"Fufufufu~"
His fingers twitched, and Doflamingo let out a low, sinister laugh, exuding ill intent from the inside out.
There were countless sweets in the world, and Big Mom had certainly not tasted them all. Yet, Doflamingo deliberately chose the desserts from Fish-Man Island to send to Big Mom.
Fish-Man Island's desserts truly were excellent. The raw ingredients from ten thousand meters deep in the ocean, combined with the skilled baking techniques of the mermaids, created a uniquely oceanic flavor. It had even served as one of Fish-Man Island's few links to the outside world.
Doflamingo was sure Big Mom would be satisfied, and she would definitely want more after tasting them!
Big Mom had an almost obsessive greed for sweets, which had always been the root of most of her troubles. As long as she tasted Fish-Man Island's desserts, and as long as she wanted more after eating them, she wouldn't be able to suppress her surging appetite, and thus wouldn't be able to control herself from making a move on Fish-Man Island.
Others might not know, but Doflamingo knew a thing or two.
Whitebeard, who was one of the Four Emperors alongside Big Mom, Kaido of the Beasts, and Golden Lion, and who had been on par with Golden Lion and the Pirate King in the previous generation, constantly suppressing Big Mom and Kaido of the Beasts, now even subtly seemed to surpass Golden Lion, who had been declining since the Battle of Edd War, thus making Whitebeard the strongest pirate of this generation, had an extraordinary relationship with Fish-Man Island.
King Neptune, the Great Knight of the Sea and king of the Ryugu Kingdom on Fish-Man Island, had looked after a young Whitebeard. For Whitebeard, who often spoke of pirates needing to have righteousness, this was a favor he had yet to repay.
If Big Mom chose to make a move on Fish-Man Island, coupled with the fact that Fish-Man Island had been severely plagued by pirate harassment and was on the brink of despair since the "Great Pirate Era" began, even if Neptune said nothing, Whitebeard would not be able to stand idly by. He would inevitably step forward forcefully on behalf of Fish-Man Island...
"Let's see just how insatiably strong your appetite truly is, whether it can reach the point of ignoring the Whitebeard Pirates, who are gradually entering their prime, fufufufu~ Big Mom," Doflamingo murmured to himself.
He was very displeased with the process of meeting Big Mom this time, extremely displeased. However, he currently lacked the capital to directly confront the Big Mom Pirates led by Big Mom. His only option was to go around in circles and indirectly use Whitebeard's hand to undermine Big Mom.
Snapping back to reality, Doflamingo opened the small box beside him. It contained the seven Devil Fruits that were Golden Lion's payment.
"Diamante, bring me the Devil Fruit encyclopedia," Doflamingo said, examining the seven Devil Fruits.
Shortly after.
Doflamingo shook his head in disappointment, noting a Spin-Spin Fruit. "What a letdown."
Out of the seven Devil Fruits, six were practically jokes. Doflamingo felt like he had made a losing deal.
Although the value of Golden Lion's payment left Doflamingo slightly disheartened, his gloom quickly dissipated. Good news came one after another. First was Shuzo's call; he had been selected to join the Marine Academy.
"Hold on," Doflamingo said, pacing the stern of the ship with the Den Den Mushi, avoiding his family members. "Well done, my friend, fufufufu~"
Shuzo's voice was muffled. "I didn't call you to hear your praises."
"Fufufufu~ Then what for?" Doflamingo asked playfully. "What do you want?"
Shuzo was silent for a moment, unable to suppress his irritation, and growled, "What you want! What will it take for you to give me those things and establish the proper boundaries between us!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk~" Doflamingo clicked his tongue. "My friend, you're disrespecting me too much, and your words truly wound my heart. Establish boundaries between us? We're friends! Those things are merely a testament to our friendship. You can take them anytime, anywhere. Why are you so exasperated, as if I'm holding them over your head?"
Shuzo: "..."
"Don't worry, I already told you to 'just be yourself'! The Marine Academy is where Marine elites are trained, and the chief instructor, 'Black Arm,' is a former Marine Admiral. He's very skilled at teaching. Work hard, and you'll achieve great things. Your hometown, your entire Longarm Tribe, will surely be proud of you in the future," Doflamingo advised earnestly, as if genuinely comforting a good friend.
Shuzo: "..."
"Fufufufu~ In a while, I'll send you something. Try to enjoy life," Doflamingo dismissed Shuzo with a few words. He believed it wasn't the right time to further control Shuzo; he had to wait until Shuzo's heart was more sensitive, more tormented, and more confused for it to be twice as effective.
He had just finished the call with Shuzo.
Pere pere pere~
Click.
"Hello, hello, behehehe~ This is Trebol, Doffy? Doffy! Are you there?"
Trebol's annoying, cheap-sounding voice came through.
"It's me," Doflamingo said. "Have you reached the Sabaody Archipelago?"
Trebol replied, "Been here for a few days already! I've confirmed the locations for the casino and auction house. Everything's going smoothly."
"That's good," Doflamingo said.
Trebol excitedly added, "And there's an unexpected surprise, behehehehe~ A new pirate crew that withdrew from the New World is desperate and is forced to sell a Devil Fruit!"
"Oh?" Doflamingo was surprised. Knowing Trebol liked to tease, he played along. "What kind of Devil Fruit is it? A regular Devil Fruit wouldn't make you this happy, would it?"
"It's an Animal-type Mythical Zoan, even rarer than a Logia! The Tanuki Fruit, Bake-Danuki Model!" Trebol exclaimed.
Doflamingo licked his lips. "How strong is the other party?"
"Not very. That's why I robbed them, behehehe~ I got the goods!" Trebol boasted, seeking praise. "How about that, Doffy! Behehehe~"
"Excellent! Very good! You truly are my lucky star, Trebol! You've worked hard," Doflamingo never stinted on verbal praise. He exhaled and said, "Keep that Devil Fruit safe. Hmm... Send me a picture of it. I'll confirm it with the encyclopedia."
Trebol swore confidently, "It won't be wrong. This new pirate crew has a Devil Fruit encyclopedia, and I've also seen another Devil Fruit encyclopedia that recorded this Devil Fruit."
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