Doflamingo did not offer the Gold‑Gold Fruit for free not out of stinginess, but because of how his business worked.
If he simply gave away a Devil Fruit, what would his regular clients think in the future?
In his view, forming a partnership with Grimm would bring far greater benefits to both sides.
There was no way Grimm would give up such long‑term gains just for the sake of Dressrosa.
After all, how could the limited profits from a single island ever compare to the value of an alliance with someone who would soon rule the entire underworld of the New World?
Having climbed to the rank of Emperor, Grimm would surely see which choice made more sense.
Doflamingo felt quite satisfied with how the discussion had gone. While he had not secured a formal agreement, he had confirmed that Grimm did not seem to care much about Dressrosa.
That meant once his own power grew strong enough, he could safely take over the island without resistance, paving a smooth path for his future plans.
The price was only one Devil Fruit and keeping Dressrosa open as a trading hub for Grimm's goods — a small cost indeed.
Besides, most of his core officers were already Devil Fruit users, so there was no urgent need for more.
But from Grimm's perspective, Doflamingo was simply getting ahead of himself. When had he ever said he would hand Dressrosa over? Not once during the entire conversation.
Only children make choices, he thought. I want both the Gold‑Gold Fruit and Dressrosa.
---
After Doflamingo left, Jaina, Plank, and others came to ask what had been discussed. When Grimm mentioned the Gold‑Gold Fruit, their eyes lit up with excitement.
So it has something to do with gold — a Paramecia type, I suppose?
Since Grimm had never seen One Piece Film: Gold in his past life, he was quite curious about its abilities and planned to have the System analyze it once it was in his hands.
"Boss, if we get it, who should eat it?" Plank asked, his eyes shining. He loved gold more than anything, but he knew he could not take it himself.
[Retainers cannot consume Devil Fruits.]
Grimm had no intention of eating it either, so naturally, it would go to one of his subordinates.
"Let me think about it," he replied.
He found the idea of the fruit interesting — if it could create gold, it would be incredibly useful and require no modifications at all.
At the same time, he was looking forward to seeing Doflamingo's reaction later.
Build up his hopes one moment, then dash them the next — hahaha. Just imagining the look on his face makes it worth it.
Wearing his fox‑hood seemed to bring out his mischievous side, and he was enjoying the game of leading Doflamingo on.
---
Once Plank and the others left, word of the Donquixote auction and the Gold‑Gold Fruit spread quickly throughout Grimm's territory.
Along with it came Grimm's order: "Anyone may take the fruit if they wish."
It sparked a wave of interest. Many feared the curse of losing the ability to swim, but just as many were eager to gain such power.
After all, Emperors like Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaido were all Devil Fruit users.
The auction was scheduled for the start of next month, and with the current month only just beginning, there were still more than twenty days left — plenty of time for his crew to make up their minds, especially the former members of the Golden Lion Pirates.
"Scarlett, why don't you be the one to take it?" Violet asked over the Den Den Mushi to her older sister.
"Me?" Scarlett sounded surprised. She was currently living on Dressrosa and had almost no combat ability, far from being a commander.
But with her sister's standing, she knew she would be allowed to take it if she wanted.
Becoming a Devil Fruit user… The thought tempted her, but she hesitated, remembering the drawbacks.
"All it means is you can't swim anymore," Violet said reassuringly.
"Look at me — I'm doing just fine, aren't I?"
"Very well then. Please speak to Lord Grimm for me. Oh, and when will you come visit? You've been away for so long…"
---
On Amazon Lily, Hancock paid no attention to the fruit. Instead, she turned to her aide. "How is Shirahoshi's training going?"
"Her progress is astonishingly fast!" Gentian replied promptly.
"And you are not going easy on her?" Hancock narrowed her eyes.
Though she treated Shirahoshi gently in daily life, during training she demanded strict discipline. Besides, the girl's soft, kind nature made her easy to spoil or favor.
"Never, Your Majesty!"
"Good."
---
Two days later, Violet led her own squad toward the Donquixote family's territory, meeting up with Scarlett, who had sailed from Dressrosa.
They reached their destination — a small town already under Doflamingo's control — within a day.
Others who had originally planned to claim the fruit, such as Matthew the Iron Mask, a former officer of the Golden Lion's fleet, quickly withdrew their interest when they heard Scarlett intended to take it.
Though they were far stronger than her, Violet was one of only two women closest to Grimm — no one dared cause trouble there.
If it's Violet's sister, she's practically our boss's sister too, they reasoned. Better to know one's place than risk losing one's life.
Still, many who had grown restless staying in their own territories decided to follow along.
Even if they did not want the fruit, it would be entertaining to watch the auction and see for themselves what the rising Donquixote family was like.
"Ugh, having all these smelly men around is unbearable!" Violet complained, her face twisted in disgust. Having lived so long on the all‑female island, she had picked up the same habits.
"Hey! Stay back, you filthy, scruffy lot!" she shouted from the stern of the ship, glaring at Matthew and his men.
"Hahaha, she's angry again," Matthew laughed, unfazed.
"Can't be helped — we're just rough old sea dogs." It was not the first time they had heard such remarks.
---
Meanwhile, the Red‑Hair Pirates had not come into open conflict with Big Mom's crew — at least, not officially.
But a week later, as they sailed past Kaido's territory, they clashed with two of the Emperor's top commanders: Jack the Drought and King the Conflagration.
In the end, Shanks and his crew emerged victorious.
The news spread like wildfire, shocking the entire New World. Though Shanks' bounty was already high, it was still lower than Jack's 800 million Berries and King's 1.1 billion.
Defeating them both proved beyond doubt that Shanks' power had reached the same level as the Four Emperors.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Heavy rain poured down as the Red Force cut through the storm. Inside the captain's quarters, Shanks sat with his crew, drinking warm sake.
He flexed his only remaining arm and laughed self‑deprecatingly.
"They say those two are terrifying forces of nature… but my wounds still ache just thinking about it!"
__________________
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