"Fuffuffuffu~ My apologies, truly. That was rude of my subordinate just now. Allow me to make it up to you," Doflamingo said with his trademark grin, his tone switching seamlessly from arrogance to charm. "As a gesture of goodwill, I'll let you buy one of the Devil Fruits I've recently acquired for trade at a special friend's price, of course."
Doflamingo really lived up to his reputation as a cunning pirate overlord ruthless when needed, yet perfectly capable of swallowing his pride. Within moments, he had smothered his anger and was now speaking to Aaron with the easy familiarity of an old friend.
When you can't win, you bow your head. Temporarily concede, offer an apology, and wait for your moment.
That was the survival philosophy Doflamingo had learned through years of pain and humiliation after being cast down from the Celestial Dragons.
Since Aaron clearly had the legendary Golden Lion Shiki behind him, a little patience and diplomacy were hardly a loss of face.
A Devil Fruit trade!
"So this guy really is a Devil Fruit dealer," Aaron thought, speechless. "He talks about these things like they're common vegetables."
Hearing Doflamingo offer a Devil Fruit purchase right as an apology left Aaron more than a little surprised. He'd once again witnessed how vast Doflamingo's reach was though he might not be one of the world's absolute strongest, his influence was undeniably immense.
Still, the fact that simply invoking the Golden Lion's name had been enough to intimidate Doflamingo and even earn him the right to buy a Devil Fruit was a satisfying outcome. A free Devil Fruit, in a sense.
So, Aaron nodded slightly, matching Doflamingo's grin with a false one of his own. "Let's leave it at that, then. But keep your men on a tighter leash next time. A foul mouth at sea tends to get people killed."
Doflamingo's smile froze for half a second. Though he knew Aaron had accepted his offer, the vein that had just faded from his forehead started throbbing again. He was not pleased.
Meanwhile, Gilbert who had been quietly observing the exchange from nearby was utterly dumbfounded. He couldn't begin to comprehend why Doflamingo, of all people, was being so polite to Aaron.
He had worked with Doflamingo multiple times and knew very well how arrogant and overbearing the man could be. Seeing him apologize so meekly felt like witnessing the impossible.
But Gilbert wasn't a fool he could tell that Doflamingo's sudden humility came from fear. Something Aaron had said something about that lion had clearly rattled him.
Who was this lion?
Why would Doflamingo, the notorious "Heavenly Yaksha," fear it so much?
Could it be that Aaron or the Akio Gang was secretly backed by this terrifying beast?
A dozen questions flooded Gilbert's mind, each one filling him with unease. The good mood he'd felt earlier after Doflamingo helped him acquire the Bird-Bird Fruit and promised more Devil Fruits to strengthen his army was completely gone.
Still, Gilbert knew better than to ask. Even if he did, neither Doflamingo nor Aaron would ever tell him the truth. All he could do was stay quiet and wait for their conversation to end.
Gilbert had invited Aaron today mostly to flaunt his wealth and influence and to boast that he'd obtained the Bird-Bird Fruit. He wanted Aaron to start preparing to eliminate that wretched "Invisible Man."
For the past two months, Gilbert had been receiving constant threats from that mysterious invisible assassin.
Unfortunately, the man was too cautious. Somehow, he always knew Gilbert had found powerful protection, and every threat was delivered through clueless peasants. The Invisible Man hadn't even given him a Den Den Mushi for direct contact. After all this time, Gilbert still had no clue who the man really was.
Soon, their conversation wrapped up. Gilbert finalized the Devil Fruit trade with Doflamingo, and Aaron selected a Paramecia-type Fruit for himself.
When Doflamingo finally hung up, it was time for Aaron and Gilbert to talk privately.
"Mr. Gilbert," Aaron began evenly, "I'm afraid I can't agree to your latest request. You must already know that there have been several thefts at my territory and within the Golden Spark Trading Company. I don't need to tell you who's responsible you already know. That Invisible Man is warning me. Personally, I'm not afraid, but I won't risk the lives of my men and my friends. Protecting you is already the limit of what I can do, and it doesn't break the agreement you made with him. Also…"
Aaron's tone sharpened. "Don't forget our deal. If you break it, I'll be very displeased."
He stared coldly at Gilbert, making it clear he wouldn't tolerate manipulation.
Gilbert's smile faltered. He'd hoped to use the goods the Invisible Man was extorting from him as bait to set a trap and force Aaron to deal with the problem. But Aaron saw straight through him and refused without hesitation.
Gilbert was a two-faced schemer, always playing both sides. He had even leaked news that Aaron was protecting him, deliberately provoking the Invisible Man's wrath. His goal wasn't just to shift the assassin's attention it was also to tie Aaron irreversibly to his side, making the royal army view them as one and the same.
If the Invisible Man hadn't happened to be Aaron himself and if Aaron hadn't cleverly leaked part of their deal to divert suspicion the royal army would've come after him by now. Even so, the Golden Spark Company's business across the Drum Kingdom had suffered.
Being rejected to his face and even threatened left Gilbert fuming inside.
But he knew he had no grounds to argue. His little scheme had completely backfired: instead of drawing the Invisible Man's hatred toward Aaron, the man had merely staged a few petty thefts without killing anyone. The result? Aaron now refused to make an enemy of him and had grown wary of Gilbert instead.
A total loss.
Now, after overhearing Aaron's conversation with Doflamingo, Gilbert realized something even more alarming. Aaron wasn't just strong he had powerful connections, perhaps enough to make even Doflamingo wary. That meant he absolutely couldn't afford to offend him any further.
So he quickly forced out a laugh.
"Hahaha~ Don't worry, Mr. Aaron! Of course I wouldn't break our agreement. I was just speaking carelessly earlier no offense meant. As for the thefts in your territory and the Golden Spark Company, I'm terribly sorry. It must've been some loose-tongued servant of mine who let something slip, and that damned Invisible Man must've caught wind of it."
He wiped at the sweat on his brow and continued with an ingratiating smile.
"Please understand many people have been coming and going around here lately. You deal with quite a few of them yourself. That Invisible Man probably has his own special intelligence network. But rest assured, any losses he's caused you, I'll compensate in full. And as an additional apology, I'll extend your rent-free use of Rock Island for another five years. How does that sound?"
Aaron's expression softened slightly. "Then I'll thank you on behalf of those who were robbed, Lord Gilbert. If there's nothing else, I'll be heading back to continue my training."
Having gotten what he wanted, Aaron chose to play along. His easy smile returned, as though the earlier tension had never existed.
Gilbert, who was now both irritated and preoccupied, didn't bother to prolong the meeting. After a few polite exchanges, he personally escorted Aaron to the door.
Once Aaron had left, disappearing into the swirling snow beyond the castle, Gilbert's plump face hardened.
"'The Lion,' huh…" he muttered, walking to the window. His sharp little eyes followed the distant silhouette as it vanished into the blizzard.
"What kind of lion could possibly make a proud beast like Doflamingo act so tame? The Akio Gang must be hiding more than I realized. I need to uncover the truth… or this could become a very dangerous problem."
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