Novel Chapter
"This..."
Inside the Room of Authority, the Five Elders exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable.
They had expected Aus to make outrageous demands—perhaps asking for more Devil Fruits or legendary blades from the World Government.
Instead... this?
Should they say, "That's so Aus"? The man did whatever pleased him, never following conventional logic.
The Five Elders knew about the bad blood between Aus and the three Marine prodigies.
What a nasty piece of work...
But this request posed no real inconvenience for the World Government. No loss. They were more than happy to agree.
"Fine. If there's no urgent need at the time, they can escort the Duramos royal family."
As for Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Borsalino's personal feelings?
The Five Elders didn't care. To them, it was merely a brief coexistence between former adversaries.
Like Garp and Roger—surely there was mutual respect among powerful warriors.
They were mature Marines, after all. They wouldn't be petty enough to ignore the bigger picture... right?
...
"Brat, what've you sent me now?"
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, an old man adjusted his glasses, eyeing a letter and a golden bean with curiosity.
"One's an invitation to next year's World Government Council meeting. The other's Pure Gold."
"Pure Gold? I don't need money. You're the one sailing the seas—you'll need it more."
Aus had no choice but to explain what Pure Gold actually meant.
"Oh! Hahahaha!"
Aus picked at his ear as the old man straightened his spine and roared with laughter.
"Told you I'd take you flying. Now you've got a long life ahead—find yourself some fun."
"Hahaha, you brat..."
After chatting briefly, Aus hung up.
Yeah...
A long life without joy? That'd be torture.
Aus slouched on the sofa, head tilted back, staring at the ceiling.
"So... time to keep traveling the world."
"Lord Aus, are you leaving again?"
Feeling restless, Aus told Sami he was heading out. She gave him a knowing look.
"Perfect timing. There are some things that might need your personal attention~"
"Oh?"
...
Sabaody Archipelago. The Lawless Zone.
Compared to before, business here had stabilized. Black market industries thrived, artificially inflating Sabaody's GDP to absurd heights.
Technically, these operations belonged to multiple underground factions. Complex ownership. Not one person's private property.
But Aus? He was the rules.
"Interesting..."
Running a casino suited her. Plus with that natural slicked-back hair, Little Sand had made gambling a hobby.
At the table, she crossed her legs, a world-class cigar between her lips. She lounged back, tossing all her chips forward.
Ignoring the crowd of spectators—gamblers who weren't even playing but were already hooked—she pulled the cigar from her mouth and casually turned it to dust.
Then lit another one. Exhaled slowly.
Not her money. Why should she care?
No matter how much she lost, how much she wasted—could it possibly exceed the thousands of billions in debt she already carried?
Aus had money to burn!
So even after losing hundreds of millions of Belly just now, she didn't flinch. Ordered the staff to bring out a few billion more in chips.
"Hey, Doflamingo. What're you doing here?"
Seeing the dealer change, Little Sand slowly raised her cold gaze, expression flat.
Across from her, the wealthy merchant she'd been playing against stood up abruptly, face full of terror as he gave up his seat to a blonde young man in a feathered coat.
Gold earrings. Not wearing his usual suit—just an open shirt, tight pants, and loafers.
"Fuffuffu... Just came to thank Lord Aus in person. That was quite the gift, after all."
"Is that so... You really are Aus's good little dog."
For some reason, seeing Doflamingo like this pissed Little Sand off. Everything about him rubbed her wrong. She wanted to bite back.
Facing her cold stare and harsh words, Doflamingo didn't get angry. His fingers twitched slightly. The dealer began shuffling cards uncontrollably.
His mouth curved into a wicked smile.
"He's someone who could easily kill me. Bowing my head isn't unacceptable.
What about you? How many moves could you last against the Black Emperor, Crocodile~?"
"Tch..."
Little Sand's mouth twisted. That reminded her of when Aus took her down without a scratch. Still fresh in her memory.
But she considered herself tougher than this sea thug Doflamingo.
If Aus hadn't genuinely recruited her, she'd have let him beat her to death before surrendering.
That alone—
Put her a tier above Doflamingo in terms of backbone.
The two began their game.
One backed by a golden goose, spending money like water without a care. Net worth basically equal to Aus's.
The other with booming business—hell, he partially owned this casino.
Neither lacked money. They threw themselves into a high-stakes grudge match.
Doflamingo used threads. Crocodile used sand. Both cheated their asses off. Pretty evenly matched.
While playing, Doflamingo revealed his real reason for coming to Sabaody:
"Heard some underground factions are pulling tricks. Secretly skimming payments.
So Lady Sami contacted me. As the biggest middleman, everything goes through me anyway."
"Yeah, I heard..."
Little Sand's face darkened.
"Even after warning them that defiance means death, some idiots still tried it. They that greedy?"
During Aus's time on Sabaody, Sami and Little Sand had handled plenty of business. Though he didn't handle accounts personally, Sami had filled him in.
She'd thought Aus would deal with it himself.
Didn't expect him to call in this flashy punk first.
"Fuffuffu... It's all about profit. Why wouldn't they risk the guillotine?"
Doflamingo crossed his legs, arms spread wide with a grin. Then he leaned forward, red light reflecting off his sunglasses.
"Looks like we'll be on the same ship for a while...
Let's get along, Crocodile~"
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