"Hehehehe... You want three Seraphim too? You know the price, right?"
"What? The price has gone up now—6.3 billion for three. Don't want them? Plenty of others will..."
Doflamingo received a call.
He was in high spirits.
Thanks to the emergence of the fake Seraphim, this underground broker was raking in massive profits!
With the slow development speed of the Seraphim and their direct impact on the security of various factions, demand had skyrocketed.
As a result, Doflamingo had raised prices repeatedly and the current price had already increased by 100 million Berries—yet supply still couldn't meet demand!
Needless to say, Doflamingo was overjoyed.
After settling the price and quantity over the phone, he immediately called Big Mom.
Previously, he had relied on Kaido's mass-produced weapons, selling them at a markup for huge profits.
But now, compared to the Seraphim, the profits from any other weapons were negligible.
Big Mom had become his golden goose, completely replacing Kaido!
"Who is this!"
"Big Mom, hehehe, it's me! I want to buy 18 more Seraphim—hope you can give me a better price this time..." With such a large order, he naturally had the leverage to negotiate a lower price.
But this time, before he could finish, Big Mom coldly cut him off.
"Donquixote Doflamingo, I'm afraid we can no longer offer you the previous price."
Hearing this, Doflamingo froze.
He hurriedly asked, "Why? We've worked together so many times..."
This was about his profits, after all.
The next moment, Big Mom replied.
"No reason. You probably haven't heard what the Marines have developed, have you?"
"The Marines invented a technological device that allows instantaneous spatial travel and they've already used it to wreak havoc on Onigashima." Big Mom continued, "Now the entire island is in chaos. So all the major factions in the seas are scrambling to buy Seraphim. Don't even think about getting a discount for your petty troubles."
Hearing this, Doflamingo gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Fine! Then give them to me at the original price!"
Luckily, he had plenty of buyers—though far fewer than Big Mom's client.
But with the accumulated small orders, Big Mom should still be willing to sell to him.
"The original price is impossible. It's 2.2 billion each now!"
"What?! That's way too expensive!" Doflamingo exclaimed.
At this price, he'd still be losing money!
"Alright, alright, no need to buy then. There are buyers everywhere! Come back when you've made up your mind!" But Big Mom couldn't care less.
With that, the call ended abruptly.
Doflamingo's expression darkened as he stared at the disconnected Den Den Mushi, confusion flickering in his eyes...
"What the hell is going on? What's this about some random door?!"
Gritting his teeth, he quickly ordered his subordinates to secretly contact Vergo, urging him to get in touch immediately.
Soon, Vergo's call came through.
"Doffy, what's the matter?"
"Vergo, have the Marines really invented some new device—an 'Anywhere Door' that allows instant spatial travel?" Doflamingo got straight to the point.
"Anywhere Door? Can freely traverse space?" Vergo on the other end of the phone was stunned.
"I didn't know about this..."
"But it seems Dr. Leon has come up with another new invention—this might actually be real!" Vergo speculated.
"Though perhaps it's not as exaggerated as it sounds. After all, it seems too unbelievable..."
Listening to Vergo's words, Doflamingo's expression turned extremely grim.
That being said, this was indeed possible.
Moreover, Big Mom wouldn't joke about something like this with him.
And if Onigashima had truly been attacked by the Marines... This wouldn't be hard to verify!
"Vergo, go investigate. I'll wait for your report."
"Understood!"
After hanging up the phone, Doflamingo sat quietly alone, as if transported back to the era before the Seraphim had been developed.
The shadow of the Marines loomed over his heart!
*****
Meanwhile.
Room of Authority.
"I've heard that those damned pirates have successfully replicated the Seraphim." Ethanbaron V Nusjuro spoke with a grim expression.
"Indeed. However, in terms of strength, theirs are weaker than our Seraphim. Moreover, they haven't yet developed Admiral-level Seraphim." Topman Warcury spoke up.
"But even so, the sheer number of the pirates' counterfeit Seraphim poses a serious threat to the World Government's authority!"
"Not only that, the pirates have launched counterattacks against the Marines. The current situation doesn't look good..."
"Then increase our investment! Focus all efforts on developing Admiral-level Seraphim. With enough numbers and their strength, we can surely suppress them decisively!"
"But if we do that, the required funds will be astronomical—an unimaginable sum!"
"At this point, we have no other choice. This is the only path forward."
Amids their debate, suddenly—They all fell silent.
Because they realized that a strange pink door had suddenly appeared in the room!!
In an instant, the Five Elders rose to their feet!
Staring warily at this unfamiliar and unknown door, their eyes filled with vigilance.
The next moment, the door opened.
"Don't be alarmed. It's just me." Sengoku's voice came from within the door.
Then he stepped out.
"Eh?! Sengoku!" The Five Elders were utterly shocked.
"Sengoku, how did you appear here like this? This is..." The elders exchanged glances, unable to hold back their questions.
"Heh, this is Leon's latest invention—the Anywhere Door!"
"A door?" Facing the elders' confusion, Sengoku smiled and explained.
"According to Leon, we can use this door to reach anywhere in the world—provided we've been there before."
"We just conducted a group test. Akainu even flipped the entire Onigashima upside down."
"What?! You can directly traverse space to other locations?!" Their faces filled with shock as they looked at each other, seeing the same astonishment reflected in each other's eyes.
"Indeed."
"How does it work?" Shepherd Ju Peter stepped forward.
"You just need to think of the place you want to go, open the door and step through to travel there."
"I see!" Ju Peter muttered to himself.
Then, slowly, he opened the door...
"Eh?!"
The next moment, Ju Peter's pupils abruptly constricted!
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