A stunned silence hung in the air, broken by a familiar, mocking laugh over the Den Den Mushi.
"Fufufu… so it's you, Quincy. You took care of me last time, remember?"
Yuno's lips curled into a thin smile. "Want to try again, Doflamingo?"
Another pause, then Doflamingo's voice turned cold. "Enough games. Where is Lao G?"
"Relax," Yuno said evenly. "I haven't touched your people."
A beat of silence. "Alright then," Yuno continued, "let's get to the point. What do you think of my earlier proposal?"
"Fufufu… an alliance? What's in it for me?"
"The benefit," Yuno said bluntly, "is that you're still alive."
On the other end, the veins in Doflamingo's forehead twitched. His Haoshoku Haki flared briefly through the line, before he forced it back down. "I don't work for free, Quincy. Even if you threaten me."
"Oh? You just recovered, and already this arrogant?" Yuno's eyes narrowed. "Don't think I don't know you're dancing on Kaido's strings. Tell me, what real benefits do you get from him? Or…" his tone dropped, ice-cold, "…do you think I'm beneath Kaido?"
Doflamingo's pupils shrank sharply. How does this bastard know about that?
Recovering quickly, Doflamingo chuckled. "Kaido and I are partners. Our interests align. I don't make moves that don't profit me—don't underestimate me, Quincy."
He's right about the benefits, Yuno thought. But it's Kaido holding the reins. In the New World, cooperation always bent toward the stronger side. And Yuno had no intention of playing second fiddle.
"My goal should be clear to your officers," Yuno said coldly. "I want Umit's throne. The Shipping King's power will be mine."
Doflamingo's eyes glinted. "And if you succeed, what do I gain?"
"With your family and Umit already at each other's throats, my intervention solves a problem for you. That's your gain." Yuno's tone was razor-sharp. "Or have you forgotten Umit declared war on you after your loss to me?"
In truth, the world believed Umit struck to exploit Doflamingo's weakened state. But Yuno knew better—it was a domino he had tipped himself.
Doflamingo's pride burned. He suspected nothing of Yuno's hand in the matter, only blaming Umit's greed and the shadow his defeat had cast. Still, he wasn't ready to refuse outright.
He had one reason to bargain: Yuno had beaten him once, but he didn't see him as utterly unreachable like Kaido. If he could just push a little harder… maybe he could turn the tables.
Besides, this recent battle had stirred something deep within him—his Ito Ito no Mi threads were evolving, the telltale signs of Devil Fruit awakening beginning to emerge.
Doflamingo was certain—once he had fully mastered his new power, if he fought Yuno again, the outcome would be different. This time, he wouldn't be the one lying in defeat.
That was why he had the nerve to negotiate terms.
A slow grin spread across his face.
"I'll agree to form an alliance with you, Quincy… but after you take over all of Umit's shipping network, the Donquixote Family's commission gets cut by 30%."
Yuno didn't hesitate.
"Impossible."
He didn't need to know the details of the Donquixote Family's dealings with the Shipping King Umit to understand—30% was no small sum.
His voice turned icy.
"And don't forget, you still owe me a ransom of one billion berries."
It was the wrong button to push.
Doflamingo's tone dropped to a cold snarl.
"You stole from me, Quincy… the Devil Fruits that belonged to my family. I haven't even begun to settle that score."
Indeed, everything had started with Yuno's theft of the Donquixote Family's precious Devil Fruits—an act that had spiraled into their first bloody confrontation.
Yuno's gaze hardened.
"If you refuse me again, I will erase your Donquixote Family from the map. You were already defeated by me once—what makes you think you have the right to bargain or has your devil fruit awakened?"
But as he spoke, Yuno's mind was racing.
Doflamingo wasn't the type to beg for outside help. For him to be this confident after their previous battle, there could only be one reason…
His Devil Fruit… it's awakened.
In the original canon, an awakened Ito Ito no Mi allowed Doflamingo to turn the very ground and buildings into razor-sharp strings—making the battlefield itself his weapon. If he had perfected this, he was far more dangerous than before.
Doflamingo's signature laugh rumbled low.
"Fufufufu… Don't think that just because you beat me once, you can speak to me like that, Quincy."
But the mocking tone couldn't hide the tension in his eyes.
How did he know?
For the briefest moment, Doflamingo felt something rare—unease.
It was as though, in front of Yuno, he had no secrets left.
And that thought… unsettled him.
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