Although Doflamingo's expression was deeply sinister, he ultimately dared not push Diarmuid any further. He nodded disingenuously and said softly, "Funny."
"If it's funny, then give me a smile," Diarmuid pressed him relentlessly.
Doflamingo took a deep breath, forced a chilling smile onto his face, and grinned at Diarmuid.
"That's more like it," Diarmuid removed the cigar from his mouth, exhaled a puff of smoke, and flicked the ash.
Doflamingo glanced at Vergo, then asked, "When did you find out?"
"From the very beginning. Where do you think I'm from? I'm from the North Blue too," Diarmuid waved his hand dismissively.
Seeing this, Doflamingo didn't press the issue further.
However, his heart was filled with dread. Diarmuid knew from the start that Vergo was his spy, yet for all these years, he kept Vergo by his side and nurtured him. An outsider would have thought he valued Vergo highly... This guy is too calculating!
"It seems I went through unnecessary trouble. But Admiral, why did you keep him around all this time?" Doflamingo asked again.
"Because I admire you," Diarmuid waved his hand.
After speaking, he didn't look at Doflamingo but turned toward Rosinante. "Are you dead?"
"No. Just got shot once," Rosinante replied, a smile on his face as he looked at Diarmuid.
"And you have the nerve to smile? Prepare to die. If Admiral Sengoku hadn't said he wanted to kill you himself to vent his frustration, I'd finish you off right now," Diarmuid grumbled, using a casual excuse.
Of course, Rosinante didn't believe that, but he nodded anyway.
Diarmuid finally calmed down a bit. Although Rosinante was a troublemaker, his respect and trust for Diarmuid were undeniable.
"Bring that kid and get over here. What, do you need me to come help you up?" Diarmuid said with ill temper.
Rosinante didn't dare talk back. He quickly brought Law over from his spot. Doflamingo watched with wide eyes as his brother and Law walked right past him to stand behind Diarmuid, yet he dared not make a move.
"Doflamingo, I've always admired you. You haven't caused us any major trouble these past few years. This time, you may have had a plan, but it failed in the end. I won't hold all this against you. Go back, prepare the Gold-Gold Fruit, and bring it to me. I'll call the matter on Minion Island even. If I don't see the Gold-Gold Fruit in three days, you can forget about operating in the North Blue. Just pray you don't run into me out at sea, or I'll sink your ship and feed you to the fish. Understand?" Diarmuid looked at Doflamingo, his voice low and serious.
Doflamingo was silent for a while, feeling a severe headache. You're a proud Admiral of the Navy, yet you extort people left and right and threaten to sink them to the fish. Do you even deserve the Justice written on your back? You'd be losing money by not becoming a pirate!
"This is a bit embarrassing, Admiral Diarmuid. But while I was on my way to get the Op-Op Fruit, the Gold-Gold Fruit was stolen..." Doflamingo said, utterly helpless.
Diarmuid: ???
"What's the point of telling such lies? Are you trying to joke with me again? Should I tell you a joke now?" Diarmuid asked, a flash of coldness in his eyes.
Doflamingo was genuinely helpless. He shook his head. "I'm really not joking. How about you give me a little more time? Once I find the Gold-Gold Fruit, I promise I'll hand it over to you."
Diarmuid frowned. Could it be true? Doflamingo lost the Gold-Gold Fruit too? Wait, why did I say 'too'?
Just then, Rosinante, still a little guilty about being shot, suddenly spoke up. "Well, Admiral, the Gold-Gold Fruit is with me..."
Rosinante patted a small pouch hanging on his waist, his face awkward and embarrassed.
Diarmuid was utterly bewildered, and so was Doflamingo.
"You..." Diarmuid wanted to say something, but in the end, words failed him. He could only kick Rosinante. "Don't think that stealing the Gold-Gold Fruit means you can redeem yourself! And don't think for a second I'll put in a good word for you. I'm telling you, I already booked your spot at Impel Down before I left. Get ready to die."
With that, Diarmuid reached out and took the small pouch Rosinante handed him. He opened it and, sure enough, there was a large fruit inside, radiating a golden, 'tycoon' aura and covered in the bizarre Devil Fruit pattern. Comparing it with the diagrams, it was indeed the Paramecia-type Gold-Gold Fruit.
This brightened Diarmuid's mood somewhat. Even though Rosinante was a troublemaker, at least he brought him the Gold-Gold Fruit. This proved that Diarmuid's words still held weight with him. It wasn't a wasted trip to save his worthless life.
Doflamingo's expression, however, was extremely ugly.
I'll be damned.
You guard against enemies outside, but the thief is in your own house!
You absolute Rosinante, you truly are my brother! I should have shot you dead just now, you bastard! You're determined to ruin your brother until the bitter end! First, you stole the Gold-Gold Fruit, and now you've ruined my Op-Op Fruit deal!
Now his path to fortune and immortality were both ruined. Doflamingo genuinely wished he could kill Rosinante right there and then!
After examining the Gold-Gold Fruit, Diarmuid immediately tossed it to Hina beside him. He then looked at Doflamingo again and said, "Since the Gold-Gold Fruit is now with me, let's change the terms."
Doflamingo: ???
Are you really that shameless?
However, he didn't dare say anything, forcing a small smile and nodding. "Alright."
He had no choice. The situation was stacked against him. If Diarmuid really decided to kill him here today, there would be no one to hear his complaints.
"This time, I won't give you a deadline, Doflamingo. You're going to search for the Flame-Flame Fruit. Don't you want to become one of the Warlords of the Sea? Don't you want the Navy to stop giving you trouble over that? I'm giving you that chance. Whenever you bring the Flame-Flame Fruit to me, I'll consider the Warlord issue," Diarmuid said with a calm smile.
Although Diarmuid didn't actually intend to interfere with Doflamingo becoming a Warlord—as long as Doflamingo sorted out the World Government himself, Diarmuid wouldn't stop him—Doflamingo didn't know that. So, extorting him a little more came with zero psychological burden for Diarmuid.
Doflamingo's eyes lit up. Today's losses were staggering: the Gold-Gold Fruit, the Op-Op Fruit, and now he was expected to pay for a Flame-Flame Fruit as well. The losses were heavy. But thankfully, Diarmuid was somewhat decent and wasn't planning on completely taking advantage of him for nothing; he offered a concession. Compared to the position of Warlord and the Navy's attitude, one Flame-Flame Fruit was acceptable.
As the largest second-hand Devil Fruit dealer in the Underworld, Doflamingo felt that finding this Devil Fruit should be quite simple.
Therefore, Doflamingo immediately smiled. "Good. It's a deal."
"I never break my word," Diarmuid nodded.
Afterward, Diarmuid kicked the prone Vergo beside his feet and asked, "Are you dead?"
Blood oozed from Vergo's mouth. He forced his head up and looked at Diarmuid. "No, I'm not dead."
"You're quite tough, aren't you?" Diarmuid smiled.
"Admiral, you already knew I was tough, didn't you?" Vergo even managed a smile.
"Sigh. Do you know what I sometimes think?" Diarmuid sighed, asking wistfully.
"Yes. You must be thinking, 'How great it would be if he weren't a pirate, weren't part of the Donquixote Family?' Perhaps if that were the case, I would become your true right-hand man, right?" Vergo said with a calm smile.
"Yes. See how smart you are? You're strong, and you have a good reputation in the Navy. If you weren't Doflamingo's man, in the future... Sigh, what a waste," Diarmuid shook his head.
Doflamingo, meanwhile, glanced at Hina, who still stood silently beside Diarmuid, looking like a simple secretary. Strong? That secretary next to you is the truly strong one!
However, Doflamingo also knew that Hina was only able to subdue Vergo so quickly by catching him completely off guard. Vergo hadn't realized he was exposed and thought his attack was a surprise, when in reality, he was already caught in a trap. At such close range, and with his guard down against Hina, being instantly defeated seemed normal enough.
Just then, Doflamingo spoke. "Admiral Diarmuid, if I may ask, could you please not execute Vergo here? I would hope you would send him to Impel Down, so that when I become a Warlord of the Sea, I can pardon him..."
"Are you telling me what to do?" Diarmuid looked at Doflamingo.
Doflamingo's face twitched slightly. He shook his head. "No."
"He won't die," Diarmuid said first, then continued. "Vergo, this is an injury sustained in the line of duty, understand?"
Vergo was puzzled but immediately nodded. "I understand."
"And you," Diarmuid turned to Doflamingo, saying, "Keep your mouth shut, and keep the mouths of your subordinates shut, too. In the future, if I need you to do anything, I'll have Vergo contact you. Go look for the Flame-Flame Fruit diligently. I look forward to you becoming a Warlord of the Sea... Understood?"
Diarmuid's attitude toward Doflamingo was completely disrespectful, like a senior scolding a junior.
But Doflamingo showed no impatience. This man was truly ruthless; once he was determined to achieve a goal, he could set aside his pride and reputation.
"I understand, Admiral Diarmuid," Doflamingo said seriously.
"Very good." Diarmuid nodded, having no further desire to speak with Doflamingo.
He gave Hina a look. Hina then deactivated her ability on Vergo, preparing to help him up, but Vergo shook his head. "I'm fine."
Seeing this, Hina was too lazy to bother with the double-crosser. She nodded and ignored him.
Diarmuid then kicked Rosinante in the butt again. "Are you still standing here playing dead? Let's go!"
With that, he reached out, grabbed Law by the collar, lifted the boy into his hand, and walked away, speaking as he went. "You ate the Op-Op Fruit, right? Then you're coming back to Headquarters with me. I'll use you to report in..."
"Diarmuid-nii..." Rosinante started to speak upon seeing this.
Diarmuid glared at him fiercely. "Shut your mouth. When we get back, you can explain yourself to Admiral Sengoku."
And just like that, without lingering, Diarmuid and his group quickly disappeared into the snowstorm.
Only then did Doflamingo's expression turn even more sinister. The veins on his forehead pulsed, and his eyes looked murderous.
After about five or six minutes, he finally suppressed his emotions.
"Fuffuffuffuffu..." Doflamingo suddenly laughed wickedly, raised his hand to the sky, and deactivated the Birdcage.
"Young Master..." Gladius called out, concerned.
"Don't worry. I'm fine. I'm fine... Perfectly fine," Doflamingo waved his hand.
After a slight pause, he said in a low voice, "Alright. Pass the word: find the Flame-Flame Fruit as quickly as possible. Understood?"
"Yes, Young Master!" Gladius responded immediately.
"Navy Admiral... Hehehe. Rosinante..." Doflamingo mumbled a few more words to himself, finally swallowing his rage.