Doflamingo's past could absolutely be considered legendary!
Born a Celestial Dragon, he was destined to stand at the pinnacle of all things as a 'god' from a young age. If it weren't for his father insisting on living with ordinary people on the surface, he wouldn't be in his current state.
Beaten, scavenging for food from garbage heaps, and even his mother died because of it!
Even after he finally killed his father and presented his head, the Celestial Dragons still rejected him.
So Roger really ushered in a wonderful era!
Freedom, slaughter, chaos… this world will one day undergo even more earth-shattering changes, and the Celestial Dragons who rejected me will sooner or later be pulled down from their pedestals.
'Before that day arrives, I will not fall…'
"Bang!"
Immense pressure came from his right cheek, a crimson beast claw stepping on it, and his skull let out a strange whimper.
"Hmm, you said the Ope-Ope no Mi was eaten by that brat just now?"
Nero had her foot on Doflamingo's head, scarlet demonic patterns faintly visible, and a deeper, more sinister demonic malice joined the pressure emanating from her body.
"Were you asleep just now? Did you just watch me let him go? Or do you find my actions laughable?"
'Absolutely must not get angry! Only those who survive are the winners!'
Doflamingo, possessing Haoshoku Haki, attributed everything he was currently enduring to the sustenance of evolution.
'This is only temporary, until those Celestial Dragons experience the same hell as me…'
His firm belief caused Doflamingo's Haoshoku Haki to surge uncontrollably.
"Oh?" Nero tilted her head, looking at Doflamingo with interest, her dragon tail swaying behind her, seemingly eager to act.
However, Doflamingo's Haki completely subsided the next moment.
"Fufufu! Of course, I wouldn't mock Lady Nero! The reason I didn't stop Law was because Lady Nero doesn't value the Ope-Ope no Mi, right?"
"Hmm, are you trying to show off your petty cleverness in front of me?" Nero, hearing this, increased the pressure with her foot: "It's just a Devil Fruit, it was expendable to begin with."
"Then, Lady Nero… what you want should be Berries, right?" The heavy pressure on his head made Doflamingo's voice tremble slightly as he spoke.
"I can offer you a large amount of Berries! All I need is for you to bestow your pirate flag, allowing me to use it in the underworld."
"The underworld? Hmm! Are you referring to those sewer rats? Truly, they're never presentable from beginning to end."
Nero instantly lost interest upon hearing 'underworld'. She had no desire to understand these cockroaches in the shadows.
Just as Nero was about to finish him off, Doflamingo's three words abruptly stopped her.
"Fifty billion!"
"Nani?"
Nero heard his words, vaguely understood his meaning, and asked with a hint of uncertainty.
"As long as you bestow your pirate flag, the Donquixote Family can annually submit fifty billion Berries for the right to use it!"
"Even a moldy sewer needs someone to clean it regularly, Your Majesty, doesn't it? And things like Devil Fruits, a considerable portion only circulates in the black market."
Feeling the pressure on his face lift, Doflamingo knew he had made the right gamble. The Silence-Silence Fruit wasn't important, the Ope-Ope no Mi wasn't important; Nero merely wanted to find her own wallet.
Even the underworld, with its huge profits, wouldn't catch her eye, which is why there was this gap, and why he had his chance!
At the same time, Doflamingo also confirmed that Nero was not someone who would overturn the seas. She was like the Celestial Dragons—no, she was even more high and mighty than the Celestial Dragons.
However, the only thing that puzzled him was the aura he had felt just now, a chaotic demonic nature like the malice of oblivion.
"Hmm, Devil Fruits? And fifty billion, huh!" Nero wagged her tail; this condition indeed tempted her.
"How will you prove your worth? Third-rate pirate crews are everywhere on the sea; in the New World, you can hit a whole bunch of people like you by just throwing a brick."
"Three… No! One month! In one month, I will produce the corresponding results, and the Donquixote Family's savings are approximately twenty billion, which can be considered the first year's deposit."
Doflamingo sat up, but didn't stand. Instead, he knelt on one knee, bowing his head deeply.
"Hmm!" Nero nodded. This guy had some substance, so there was no harm in watching.
"In one month, I want to see your results in Nicuss! And as for Devil Fruits…"
"I am currently only interested in the Gold-Gold Fruit. If you can obtain it, I can even acknowledge you as an unofficial pirate crew of the rose emperor!"
"Yes!" Doflamingo bowed his head even lower. This hurdle was temporarily passed.
Whether he would soar or sink now depended on his future plans.
Nero walked over to him, her dragon claw gently resting on Doflamingo's shoulder: "Don't disappoint me, Doffy!"
"I will surely satisfy you!" Doflamingo took out a black card from his pocket, holding the edges of the card with both hands, and respectfully handed it to Nero.
"Twenty billion will be deposited into this card within three days. Please accept it, Your Majesty."
"Hmm!" Nero took the black card, her expression finally relaxing. This way, this trip wasn't in vain.
"Work hard! I am an enlightened emperor! As long as you show enough value, my rewards will be unimaginably generous."
Doflamingo again bowed his head, quickly expressing his loyalty.
Nero ignored him, instead furrowing her brows in thought.
Her recent changes seemed to be getting more and more obvious. What she had just said practically blurted out. The Nero before sailing, back then, would never have said such a thing.
Nero looked at her palm. The hidden trait beneath this shell, even Imu feared it, but should she develop it more deeply?
Nero was also a bit unsure, but ever since coming down from Mary Geoise, her changes… or rather, that trait seemed to have grown? Evolved?
Even she herself couldn't quite explain it. She glanced at Doflamingo, closing one eye.
A new era… huh?
"You all are also heading to the New World next, right? I want to rest well for a night, so let's hitch a ride today!"
Shaking her head, Nero dismissed the thought. These things had nothing to do with her.
She had basically obtained everything she wanted. As a human, she had almost reached the pinnacle, and she lacked nothing in terms of power or wealth.
The era Roger spoke of… the revolution… she had no interest in any of it right now.
For the time being, she just needed to enjoy herself. Imu, the World Government, the Gorosei, and the like, she would leave them to the person Roger was waiting for.
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