"Faith... has power?"
Doflamingo chewed on the phrase, thinking about the awakened form Nico Robin had revealed.
A theory was starting to take root in his mind, his eyes growing brighter with excitement.
He turned and asked the two standing nearby:
"If it's someone else's belief, or perhaps the user's own obsession—could a Devil Fruit undergo a new transformation? Could it unlock new abilities?"
"If Vegapunk's theory holds true, then what you're suggesting, Boss, is entirely possible," Judge replied after a moment of thought, then added, "But if so, it would completely upend everything we know about lineage factors."
"That's fine. It's worth the risk!"
Doflamingo had never felt the path ahead so clear.
So this was what it all came down to—faith and deception. The world of pirates might as well run on superstition and manipulation.
It looked like he'd need to rewrite the textbooks and reorganize how they handled the public.
"Caesar, what's the status on SIQ Type-II?"
SIQ Type-II—an enhanced formula based on Indigo's original research.
Its main function: gigantification.
A perfect fit for the human enlargement experiments Caesar had been managing.
"It hasn't fully eliminated the side effects, Boss," Caesar replied, snapping out of his thoughts and choosing his words carefully.
"The current test subjects were developed using Judge's cloned embryos. Combining the original giant serum with SIQ Type-II, only five specimens—10001, 10004, 30005, and two others—have developed perfectly so far.
The rest... all have varying degrees of underlying complications."
"They're usable. Pick two of the most stable ones. We'll take them with us."
Doflamingo stood and headed toward the adjacent sealed chamber.
Skypiea was fully remodeled. Now, it was time to stir things up again.
...
Whole Cake Island.
BIG MOM, now fully merged with the massive central cake pillar, was enjoying her afternoon tea.
She was in an excellent mood, having just given birth to decuplets the day before.
Glug glug glug...
As the Transponder Snail's sunglasses lit up, a huge smile cracked across BIG MOM's face, flesh folding like layers of dough.
"Mamamamamama~ Doffy, you little rascal, you haven't come to see me in forever! You even missed my birthday this year!"
"Fufufufufufu~ That's because the World Government's been riding me nonstop! I only just found the time today, Lady Linlin."
Playing along with her, Doflamingo quickly moved the conversation to what he really wanted to talk about.
"The gigantification project has made real progress. I thought, perhaps, Lady Linlin would be quite interested in seeing the results for yourself?"
"Hmm?"
BIG MOM perked up instantly. Her dream was involved—she was hooked.
"Mamamama~ Bring it to me. Now."
Her excited shriek made all the nearby Homies clutch their ears in agony.
Katakuri and Perospero exchanged a knowing glance. They could already see through the situation.
That scheming liar Doflamingo was back at it again.
"Of course. Everything's already prepared. It won't be long before you can witness it firsthand."
Doflamingo was quite satisfied with her reaction. While she was still riding that high, he decided to make his own request.
"I was hoping, Lady Linlin, that you might host an engagement banquet for me and Smoothie."
"An engagement banquet? I thought you didn't care for that sort of thing?"
BIG MOM looked puzzled. She still remembered how Doflamingo had flatly refused the idea a few years ago.
Back then, Doflamingo thought to himself,
My foundation wasn't stable yet. If I'd formed an open alliance with BIG MOM that early, I'd have gotten crushed alive.
But, of course, he didn't mention any of that. The engagement wasn't even the real goal this time.
Keeping a straight face, he continued smoothly.
"True, the banquet itself doesn't matter. What does matter is that I'd like Lady Linlin's help in inviting a woman I'm not well acquainted with."
"A woman?" BIG MOM raised an eyebrow.
Doflamingo unveiled his true intent. "The Queen of Pleasure Street—Stussy."
"Stussy?"
BIG MOM frowned. She didn't understand how this involved one of her old companions.
"Yes. Stussy," Doflamingo said with a sly smile, eyes gleaming with anticipation. "There's something I need from her."
As the first clone created by MADS, and now a top CP0 agent, Stussy had the World Government's trust. That could only mean one thing—she must have been captured alongside Vegapunk and raised by them since childhood.
If Egghead Island was still under the World Government's control...
Then someone like her—deeply embedded in CP0—would definitely know its exact location.
"She's one of my few old friends," BIG MOM said softly, her tone laced with nostalgia.
She seemed to be recalling the days aboard the Rocks Pirates, the good times with Miss Buckingham.
But Doflamingo, a master of emotional manipulation and Observation Haki, could tell just how shallow her sentiment really was.
"Fufufufufufu~ Lady Linlin, wasn't your old friend Buckingham Stussy?
This Stussy is just her clone. Haven't you noticed?"
"Mamamamamama! And what if she is?"
BIG MOM burst out laughing. She had long since realized that herself.
But it didn't matter to her. As long as someone stayed by her side, that was all she needed.
"Tell me—what does Stussy have that's so valuable?"
If Doflamingo thought she was worth that much, then BIG MOM sure wasn't about to let the profit go.
"I've picked up some fascinating intel while tangling with the World Government."
Doflamingo smirked, letting the suspense build before revealing more.
"Stussy's a CP agent—a spy. Who knows how many secrets she's stolen from you, Lady Linlin?
As for me... I'm simply looking to settle a score with the World Government. The loss of Skypiea this time wasn't cheap."
Egghead Island was filled with cutting-edge tech. But BIG MOM's camp didn't have the right minds to make use of it.
So even if she got her hands on it, it would be worthless.
The mystery and pain of that ancient knowledge... was something only he needed to bear.
Katakuri felt a jolt run through his chest. No wonder that woman had always felt off to him.
"What a lying woman, Perorin," Perospero muttered instinctively.
"Mamamamamama~"
BIG MOM froze in place, stunned.
The sting of betrayal boiled up inside her. Her face twisted with fury, pupils narrowing into spinning concentric circles.
"I'LL KILL HER!!!"
"Of course, that's only natural."
Doflamingo nodded solemnly—then changed his tone.
"But that alone won't make the World Government pay."
"Why not leave her to me? I promise, Lady Linlin—you'll be reading the most delightful headlines very soon. Fufufufufufu~"
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg