Seeing that Doflamingo was momentarily stunned, Yuno realized he had guessed right.
He followed up with, "When the body and mind catch up with the ability, that's what they call awakening! But tell me, Doflamingo… do you think you've caught up to me?"
Yuno's tone dripped with contempt, as if awakening a Devil Fruit was nothing special to him.
Doflamingo's eyes flickered; he couldn't quite grasp the meaning of Yuno's words.
Could Yuno's Devil Fruit have awakened after their last battle?
Or… had he not even fought at full strength back then?
Diamante had told him everything that happened afterwards — especially about the mysterious sword strike that killed a Marine Vice Admiral in one blow.
Back during their fight, Yuno's swordsmanship hadn't been remarkable, relying more on slashes amplified by his ability.
But could pure ability alone have produced that devastating attack?
Damn… where in the world did this monster come from?
Taking a deep breath, Doflamingo said evenly, "I'll cooperate — but I want to see your sincerity."
Yuno sneered. "Sincerity? You're pretty good at making demands."
"That Devil Fruit," Doflamingo replied, "must be returned to me."
Yuno tilted his head. "I'm curious. What kind of Devil Fruit would have two kings of the Underworld fighting over it?"
"Don't concern yourself with that," Doflamingo said flatly.
"Heh…" Yuno chuckled. He was already 70–80% certain about its identity.
The Paramecia-type Toy-Toy Fruit (Hobi Hobi no Mi).
Yuno considered whether to keep it for himself, but quickly dismissed the thought.
The fruit was useless to him — he had no trusted child to feed it to, and training one now would be a waste of time.
More importantly, he didn't need to erase people's memories to cover his tracks.
Doflamingo, on the other hand, needed it to maintain control of Dressrosa — just as in the original events, turning rebels into toys to erase them from memory.
With the rebels forgotten, Dressrosa would remain firmly under his grip.
And geographically, Dressrosa's location would be a major asset for Doflamingo's future power plays.
To secure that control quickly, he had to get the Toy-Toy Fruit back.
Meanwhile, Yuno had no interest in running black market operations. If anyone betrayed him, he could simply kill them. Why bother with more subtle methods?
"Well," Yuno said, "I can make a concession. One billion berries for the fruit I'm holding. That's not too much for you, is it?"
Without giving Doflamingo a chance to respond, Yuno added, "That's my final offer. Think carefully."
Doflamingo's eyes narrowed, then he smirked. "Fufufu… one billion berries? Fine. I agree."
He still couldn't fully figure Yuno out. The man had immense strength, big ambitions, and an arrogant streak — but he wasn't reckless.
Diamante's report had made it clear: Yuno was a master strategist as well.
Strength, cunning, ruthlessness… this man was dangerous. Best not to make him an enemy.
Then again, collaborating with someone like this might be even riskier than partnering with Kaido.
Still, weighing all factors, Doflamingo decided the alliance was worth the gamble.
"Since we've agreed," he said, "when will you move against Umit?"
Yuno smiled. "I just came from the North Blue. I don't even know the lay of the land yet. How can I take on Umit right away?
First I'll need time to understand the full power structure of every player — before I make my way into the New World."
Doflamingo snorted coldly, clearly not buying Yuno's claim.
A man who understood the New World's power balance this well could hardly be a fresh arrival from the North Blue.
Still, he hadn't expected Yuno to move against Umit the "Sea King" immediately after agreeing to their alliance.
He had even been prepared for his own Donquixote Family forces to handle Umit themselves.
But an alliance? In the New World, that was just a handshake you could tear apart whenever it suited you.
Doflamingo changed the subject with a sly smile.
"Since we're allies now, I can't keep calling you 'Quincy,' can I?"
"My name is Ichida," Yuno replied evenly. "But I prefer to be called Quincy Ichida."
"…"
After that short exchange, Yuno hung up the Den Den Mushi (One Piece, snail transceiver), handed a Devil Fruit to Lao G, and prepared to leave.
Before stepping away, he pocketed a golden credit card—valid across Donquixote Family fronts and partner networks—with a staggering limit of one billion berries.
"Ichida Uryuu…" Doflamingo repeated under his breath, eyes narrowing. "Find me everything on that name."
Marine Headquarters – Training Camp, Noon
A faint glimmer passed through Yuno's eyes.
The Quincy Pirates had set sail again, his alliance with Doflamingo sealed.
Everything was unfolding according to his plan.
There was no need to rush into the New World. Better to let the big players tear each other apart first—bleeding away strength until he could swoop in and take the spoils, just like Blackbeard's opportunism in One Piece.
Besides, this was only the first island. The New World was still a long way off. Even if Doflamingo came knocking, he had excuses ready.
And if the Warlord didn't like it—could he really force him?
Touching his chin, Yuno summoned his system panel:
[Host]: Yuno
[Achievement Points]: 1370
[Slash]: Swordsmanship (Proficiency 86)
[Zanpakutō]: Zangetsu (Proficiency 57)
[Fist]: Hakuda (Bleach close combat, Proficiency 80), Combat Method (Proficiency 50)
[Walk]: Shunpo (Proficiency 80)
[Kido]:
– Hadō #4: Byakurai / White Thunder (Bleach, Proficiency 100)
– Hadō #33: Sōkatsui / Blue Fire Crash Down (Bleach, Proficiency 100)
– Hadō #63: Raikōhō / Thunder Roar Cannon (Bleach, Proficiency 100)
– Bakudō #30: Shitotsu Sansen / Beak-Piercing Triple Flash (Bleach, Proficiency 76)
[Special]: Shunko(Proficiency 66), Artificial Gigai(0/1)
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