Of the three Devil Fruits resting in their respective wooden chests, Bardock immediately recognized one of them through its distinct swirl pattern and physical characteristics.
It was the Paramecia-type Wheel-Wheel Fruit (Shari Shari no Mi). It was an incredibly bizarre, profoundly useless ability that allowed the user to physically transform their arms and legs into spinning wheels, forcing them to drop onto all fours and drive around like a human go-kart.
Unless the user had access to perfectly laid tracks or smooth roads to build up high-speed momentum, it was an absolutely pathetic ability in actual combat.
As for the other two fruits, Bardock couldn't immediately identify their specific classifications. However, he had a resident expert on hand.
"Robin, what do you think?" Bardock asked, gesturing to the remaining two chests.
Robin stepped forward, carefully examining the shape and unique swirling patterns on the skins. "Both of these are standard Zoan-type Devil Fruits," she stated calmly. "However... they are incredibly mundane. One is the Sloth model. The other is the Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Poodle."
"A Sloth... and a Poodle?"
Bardock stared blankly at the two fruits, completely utterly speechless.
He hadn't genuinely expected Doflamingo to hand over top-tier Mythical or Ancient Zoans, nor did he expect highly destructive Logias. But this? This was absolute garbage.
Even Kaido of the Beasts—a Yonko notoriously, obsessively dedicated to building a massive army entirely composed of Zoan users—would likely violently hurl these specific fruits directly into the ocean in sheer disgust.
"This isn't over, Doflamingo," Bardock growled softly, storing the three 'trash-tier' fruits in his inventory. His mind instantly began rapidly calculating exactly how he was going to severely disrupt the Underworld broker's future operations.
On that exact same day, an absolutely world-shaking, catastrophic event occurred across the sea: a massive shipment of the Heavenly Tribute—the astronomical gold tax paid directly to the Celestial Dragons—was violently hijacked.
This was a terrifying, earth-shattering piece of news. When 'Big News' Morgans initially received the exclusive tip, the bird-man practically danced around his office like a hyperactive child, wildly excited to publish the greatest headline of the year.
However, because the political implications of this heist were so incredibly severe, the World Government immediately and aggressively intervened. Terrified that publishing the story would inspire other powerful, ambitious pirates to mimic the attack and target the Celestial Dragons' supply lines, the Five Elders personally applied suffocating pressure on Morgans. Left with absolutely no choice, the media mogul was forced to bitterly swallow his pride, kill the story, and completely scrub the event from the World Economy News Paper.
But a few days later, a massive, impossible-to-ignore headline was officially blasted across the front page:
"The 'Heavenly Yaksha' Donquixote Doflamingo Officially Appointed as the Newest Warlord of the Sea!"
The article extensively detailed the Donquixote Family's terrifying power. Doflamingo, the absolute overlord of the North Blue's Underworld, was depicted as a wildly ambitious monster whose dark tentacles had already begun aggressively extending into the first half of the Grand Line, 'Paradise'.
Reading this specific newspaper on the deck of the White Dragon, Bardock was completely, utterly infuriated.
CRACK!
Bardock violently stomped his foot, shattering several thick, reinforced floorboards. He aggressively punched a nearby bulkhead, leaving a massive, fist-shaped dent in the solid gold plating.
He had genuinely wanted to teach Doflamingo a brutal lesson, yet he had completely missed the absolute perfect opportunity! He hadn't realized Doflamingo was executing the Heavenly Tribute heist right now. If Bardock had known the exact timeline, he absolutely would have played the classic strategy of 'the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind'.
He could have waited for Doflamingo to hijack the tribute ships, and then swooped in at the last second, violently robbing Doflamingo of the entire astronomical treasure hoard. Doflamingo would have likely coughed up blood and died of a rage-induced aneurysm on the spot!
What Bardock completely failed to realize, however, was that this massive missed opportunity was actually an indirect Butterfly Effect caused entirely by his own actions.
Doflamingo's decision to execute the incredibly risky heist today was directly tied to the sudden, terrifying arrival of Vice Admiral Tsuru's task force in the North Blue. And Tsuru's massive task force was only in the North Blue right now because Fleet Admiral Sengoku had deployed them to hunt down Bardock!
Through his top-secret Marine spy, Vice Admiral Vergo, Doflamingo had received advanced warning that Tsuru was entering the North Blue with an absurdly luxurious, overpowered lineup of Navy elites (including Admiral candidates Gion and Tokikake). Vergo explicitly warned him that if he didn't secure political immunity immediately, the Donquixote Family would be completely, permanently wiped out within the week.
Terrified by the sheer, suffocating pressure of Tsuru's impending arrival, Doflamingo had been forced into a desperate corner. He had to launch his heist prematurely, aggressively hijacking the Heavenly Tribute ships long before all the North Blue nations had fully pooled their gold.
Consequently, the total amount of wealth he stole was significantly less than it would have been in the original timeline.
Fortunately for Doflamingo, the sheer political weight of his leverage—knowing the dark, apocalyptic secret hidden within Mary Geoise—was absolute. Even with a smaller payload of stolen gold, his blackmail was completely successful. The Celestial Dragons capitulated, and Doflamingo finally secured his coveted Warlord title. With this absolute political immunity, his 'Joker' persona could finally expand aggressively into the New World.
Elsewhere in the North Blue.
Aboard a massive Marine battleship currently sailing directly toward the Donquixote Family's base at Spider Miles, Vice Admiral Tsuru stood silently on the deck, listening to the incoming report on her personal Den Den Mushi.
When she received the official, highly classified notification from Sengoku that Doflamingo had just been officially granted the Warlord title and was now completely immune to Marine prosecution, her expression remained perfectly stoic. Outwardly, she didn't show a single trace of emotion.
However, her hands, resting on the wooden railing, were trembling slightly. Her knuckles were completely white, clenched so tightly that the wood beneath them was audibly splintering. Her heart was a violent, raging storm.
Compared to a rogue explorer like Bardock, Tsuru desperately, fiercely wanted to completely eradicate Doflamingo.
She knew that Bardock was undeniably dangerous and possessed terrifying strength, but his ambitions were focused on exploration and personal freedom. Doflamingo, however, was a natural-born monster—a psychopath whose very existence brought immense, systemic suffering to the world. Doflamingo's capacity for true, malicious destruction was infinitely worse than Bardock's.
Unfortunately, as a highly disciplined Marine, Tsuru was strictly bound by the absolute laws of the World Government. The Navy was explicitly, unconditionally forbidden from initiating hostilities against an active Warlord of the Sea.
Taking a deep, stabilizing breath, Tsuru released her grip on the railing and turned to her navigation officer.
"Turn the entire fleet around," Tsuru ordered coldly, her voice carrying absolute authority. "The Donquixote Family is no longer an active target. Set a new course for the last confirmed coordinates of the White Dragon."
The massive Marine warships immediately began altering their course, pivoting their massive cannons away from Spider Miles and actively hunting toward Bardock.
Meanwhile, completely oblivious to the terrifying, elite Marine task force currently rapidly converging on their location, the atmosphere on the deck of the White Dragon was one of absolute, stunned silence.
Every single member of the crew was staring completely wide-eyed at their newest recruit, Basil Hawkins, who was calmly putting his tarot cards away.
They couldn't believe it. His divination had actually been flawlessly, terrifyingly accurate.
Directly in front of the White Dragon, massive, imposing shadows began to emerge from the thick ocean mist. Slowly, a towering, highly militarized fleet composed of colossal, amphibious snail-ships came into full view, completely blocking the horizon.
They had actually found them.
The Germa 66 had arrived.
read more & join member at patreon(.)com/Lestusk
read more my tittle https://www.webnovel.com/profile/4507722085