Starting with helping Zhao Kai ascend the throne in the snow

Teach originally planned to leave immediately after the transaction was completed, but faced with Doflamingo's offer to stay, he inexplicably agreed. In fact, it was mostly out of curiosity that he wanted to see what kind of person Shen Qing was.

After Teach and Van Augur decided to stay, they were warmly received by Doflamingo, who then arranged rooms for them to rest. Meanwhile, Lucci, through Hadori's gaze, found the location where Teach and the others had been assigned and planned to sneak over there after dark.

As the sun sets, the sky is painted with fiery clouds by the evening glow, creating a beautiful scene against the backdrop of the vast and magnificent sea.

At the port of Dressrosa, Shen Qing and his companions boarded a black ship and blended in with the other ships pouring into the dock, attracting little attention. After everyone disembarked, Shen Qing secretly stowed away the black ship while no one was watching.

Doflamingo originally intended to give him a grand welcome, but Shen Qing declined. Shen Qing was a person who preferred a low profile, and with Dressrosa already at the center of a storm due to the impending arrival of the Whitebeard remnants, attracting the attention of various forces, Shen Qing didn't want to draw anyone's attention. Even Hawkeye's personal vehicle, the Coffin Boat, was left on a remote, uninhabited island outside Dressrosa to avoid being discovered by others.

Otherwise, given the conspicuous nature of Hawkeye's vehicle, it would be discovered by intelligence agents from various factions as soon as it approaches Dressrosa, and everyone would know that Hawkeye has arrived on Dressrosa Island, making it impossible to hide any longer.

After Shen Qing and the others landed, a member of the Don Quixote family sent a luxurious carriage to carry them towards the palace. With the carriage as cover, they arrived at the palace gate without being noticed.

"Brother Shen Qing, I've missed you so much!" As soon as Doflamingo saw Shen Qing, he immediately laughed and opened his arms to hug him. However, the three-meter-tall Doflamingo and the one-and-a-half-meter-tall Shen Qing looked quite strange together.

Shen Qing awkwardly hugged Doflamingo, then quickly retreated to Xuan Yuan Qingfeng's side and said, "Doflamingo, do you know that the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates are heading towards Dressrosa Island?"

“Brother Shen Qing, let’s go inside and talk. This isn’t the place to talk,” Dover said with a smile, looking around.

As the king of Dressrosa, he was well aware that the kingdom harbored numerous spies from various factions. However, he was too lazy to deal with them one by one; they were of little use. These intelligence agents were like weeds in a field—kill one batch, and another would appear, an endless stream that could never be eradicated. Therefore, Dover later simply recorded the intelligence agents he discovered, allowing them to exist, to avoid the trouble of searching for new agents after killing them.

Shen Qing nodded upon hearing this, realizing that he had acted too hastily, which was not a quality a qualified strategist should possess. He immediately entered the palace under Doflamingo's guidance, while Hawkeye wore a black cloak the entire time, hiding his usual attire underneath.

Unbeknownst to everyone, Lucci was observing everything unfolding at the palace gates from a nearby high-rise building. His eyes narrowed when he saw Shen Qing and the others alight from the carriage used by the Donquixote Family to entertain distinguished guests, and Doflamingo's enthusiastic gestures. After discovering that Blackbeard had approached Doflamingo with the Door-Door Fruit, Lucci initially assumed Doflamingo was the mastermind. However, after analyzing the situation with the former CP9 members, he realized this might not be the case. They also knew that Doflamingo acted as an intermediary between various factions, and they secretly speculated that other forces might have used Doflamingo to contact Blackbeard. Initially, they thought this was just speculation, but seeing Shen Qing and the others appear at the opportune moment made it seem much more plausible.

So after a slight hesitation, Lu Qi once again sent Hadoli to risk his life to observe the movements of Shen Qing and the others.

After Doflamingo led everyone to sit down in the conference room, he dismissed the others, leaving only Trebol to maintain the slime barrier and protect everyone's conversation.

"Brother Shen Qing, of course I know about the Whitebeard Pirates. Is there a problem?" Doflamingo asked, puzzled.

As underground intermediaries in the pirate world, the Donquixote Family's intelligence network spans the globe. They were naturally aware of the Whitebeard Pirates' movements long ago, but Doflamingo didn't find it strange at all.

Upon hearing this, Shen Qing said speechlessly, "Mr. Dover, what do you think the White Group's purpose in coming here is?"

Doflamingo, puzzled, asked, "Aren't they after Fishman Island?"

After the Marineford War and Whitebeard's death, Fishman Island, one of the Whitebeard Pirates' most important strategic locations, was seized by the Big Mom Pirates. Therefore, Doflamingo always believed that the purpose of the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates heading towards Dressrosa was to resupply before going to war with the Big Mom Pirates to fight for the ownership of Fishman Island. So he did not react much to the news that the Whitebeard Pirates were coming.

"Uh, could it be that I guessed wrong? The Whitebeard Pirates really didn't come for Blackbeard? But for Fishman Island?" Shen Qing was stunned by Doflamingo's words. He had always thought that the Whitebeard Pirates came to seek revenge on Blackbeard, but after hearing Doflamingo's analysis, it made perfect sense, making him doubt his previous judgment.

But Shen Qing quickly shook his head, thinking to himself, "No, no, they must be here for Blackbeard. Otherwise, given the Whitebeard Pirates' current situation, an expedition to Fishman Island would be a thankless task, and their headquarters might be attacked."

Shen Qing immediately confirmed his guess, saying, "Mr. Doflamingo, while your idea is one possibility, I am more inclined to believe that the Whitebeard Pirates came for Blackbeard. In other words, the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates learned that Blackbeard Teach was on Dressrosa Island, and they came to deal with Blackbeard Teach."

"What? They came to deal with Blackbeard?" Upon hearing Shen Qing's words, Doflamingo's calm face was suddenly startled. After a moment of thought, he realized that what Shen Qing said made perfect sense.

Teach was a key figure who triggered the Marineford War, leading to the deaths of Ace and Whitebeard. Therefore, the Whitebeard Pirates already hated him to the core. If the Whitebeard Pirates discovered his presence on Dressrosa Island, then their purpose in coming there would be self-evident.

If the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates and Blackbeard were to clash in Dressrosa, the Donquixote Family would suffer the consequences. They couldn't very well have their side pay the price for their war.

Thinking of this, Dover hurriedly said, "Brother Shen Qing, do you think if we send Teach away now, we can avoid conflict with the White Group?"

Doflamingo said this not because the Donquixote Family was afraid of the Whitebeard remnants, but because Doflamingo was acting in the best interests of a businessman. He felt that there was no need to fight a battle that was meaningless and could easily cause huge losses.

“I’m afraid things aren’t that simple, Mr. Dover. Let’s put ourselves in his shoes. If you were the Whitebeard Pirates, and I told you Blackbeard was gone, would you believe me?” Shen Qing shook his head with a serious expression, expressing his opinion.

Shen Qing paused for a moment and continued, "Moreover, during the Marineford War, you seriously injured Little Oars and the Whitebeard Pirates, which created an enmity between you and them. Therefore, there is not much room for reconciliation. So we need to be prepared for both scenarios. If the Whitebeard Pirates can listen to our advice, we can live in peace. If the Whitebeard Pirates intend to turn against us, we must also be prepared for battle."

As Shen Qing spoke, Doflamingo's face darkened. He hadn't expected to be so careless. If Shen Qing hadn't explained the Whitebeard Pirates' intentions, the consequences of a surprise attack on the Donquixote Family would have been unimaginable, potentially destroying the entire Dressrosa Kingdom. The Donquixote Family's efforts over the past decade would have been completely wasted.