One Piece 697: Negotiation with Donquixote Doflamingo

Recap and Comments of One Piece Chapter 697: Transaction

The chapter starts with the flashback from the time they were talking with Law about Kaido the Beast.

After Luffy said that he is going to take all of the Four Emperors down Law says that he underestimates them since they are the emperors who used to battle even Whitebeard for his territory. He also says that "Kaidou the Beast is the strongest creatures in the world. The chances for them to take Kaido down with Law's strategy is about 30%, Luffy agrees to this.
This is interesting! So Kaido the Beast isn't with even a human. We all know that Chopper is the one who has eaten the Human Human Fruit so Kaido can't have that. Well, we have seen in example a talking starfish etc. So a talking beast won't really be that special in the world of One Piece. Unofortunately we don't have any more info so there's only guessing to do. I'd love the idea in which Kaido himself is really a unintelligent best, but someone like a first mate is "controlling" him in some way.

Law speaks to is speaking so Smoker saying that there's no deeper meaning in keeping him alive and tells that he's planning to go on to Green Bitt. We'll see if the Strawhat Crew will meet their end by Law's hand.
I honestly don't understand what this is about, maybe it's bad translation - Law being a traitorous towards Strawhats isn't expected, but they may have to clash at some point. Maybe Law was referring to that.

 The party continues, Smoker and Luffy are talking about the usage of the tanker. Luffy says that they can't set sail until they make sure all the kids have taken off. After this the chapter gets (understandably) a bit weird. Marines continue their propaganda saying that the Pirates are evil and the Marines are the justice.

Marines raised a long flag to block the view from the ship where the kids are to the spot on the land where Pirates are saying that the pirates are poison to the eyes. Marines continue with their trash talk of pirates until Tashigi orders them to stop as it's disgraceful. Finally the marines crack with their act and say that they love the strawhats + Law.
The first time I read this scene I was a bit confused but now it made more sense, it was a great moment of the mindset of the marines cracking under their feelings towards the Strawhats.

And then we get to the real business: Donquixote Doflamingo is flying on the ocean  towards the Punk Hazard saying that the kids have some amazing luck and that to think the Sky Way had been cut off.
I think the sky way refers to a string that Doflamingo had pulled on Punk Hazard some other time and was most likely cut when Law did he amazing move of cutting the whole mountain in half.

Doflamingo finally arrives to Punk Hazard only to find  Buffalo's and Baby Five's head along with a Den Den Mushi looking like Law. Buffalo and Baby 5 Apologize and then we have a scene where they are on life boat going most likely to Dessrosa.

Conversation between Trafalgar Law and Doflamingo starts now, Law is surprised that the boss would show up in person. Law wants to talk some business: he explains tha Doflamingos most important business partner is one of the Yonkou, The Great Pirate Kaidou The Beast who Doflamingo shouldn't be making angry. Law wonders what will happen when Kaido finds out that Doflamingo can't provide anymore "Smile"?, it will most likely be a battle which Doflamingo loses.

Doflamingo swiftly understands his situation and asks what he has to do to get Caesar back. Law says that Doflamingo has to quit being a Shichibukai (Warlord) and that means that Doflamingo couldn't go to Dressrosa again. That however would mean that the Admirals of the marine HQ would come and hunt him down, his time limit ends with tomorrows newspaper delivery. Something snaps inside Doflamingo and he's really angry at this point.
A great plot development, which shows how multidimensional, complex story One Piece truly is. Oda has made it so that each pirate have their own relations to each other where the pirates have to really do some politics with each other.  I wonder if Doflamingo has other reasons to stay in Shichibukai, he most likely doesn't care that much about the admirals, but most likely it will hurt Doflamingos business as Joker. He has some business assosication inside World Government most definitely.

All in all it was a great chapter, there's really nothing to predict of since the next arc is always such a mystery that it would be essentially useless. What I'm concerned about is that where did Kinemon and Momonosuke go? I hope that they are on the boat with Strawhats and will at some point arrive to the island in which their home resides.

So no predictions this time. I think couple of next chapters we'll be seeing what is happening around the world of One Piece; perhaps the most interesting chapters are on the way!