Doflamingo suddenly snapped back to reality, his face a mix of indignant anger at being questioned and genuine innocence. He almost growled in response: "Fufufu... I said I don't know! If I knew such a treasure was on my territory, it would have belonged to the Donquixote Family long ago! How could I have left it for you?!"
His tone didn't sound like a lie; it was a profound sense of unwillingness and frustration after missing out on a rare treasure.
Just then, Ace stepped forward, no longer playing coy, and directly threw out the crucial name and location:
"That Devil Fruit isn't in Dressrosa. Because that Devil Fruit is on 'Punk Hazard,' brought out by a guy named Caesar Clown!"
"Punk Hazard?! Caesar Clown?!!"
These two terms were like two bolts of lightning, striking precisely at Doflamingo's head!
The expression on his face instantly froze. His sunglasses couldn't hide his suddenly constricted pupils and completely out-of-control facial muscles. It was as if someone had choked him, and he let out a short, distorted gasp.
He stood rigid like a stone statue, his mind a blank.
Punk Hazard... Caesar... These two names echoed wildly in his mind, making him dizzy!
Why?! Why does Ace know about Punk Hazard?! Why does he know Caesar Clown?! That's my most important secret experimental base and scientist!
Even the World Government doesn't know about Caesar and my connection!
A bone-chilling fear instantly spread throughout his body, making him tremble even more than when he faced Whitebeard's Haki!
This wasn't a difference in power, but a profound chill from having his deepest, most core secrets easily seen through and exposed nakedly in broad daylight!
What a joke!! Doflamingo's mind was close to madness, almost on the verge of berserk. Who exactly is this guy?! How does he know all this?! Have all my secrets already been leaked?!
He stared intently at Ace. One of his biggest trump cards, the core of the artificial Devil Fruit SMILE and gigantification experiments he had secretly cultivated for years, was casually spoken aloud by the other party!
At this moment, Doflamingo was truly stunned, completely bewildered.
In front of Ace, he felt as if he had no secrets whatsoever.
...
Doflamingo's heart was already filled with murderous intent and the urge to silence them. His first thought was to eliminate all those present who knew the secret, at all costs, to prevent future trouble!
However, this insane thought flashed in his mind for only an instant before being mercilessly crushed by cold reality.
He stiffly moved his eyeballs, his gaze sweeping over the people on the deck.
The imposing Ace;
The Emperor Whitebeard, towering like a mountain and exuding a suffocating pressure;
And the surrounding commanders, all eyeing him with powerful auras... A sense of powerlessness and immense pressure, like cold seawater, instantly drowned his murderous intent, making him almost unable to breathe.
Eliminate them? Keep the secret? Doflamingo mocked himself bitterly. That's simply a pipe dream! Impossible!
His gaze finally settled on Ace.
The information he had subtly gathered at last night's banquet alone was enough to give him a clear understanding of this "Fire Fist's" strength.
A Six Powers genius, seen once in a thousand years by the Marines, who had cultivated their top martial arts to the extreme;
His Armament Haki was also tempered to a top-tier level; he had probably mastered the techniques of hardening and internal destruction;
Plus, that elusive, eerie pale flame that could burn everything... Fufufufufufu... What a joke, Doflamingo felt a chill run down his spine, Just this one Fire Fist Ace could probably easily kill me...
As for Whitebeard... he was an existence to be looked up to, on a completely different level.
And then there were Marco the Phoenix, Diamond Jozu, Flower Sword Vista... None of these Whitebeard Pirates commanders were anything less than battle-hardened monsters!
The enormous disparity in strength was like an unbridgeable chasm, making his pathetic thoughts of silencing them appear incredibly ridiculous and tragic.
Not only could he not keep the secret, but his very safety was completely at the mercy of the other party's whim.
An unprecedented pressure, like a tangible mountain, heavily weighed on his shoulders, making him almost unable to stand upright. Cold sweat once again uncontrollably trickled down his temples, and he could even hear the frantic pounding of his heart in his chest.
In the face of such absolute power, any schemes and conspiracies seemed pale and powerless.
He, Donquixote Doflamingo, the King of Dressrosa, the Underworld Joker, for the first time so clearly felt how insignificant and fragile he was.
Under the suffocating disparity in strength and the immense pressure of having his secrets completely exposed, all of Doflamingo's internal struggles and murderous intent ultimately transformed into a deep sense of powerlessness and compromise.
He swallowed with extreme difficulty, trying to moisten his dry throat. His usual arrogant smile had long vanished, replaced by a sincerity that was almost humiliating.
He raised his hands in a slightly helpless and harmless gesture, his voice dry as he spoke, each word articulated with unusual clarity, for fear of causing any misunderstanding:
"Fufu... Everyone, calm down. I guarantee, on the honor of Joker, that I truly... did not know about the existence of that pink Azure Dragon Devil Fruit.
If it truly was in Dressrosa, or ever appeared within my sphere of influence, you could absolutely take it. I, Donquixote Doflamingo, would absolutely... not bat an eye, nor offer any resistance."
His gaze, especially when looking at Ace and Whitebeard, was filled with unprecedented caution and deference.
His expression didn't seem like he was playing a trick; it was more like an animal exposing its belly in submission before a powerful predator.
Ace, Marco, Jozu, and the others exchanged glances.
They carefully scrutinized Doflamingo's expression: the lingering, unfeigned shock, the unwillingness and fear after being suppressed by absolute power, and the complete compromise he was now making for self-preservation.
All of this indicated that his claim of ignorance was, in all likelihood, true.
"It seems you truly were unaware," Marco pushed up his glasses, concluding.
Ace nodded, stepping forward, flames flickering in his eyes with an undeniable resolve: "In that case, you will take us directly to Punk Hazard! To Caesar Clown's laboratory to search for it ourselves!"
....
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