Smoothing a hand over her forehead, Smoother watched the scene unfold before her, utterly exasperated. She let out a silent scream in her heart.
"Doffy, I can overlook your taste for… unusual bedroom hobbies, but this is Mama we're talking about! If she snaps, no one's walking away in one piece."
"Mamamamama, you're right! Remind me to take a look at those photos later."
BIG MOM, still clueless about Doflamingo's real preferences, genuinely believed her dear son-in-law was simply trying to capture her moments of joy.
She beamed, giving her thoughtful son-in-law a massive hug.
Then she turned around and barked at her foolish sons:
"Bring Mama eight more cakes! Mama wants to eat!!"
"Yes, Mama!!" *N!
From an angle BIG MOM couldn't see...
Perospero and the others had visible scowls on their faces.
Meanwhile, Doflamingo's grin was blooming like a spring flower.
How could he not document this touching "mother-and-son" masterpiece?
And so—
"Cheese!"
Click!
...
Once the farce was over...
Only Doflamingo and BIG MOM remained in the grand hall,
Surrounded by a bunch of idiot Homies screaming nonsense.
"Mama, eat me! Eat me!"
"Heavenly Yaksha, give me a taste! I'm super delicious!"
"..."
After venting her excitement, BIG MOM's mental faculties returned to their usual state.
Seated regally on her throne, she looked down at the sly fox in front of her, stuffed two more mouthfuls of dessert in her mouth, then leaned forward and asked:
"Doffy~ I invested five or six years of funding into this project, and all I get are seven half-baked Giant rejects?! Mama's not happy!"
Despite her playful tone, the dissatisfaction in her voice was crystal clear.
BIG MOM's obsession with Giants wasn't just some childhood fixation.
As a ruler, at her core, she was a creature warped by the pursuit of power and profit.
The Giant Tribe of Elbaf possessed staggering combat potential as a collective.
If she could control them, then even that punk Kaido, or the old man Whitebeard, would be nothing before her.
The entire New World would fall under the flag of Totto Land.
"Of course not,"
Doflamingo swallowed a gulp of screaming red wine, savoring the faint, soul-fracture-like sensation it left in his mouth.
He deliberately paused, watching the irritation grow more obvious on BIG MOM's face.
Only then did he produce a small case he had been carrying, presenting it before her.
"Lady Linlin, this is our true result—SIQ-4."
As he spoke, the case popped open with a satisfying click.
Inside lay rows of small, pink injectors.
"Oh? Something like an upgraded enhancement drug?"
BIG MOM's brow furrowed, and suddenly her tiramisu didn't taste quite as sweet.
Another enhancement drug meant another revenue stream, sure.
But with Totto Land's current territory and the previous versions of the drug, money wasn't something she lacked anymore.
"Nope."
Doflamingo raised a middle finger—not in insult, but in emphasis—shaking it as he dismissed her guess, and continued.
"This is something that can perfectly transform a human into a Giant."
Didn't BIG MOM want everyone in the world to be as large as she was?
How would she resist this?
BIG MOM, who had been lounging comfortably on her throne, suddenly froze mid-motion.
She stepped down quickly and gracefully, gently taking the floating box in her hands.
Staring at the SIQ-4 with obsessive eyes, she asked:
"How effective is it?"
"In theory, there's no upper limit. But ideally... it's used on children."
"Why?!"
BIG MOM, who was moments away from going berserk with joy, snapped back to awareness.
Her gaze shifted from the box to Doflamingo's infuriatingly smug face as she demanded an explanation.
"Didn't you give me seven adult Giants?!"
"Fufufufufu~ Because the cost differs, Lady Linlin."
Doflamingo chuckled lightly, flicking his fingers.
In the air, two barrels formed from silk threads—one large, one small.
"A child's body is smaller and still growing. It's like this small barrel—just one to three doses is enough to trigger transformation. But an adult body is like this large barrel. Growth has stagnated. You'd need ten times as much—at least."
IQ, the top-tier raw material, had seen improved yields thanks to the Tontatta tribe.
But between Kaido's Beastification Soldier Program and the ongoing development of cloned armies, the resources were still stretched thin.
Add to that Caesar and Judge—two lunatic scientists churning through supplies like there's no tomorrow.
Sharing even a bit of the stockpile with BIG MOM was already a show of "good faith."
And even if they did have IQ in excess...
It would never be used to further empower BIG MOM.
No matter how friendly things looked on the surface, their fundamental relationship was that of enemies.
There couldn't be more than one king in this world.
Why would he help another throne grow stronger?
As for BIG MOM's "funding" and "donated blood"?
Well, he earned that through skillful manipulation and clever schemes. What's wrong with a mother-in-law investing a little startup capital in her son-in-law's business?
BIG MOM stared at the barrels, her expression clouded and unreadable.
But in the end, a broad smile broke across her face.
"Mamamamama~ off you go then, you brat! Start preparing your wedding with Smoothie."
Abandoning the pursuit of Elbaf entirely was unrealistic.
But her children could at least sit at the same table now.
Once the new Giants were fully raised...
Totto Land would become the new Giant Nation.
"Fufufufufu~ Don't be so disappointed, Lady Linlin."
Doflamingo found a wicked pleasure in teasing BIG MOM's emotions like this.
"There's a new gift in the works. By next year, you'll have it."
"A new gift?" BIG MOM frowned suspiciously, still reeling from the emotional rollercoaster.
If not for the seven "husbands" and the SIQ-4 in her hands...
Even with the countless benefits Doflamingo had brought Totto Land, her blade might've already been drawn.
"You heard me. A new gift. I guarantee you'll love it."
Doflamingo didn't care about her expression. He spoke as if stating a foregone conclusion.
By then, not only would BIG MOM be satisfied...
He would also reap massive profits.
His confidence made BIG MOM nod slightly.
"I'll hold you to that."
"Has Stussy arrived at Totto Land yet?"
...
At the outer edge of Totto Land's waters...
A ship bathed in sultry, pink neon lights slowly approached.
It was the personal vessel of Stussy, Queen of the Pleasure District.
But right now, there was nothing queenly about her.
She listened respectfully to the voice on the other end of a Den Den Mushi.
"Record every transaction between BIG MOM and Doflamingo."
"Find out exactly what Doflamingo gave BIG MOM this time!"
Countless individuals were entering Totto Land these days, including agents hidden among pirates and merchants.
Naturally, spies from the World Government were embedded as well.
Word of strange activity on Doflamingo's ship had already reached the Five Elders.
"I understand."
Click.
Stussy hung up the call and gently massaged her throbbing temples.
"Doctor... what should I do?"
To the outside world, she was the untouchable Queen of the Pleasure District.
But in truth, she was nothing more than a tool of CP, a puppet of the World Government.
To fulfill their demands, she had to keep lying to people she once called friends.
And the doctor who created her...
Was still trapped in a cage with no way out.
When will I finally be free?
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg