"Buru buru buru…"
Lying in his cabin, Doflamingo picked up the Den Den Mushi the moment it rang.
His distinctive, high‑pitched laughter and voice reached the ears of Buffalo, Monet, and Baby 5.
"It's me. How did it go?"
"Master, Lord Grimm did not give any direct reply," Monet reported, her voice tight with nervousness.
"But his subordinate, the Empress, demanded that if you wish to invite him, you must come in person."
In her mind, Hancock viewed Doflamingo's absence as an insult — but would not Doflamingo feel the same way?
I am a former Celestial Dragon, he would think. Even if I have fallen from grace, for me to extend an invitation, must I really lower myself to go personally? Is this not disrespectful?
Yet after a full half‑minute of silence, what came through the receiver was not anger, but laughter.
"Fufufufu… I suppose it is only natural for that woman to speak like that. However, what comes next is far more important. Very well — I shall go myself."
"Master…" Monet and the others were surprised, though considering Grimm's status as one of the Four Emperors, it was not entirely unexpected.
"Then what should we do?"
"Return to the ship," Doflamingo said, his expression — including that signature grin — perfectly mirrored on the Den Den Mushi's face.
"I will handle the rest personally."
"Understood."
After ending the call, Monet frowned and muttered to herself, "I have never met anyone who treats our Master with such disregard… An Emperor indeed — truly terrifying."
"Will Master be all right?" Baby 5, still not yet twenty, asked with concern. Monet smiled but secretly felt far from reassured.
---
Although Hancock had specially prepared a lavish suite for Grimm inside the Kuja Palace, he disliked the climate there — far too hot and humid.
Most of the time, he preferred to stay in the church near the harbor on Artemis, his main headquarters.
Suddenly, the massive, skull‑like face of Mannoroth appeared outside the second‑floor window, looking like something out of a horror film.
"Master, Donquixote Doflamingo has arrived and requests an audience," Mannoroth announced.
"Doflamingo… so he's here," Grimm said, a faint smile crossing his lips. "What does he want?"
"He says he is holding an auction of rare goods, and also has important matters to discuss with you," the fiend replied.
Grimm poured himself a glass of beer and spoke calmly. "I'm bored anyway. Let him in."
"Understood."
Mannoroth shifted his enormous frame aside. Within half an hour, Doflamingo stepped inside.
He no longer wore the bright red suit and floral shirt of his younger days, but his style remained just as flamboyant: a long red cape, patterned cropped trousers, and hands stuffed deep into his pockets, walking with a swagger like a crab.
Glancing around the plain, modest interior of the church, he grinned.
"Hey now — an Emperor living in such a simple place? It hardly matches your status at all!"
Stopping below where Grimm sat, Doflamingo's smile turned sharp and cunning.
"So your female commander insisted I come in person, did she? What a hassle. After arriving at Amazon Lily, I was even forbidden from setting foot on the island itself. It took quite some effort just to get here."
"Cut to the chase, Doflamingo. Why have you come?" Grimm asked, one leg crossed over the other, drinking his beer in the vast, empty hall — a sight that looked strangely out of place.
"Simple enough," Doflamingo replied.
"I sincerely hope you will attend the first major auction the Donquixote Family is hosting in the New World. And as a gesture of goodwill, I also bring a very valuable Devil Fruit, which I hope you will accept."
That was only part of his purpose, of course.
"You bring it here and tell me this — aren't you afraid I might just kill you and take it for myself?" Grimm asked, still smiling casually.
Doflamingo's eyes behind his sunglasses twitched slightly, but he laughed it off.
"Fufufufu… you are a true pirate. You would not do something so foolish."
In his world, killing was often the most primitive solution. Leaving the other party alive and working together could yield far greater profit — and Doflamingo understood this perfectly.
"Your intentions go deeper than that, don't they?" Grimm pressed, ignoring the question of killing him.
Again, Doflamingo's eyelids twitched. He gave a cold, hollow smile. "Sharp as always. Very well — my greater ambition is to control the entire underworld of the New World. To do that, I need a base of operations. The island I have chosen is… Dressrosa."
At present, Dressrosa belonged to Grimm. It served primarily as a trade hub: agricultural goods, fine wines, and other resources from his territories were routed through the island and sold to other powers across the New World, making it essentially a commercial nation.
Once poor and undeveloped, it had grown steadily more prosperous under Grimm's management over the years.
Yet for Grimm, it was not a critical stronghold. It lay far from his main headquarters, and the teleportation gates sometimes malfunctioned over such distances.
To him, it had become something of a "white elephant" — useful but not essential.
Doflamingo had naturally analyzed this situation, which gave him the confidence to speak openly. More importantly, he intended to offer something of equal value in exchange.
Originally, he had planned to build up his underground network for another year or two before making a move on Dressrosa.
But since Grimm had already seen through him, there was no point in hiding it any longer.
Of course, Grimm would not simply hand over something already in his grasp. But if the terms were good enough…
"So?" Grimm replied, keeping his tone completely neutral.
The single word caught Doflamingo off‑guard for two seconds. He then placed a hand over his forehead and chuckled.
"Fufufufu… I see. Perhaps I was worrying too much. After all, you are known as the pirate who has spilled more blood than anyone else alive — how could you possibly care about something so trivial?"
Doflamingo felt the conversation was going more smoothly than expected.
It seemed Grimm truly did not value Dressrosa much — a small, insignificant speck of land.
Of course, he thought, a pirate who has killed thousands would hardly concern himself with such details. That only makes things easier.
After a dozen seconds of thought, Doflamingo continued.
"From what I have learned, your territories are mostly agricultural nations. You treat your people surprisingly well, never raiding or plundering them, which means your access to rare resources is far more limited than other Emperors. I, on the other hand, control a large part of the Devil Fruit trade in the underworld. What do you say to forming a partnership? As a sign of good faith, I am prepared to offer the Gold‑Gold Fruit at this auction."
"Is that so?" Grimm raised his chin slightly.
"It is one of the strongest Paramecia‑type fruits," Doflamingo explained.
"Normally, it would sell for five hundred million Berries. But as a gesture of trust, I will let the Holy Light Pirates purchase it for just one hundred million Berries. How does that sound?"
He watched Grimm's expression closely before adding, "Furthermore, if Dressrosa were to fall under my management, it would remain your trading hub. My men would handle all the logistics and security, saving you a great deal of manpower and effort."
Doflamingo spoke carefully, trying to guess what Grimm was thinking. Little did he realize that he was entirely misjudging the situation.
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