need to stay here a bit longer."

"No problem with that, Mihawk?"

Doflamingo turned his head toward the shadowy corner, where Mihawk sat with legs crossed, his hands resting on his knees.

Even with Doflamingo's usual domineering aura, his tone softened slightly when addressing Mihawk, treating it like a business proposal.

Mihawk opened his sharp, eagle-like eyes and, without objecting, nodded calmly.

"Yes, you can decide. I won't leave until I repay the debt of your help."

"Fufufufufu!"

Doflamingo chuckled, though he spread his hands in a helpless gesture. "Honestly, I'd love for you to join my Donquixote Family."

"I'm sorry, but I'm too used to my freedom and solitude."

Doflamingo's eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses.

But, considering Mihawk's immense power, he merely shook his head, thinking to himself, 'Even if I can't fully recruit you, having such a strong ally isn't too bad.'

That night.

Under Rosinante's leadership, the North Blue News Department published a vast number of newspapers, sending them out to the world by delivery pigeons.

Meanwhile, the Marine news department in Marineford also dispatched newspaper pigeons, spreading news across both the front and back halves of the Grand Line.

Aboard the Moby Dick.

The massive whale ship drifted along with the sea's currents.

On deck, a lively party was underway.

Whitebeard sat at the head, holding an enormous wine glass, drinking deeply without a care. His breathing was steady, and his body showed no signs of injury.

Around him, his sons were gathered, eating, drinking, and laughing together, the atmosphere full of joy.

Until a delivery pigeon passed by, dropping a stack of newspapers, immediately shifting the mood on the Moby Dick to tense silence.

"Huh? What's going on?"

Whitebeard noticed the sudden change in the atmosphere, setting his wine glass down and asking in confusion.

The faces around him grew serious.

Marco took a deep breath, stepping forward with a newspaper in hand. "Dad, the latest issue just arrived."

"In..."

He hesitated before continuing. "It's about our supposed attack on that Marine base last night, but..."

"But what?" Whitebeard asked, his gaze sharpening.

Whitebeard took the newspaper, and as the headlines of the day came into view, he finally understood why his sons looked so upset.

"But the way the Marines handled this is unreasonable."

Marco, now seeing that his father was aware, couldn't hold back his anger any longer. "We cooperated with them in good faith, but the newspapers didn't show us any respect at all!"

"Exactly, the way Marine handled this is disgraceful."

"Sure, we know their news department likes to exaggerate things, but this is way over the line."

"If I knew it would turn out like this, I wouldn't have gone. What are the other pirates going to think of us now?"

"Father, why don't we go and set things right?"

"Yeah! Let's go all out and attack that Marine base for real this time!"

The rest of the commanders and crew echoed Marco's sentiments. Fueled by alcohol, their tempers flared, and all eyes turned to Whitebeard, awaiting his command to fight the Marines.

Whitebeard calmly tossed the newspaper into the sea. Although he noticed the confusion in his sons' eyes as to why he agreed to the operation in the first place, he didn't bother to explain.

"Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal—just keep drinking."

He paused, sensing that his sons might still seek a fight behind his back.

So, in a calm but firm voice, he added, "Don't underestimate the Marines. We weren't fighting at full strength last night, and neither were they."

He looked around at his sons. "Remember, their monster clones haven't even been deployed yet."

Everyone was stunned, glancing at each other in surprise.

They hadn't considered that possibility, and their fighting spirit began to wane.

"Alright, let's get back to drinking. It's nothing to worry about. Do you think a little newspaper could make me any less of a Whitebeard?"

Boom.

The powerful aura emanating from Whitebeard made everyone swallow their pride and calm down.

"If Dad says so, then I'll follow his lead."

"Right. Besides, there's no shame in losing to Garp. If any pirates dare mock us, I'll personally teach them a lesson."

"Speaking of which, what should we do with that guy in the cabin, Captain Marco?" one of the crew asked, referring to a captured prisoner.

"Let him go!" Whitebeard ordered, his tone light, as he watched his sons return to normal. He let out a sigh of relief.

'Stupid sons. Dad doesn't care about face,' he thought.

'You are the treasure I care most about.'

'Let the Marines play their part—this opportunity doesn't come along often.'

Meanwhile, out at sea, a bruised and battered Lu Feld sat with blood covering his face, refusing the help of his old friend Umit.

"Why? If you don't stop the bleeding, you'll be in real trouble."

Umit, puzzled, stopped tending to Lu Feld's wounds. "But, looking at you like this… it's really pitiful."

"Pitiful, huh?"

"Yeah!" Umit nodded seriously.

Hearing this, Lu Feld grinned, despite his injuries.

"Perfect. Send me to Marineford immediately—I want to meet the Fleet Admiral like this."

"I've given so much for his mission. If he doesn't compensate me properly, does he even have a conscience?"

Umit: "..."