Starting with helping Zhao Kai ascend the throne in the snow

"Alright, Mr. Doflamingo, it's all just speculation. We'll only know for sure when the Whitebeard Pirates arrive," Shen Qing said hastily, trying to comfort Doflamingo, whose face was ashen.

Doflamingo nodded upon hearing this, then gestured to Trebol, who understood and deactivated the slime shield.

Doflamingo then took out a Den Den Mushi, dialed Diamante's Den Den Mushi, and said, "Diamante, immediately notify the Kingdom of Dressrosa to enter a state of high alert..."

"Wait a minute!" Just then, Shen Qing suddenly spoke up to stop Doflamingo. After Doflamingo looked over, Shen Qing shook his head and said, "Mr. Doflamingo, everything just now was only our speculation. Before we can confirm the Whitebeard's true purpose, it is not advisable to make a big fuss, so as not to cause panic among the people. Therefore, it is best to maintain a state of outward relaxation but inward vigilance, and not let the people notice anything unusual."

Doflamingo, upon hearing this, wholeheartedly agreed and said, "Diamante, relay my orders. Have all family executives await my command in the bar near the port. In addition, except for the peripheral members who maintain order in the kingdom, all other family members should assemble at Warehouse No. 3 near the port. Inform me immediately if you discover any news about the Whitebeard Pirates. Be careful not to cause panic among the people."

With Doflamingo's order given, all members of the Donquixote Family immediately sprang into action. Aside from the remaining personnel maintaining order on the streets, the dozen or so family executives who remained in Dressrosa gathered in a tavern near the port. Meanwhile, over five thousand Donquixote Family members, armed, hid in nearby dockside warehouses.

The Don Quixote Family members acted very discreetly. Apart from a very few intelligence agents who noticed something amiss, most others did not notice anything unusual and continued to enjoy themselves and eat as usual in the kingdom, maintaining a peaceful and prosperous atmosphere.

After sensing something was wrong, Lucci followed the Don Quixote family members to the dock warehouse, where he discovered they were secretly gathering. After a brief hesitation, he chose to leave the dock and continue to hide near the palace, intending to sneak into the palace at night as originally planned.

"Mr. Doflamingo, could you please invite Mr. Teach over?" After Doflamingo finished making arrangements, Shen Qing got to the point of the day, intending to meet with Blackbeard.

Soon, Blackbeard Teach and Van Augur, led by their attendants, arrived at the palace's meeting hall.

Above the sky, Hadori, the white dove, saw Blackbeard being brought into the palace. It immediately relayed what was happening to Lucci. Just as it was trying to see the scene inside the palace, it discovered that the entire palace hall was shrouded in a slime shield, preventing it from seeing what was going on inside.

Inside the royal palace hall, as soon as Teach and Van Augur entered, Torrebol cast a slime shield that sealed off the entire hall. Upon seeing this, the two's expressions changed slightly, and they immediately prepared to attack. However, after seeing that Torrebol made no further moves, they forcibly suppressed their instinct to attack and looked into the hall.

Shen Qing looked at the two wary men, stood up and smiled, "Mr. Teach, there's no need to be nervous. We mean no harm. The reason we had Mr. Torrepol use his ability to cover the hall was simply to ensure that our conversation wouldn't be overheard. After all, Mr. Teach should know that there are quite a few spies in the Kingdom of Dressrosa."

Upon hearing Shen Qing's explanation, Blackbeard's expression immediately softened considerably, and his body relaxed considerably from its tense state. However, a wary look remained deep in his eyes; he would not let a few words from Shen Qing dispel his vigilance.

“Mr. Teach, welcome to today’s gathering. Please take a seat.” Shen Qing then gestured for Blackbeard to sit down in the seat opposite him.

Dressrosa is Doflamingo's home turf, so he sits in the main seat at the top. Shen Qing sits in the first seat to Doflamingo's right, followed by Xuan Yuan Qingfeng, Hawkeye, and the old sword god. The seats on the left are reserved for Blackbeard and the others.

"Hahaha, Brother Shen Qing, you're too kind. Actually, it's me who's bothering you." Faced with Shen Qing's enthusiasm, Blackbeard was taken aback for a moment, then quickly recovered and said with a hearty laugh, walking towards the first seat on the left. As a qualified tyrant, Blackbeard was naturally adept at such pleasantries.

However, the smile on Blackbeard's face disappeared the next second, replaced by astonishment, because he saw Hawkeye sitting next to Shen Qing, the world's number one swordsman.

Blackbeard initially thought he was seeing things, blinked a few times, and looked again. Hawkeye's cold and stern face was still in front of him. This time, Blackbeard was certain that he was not mistaken.

Blackbeard gasped in shock, his face showing lingering disbelief. The news of Hawkeye's presence here was completely unexpected.

Hawkeye's arrogant and aloof image has long been deeply ingrained in people's minds. Apart from Shanks, one of the Four Emperors, who is his known friend, no one has ever heard of him having any other friends. But the scene before us undoubtedly proves that Hawkeye is completely different from the legend.

“Mr. Teach, please sit down. If you, as our guest, don’t sit, we, the hosts, will have no choice but to stand with you.” Shen Qing looked at Blackbeard’s shocked expression, secretly feeling extremely pleased. The sense of accomplishment from shocking the renowned Blackbeard was indescribable; it was simply too good to be true.

After regaining his senses, Blackbeard sat down with a solemn expression. He then carefully examined the people opposite him. He was very familiar with Doflamingo and Hawkeye, whose personalities were completely opposite. The only person whose background he couldn't figure out was Shen Qing.

He glanced at Dover, then at Hawkeye. The fact that the two could sit together so calmly felt strangely incongruous. He then focused his gaze on Shen Qing. For two people with completely incompatible personalities to sit together, the reason must lie with Shen Qing. "I wonder what business Brother Shen Qing has with me today?" After a few short moments, Blackbeard withdrew his gaze, his solemn expression vanishing, replaced by a magnanimous air, as if his earlier apprehension and surprise had never existed. He became completely relaxed, as if he and Shen Qing and the others were old friends, without any sense of awkwardness.

Shen Qing watched the changes in Blackbeard's expression and secretly admired him. This was the second ruthless figure he had ever met (the first being Doflamingo). To be able to control his emotions in such a short time was an ability that most people simply couldn't do.

Sometimes, learning to control one's emotions is much harder than simply possessing formidable fighting power. The latter can be achieved with enough talent and perseverance, while the former requires sufficient emotional intelligence and a grasp of human nature and interpersonal relationships.