One Piece: King Of The World

In the Holy Land of Mariejois, within Claudius's palace.

At that moment, Claudius was having his hair washed. His butler, Nia, stood beside him, holding a warm showerhead, carefully rinsing the foam from his head.

Once his hair was clean, Claudius casually grabbed a towel, wiping it dry with ease. His toned upper body was fully exposed, causing Nia to blush involuntarily.

Nearby, Stussy was tidying up the dressing table, arranging various items before pulling a chair in front of it.

"So, how's Marine's operation going? Making a big spectacle of themselves?" Claudius asked with a smirk.

Stussy, still organizing the table, responded, "Your Highness, do you have to worry about that? Marines run countless covert operations—at least a thousand, probably more. They have their own channels. As long as they don't send out distress signals, they can handle things themselves."

Marine Headquarters was a well-oiled military machine. Claudius was simply too carefree. This time, their operation was meant to be discreet—well, not too discreet—but at least subtle enough to infiltrate the Pirate Expo without drawing too much attention.

"Am I worrying? No, no, I'm just being a considerate leader," Claudius replied with exaggerated exasperation. "It's a shame how, in this era, people don't appreciate good intentions."

With his hair half-dry, he reached up to rub his ear, feigning dissatisfaction.

"Yes, yes, Your Highness," Stussy said with an amused smile. "You're a very considerate leader."

Claudius nodded in satisfaction. "Good that you know it."

Once Stussy had finished tidying up, Claudius walked over and sat down at the dressing table.

Looking into the mirror, he smirked. Damn, I really am handsome.

His golden hair fell neatly past his ears, his sharp eyes gleamed, and his smile showcased perfect teeth. His face was simply too good-looking.

"Hah… Now I get why you all like me so much," Claudius said shamelessly. "If I were a woman, I wouldn't be able to resist someone as handsome and charming as myself either."

Nia rolled her eyes, laying out a fresh white towel at his feet.

Stussy chuckled. "Your Highness, have you noticed something?"

"Hm? What?" Claudius asked, confused.

"That you've become even more shameless than before," Stussy replied playfully.

"What are you talking about? I, Claudius, am an honest and reliable young man. A 'pear blossom pressing against a begonia'—do you understand?" Claudius said, feigning indignation.

"I don't quite get those phrases from the Land of Flowers," Stussy teased.

Just then, the door swung open without the slightest hesitation.

A figure waltzed in, arms full of various items.

It was none other than Doflamingo.

He casually tossed a pink feathered coat onto the bed, followed by his ever-unbuttoned white shirt, his flashy leggings, and a pair of loafers. Even his iconic orange sunglasses were removed and placed on the table.

"I've brought everything you need, cousin," Doflamingo said, clapping his hands.

Claudius glanced over and grinned. "Good."

"This is your invitation," Doflamingo said, pulling an elegant envelope from his pocket and handing it to Nia. "As expected, all the Warlords were invited—VIP status. But I wonder if Kaido got one as well."

Nia handed Doflamingo a golden wig. He held it up, smirking.

"Fufufu… Cousin, you really know how to play around," Doflamingo chuckled.

The Pirate Expo, hosted by Douglas Bullet, was primarily a grand event for pirates. Naturally, as one of the largest factions within the pirate world, the Seven Warlords of the Sea had all been invited.

Despite their affiliation with the World Government, they still bore the title of "pirates." And that was enough.

Doflamingo had received an invitation, but he wouldn't be attending. Instead, Claudius would go, under his identity.

Claudius had even named the entire operation: "Operation Fanatic."

After a moment of playful banter, Doflamingo placed the golden wig atop his head and for once removed his sunglasses.

His eyes were perfectly normal. Contrary to some people's wild theories, he didn't have tiny, beady eyes hiding behind those shades.

Considering his actual younger brother, Rosinante, had a fairly standard appearance, it wouldn't make sense for Doflamingo to look that different.

Doflamingo and Claudius were cousins, sharing similar bloodlines and features. Back on Cake Island, Claudius had even disguised himself as Rosinante before.

Now, Doflamingo, wearing the golden wig, stood before the dressing table, examining himself in the mirror.

"Hmm? Not bad," he murmured.

The resemblance to Claudius was uncanny, though the temperament was slightly different.

Claudius had an air of nobility—an aura of superiority built from years of refinement.

Doflamingo, on the other hand, carried a wild, unrestrained edge.

"Fufufu… Maybe I should switch up my look more often," Doflamingo mused. "Still, it's a shame I won't get to see this grand event myself. I'll be stuck here in Mariejois, playing your stand-in, huh?"

"You get to be 'King of the World' for a while, isn't that enough for your ego?" Claudius teased.

Doflamingo was strong, but for this mission, strategy mattered more than raw power.

The decision was made: They would swap identities.

Claudius would infiltrate the Pirate Expo as "Doflamingo."

Doflamingo would remain in Mariejois, assuming Claudius's role, ensuring the world believed Claudius hadn't left.

That way, when "Doflamingo" suddenly made a grand entrance, it would catch everyone off guard.

A perfect setup.

"Well, when you put it that way…" Doflamingo chuckled.

"While you're here, make sure to handle the government matters I assigned you," Claudius instructed. "You are the king of Dressrosa—you shouldn't need me to spell it out for you."

"Of course, cousin," Doflamingo said lazily. "Whatever you say."

At that moment, Queen Stussy approached, holding a pair of scissors and some makeup tools.

"Your Highness, shall we begin?" she asked.

Claudius looked at himself in the mirror one last time and sighed.

"This face has served me well for decades… and now I have to change it?" he lamented dramatically.

No one paid attention to his theatrics.

Annoyed, Claudius huffed. "Fine. Get it over with, Stussy. Time to show off your skills."

Stussy smirked. "In this field, I am a professional."

As the Queen of the Happy Street, Stussy was an expert in makeup, disguises, and all things related to beauty and presentation.

Without hesitation, she picked up an electric razor and began cutting away Claudius's golden locks.

His long, neat hair was soon chopped into a messy, tousled style—closely resembling Doflamingo's signature look.

The hair was the easy part.

Once that was done, Stussy grabbed a set of cosmetics and got to work.

Though they were cousins, Claudius had a slightly younger-looking face compared to Doflamingo. To fix that, she carefully applied subtle makeup to make him appear older.

Doflamingo also had a slightly darker skin tone than Claudius, so some adjustments were needed there as well.

Bit by bit, the transformation was coming together.

Soon, the world's deadliest masquerade would begin.

(To be continued.)

***

This book is completed on P/treon. Support me on P/treon to read ALL advanced chapters:

https://p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves

(Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)