"Um... excuse me, haha..."
In the bubble-scooter parking area outside the casino, a hungover drunkard holding a liquor bottle stood up.
He was handsome, with a well-proportioned physique. His golden, ear-length hair was slicked back, and a striking vertical scar ran across his left eye, unhidden even by his refined glasses. His mustache was neatly trimmed, and his features were attractive without being overly delicate, mixing just the right amount of ruggedness to strangely give him a gentle and refined aura. Paired with an open purple trench coat, jeans, and leather shoes, he exuded the unique charm of a mature man... though he was a bit dirty.
"Ah~ah~~ Drank too much yesterday, but at least I didn't miss anything important," the drunkard patted the dirt off his clothes, grumbling incessantly. "Damn unscrupulous casino, those cursed smelly dealers, and these awful security guards, honestly! They swindled all my money and then rudely threw me out to sleep outside."
Doflamingo set Baccarat down and tossed the silk cocoon containing Hancock to Baccarat, gesturing for her to step back as he slowly walked forward.
"Fufufufu~ You've got quite the nerve! This place is practically a stone's throw from Marine Headquarters and Mariejois, the core of the World Government. For someone high on their wanted list to dare to stroll around right under their noses, playing hide-and-seek under the lamp, not bad! Was this your idea? Or Shakky's? Hmm? Former first mate of the Roger Pirates, the Pirate King's right-hand man, 'Dark King' Silvers Rayleigh... sir," Doflamingo said.
"Oops! You saw right through me immediately!" Rayleigh chuckled carelessly. "No wonder Shakky said the Sabaody Archipelago was your territory, and that you've known we were hiding here all along."
"Since you know the Sabaody Archipelago is my territory, and I've tacitly allowed you to live here in seclusion, you shouldn't have shown yourself!" Doflamingo said with an air of authority.
Rayleigh being on the Sabaody Archipelago was something Trebol had reported to Doflamingo a long time ago.
At the time, Trebol had been scared half to death, as Rayleigh, that pauper, always enjoyed frequenting the family's businesses, feigning being a slave to get caught/auctioned off, then rudely robbing the nobles who bought him.
Once he had money, he'd go to the casino, and when he lost it all, he'd go back to feigning being a slave to get caught/auctioned off again. It was a cycle he thoroughly enjoyed, and it was impossible not to notice him.
Doflamingo's reply was simple: "Let him do as he pleases."
Living with Rayleigh was also a retired pirate, the female pirate Shakky, who now ostensibly ran a bar but secretly dealt in information, making her part of the underworld. However, her underworld connections didn't overlap with Doflamingo's. Even so, she still knew more than the average person.
Rayleigh's antics couldn't be hidden from Shakky. Shakky also analyzed many things from Rayleigh's experiences frequenting the Donquixote family's auction house and casino. This led to Rayleigh's remark, "No wonder Shakky said the Sabaody Archipelago was your territory, and that you've known we were hiding here all along."
The two had originally ignored each other with a silent understanding—you have your carefree life, I have my pleasures. Now, however, they had to interact, because Shakky also hailed from the Kuja Pirates of the Amazon Lily Kingdom.
"Can't be helped, I was asked to," Rayleigh said, spreading his hands.
Doflamingo met Rayleigh's gaze indifferently. This was not a waste of time.
Rayleigh was momentarily speechless. After a long pause, he said seriously, "With your intelligence and vast information network, it's not hard to understand..."
"During another raid by the Kuja Pirates, they grew overconfident due to their supposed fame and strength, believing no one would dare offend them, so they all went ashore, leaving only three brats to guard the ship. As a result, human traffickers got their hands on them," Doflamingo interrupted Rayleigh, narrating. "Upon discovering their crew missing, the fierce Kuja Pirates naturally wouldn't let it go. So they inquired everywhere, and it was obvious that given the Kuja Pirates' range of activity and the Grand Line's largest human trafficking channel, my auction house, it was listed as a primary suspect."
Doflamingo said languidly, "The geographical location of the Sabaody Archipelago, as I said, 'is practically a stone's throw from Marine Headquarters and Mariejois, the core of the World Government,' a place the Kuja Pirates would never dare to easily step into! The Kuja Pirates remembered a former comrade on the Sabaody Archipelago, a well-known information broker in the underworld, Shakky."
"The Amazon Lily Kingdom's laws permit its citizens to go out to sea to find men, but once pregnant, they must return to Kuja Island to give birth to genetically destined girls. This is an ironclad rule to ensure the nation's continuation. However, Shakky is an exception. I suspect her departure from the Amazon Lily Kingdom back then was rather disgraceful, and she owes a huge 'debt' that she absolutely must repay! And you are Shakky's lover..." Doflamingo said playfully. "So... that's why you're standing before me?"
Rayleigh blinked. "You've said it all."
"What are your thoughts?" Doflamingo asked earnestly.
Rayleigh paused.
"Bluntly speaking, your comfortable life on the Sabaody Archipelago is thanks to the cover provided by my businesses here. I haven't reported you to the Marines or the World Government out of respect for you as a fellow pirate," Doflamingo said. "What are your thoughts? You're no longer the Roger Pirates' first mate, the Pirate King's right-hand man, 'Dark King' Silvers Rayleigh! You're the former Roger Pirates' first mate, the Pirate King's right-hand man, 'Dark King' Silvers Rayleigh!"
Doflamingo emphasized the word "former" with particular clarity.
Rayleigh: "..."
"Reality is such that you are nothing but a stray dog. Your heart died with the 'Pirate King's' death. There's merely some undisclosed purpose still sustaining your continued existence with a broken body," Doflamingo said cuttingly. "You possess no value whatsoever, Rayleigh! Don't come here trying to get a discount based on your reputation or anything like that. It's impossible."
Rayleigh grimaced. "You, your mouth is truly venomous."
"I don't idolize Gol D. Roger, nor do I yearn for the 'Pirate King'," Doflamingo added. He paused slightly, then continued, "Before Roger surrendered, did he not speak to you about me?"
Rayleigh stared at Doflamingo in surprise.
"Probably not. He was afraid of being embarrassed," Doflamingo observed Rayleigh's expression, clearly finding his answer. Then, with a flick of his finger, he asked, "What do you plan to do? Use pirate methods? After all, even if you've rotted, you're still a pirate among pirates."
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