"Behehehe~ Doffy, Doffy, it's them."
At the sole auction house on the Sabaody Archipelago, which held a monopoly, Trebol eagerly introduced his latest potential recruits to Doflamingo through a one-way glass window.
Three slaves, from the fighting tribe of Amazon Lily, also known as "Kuja Island," a nation where all ancestors were robbers and all citizens were women.
This was extremely rare.
Amazon Lily was located in the Calm Belt, teeming with Sea King nests, a truly perilous place. Few could ignore the threat of giant Sea Kings and enter "Kuja Island." Even fewer, if they did manage to enter, could defeat the residents—a group forced by barren land to forgo agriculture and rely on external plunder for their meager livelihood, making them fiercely combat-hardened and experienced fighters.
The ordinary warrior women of Amazon Lily were terrifying enough, while the Kuja Pirates, comprised of elite warrior women, were almost a horror in themselves. Their captain was their empress, and historically, none had bounties below 200 million Berries.
Clang, clang, clang~~
Huddled in a corner of the cage, the smallest, dark-haired girl seemed to know she was being observed. She dragged her heavy shackles uneasily, shielding an orange-haired girl and a green-haired, oval-faced girl behind her.
"Fufufufu~ Keen perception. Signs of awakened Observation Haki? Should I say it's because they inherited 'aggressive' habits from generations of habitual robbers in their genes? Their talent is truly excellent," Doflamingo praised, though his expression remained solemn, still unable to shake off the madness ingrained from his long immersion in extreme self-torture.
Trebol spoke with difficulty. "Doffy, actually, she has awakened Conqueror's Haki! I witnessed it myself... the dark-haired one, Boa Hancock. She also possesses the 'King's Disposition,' she is... a person chosen by the heavens."
"And then..." Doflamingo squinted, saying playfully, "You want to save her? To pull the same stunt you pulled on me?"
Trebol shuddered, stammering, "N-no, Doffy, I... I mean... she's worth cultivating."
"Fufufufu~ Why so nervous?" Doflamingo placed a hand on Trebol's shoulder, an indescribably sinister gesture.
Trebol trembled even more violently. After more than a year apart, he clearly felt that Doflamingo's presence and strength had grown. That innate madness within him seemed to be constantly on the verge of erupting. If it exploded, a complete monster would be born into this world... So he was afraid, trembling, shivering, and his bones felt cold.
Doflamingo observed the Boa sisters as if admiring rare treasures, clicking his tongue in wonder. "These human traffickers nowadays! Longarm Tribe, Longleg Tribe, Snake-Neck Tribe, Fish-Men, Giants, Tontattas, Minks... as long as someone is willing to pay a high price, dead or alive, weak or strong, there's nothing they wouldn't dare to touch."
"Behehe, Doffy, don't you always say, 'With 20% profit, people will get restless; with 50% profit, they'll take risks; with 100% profit, they'll dare to risk hanging; and with 300% profit, they'll dare to trample on everything in the world,' nyeh?" Trebol cautiously flattered. "The profit from slave trading, it's more than 300%!"
"You've improved. Have someone send Boa Hancock to the casino later," Doflamingo turned, no longer paying attention to the Boa sisters.
Trebol hobbled quickly to catch up. "Just Boa Hancock? What about her two sisters?"
"She needs motivation, doesn't she? Auction them off! Remember to find a World Noble who doesn't like killing slaves to be their owner, so they can live longer," Doflamingo said airily, then changed the subject. "What about the Devil Fruits?"
Trebol quickly replied, "They're over here. Mainly two Paramecia types, and some Zoan types being held for auction."
"Did you cross-reference them with the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia?" Doflamingo asked.
Trebol said, "Behehehe~ Naturally! The two Paramecia Devil Fruits have been confirmed as the Love-Love Fruit and the Shatter-Shatter Fruit. Both are rare good finds. The Zoan types are far less impressive."
"Good. You've worked hard these past few days, Trebol," Doflamingo praised Trebol, then said decisively, "Take the Love-Love Fruit and the Shatter-Shatter Fruit and return to the casino."
A moment later.
The casino's VIP lounge.
"Joker!"
Spandine enthusiastically welcomed Doflamingo. Perhaps the corrupt lifestyle had been too nourishing, as the man had gotten quite fat, making him appear even more despicable.
Doflamingo looked down at Spandine expressionlessly, not saying a word. Spandine's smile immediately stiffened and crumbled.
"My things," Doflamingo held out a hand.
Spandine nervously handed him a pink-and-white string bracelet. "It was finished a long time ago. I kept trying to contact you. I specifically found a highly skilled craftsman's shop to weave it."
Bang~
Released from Spandine's hand, the string bracelet made a soft popping sound as if exploding. A puff of smoke dissipated, and a small, plush-toy-like creature stood in Doflamingo's palm.
"I'm Pato, Boss! Nukikiki~" The little creature introduced itself happily. With a swirl of its large tail, it turned towards Spandine with an utterly disgusted expression. "Idiot."
Spandine: "..."
"Oh? Such strong self-awareness, and quite high intelligence too, fufufufu~ Is it a Mythical Zoan?"
Objects "eating" ordinary Zoan Devil Fruits generally have little self-awareness, and their intelligence depends on the type of animal the Devil Fruit represents.
But Pato's self-awareness and intelligence clearly approached that of a ten-year-old child, and it could even speak like a human.
Doflamingo could only attribute this to it being a Zoan-type Mythical Zoan.
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