"The first is to simply hand over the item to the Government and, by doing so, become their lackey, letting them protect you."
Doflamingo leaned fully back on his lounge chair, habitually twitching his long, slender fingers. "The true hegemon of the sea is neither the smartest Warlord nor the Emperors of the New World; it is the Government. Even if you manage to offend two Yonko at once, the Government has enough power to protect you."
When Tesoro heard the word "Government," his expression instantly darkened to an extreme degree, causing Doflamingo to pause, surprised by Tesoro's strong reaction. Even Doflamingo did not know that Tesoro had been born a slave, and had it not been for the Fish-Man Fisher Tiger ten years ago, he would most likely have been tortured to death by the World Nobles.
To submit to the Government and curry favor with the World Nobles was something Tesoro would never do in his entire life.
"And the second option?" Tesoro's question was equivalent to a rejection of Doflamingo's first proposal.
"The second one... Fufufu, well, that will require another bastard to join the fray," Doflamingo replied with a cryptic smile.
…
In the first half of the Grand Line, next to a solitary island, on a large pirate ship marked with the flag of the Immortal Pirates.
Ivalis, who had just destroyed another of Tesoro's underground operations, took the day's newspaper from one of his anxious subordinates.
[SEVEN WARLORDS FORM PIRATE ALLIANCE]
Beneath the prominent headline were two equally noticeable photos: Doflamingo on the left and Mad Treasure on the right. Both were officially recognized as Seven Warlords of the Sea by the Government.
"Can Warlords form a pirate alliance?" Ivalis frowned.
A Pirate Alliance is typically a temporary group formed by weaker pirates to combat a stronger opponent, where they put aside their conflicts to achieve a common goal before disbanding. This report stated that the two fellow Warlords, Doflamingo and Treasure, had formed an alliance and were heading to the New World.
"What are you plotting, Doflamingo?"
Ivalis knew that Treasure was merely a single-minded idiot only interested in treasure. Doflamingo was the real trouble, and he was certain this move was Doflamingo's idea.
"Ivalis, someone wishes to see you."
Suddenly, a pirate who was once a member of the Red-Haired Pirates, and, like Ivalis, was now part of the Immortal Pirates, walked over to report.
"Hm?"
Ivalis turned, rose from his wooden chair, and stepped off the ship. He saw a man with a disproportionately large head and an extremely slender body standing opposite him with a smile. Upon seeing Ivalis, the man bowed slightly and chuckled softly. "It is an honor to meet you, Ivalis the Blond-san of the Immortal Pirates."
"Who are you?" Ivalis said, using as few words as possible.
"My name is Tanaka, and I am the deputy to Tesoro-sama."
The moment the man stated his name, the expressions of many pirates behind Ivalis changed slightly, and some even placed their hands on their weapons, ready to fight at any moment.
"Ah, please don't misunderstand. I am not your enemy."
Tanaka quickly waved his hands. Though Ivalis didn't draw his sword, his tone was unforgiving. "What? Did you come here to hand over the Devil Fruit voluntarily?"
"Tesoro-sama does not wish to offend any of you, but since the Government had already expressed interest in the Fruit, he is currently caught in the middle and finds himself in a very difficult position."
Tanaka chuckled twice. "Ho-ho-ho... Therefore, Tesoro-sama has come up with a solution that can satisfy both sides and perfectly resolve this issue."
"Get to the point," Ivalis snapped, raising an eyebrow.
"The location where Tesoro-sama will trade the Devil Fruit with the Government is in two weeks, in Grove 66 of the Sabaody Archipelago."
After speaking, Tanaka began to back away. He concluded, "Although I cannot personally present the Fruit, I have already provided you with the intelligence. Tesoro-sama is very keen on befriending the Immortal Pirates and hopes for mutual cooperation if the opportunity arises in the future."
With that, Tanaka's body completely sank into the ground; he was a Devil Fruit user.
"Ivalis-san, is what he said true or false?" a subordinate leaned over and asked.
"Sabaody Archipelago Grove 66... the place where Alucard, Redfield, and Kong once fought, and the exclusive channel for World Nobles to enter and exit Sabaody Archipelago."
Ivalis muttered to himself, pondered for a moment, and finally said, "Inform the Captain first."
…
Elsewhere in the first half of the Grand Line, though not on the same log, Alucard also finished reading the contents of the day's newspaper.
But he didn't overthink it like Ivalis. After a cursory glance, he tossed the newspaper into the sea, disdainfully commenting, "Boring news."
Pere pere pere~
The Den Den Mushi next to his throne's armrest began to ring. Alucard answered, and Ivalis's voice came through.
Two minutes later, Ivalis finished reporting the information he received from Tanaka. Alucard laughed. "Is that so? Then let's go."
"It's strange. Is that Tesoro truly leaking this information because he doesn't want to offend either the Government or us?" Ivalis was utterly confused by this point. He felt that joining them would have been a better solution. Why didn't Tesoro do that?
"Well, I suppose we'll only know once we've met him," Alucard said before hanging up the Den Den Mushi.
"Head to Sabaody Archipelago," Alucard told Wolf.
"Captain, are you planning to participate in the fight?" Wolf asked curiously.
Alucard only smiled without answering. Wolf, having received no reply, asked no further questions and silently accelerated toward Sabaody Archipelago.
Two days later, aboard the Sabre-Tooth ship of the Beasts Pirates.
A beautiful, red-haired woman in an evening gown stood before Wind Calamity, one of the Three Calamities, and Elburn, the Sabre-Tooth Ace.
The woman was Baccarat, who had recently hosted Law's group at an underground casino in Masuka.
"In two weeks, at Grove 66 of the Sabaody Archipelago, Tesoro-sama will conduct the Devil Fruit transaction with the Government at 3 PM." Baccarat smoothed her hair back as she spoke.