In the first half of the Grand Line, on Jaya Island, in the town of Mock Town.
This place was arguably one of the most famous pirate paradises in the first half of the Grand Line, a lawless territory. Years ago, it was here that Doflamingo first spoke face-to-face with Diarmuid. Of course, the atmosphere wasn't very pleasant back then, as Doflamingo had been tormented by Diarmuid.
Later, due to the town's unique nature, which was highly suitable for the Donquixote Family's black-market operations, Doflamingo turned it into one of their family's bases.
At this moment, Doflamingo had just stepped off his ship, preparing to resupply here before continuing his journey to Alabasta. Watching Mock Town remain as chaotic as ever after all these years, Doflamingo felt a little sentimental. So many years had passed. After being tormented by Diarmuid back then, he had even sworn to take revenge. How did they end up inexplicably working together?
Thinking back, it seemed he had been the one to provoke the Admiral first, relying on his special status to intentionally say provocative things to Diarmuid and getting taught a lesson. That incident had greatly influenced Doflamingo. He had grown accustomed to acting like a small-time tyrant in the North Blue, with an attitude that the sky was first, the earth was second, and he was third. He entered the Grand Line with that mindset, joined the pirates, and was promptly taught how to behave by Diarmuid.
Since then, Doflamingo's personality had become smoother, and his approach to life and people had gradually adopted a more versatile and diplomatic approach. All of this could be credited to Diarmuid. In the original story, he would have been taught a lesson by Kaido, which would have led to his eventual character.
"Did that guy really run off to Alabasta?" Teach asked, sounding somewhat impatient, as he stepped off the ship.
"Of course. My intelligence is never wrong," Doflamingo said, waving his hand, seemingly annoyed that this bastard Teach had interrupted his reminiscence of Mock Town.
"It's been a long time since I've been here. I remember the cherry pies here being quite tasty," Teach said, following Doflamingo's gaze and observing Mock Town.
"You've been here?" Doflamingo asked in surprise.
"What's so strange about that? I'm a pirate!" Teach exclaimed loudly.
"I suppose so," Doflamingo replied with another smile.
"Why would that guy go to Alabasta? What intelligence did you actually receive?" Teach suddenly changed the subject, asking. At this moment, he was starting to regret his reliance on Doflamingo, as the Whitebeard Pirates' intelligence capabilities were genuinely lacking.
Doflamingo fell silent for a moment, then said, "Based on my intelligence reports these days, it's highly likely that the Nefertari Family is backing Rob Lucci. Do you know of the Nefertari Family?"
"I seem to recall them. They're the royal family of Alabasta, right? Are you suggesting Rob Lucci is one of the Nefertari Family members?" Teach asked, surprised.
Doflamingo sensed that Teach was starting to doubt him. If this continued, he might decide to go alone and not travel to Alabasta with him. That wouldn't do, as Diarmuid had explicitly instructed him to trick Teach into going to Alabasta. Therefore, Doflamingo began to spin a story.
"Even if he's not a member of the Nefertari Family, he should be one of their personally trained fanatics, or something similar," Doflamingo added.
"That's strange. Why would those Alabasta guys be after the Dark-Dark Fruit?" Teach asked casually, feigning ignorance.
Doflamingo sneered inwardly. I was waiting for you to ask that question. I was afraid you wouldn't take the bait. Thinking this, Doflamingo said very naturally, "That involves some top secrets. It's not convenient to tell you."
"Hey, we're supposed to be cooperating now, aren't we? If you don't explain this clearly, how can I trust you? You brought me all the way here from the New World, making all kinds of confident promises, but we haven't even caught a hair of Lucci!" Teach complained vehemently.
Seeing his reaction, Doflamingo slightly furrowed his brow, appearing hesitant. Teach seized the opportunity, pressing, "I'm representing the Whitebeard Pirates, after all. Can you really afford to provoke us? Even if we lost once before, we still hold a solid footing in the New World!"
After a brief pause, Teach added, "Rob Lucci is someone Pops is willing to pay ten billion Berries to take down. If you help us capture him, you'll earn our friendship and Pops's approval. That's beneficial to you, too, right?"
Just then, as if those words had finally swayed Doflamingo, he said softly, "The Nefertari Family were once descendants of the Twenty Kings. Theoretically, they should possess Celestial Dragon blood. Do you understand what that means?"
Teach was completely stunned. There's this kind of history?
"Are you trying to say they are in league with Mariejois?" Teach asked in surprise.
"No, quite the opposite. Their relationship with Mariejois is extremely poor," Doflamingo stated.
"Why?" Teach asked curiously.
"Because in the eyes of Mariejois, the Nefertari Family are traitors to the Alliance of the Twenty Kings," Doflamingo replied with an evil smile.
Teach thought about it, smacking his lips. "That seems to make some sense. And then? What does this have to do with the Dark-Dark Fruit? What does it have to do with Rob Lucci?"
"The Nefertari Family are descendants of the Twenty Kings. Their ancestors once ruled the world. They possess countless secrets of Mariejois and many mysterious technologies... There is one point that is very unique. Have you heard of Alabasta's Guardian Deity legend?" Doflamingo asked.
Teach stroked his chin and thought. He actually had plenty of time to learn all sorts of obscure information since he didn't need to sleep. After thinking for a while, Teach asked, "The story of the Jackal God and the Falcon God?"
"Exactly," Doflamingo nodded. Before Teach could speak, he continued, "The Guardian Deity legend has been passed down in Alabasta for a thousand years, saying that Alabasta is a divinely blessed country protected by the Jackal God and the Falcon God. But do you know where this story originated?"
"The Nefertari?" Teach asked cleverly.
"Correct, the Nefertari. The Nefertari Family has ruled Alabasta since ancient times. The Jackal God and the Falcon God are, in fact, stories they fabricated, originating from two Devil Fruit users. But those aren't the surprising part. There are countless myths and legends like this all over the world. What is truly worth paying attention to is that for thousands of years, the power of the Jackal and the power of the Falcon have always been passed down and controlled within Alabasta, always in the hands of the Nefertari Family. Doesn't that seem... strange? Fufufufu..." Doflamingo said with an evil laugh.
Teach was genuinely surprised this time. He asked in astonishment, "For thousands of years, have those two Devil Fruits really been in the hands of the Nefertari Family?"
"Precisely! It's common knowledge that when a Devil Fruit user dies, their ability will respawn somewhere in the world. So, why have the Jackal and Falcon abilities remained exclusively in the hands of the Nefertari?" Doflamingo asked softly.
Not waiting for Teach to answer, Doflamingo continued on his own. "Because they possess a mysterious technology that can restrict the rebirth of Devil Fruits... Surprised? But it's the truth!"
Teach thought it over carefully. It seemed to be true. He had heard that the royal guards of Alabasta were always the Falcon and the Jackal. But soon, he asked in surprise, "How do you know all this?"
"Think about it, what's my name?" Doflamingo asked cryptically.
"Donquixote Doflamingo..." Teach replied first, then his expression changed. He was shocked. "The Donquixote from Mariejois?"
The corner of Doflamingo's mouth curled into an evil smile, and he nodded. "Exactly! That Donquixote!"
"You... You're a Celestial Dragon who ran away to become a pirate? Zehahahahaha! Interesting! Too interesting!" Teach burst into loud laughter.
Doflamingo didn't mind the slightly mocking laughter. He didn't even mind exposing these secrets to Teach. In Doflamingo's eyes, Teach was already halfway to death and could be considered a dead man. From the moment he set his sights on the Dark-Dark Fruit and tried to snatch it from Diarmuid, this outcome seemed predestined.
After Diarmuid met him and got his so-called 'answer,' Doflamingo felt that Teach had no chance of surviving. And even if he did survive, he would certainly have defected to Diarmuid, making the revealing of these so-called 'secrets' irrelevant. Of course, Doflamingo didn't think Diarmuid would accept a traitor like Teach.
"And what's the connection? After all that, what does this have to do with Lucci and the Dark-Dark Fruit?" Teach asked again.
"You probably aren't aware of the situation in Alabasta, are you?" Doflamingo asked.
Teach was taken aback. What is he talking about? What's going on in Alabasta? As a pirate, it was already impressive that he was so knowledgeable, but he genuinely had no idea about the current situation in Alabasta. Previously, he hadn't cared, as it had nothing to do with him or the Whitebeard Pirates.
"The Nefertari Family is being targeted by a plot from Mariejois. The Warlord of the Sea, Sir Crocodile, is Mariejois's lapdog. This time, Mariejois is preparing to eliminate the Nefertari Family and destroy the many secrets of Mariejois within that desert kingdom, while simultaneously seizing their technology. So, here's the question: what can the Nefertari Family rely on to fight the 'Desert King,' Crocodile, who is thriving in the desert?" Doflamingo glanced at Teach, asking with a slightly serious tone.
Teach seemed to understand his meaning. His expression sobered, and he said seriously, "The Dark-Dark Fruit, which you put a bounty of seven billion Berries on, and which is called the 'Most Wicked Devil Fruit in History'?"
"Exactly. If you truly understand the abilities of the Dark-Dark Fruit, you'll realize that having it could allow the Nefertari Family to catch Crocodile off guard and take him down," Doflamingo said wickedly.
I do know the abilities of the Dark-Dark Fruit! Teach thought. Following Doflamingo's line of reasoning, the conclusion was entirely correct. If used properly, the Dark-Dark Fruit could absolutely be used to kill Crocodile! Everything seemed to align logically.
But why would Lucci infiltrate the Whitebeard Pirates for so many years? Perhaps he wasn't a fanatic of the Nefertari Family at all. Maybe he was simply bought off by the Nefertari Family with something? After all, they are one of the descendants of the Twenty Kings. It wouldn't be surprising if they had some powerful means to persuade Lucci. But then why did Lucci claim to be a Marine?
'Perhaps he really was trying to confuse me! How could he be a Marine? He wanted to mislead me into searching for his whereabouts through the Navy, but he is actually an accomplice of the Nefertari Family. If it weren't for Doflamingo, I wouldn't know any of this information, and I might have been fooled by him. By the time I discover the full truth, it would be too late!'Teach quickly devised an answer for himself.
Just then, Doflamingo added, "The Warlord of the Sea system was enacted shortly before Rob Lucci appeared in the Whitebeard Pirates... Very interesting."
Hearing this, Teach's heart jumped. He seemed to have filled in another blank, understanding something more. Then he looked at Doflamingo and said deeply, "What are we waiting for? Let's hurry to Alabasta!"
A smile hung on Doflamingo's lips as he said meaningfully, "Don't worry, I promise to get you to Alabasta as fast as possible to see that Rob Lucci. For the friendship between the Donquixote Family and the Whitebeard Pirates!"
In this battle of wits between two masterful actors, Doflamingo won. He had successfully manipulated Teach!