By the time Queen mama charter returned to Sweet Island with everyone aboard, the sky had begun to darken, painted with fiery hues of sunset.
"Linlin, where was this ship built? The Beast God Pirates have been around for days now, and we still don't have our own flagship. We need to figure out how to get our hands on a powerful vessel."
On the ship, Caesar casually brushed aside a strand of hair near Linlin's ear and spoke offhandedly.
Linlin shot him an annoyed glare before proudly gazing at the massive vessel beneath her feet.
"This ship was built by a giant craftsman. Both the materials and the hull structure were designed to be incredibly sturdy and durable. It's been with me for over thirty years now. If you want to build a ship, you'll need good timber—the most crucial part is the material used for the keel.
Ah, what a shame… The giant craftsman who built this for me has been in seclusion in Elbaf for many years, with no news from him ever since. If you're looking to build a ship now, I'd suggest going to Water 7. It's a famous shipbuilding island these days. Rumor has it that Roger's Oro Jackson was built there."
"Water 7? You mean that island in the Grand Line?" Caesar was surprised.
He hadn't expected pirates from the distant New World to still travel all the way to the Grand Line just to build a ship.
After all, unless one had the ability to fly high into the sky, traveling between the Grand Line and the New World required passing through Fish-Man Island, located 10,000 meters beneath the sea.
The deep-sea currents and colossal Sea Kings there were the leading causes of shipwrecks among pirates.
For pirate ships attempting to enter the New World, the odds of safely crossing Fish-Man Island were less than half.
Doflamingo, who had been closely observing Caesar's actions, suddenly perked up.
His eyes gleamed as he pushed through the crowd, wearing a deceitful smile.
Tipping his head up, he addressed Caesar, "Fufufufu, Caesar-sama, I overheard you're interested in building a ship? Perhaps I can be of some assistance."
Caesar paused, glancing at Doflamingo. "Oh? Do you have any good ideas, Doffy?"
"Are you familiar with the legendary Treasure Tree Adam, my lord?" Doflamingo countered.
Seeing Caesar's blank expression, Doflamingo didn't dare keep him in suspense and explained.
"Treasure Tree Adam is a colossal tree found in the Grand Line, typically growing on islands within the Calm Belt. Its roots can capture Sea Kings to absorb nutrients, which is why its trunk grows exceptionally thick and strong—making it the finest shipbuilding material in the world. It's especially ideal for crafting the keel. Of course, if an entire ship were built from this material, it would be a treasure capable of conquering the seas!"
"Hmm? There's really such a tree? Is it like the ones on Sabaody Archipelago?" Caesar's interest was piqued.
Doflamingo chuckled. "Indeed, a bit similar to the yarukiman mangrove—also a collective plant species. But because it possesses aggressive defenses, obtaining its main trunk is no easy feat. As a result, Adam wood sells for exorbitant prices on the black market.
If Caesar-sama wishes to construct a sufficiently massive warship, the cost of the timber alone could easily exceed billions of berries. Add in the ship's equipment, cannons, gunpowder, supplies, design, and so on… The total expense for one ship wouldn't be less than 20 billion berries."
"No need for cannons or flames, what use are those things? Borororo, Doffy, you sure know a lot. Who would've thought building a ship would cost so much? Hmph, little bro, do you still have any money left? Hand it over for my ship!"
Caesar suddenly threw his thick arm around Kaido, who was idly watching the sea view, squeezing so hard the massive man staggered.
"None! I dont have any! Where would I get money? It's all gone!" Kaido snapped, shaking off Caesar's grip.
Feeling the deck sway beneath his feet, Doflamingo could only see two giant tyrannosaurs brawling before him.
The ship they were on seemed in constant danger of capsizing.
He subtly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Kaido, Caesar-sama, uh... if you don't mind, I still have some savings in the New World. Not much, but enough to help purchase materials from the Treasure Tree Adam," Doflamingo said with a grin.
"Ho?" Caesar was genuinely surprised now, eyeing Doflamingo up and down before glancing sideways at Kaido with such disdain it made veins bulge on Kaido's forehead.
"Didn't know you were this loaded, Doffy? Fine then. If you can build me a satisfactory ship, I'll hand over all the Beast God Pirates' economic operations to you. You'll be our finance minister. Next month, Wano Country's first batch of forged weapons should be ready. We'll need buyers—you're good at that, so handle it."
Doflamingo's grin stretched wider.
This was exactly what he'd been waiting for.
He knew Caesar was no fool—dealing with smart people was efficient.
No need to spell things out; just show a little sincerity to get what you wanted.
His biggest worry had been losing his freedom after joining the Beast God Pirates, becoming just another overworked lackey under Caesar's thumb without real authority.
After all, he'd always been his own man, ruling his corner of the world as he pleased.
But with Caesar entrusting him with the crew's entire economic operations, his position would be elevated—no mere enforcer, but a key figure like King or Katakuri, capable of making major decisions.
Immediately, Dofflamingo excitedly assured Caesar he'd line up buyers in advance.
His connections in this field were vast.
Wano's weapons—especially their peerless blades—were highly sought after across the New World by pirates and nations alike.
During his absence after his underworld broker empire collapsed, countless factions had been destroyed by rivals when they couldn't procure his weapons.
Once word spread of Donquixote Doflamingo's return, he wouldn't need to seek buyers—his den den mushi would be ringing off the hook.
Kaido looked suspiciously at the excited Doflamingo and suddenly muttered in a low voice.
"Joker, did you skim my money when we were dealing with SMILES?"
The smile on Doflamingo's face instantly froze and beads of cold sweat gradually seeped from his forehead...
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I release a new whitebeard scientist fic : One Piece : Scientist of Whitebeard Pirates
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