"Thank you very much, Boss!"
Given Roa's permission, Bege was even more excited, banging her head on the ground like a basketball. "Your generosity is as boundless and magnificent as the sun!"
"Bege!"
She thanked him while pulling her son's arm. "Hurry and thank Boss with me!"
"I won't!"
The proud young Bege flung his father's hand away, angrily declaring, "Why should I leave with this inexplicable guy!"
"Bege!"
Accompanying Bege's roar, the anger on Bege's face instantly froze. The young boy stared blankly at his furious father, his expression turning slightly fearful.
His father had always been gentle, always smiling as he wiped the blood from his face, even when executing family traitors.
Only very rarely would he get angry, and at those times, all offensive things would be mercilessly eliminated by him.
At these moments, his father instilled a sense of fear even in Bege.
"Bege, go. Go with Boss,"
But suddenly, Bege's voice softened. "Son, I beg you."
"Dad!"
Bege's eyes widened even further, the cigar-shaped lollipop in his mouth unconsciously falling to the ground.
Compared to his anger, this current plea from his father was something he had never seen before.
His dad was begging him!
Bege abruptly clenched his fists, fiercely turning his head and growling, "Got it! I'll go with him!"
"Excellent, Bege, you must strictly follow Boss's orders! Do not defy him in any way!"
Bege was incredibly relieved.
This way, his most beloved son could escape the shadowy underground world and truly experience the view from the world's summit!
"Boss,"
After speaking with his son, Bege looked up at Roa with sincere reverence. "My son, Bege, I entrust him to you!"
Roa couldn't help but sigh with emotion. The love of parents for their children truly plans for their distant future.
This made him recall—
Wait, I don't seem to recall anything at all.
He was an orphan in both lives.
Roa's expression grew somewhat serious.
No wonder, so that's why!
No wonder I went astray. Besides Captain, that bad teacher, it was also because I lacked proper family education.
Damn World Government!
If it weren't for you, there wouldn't be so many pirates in the world, and my blond parents wouldn't have died so easily in battle.
Just you wait!
Thinking some random thoughts, Roa nodded to Bege. "Mm."
"That's truly wonderful!"
Bege was so moved that his eyes even welled up with glistening tears.
"Don't rush, Bege,"
Roa looked at him. "I helped you, shouldn't you help me too?"
"Just give the order!"
Bege didn't hesitate, bowing his head respectfully again.
Bege watched from the side, deeply distressed. His father was practically fawning like a dog in front of this man!
He simply had to turn his head away.
It was like seeing Vegeta Jr. watching King Vegeta licking Beerus's boots, both from the same 'Bege' family, so to speak.
"Those four idiots are under your command. You need to help me with two things,"
Roa said. "The first is intelligence. Someone will come to assist you. You need to build an intelligence network covering West Blue, so that no whispers or movements escape your ears."
"That's simple, Boss!"
Bege didn't hesitate. "We, the people who live in the shadows, no one sees the world under the sun clearer than us!"
"Good, then for the second thing,"
Roa continued, "Without attracting the attention of the World Government, do your best to make this sea area chaotic."
"That—"
Bege paused.
He couldn't quite grasp what Boss meant by this.
But he immediately remembered that the initial purpose of coming here was for weapons. Boss was involved in weapon trade.
So that's it, chaos breeds war, and war requires weapons!
"I understand, Boss!"
Bege nodded vigorously again. "Please leave it to me!"
Mice, aren't they the best at causing destruction?
Can't offend the Marines, can't offend the World Government, can't offend the great pirates, but can't they offend the common people of the sea?
"Very good."
Roa was satisfied.
With this, all the objectives for this trip to West Blue had been successfully accomplished.
"Then that's all for now,"
Roa said. "We'll conclude today."
"Boss, are you returning to the New World already?"
Bege said somewhat eagerly, "Please allow me to properly entertain you!"
"No need."
Roa was uninterested.
For him, no entertainment could compare to the deliciousness brought by dark energy.
In fact, for him, dark energy was just delicious. He could still feel pleasure from other senses, otherwise, he would truly become a good-for-nothing living only for dark energy.
"Although it was short, our farewell is here."
Roa patted Bege's shoulder. "Keep up the good work. I have high hopes for you."
"Yes, Boss!"
Bege was very excited.
At least, he appeared to be.
Roa looked at Moria's companions, who were looking at him somewhat anxiously. He pointed at Moria, who was still spitting blood on the ground. "Let's go, it's time to take him for treatment."
"Yes, Boss!"
The pirates couldn't hesitate, responding in a somewhat chaotic chorus at once.
On this side, Bege also patted his son's shoulder. "Bege, if it's you, you definitely won't disappoint Boss."
"..."
Bege just silently clenched his fists, then gently nodded. "Mm."
So, after exchanging contact information, they prepared to return to the Germa Kingdom.
But there was a small problem. When they came, there were only two people, but on the way back, there were quite a few more.
Roa didn't want to carry anyone, and Dylan alone wasn't enough to carry everyone.
At this moment, Bege's ability came into play.
"Hmph, come on in."
Bege proudly puffed out his chest, and his belly opened like a city gate, revealing a miniature castle interior.
Moria's subordinates tentatively carried Moria closer to Bege. Just as they were about to touch Bege, they all shrunk into tiny miniatures, and then, amidst surprised cries, were grabbed by Bege and stuffed into his belly.
"That's an interesting ability."
Dylan watched this scene, then mused, "Doffy would really like that, wouldn't he?"
"You're right about that,"
Roa instantly realized the truth. "Their abilities are very compatible."
Doflamingo's Combine-Combine Fruit's biggest drawback was that he had to bring his own equipment.
If he brought his Poneglyph armor and various weapons, his strength would indeed not be weak.
But without sufficiently powerful combine components, he would essentially be useless.
And Bege's ability was perfect for storing Doflamingo's required equipment. Whether it was heavy cannons or Poneglyphs, they could all be carried personally.
It was truly a match made in heaven.
In any case, they could now return.
Dylan transformed into a gigantic Pteranodon.
Roa grabbed Bege and leaped, landing directly on Dylan's back.
"Then, Bege, West Blue is in your hands."
Finally, he waved goodbye from below.
"Yes, Boss!"
Bege nodded solemnly, then his gaze fell on his beloved son.
Bege was initially astonished by Dylan's transformation. An Animal-type, this guy? Transforming into a dinosaur, that's an Ancient Zoan!
Then he noticed his old father's gentle gaze.
After a moment of hesitation, Bege still waved at him. "Take care, Dad! I'll be back!"
Bege had been educated since childhood not to show any mercy to enemies and to be cautious of friends, but that family was the most important.
So, under Bege's relieved gaze, Dylan flapped his wings and soared into the sky, heading straight for the snail fleet's location.
Bege (son) watched them go until the giant shadow had completely disappeared from the sky. Only then did he lower his head and look at the few dazed, doll-like figures.
The short, stout man's face broke into a simple, honest smile. "Well, old friends, please take care of me from now on."
The Snail Grand Fleet was anchored not far from the island. Dylan quickly flew above the fleet.
At first glance, seeing the enormous snails floating on the sea, Bege was stunned.
"What are those?"
The eleven-year-old youth couldn't help but exclaim, "Snails? They're too big!"
Although he usually kept a straight face, at the end of the day, he was just a boy barely a year older than Doflamingo, and he couldn't maintain his composure perfectly.
"That's where you'll be living next."
Roa smiled, lifted Bege, and jumped down.
"Wahhh!!"
Bege's shriek instantly echoed through the sky. "Are you crazy?!"
This was a thousand meters high!
Later, in the palace.
"Allow me to introduce,"
Roa leaned casually on the throne, pointing at Bege, who stood below with a somewhat pale face, a stark contrast to his earlier sullen expression.
Jumping directly from a thousand meters high had truly terrified him enough that he didn't dare to look Roa directly in the eye.
"This kid is Capone Bege. From now on, he's an intern, just like Doffy."
"Like me?"
Doflamingo, who had been summoned to meet the newcomer, looked at Bege with displeasure.
What's this guy's background? Does he even deserve to be like me?
However, Doflamingo only dared to grumble internally, not uttering a single word in front of Roa.
"Bege, huh?"
King glanced at Bege. "Since it's Boss's decision, please take care of me."
"You'd better not disgrace Boss,"
Compared to King's politeness, Bullet was much less courteous. "Otherwise, I'll personally kill you!"
There was indeed a strong murderous aura in his words. He absolutely detested dead weight.
And since this person was brought back by Boss, he would absolutely not allow this kid to embarrass Boss!
Bullet's tone even made the already startled Bege's body suddenly begin to tremble.
This guy—
Bege's pupils flickered. What's wrong with this guy?
Does he really want to kill me?
At that moment, Bege seemed to see a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, and his legs turned to jelly.
"Don't provoke Bullet, he has a bad temper."
Roa smiled. "You can interact more with Doffy. Your abilities are quite compatible."
"Huh?"
Doflamingo looked at Roa in surprise, then at Bege.
Abilities are very compatible, what does that mean?
"Alright, first let out those guys from your stomach."
Roa said to Bege.
Otherwise, Moria would bleed to death soon.
Using Roa's words as an excuse, Bege turned his head away, not daring to look at Bullet again. He only felt his heart pounding wildly, as if it was about to jump out of his throat.
Still, it's better to be honest. This guy really seems like he'd kill someone.
Thinking this, Bege opened the door on his stomach.
Soon, Moria's companions carried Moria out through the door. The moment they left Bege's body, they began to grow, recovering to their original size in the blink of an eye.
"Someone inside his stomach?"
Doflamingo was greatly surprised. "And they grew bigger!"
"I see!"
King nodded slightly. "Is it an ability that allows one to shrink objects and store them inside the body? Looking at it that way, it is indeed very compatible with Doffy."
Doflamingo paused, then his eyes immediately lit up.
That's right!
If he could store all his weapons and stones inside this guy's stomach, then by just bringing him along, he could enter his strongest state anywhere!
Doflamingo's gaze towards Bege instantly became fervent. Although he looked ugly, he suddenly seemed much more agreeable.
Roa!
You finally did something good!
"This guy is Moria,"
Roa pointed at Moria, who was still spitting blood. "He's another new guy. Go find Judge to treat him."
"I'll take him right away."
Dylan nodded respectfully.
Moria's companions finally let out a long sigh of relief.
They didn't know what lay ahead, but at least this way, their captain would finally survive.
The newcomer meeting ended there. Before dismissing them, Roa had Doflamingo take Bege on a tour of the country.
Let the future golden duo foster some good chemistry.
Doflamingo was eager to do so and immediately took Bege to his private warehouse.
"Oh! This is!"
Even Bege, who had grown up handling all sorts of weapons, was stunned by the sight before him.
It was all kinds of weapons.
Heavy machine guns of models he had never seen, enormous cannons, various rocket launchers, even large flamethrowers, not to mention countless swords, spears, and axes, and even a few chainsaws.
However, one thing Bege couldn't understand was the oddly shaped red boulder piled in the center of all the weapons. What on earth was that?
"Fufufufu, how's that? These are all designed specifically for me by Judge!"
Doflamingo spread his arms triumphantly towards Bege.
Bege didn't know who Judge was, but that didn't stop him from marveling at the weapons before him.
Just looking at them felt amazing!
If he could store all these weapons inside his body, then the powers of the Castle-Castle Fruit could truly be utilized to their maximum potential, couldn't they?
"You brought me here specifically to give all these things to me, right?"
Bege asked somewhat impatiently.
Although he seems like a very annoying guy, he's surprisingly generous!
"Huh?"
Doflamingo's smile froze, then he said displeasedly, "What foolishness are you spouting? I'm just telling you to use your ability to store all these things, and then release them when I need them!"
"What?!"
Bege's brows instantly furrowed fiercely, and his gaze towards Doflamingo became extremely displeased. "You brat! Who do you think this great me is? I think you don't have this great me in your eyes!"
This brat who looks even younger than me has quite the mouth!
Although the end result was still storing these weapons inside his body, the difference between the two different ways of saying it was huge!
Does this blond kid really think he can order this great me around?
Bege was enraged!
"Very arrogant, aren't we, new guy!"
Doflamingo pushed up the goggles on his nose, sneering, "Fufufufu, it seems I need to teach you a lesson! Here, the one with the bigger fist makes the rules!"
"This great me understands too,"
Bege's smile also turned dangerous. "You idiot, you want a beating, right?"
"Fufufufu! Then let's see who beats whom!"
What else was there to say?
Without any hesitation, Doflamingo charged directly at Bege.
Bege's pupils instantly constricted.
How fast!
Thud!
He had no time to react as a fist landed directly on his face, sending him flying.
"Waaah!"
Screaming, Bege flew several meters, crashing into the wall. The intense pain made him cry out.
"Fufufufu! Now you know who's boss, huh!"
Doflamingo laughed eerily!
Well done, Roa! You did well!
Finally, there's someone below me on the food chain!
He lunged at Bege again.
But.
"Idiot! You fell for it!"
Bege, whose forehead was bleeding, laughed as he spoke.
The moment Doflamingo got close to Bege, his body suddenly shrank, then he crashed into a door that suddenly opened on Bege's stomach.
"What?!"
By the time Doflamingo reacted, the door behind him had already closed, and he was trapped inside Bege's body.
"Hahahaha! Idiot! You're finished!"
Bege laughed wildly.
"Castle · Swamp!"
The tables, chairs, and decorations inside the castle suddenly became like soft ribbons, wrapping around Doflamingo.
At the same time, various knives, forks, swords, and halberds hanging on the walls flew towards him, and even dozens of muskets and a few heavy cannons simultaneously aimed at him.
"..."
Doflamingo froze for a moment, then burst into a wild laugh,
"Fufufufu! Idiot! You're the one who's finished!"
A purple aura instantly spread out. The Combine-Combine Fruit's ability activated!
Everything in that space was engulfed by the light. The next second, a massive purple giant stood within the castle.
"What?!"
Bege instantly panicked. Damn it, all my weapons have been taken!
"Fufufufu! Fool, taste my iron fist!"
Doflamingo laughed maniacally, and the purple giant swung its fist, smashing it onto the ground.
"Waaah!"
Bege instantly let out a scream of agony.
The castle was him, and he was the castle. The damage the castle took, he would also feel.
Pain, pain, pain, so much pain!
"Idiot! Had enough?"
Doflamingo landed several heavy punches in a row, making Bege outside spit blood.
"You..."
Bege's face was distorted with pain.
But before he could even say anything, Doflamingo delivered two more blows.
"N-no... no..."
"Still not conceding?"
This kid's got some hard bones!
Doflamingo sneered. Then keep eating my fists!
"P-please... stop hitting me..."
Bege's voice was weak, and his body slumped to the ground. "Y-yes... I concede..."
Bege, who had shown such arrogance even in front of Roa, finally succumbed to Doflamingo's iron fist.
It wasn't shameful; he was only eleven years old, and even Princess Iron Fan couldn't withstand that move.
"Fufufufu! So you're surrendering? I thought you were a tough guy! Turns out my fists are tougher! Now let me out!"
So, Bege obediently opened the door, and a miniature purple figure emerged, instantly transforming into a purple giant over five meters tall.
"Fufufufu, what a perfect ability!"
Doflamingo's gaze towards Bege was incredibly heated. "Bege, right? My name is Doflamingo, you can call me Doffy! From now on, please take care of me!"
After the Poneglyph, his second custom equipment had appeared!
Bege secretly gritted his teeth.
Circumstances were against him; he'd just humble himself for now.
Coming from the mafia, he wasn't lacking in the spirit of being able to bend and stretch.
Doflamingo, huh?
Just you wait, this great me!
While the two young 'brothers' here forged a deep friendship after their cosmic battle, in Ohara...
Inside the Tree of Knowledge, the world's largest library.
The scholars, led by Professor Clover, kept their eyes lowered, saying nothing.
Heavily armed Marines were conducting a thorough search inside the library.
A man in a black suit and a 'Justice' coat stood in front of the scholars, arms crossed, surveying the surroundings. His gaze finally settled on Professor Clover's face.
"Professor Clover, I know you."
"Even the renowned Marine Admiral Sengoku knows me,"
Professor Clover stroked his beard. "Should I feel honored?"
The Marine Admiral, Buddha Sengoku, who had traveled thousands of miles from the New World, maintained a calm expression. "You've been arrested by the Marines no less than ten times for illegally going out to sea to search for various forbidden research documents, and I personally approved several of those arrests."
"So, is Roa's group's grand arrival this time also related to your research? What forbidden things are you researching again, and Roa discovered it?"
"Roa's group came for the technological data stored here."
Professor Clover answered honestly. "I don't know how they found out."
"Technological data?"
Sengoku frowned. "About what?"
"Unclear. Our expertise is history; there are huge barriers between disciplines. In fact, we never valued those materials, only inherited the wishes of our predecessors to preserve them well."
Professor Clover continued, "But I heard Roa and them talking about something called 'Lineage Factor'."
"Did you say Lineage Factor?"
Sengoku's pupils instantly constricted.
This is bad!
At Sengoku's level, he vaguely knew that, with the exception of Vegapunk, the world's technology seemed to be stronger the more ancient it was.
It should be noted that nearly half of the books in this library were missing! Such a terrifying amount! No one knew what was recorded inside.
Judge, who was following Roa, was already a top scientist who had mastered Lineage Factor technology. If there truly were any incredible Lineage Factor technologies among those materials—
He had to report it to the Government.