Hearing Doflamingo's sudden question, Trebol froze momentarily before shaking his head—he'd never heard of any Joy Boy.
Seeing this, Doflamingo didn't immediately explain.
Instead, he leaned down to kiss the forehead of the woman on his bed, whispering tenderly.
"Marsha, leave us for now. I have matters to discuss with Trebol."
The woman named Marsha had initially been tense, but after the kiss, a blush spread across her face.
Flushed, she wrapped herself in the sheets and hurried from Doflamingo's chambers.
Once certain Marsha had left, Doflamingo looked at Trebol and spoke deliberately.
"Do you remember what happened after we failed to capture that brat in Prince Kingdom a year ago?"
Trebol nodded and replied.
"According to our plans, we should have successfully captured Jake when he'd completely exhausted his combat strength. But unexpectedly, Marco from the Whitebeard Pirates' first division appeared and took Jake away."
Doflamingo chuckled at this, placing a hand over his heart as he continued in an utterly calm voice.
"At that time, I was kicked right in the chest by that bastard. If I hadn't used the String-String Fruit to perform emergency surgery on myself, I probably would have died right then. Fufufufufu… I still remember that grudge clearly. One day, I'll repay Whitebeard, that old fool, with interest."
"But enough of that digression. What I want to tell you is what happened afterward. When Kaido and King learned I hadn't captured Jake, they were annoyed, but they also knew it wasn't my fault. Marco's sudden appearance was an unforeseen circumstance no one could have predicted."
"However, Kaido was in a foul mood and drowned his frustrations in alcohol that day. King kept me around due to business matters, so I joined their banquet. After drinking heavily, Kaido started rambling without restraint. Knowing I was a Celestial Dragon, he approached me with a hint of mockery and told me something—something so absurd it left even me speechless."
By this point, Trebol had already guessed what Kaido had revealed to Doflamingo.
"Is… is it about the legendary Void Century?!"
"Fufufufufu… I knew you'd figure it out. And within that vanished century, the most heavily concealed truth revolves around a man named Joy Boy. He was the world's savior, a Sun God who brought hope and laughter. Though that's how the tales describe him, in essence, he must have been a Devil Fruit user. Now, think about it—hope, laughter, Sun God? Whose abilities match that description?"
At this, Trebol froze.
The next moment, his lecherous face flushed with excitement and disbelief as he nearly shouted at Doflamingo.
"Jake! That brat's Devil Fruit fits the description perfectly! His terrifying healing abilities bring hope and laughter! His exaggerated Holy Light effects radiate brightness! Even the way he activates his powers resembles depictions of a deity! Could it be… could Jake's fruit truly be connected to the Void Century?"
Doflamingo, however, shook his head slightly and replied calmly.
"It's highly unlikely to be his fruit. If Kaido knows about the Void Century, the Five Elders must know even more. Their intelligence is far more comprehensive—they probably even know exactly which fruit the Sun God possessed."
"Jake's reputation has grown too prominent lately for the World Government to remain ignorant of his abilities. If he were truly the legendary Sun God who opposed the World Government, they would have already arrested him by force instead of letting him roam freely."
Trebol frowned in confusion.
"Doffy, do you think it's possible the Marines are shielding Jake at all costs? Given how they treated him last time, it seems they're grooming him as the next generation's Marine leader. Someone like that… even if the Marines protect him fiercely, wouldn't it still cause headaches for the World Government?"
"I don't rule out that possibility, and if it turns out to be true, I'd be even happier. Because that would mean the World Government has long harbored strong suspicions about Jake and would inevitably grow dissatisfied with the Marines for stubbornly protecting him. If conflict arises between these two factions, with some subtle amplification on our part, plunging the entire world into war isn't an impossible scenario at all. Fufufufufu!"
"We'll report this information to the Five Elders. Those old geezers will surely exploit this to weaken the Marines's power!"
Trebol watched as Doflamingo suddenly burst into laughter before him and couldn't help but mirror the same grin.
Though he didn't fully grasp what Doflamingo was scheming, experience told him that whenever Doflamingo wore a smile like this, the Donquixote Family was about to make significant strides in the near future.
Admittedly, this smile had backfired a few times since encountering Jake, but this time—whether successful or not—it wouldn't cause any real damage to the Donquixote Family.
Thus, Trebol found himself laughing heartily for the first time in a long while.
"Fetch me that special Den Den Mushi reserved for contacting the Celestial Dragons. I can't wait to witness the tides of this era begin to churn!"
*****
Three hours later, at Holy Land Mary Geoise.
The Science Defense God hung up the call and said softly to those around him.
"That bastard Doflamingo—does he take us for fools? What's his purpose in feeding us such blatantly false intelligence?"
The Environment God cast a glance at the Science Defense God, a faint smirk playing on his lips, before responding.
"Doflamingo holds a deep grudge against that Marines brat. By feeding us this information, he likely intends to use our hand to eliminate him."
"Tch. We won't fall for such a stupid ploy."
But at that moment, the Environment God shook his head and replied with a smile.
"No, this isn't a bad move. The Marines has grown increasingly disobedient lately. It's about time we put them in their place."