It was the year 1500 of the Sea Calendar, the dawn of another century.
"Jihahahaha~ You brat are really too much of a big shot! Sea Scourge!"
On the deck of the Flamingo, Shiki laughed loudly, complaining that his proactive, humble visit was met with Doflamingo leaving him waiting for over half an hour. If not for their rather pleasant cooperation, the "Golden Lion" might not have shown such magnanimous generosity, but rather cruel and vicious tyranny.
Doflamingo pulled off the blood-stained rubber gloves on his hands, tossing them casually into a trash can. He shook his slightly dizzy head and said wearily, "My apologies, I was conducting an important experiment."
These days, Doflamingo was both busy and not busy. He wasn't busy with the Swordsman and Fighting Tournaments; even though the casino, auction house, and other businesses on the Sabaody Archipelago were progressing exceptionally smoothly without his intervention, he was busy conducting human experiments.
He was attempting to develop an extremely precise control over his String-String Fruit abilities, using strings to penetrate human pores and entangle the skin, bones, muscles, blood vessels, internal organs, and even nerves, to completely control human behavior, whether it was their movements, their speech, or even their thoughts!
The difficulty of this undertaking was self-evident. It had been six or seven months, and just as the "Golden Lion" arrived, Doflamingo had barely managed to grasp a single lead, and it was just that—a lead.
"Fufufufu~ My distinguished client, have you found the hidden place, Merveille?" Doflamingo adjusted his thoughts and proactively inquired.
Shiki bit his cigar, his expression excited. "Jihahahaha! I found it alright! It's a good place, Doffy, it's a good place!" He emphasized it twice, then snapped his fingers and said, "I sent them into the sky and moved them to the New World, Jihahahaha..."
"That's just... insane," Doflamingo's lips twitched.
He knew how vast Merveille was—it was an archipelago! A massive cluster of islands! Golden Lion had actually used his formidable Devil Fruit power to send them into the sky and transport them a long distance to the New World. What kind of power was that? What kind of monster!
Shiki's eyebrows arched slightly, quite pleased with Doflamingo's reaction. "Jihahahaha~"
"So, you're here to thank me," Doflamingo pointed at his ship, implying the reason for Shiki's visit.
Shiki folded his arms into his sleeves and said, "Sort of! But I didn't bring anything." After a brief pause, he chuckled, "You've been causing quite a stir lately, brat. The propaganda for the Swordsman and Fighting Tournaments has been overwhelming, sweeping across the world! Jihahahaha~ I reckon everyone's paid attention to it, more or less."
"Shouldn't we pirates be more concerned about the friction between Whitebeard and Big Mom?" Doflamingo skillfully changed the subject, talking about another matter.
The wedding cake Doflamingo had maliciously sent to Big Mom had finally become the cause of conflict between the two Emperors.
Big Mom, drooling over Fish-Man Island's sweets, couldn't resist making a move on Fish-Man Island.
Whitebeard, who had received a favor from King Neptune, the "Great Knight of the Sea" of the Ryugu Kingdom on Fish-Man Island, immediately stepped forward on behalf of Fish-Man Island, declaring it his territory. He firmly stationed himself on Fish-Man Island, attacking anyone who offended it, intending to quash Big Mom's desires.
Big Mom's immense appetite, however, made her unwilling to easily back down, leading to a standoff between the two sides.
Shiki said disdainfully, "They won't fight. That crazy old hag doesn't have the guts to directly clash with that bastard Whitebeard."
Hitting the nail on the head, Shiki's assessment perfectly aligned with Doflamingo's observations and deductions.
It was a simple truth: Whitebeard was on the same level as Shiki and Roger.
Even when his forces were weak and he had to support everything alone, his adopted children, Marco the Phoenix, Jozu the Diamond, Vista the Flower Sword, and others, had all grown to be capable of holding their own.
Whitebeard, possessing both power and influence, was now at his peak.
Whether Shiki admitted it or not, after the "Battle of Edd War," where fate dealt him a cruel hand, causing him to lose the Golden Lion Grand Fleet and having his head blown open, he had truly descended from the pedestal of the strongest pirate.
Whitebeard had replaced him!
Even the arrogant and peerless "Golden Lion," who aimed to conquer all four seas, felt apprehension towards Whitebeard, let alone a rising star like Big Mom?
"But, it'll be interesting if they do fight..." Doflamingo crooked his finger. "Fufufufu~~"
Shiki squinted, meeting Doflamingo's gaze, his grin widening. "Indeed! Jihahahaha"
"Unfortunately, Fish-Man Island's geographical location isn't suitable; it's too sensitive. Marine Headquarters' G-1 Base is watching closely, and the World Government's Holy Land is overlooking it from above. They will definitely suppress Whitebeard and Big Mom," Doflamingo lamented, resting his chin in his hand. "Let's focus on my business. The venue construction is almost complete, and the Swordsman and Fighting Tournaments are about to begin... Your promised help must be delivered."
Shiki leaned back against the ship's railing. "Alright, one flag, one thousand men."
"As expected of an admiral, truly magnanimous," Doflamingo praised, though he kept the thought "a starved camel is still bigger than a horse" to himself.
Shiki seemed a bit embarrassed, hesitating. "I see your business is probably... very profitable. I want to... Jihahahaha!" He awkwardly rubbed his hands. "I have too many people to feed, and the research at Merveille also requires a lot of Berries..."
"This business involves half the giants of the underworld; I'm not taking all the profits for myself... Five percent, I'll take it from my share," Doflamingo calmly stated. "But you owe me more and more. What are you going to do about it?"
Shiki slapped his head in frustration, scoffing at himself, "I'm so damn broke I'm thinking of selling myself to the Marines for my bounty! What do you say, what should I do?"
"One day you die, and I inherit everything you have," Doflamingo said softly. "While you're alive, I'll help you with only financial difficulties. For other difficulties, you'll still pay me. What you owe me from before won't be written off."
Shiki looked at Doflamingo again, his expression incredibly strange. "Are you serious, kid?"
"I just hope you don't squander all your assets when you die, otherwise I'll lose a fortune," Doflamingo said, spreading his hands. He was absolutely serious.
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