"Damn, that guy's loaded… Just how much has he made selling medicine all these years? It's insane. I swear, I'd love nothing more than to slit that Celestial Dragon wannabe's throat and take every last Berry for myself."
As Aaron transformed into a swirl of snow and wind, leaving the castle behind, his thoughts lingered on Gilbert's immense fortune.
Devil Fruits, the legendary treasures of the sea were priceless. The base price on the market was one hundred million Berries, but the actual sale price often exceeded one billion.
Ordinary Zoan and Paramecia types were somewhat cheaper, typically fetching seven or eight hundred million, but once you entered the realm of rare Zoan and Paramecia, or heaven forbid the precious Logia types, the number of zeros at the end of the price tag multiplied quickly.
Doflamingo, of course, was making a killing from the ongoing war. The Fruits he sold Gilbert were just ordinary Zoan and Paramecia types yet he'd priced them several times higher than usual.
Thirty billion Berries.
That was how much Gilbert had spent in one go to buy eight Devil Fruits from Doflamingo. All to strengthen his forces and inspire his army's morale.
A staggering display of wealth. Even Aaron could only describe Gilbert with one word extravagant.
Of those eight Devil Fruits, most were Zoan-type:
Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Golden Eagle
Hebi Hebi no Mi, Model: Golden Ring Snake
Hebi Hebi no Mi, Model: King Cobra
Neko Neko no Mi, Model: Wildcat
Neko Neko no Mi, Model: Leopard
Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Hyena
The remaining two were Paramecia-types:
Shield-Shield Fruit (Tate Tate no Mi)
Hole-Hole Fruit (Ana Ana no Mi)
So many Devil Fruits it was enough to make anyone's heart race. Truth be told, Aaron was deeply tempted.
If only he knew where the deal between Doflamingo and Gilbert was taking place… he might have been able to discreetly tip off the royal army, provoke a "robbery," and use the chaos to snatch a few Fruits for himself.
As for the one he bought from Doflamingo it was a Paramecia-type as well: the Float-Float Fruit (Fuwa Fuwa no Mi).
It had cost him eight hundred million Berries.
Still, something about all this didn't sit right with him.
"Wait a minute…" Aaron muttered as he stood at the edge of Drum Peak, gazing down at the sea of clouds below. "Would Doflamingo really be generous enough to hand over that many Devil Fruits to Gilbert? That bastard thrives on chaos the more Drum Kingdom bleeds, the more he profits. But if Gilbert's rebellion suddenly gains seven more Devil Fruit users, the royal army's finished. That's not like him…"
He frowned thoughtfully.
Then, without another word, Aaron took a step forward and leapt off the cliff.
The freezing wind howled past his ears as he plunged downward, legs kicking rhythmically against the air. He was still refining his Geppo technique the "Moonwalk" used by Marine elites.
Every jump was a new experience, every fall a test of control. The feeling of stepping on air was growing more distinct proof that he was inching closer to mastering the real thing.
If he kept training his leg strength through constant climbing and leaping, it was only a matter of time before he could use Geppo freely.
Minutes later, he safely hit the ground or rather, became the ground, bursting into a pile of snow before reforming back into his human shape.
Just then, something seemed to catch his attention. His expression flickered briefly as he turned his gaze toward the royal capital Cassia City before resuming his training in silence.
Onboard the Numancia Flamingo, inside the captain's quarters, Doflamingo was in the middle of a conversation.
"You told me about your transaction with Gilbert," said the voice on the other end cold, imperious. "What exactly are you playing at?"
The white Den Den Mushi on his desk mirrored the speaker's stern face before a fit of harsh coughing echoed through the line.
"Fuffuffuffu~ What else could I be playing at, Your Majesty?" Doflamingo chuckled, lounging casually in his chair. "I'm a black-market merchant. My goal is simple to sell my goods for the highest price. If you don't want me to sell this batch of Devil Fruits to Gilbert, then you'll have to offer a better deal."
Sell them to Gilbert? Of course not. Doflamingo had no intention of doing that. Gilbert wasn't his only buyer in Drum Kingdom not by a long shot.
He had already aided Gilbert before, supplying his forces with Devil Fruits that allowed several of his officers to gain powerful abilities. With those, Gilbert had managed to seize Snowstorm City and annihilate the royal army's Second Division, dramatically narrowing the gap between the two sides.
Over the past two months, Doflamingo's intelligence network across the Drum Kingdom had fully recovered. He now knew every significant move within the country.
And with the rebel army currently gaining the upper hand, Gilbert's base of operations was stabilizing. Supplying him with more Fruits now would all but ensure the royal army's collapse.
That was the last thing Doflamingo wanted.
Just as Aaron had guessed, Doflamingo's true wish was for Drum Kingdom to remain locked in endless conflict until both sides were exhausted, drained of strength and resources.
That was when his profits from selling weapons and Devil Fruits would soar the highest.
In the royal capital Cassia City, at the very heart of Drum Island, deep within the palace...
In a modest but elegant chamber sat King Gresham, the 68-year-old monarch of Drum Kingdom. Wearing his crown, he glared coldly at the pink, grinning Den Den Mushi before him, its little sunglasses and smirk unmistakably mimicking Doflamingo's face.
King Gresham had ruled for decades, but illness had ravaged him. For years, he had been too weak to leave the palace, sometimes even too weak to meet his ministers.
Yet despite his frail condition, his grip on power remained firm. Even the sudden death of his son, Wapol, had not shaken his control.
Seven years ago, he'd been diagnosed with an incurable disease. Not even Drum Kingdom's world-renowned medical science could heal him, only delay the inevitable.
Now, after seven years of agony, the once-vigorous king had become a withered old man, his waxy face pale and his body frail. He survived only through a constant regimen of the kingdom's rarest medicines.
But his time was clearly running out.
"…How much do you want?" he rasped at last. His voice was cold but weary, his patience thin.
The unending stream of grim reports from the front lines had already soured his temper. And now this extortion from the black-market broker himself.
Still, he clenched his teeth and forced himself to negotiate.
The loss of Snowstorm City and the destruction of the Second Division had been because of Devil Fruits. If the rebels gained eight more users, their next assault would be unstoppable.
"Fuffuffuffu~ Now we're talking," Doflamingo purred. "I'm not asking for much just fifty billion Berries. That's a fair price, isn't it, Your Majesty?"
"Fifty… billion?!" Gresham roared, his frail body trembling. "You're dreaming! Cough, cough!"
The outburst triggered a fit of violent coughing. Red stained his lips as he struggled to breathe.
The kingdom's treasury was already on the verge of collapse. After paying compensation to the families of twenty thousand fallen soldiers, funding new recruits, buying weapons, and providing disaster relief from pirate raids, the once-wealthy Drum Kingdom was nearly bankrupt.
And now this vile merchant dared to squeeze him for more.
"You…" Gresham wheezed, clutching his chest. Pain wracked his body as he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Your Majesty!" his guards shouted in alarm. One of them bolted for the door to summon the royal physicians.
"Fuffuffuffu~ Easy now, Your Majesty," Doflamingo said lightly through the line, unfazed. "Getting this worked up isn't good for your health. Take your time to think about my offer. You've got one day after that; I can't promise the price will stay the same."
The line went dead with a sharp click, leaving only the faint sound of the king's labored breathing echoing through the chamber.
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