"Big news, this is big news!"
Morgan, the president of the World Economic News Agency, paced excitedly around the newspaper office, waving a stack of documents in his hand.
The staff members all turned their attention to their boss.
The last time something happened involving former Admiral Zephyr, the president hadn't been this excited.
"Arrange it as soon as possible... No, publish a special edition... Immediately! Right now!"
Morgan slammed the documents onto the editor's desk, emphasizing the urgency of releasing the special edition.
The editor was stunned.
A special edition?
When was the last time they published one?
"Hurry up, stop dawdling!"
Morgan banged his hand on the desk repeatedly, roaring to express his dissatisfaction with his subordinate's slow response.
The editor quickly picked up the documents and skimmed through them, then froze in shock.
Morgan was very pleased with his subordinate's reaction and laughed smugly. "Didn't expect this, did you? These documents were provided by the World Government themselves!"
"I don't care what conspiracy the World Government is plotting!"
"Publish the special edition now. I've already verified the authenticity of these documents through reliable channels!"
...
"Doffy, something terrible has happened!"
Trebol hurried to Doflamingo and handed him a special edition of the World Economic News.
Doflamingo only needed one glance before his expression turned dark.
Veins bulged on his forehead.
[A New Emperor of the Sea? The Big Reveal! The Evil Scientist's Secret Behind the 3 Billion Beri Bounty!]
The bold, black headline on the front page of the special edition stabbed deeply into Doflamingo's heart.
He couldn't forget the humiliation he suffered back in Water 7.
Now, that guy had an astonishing bounty of 3 billion Beri!
"Nee, Doffy, look here."
Trebol pointed anxiously to a section of the article.
"Caesar was imprisoned in Impel Down?"
Doflamingo's face changed again upon reading this, even forgetting the humiliation he endured in Water 7.
Caesar had a partnership with him, and he had even provided special funding for their collaboration.
To strengthen his influence, Doflamingo had used the artificial Devil Fruit as leverage to establish ties with Kaido, becoming a partner of the Beasts Pirates.
With Kaido's intimidation backing him, Doflamingo thrived in both the underworld and legitimate circles, solidifying his position as king. After the chaos two years ago, Dressrosa had mostly returned to its former status as the country of love and passion.
But now, the only supplier of artificial Devil Fruits, Caesar, had been sent to Impel Down by Admiral Kizaru.
"Nee, Doffy, our deal with Kaido..."
Trebol was almost scared to death by this news and looked at Doflamingo expectantly, hoping the young master could come up with a solution.
No one in the world dared to break a deal with the Beasts Pirates.
Veins bulged on Doflamingo's forehead as he laughed in extreme anger. "Dr. Reddy... If we want to appease Kaido's wrath, we'll have to capture this guy and make him work for us."
"But Doffy..."
Trebol glanced at the front-page headline and gulped nervously.
3 billion Beri!
Aside from the Four Emperors, who else had a higher bounty than Dr. Reddy?
Was this someone their family could afford to provoke?
"Fufufufufu... His clones are indeed strong, but he has a fatal weakness!"
Doflamingo grinned viciously and handed the special edition to Trebol, letting him find the answer in the article himself.
Trebol hesitated but carefully read through the entire report. Then, he looked up blankly. "Nee, Doffy, what's his fatal weakness?"
"Fufufufufu... Didn't you notice how weak his real body is?"
Doflamingo laughed triumphantly.
As a major player in the underworld, his success wasn't just due to his background but also his ability to maneuver between various forces and seize opportunities in chaos.
No matter how strong Reddy's clones were, his real body was still frail. There was still a chance to capture him.
Trebol read the article again and finally noticed the subtle hint in the report. He immediately exclaimed excitedly. "Doffy, before Kaido turns his anger on us, let's go capture that guy!"
Doflamingo, however, was no longer in a hurry. "Don't rush. Many people must have already discovered this secret. They'll create the opportunity for us!"
...
Onigashima.
Kaido grabbed his gourd and chugged alcohol.
The pirates around him trembled in fear, worried that the drunken Kaido might kill them to vent his anger.
A special edition of the World Economic News was spread out in front of Kaido.
Reddy's photo looked particularly dazzling.
Only King and Queen, the two All-Stars, and a few of the Tobiroppo could remain calm in front of Kaido.
Queen, with his experience, analyzed, "A 3 billion Beri bounty... It seems this brat's research on the Bloodline Factor has surpassed Vegapunk."
"Forgive me, Lord Kaido."
King knelt on one knee, apologizing for failing to bring Reddy back from Water 7.
Who would have thought that guy could grow to this level in such a short time?
Given the explosive revelations in the special edition, Reddy was indeed worth this bounty.
"Lord Kaido, my sister and I are also to blame."
Page One quickly pulled his sister Ulti down to kneel and apologize as well.
Back then, the two had been captured alive, forcing King to compromise and exchange his own blood for their release.
"Lord Kaido, let me go capture that guy!"
Ulti held no fear toward Reddy, especially after the incident in Water 7, which she still resented. She believed Reddy was just a guy who relied on tricks. If she took action again, she could definitely bring him back.
"These matters should be left to the adults."
Black Maria puffed on her pipe, kindly advising Ulti to recognize her identity as a woman and not be so competitive.
Wouldn't it be better to be a lady?
Ulti was about to retort when Kaido suddenly crushed his gourd, stood up, and let out a drunken hiccup. "I'll go capture that guy and bring him back to Onigashima myself."
...
"Lord Moria!"
Hogback, one of the Three Mysterious Commanders, excitedly approached Gecko Moria, waving a newspaper. "This is the newly released special edition..."
Moria waved his hand. "I don't care what's happening elsewhere. I just want to know when you can produce more and stronger zombies."
Hogback mysteriously shook the special edition in his hand. "After reading this, I suddenly realized what true zombie soldiers should be."
Hearing this, Moria, who had been uninterested, became intrigued and motioned for Hogback to continue.
Hogback exclaimed excitedly, "A powerful body, combined with the shadows Lord Moria steals, will create the strongest zombie soldiers!"
He then added smugly, "Think about Oars... If we capture this Dr. Reddy, we can mass-produce zombies even stronger than Oars!"
Moria's eyes gleamed with excitement, but he accidentally caught sight of Reddy's bounty and froze. "Th-Three billion Beri?"
Hogback quickly encouraged him, "This bounty is only because he's mastered Bloodline Factor technology more advanced than Vegapunk's. His actual strength might not even match mine."
As he spoke, Hogback pointed out the subtle hints in the article to support his argument.
Moria: Oh, then it's fine.
Hogback, seeing that Moria was convinced, craftily suggested, "No one can resist Perona's Negative Hollows. As long as..."
Before he could finish, a gothic lolita's upper body emerged from the wall.
"I refuse!"
Perona pouted, cutting off Hogback's words.
"Perona..."
Moria had just started speaking when Perona angrily retreated back into the wall.
Perona walked outside, gazing at the fog-shrouded Thriller Bark with admiration. "This place suits me better. I don't want to leave."