————————————Start of Volume 2 [Joker]————————————————————
When Doflamingo teased Crocodile as a peacock displaying its feathers, it was merely playful banter, without any hint of sarcasm or mockery. This was because he, too, had recently played the role of the so-called "peacock displaying its feathers"...
That is, the process of "showcasing one's capital of strength to attract the attention of the World Government, thereby achieving the status of a Warlord of the Sea." It was simply that he knew too many insider details much earlier than Crocodile, so he started playing the role of the peacock earlier.
Doflamingo had a good understanding of Crocodile's character. That guy was just as cunning and insidious as himself, a perfect egoist who would never show his hand without seeing a clear advantage.
He couldn't imagine any other reason for Crocodile to cause trouble on the Sabaody Archipelago, so close to Marine Headquarters, unless it was part of a plan to become a Warlord of the Sea.
Doflamingo's guess was correct.
Soon, he saw the headline on the World Government's official newspaper: "The Second Warlord of the Sea is Born: 'Desert King' Crocodile."
However, this had nothing to do with him. He was busy continuing to select locations for his fighting tournaments, outlining his initial blueprint for power.
Early May.
"Here, here, here, plus here next to the Preens Kingdom, four locations, that's enough!" Doflamingo marked the map, twirling his pencil. "Fufufufu~ One New World Central Swordsman Tournament, and three New World Central Fighting Tournaments. Unlike sword fighting, regular fighting uses fists and feet. Considering the different physical aptitudes of people, and the vast differences between the Giant Tribe and the Tontatta Tribe, the fighting tournaments will be divided by weight class: V1, V2, V3..."
"Funding, venue renovation, and perhaps advertising?" Diamante, who had returned from Fish-Man Island, thoughtfully pointed out three crucial aspects.
Upon Doflamingo's orders, Diamante went to Fish-Man Island to commission a mountain-sized wedding cake, which Doflamingo then had Charlotte Linlin's third son, Daifuku, a close associate, deliver back to Whole Cake Island.
The unique seafood-flavored desserts from Fish-Man Island indeed pleased Big Mom, who kept wanting more. Recently, she had been paying a lot of attention to Fish-Man Island. Doflamingo had also learned that ever since the "Pirate King" Roger's demise, Whitebeard, who had been entrenched at the end of the New World, had begun moving against the current of the Grand Line, presumably having also learned of Big Mom's significant interest in Fish-Man Island...
Doflamingo calculated, "Funding won't be an issue. The City of Gold treasure from Skypiea is more than enough. Money makes things easy; hire some famous architects and recruit a large workforce, and venue renovations will naturally follow... The troublesome part is advertising. How do we let everyone in the world know about the Swordsman and Fighting Tournaments? I don't have any connections in media outlets like newspapers."
"The Swordsman Tournament is fine. I've already discussed it with the 'Golden Lion.' The champion each year will automatically get a chance to challenge him. I believe swordsmen worldwide will flock to challenge the world's greatest swordsman, and people will also be willing to watch this grand event." Doflamingo tapped his forehead. "Fighting Tournament... Fighting Tournament... Tsk tsk, I'll probably need to find someone to cooperate with."
"Cooperate?" Diamante was surprised, pondering. "Doffy? We can completely give up a portion of the profits. With your 'Joker' identity, we can have people in the underworld promote the fighting tournaments. We don't need to let everyone in the world know..."
Doflamingo stopped tapping his forehead, shaking his hand at Diamante, and laughed, "Your vision is too narrow, Diamante! Why am I holding these Swordsman and Fighting Tournaments?"
"Uh... To make money and select talent," Diamante replied.
Doflamingo clapped his hands. "Exactly! To make money and select talent. Only when more people participate in the Swordsman and Fighting Tournaments can we select talent, and only when more people watch the Swordsman and Fighting Tournaments can we make money! How large is the underworld's reach? Pirates, organized crime, illegal organizations, and so on—it's only so many people, and their people and money aren't easily fooled, fufufufu~"
"Oh~ hohoho~ You should just shut up, Diamante. Your brain is far behind Young Master's!" Giolla mercilessly ridiculed him.
Diamante: "..."
"Hmm," Doflamingo considered for a moment. "Get a Den Den Mushi, a visual Den Den Mushi, several of them."
A moment later.
Pere pere pere~
Buzz buzz buzz...
The room's doors and windows were obscured. The only light source was the large screen made of patched-together visual Den Den Mushi on the wall. Doflamingo was holding a multi-line visual Den Den Mushi conference.
"Gugigigugi~ What is it, 'Joker'?" Drug Peclo asked with a wide grin, seemingly in a good mood.
Doflamingo leaned back on the sofa and said, "There's a big business opportunity, you guys! Are you interested in getting involved?"
"Of course. A big business planned by 'Joker' will never lose money," a pockmarked, bearded middle-aged man on the top-left visual Den Den Mushi screen readily agreed.
Doflamingo spread his hands. "Umit, Umit, my friend, you praise me too much. I'm feeling quite a bit of pressure, fufufufu~"
"Deep Sea Currents" Umit, was the kingpin of the underworld's transport industry. On the surface, he had a legitimate shipping company, but secretly, he also transported stolen goods that pirates found difficult to offload. He also cultivated Yarukiman Mangroves and operated black market coating factories. Even the Four Emperors had to buy his monopolized resources if they wanted to traverse the Grand Line's first half without passing through the Calm Belt.
The reason Umit trusted Doflamingo so much was because of Doflamingo's previous major business venture, which involved connecting the Big Mom Pirates with the commercial giants of Arinland.
While the Big Mom Pirates undoubtedly gained the most profit, the remaining profits also filled the coffers of many others, and he was one of them, as most of the commercial giants' goods were transported by him.
"He's telling the truth, gulp~" Gibbson, the "Concealment Master," who was a long-time drunkard, was chugging away.
Doflamingo clicked his tongue. "Drink less, Gibbson, I'm really worried about you, old bastard!"
"Concealment Master" Gibbson, who worked hand-in-glove with Umit, took custody of the stolen goods that Umit secretly transported for pirates, and he controlled several fencing channels.
"I'm still young, only fifty... hiccup... living to a hundred is no problem," Gibbson slurred confidently.
After greeting everyone familiarly, Doflamingo said, "This time, the big business is setting up Swordsman and Fighting Tournaments. Those who want a piece of the pie, stay. Those who don't, please leave. I look forward to our next cooperation."
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