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"As expected of a long-established power," Jin mused. "Their network is impressive. They've already gathered the two Devil Fruits."
He soon received a reply from Sengoku: The Donquixote Family had agreed to pay the ransom.
But they had a condition. They would transfer the goods to Vice Admiral Vergo, the commander of the G-5 base. He would act as the escort.
Only after Doflamingo was released would the goods be handed over.
'Vergo?' Jin thought. Isn't he Doflamingo's man on the inside? Still trying to pull a fast one?
He chuckled. "No, no, no. My terms are simple: cash on delivery. I get the goods, you get the man. Five days. If I don't see the ransom in Mock Town in five days, I'm taking one of Doflamingo's arms. Another five days, the other one. Actually... it seems Doffy is waking up. I'll let him talk to his family himself. It'll save you the trouble."
Doflamingo awoke from the darkness, his body screaming in pain. A profound sense of weakness washed over him.
Seastone?
He immediately understood. He had been captured, bound in Seastone cuffs and shackles.
He heard Jin's voice and looked up.
The sight that greeted him was one of absolute, infuriating calm.
Under the lamplight, Jin, that sniper of his, and the Marine Admiral Kizaru were all sitting around a table, playing cards.
Jin set his cards down, picked up a Den Den Mushi, and walked over. "You know the drill," he said, his voice gentle as he handed the snail to Doflamingo. "Call home. Tell them you're safe. Then have them send what I want, and you can go."
A vein throbbed on Doflamingo's forehead. "Are you threatening me?"
"No," Jin replied. "I'm informing you."
Doflamingo looked at Kizaru. "Admiral! Are you just going to stand there and do nothing?"
"I'd do what the kid says," Kizaru drawled. "He's terrifying. I might be able to get you out of here. But whether you'd be alive or dead when I do... oooh, I couldn't guarantee that. Does it matter to you?"
Of course it matters, you bastard!
Kizaru's meaning was clear: he wasn't confident he could rescue him without him getting hurt. Or killed.
How could there be a monster like this in Paradise?
Doflamingo cursed inwardly. That one punch... it had given him a flash of what it felt like to face Kaido's club. The memory still sent a shiver down his spine.
And even an Admiral was helpless?
The fight went out of him.
He contacted his family and told Trebol and Diamante not to try anything clever. Just bring the goods.
"Now see, wasn't that easy?" Jin said, patting Doflamingo on the shoulder. "A wise man knows when to yield. The first time I saw you, I knew you were a reasonable man."
"Come on," he said with a grin. "Augur, go get some drinks and snacks for Doflamingo. He's joining our game."
Van Augur got up and headed for the tavern.
Robin wasn't there. Jin had sent her back to the ship. He didn't want her to be under too much stress, in case Kizaru sensed something was off.
Jin helped Doflamingo to the table.
The String-String Fruit was a good one, but now wasn't the time to kill him. It would cause too much trouble. His role as "Joker" was tied to too many powerful players—Kaido, the underworld, the Celestial Dragons...
Jin wasn't afraid, but it wasn't worth the hassle. The time wasn't right.
No, it was better to build his walls high, store his grain, and bide his time.
And when the time came... he would sweep the board.
—————————
With Doflamingo's direct order, Trebol and Diamante didn't dare to try anything else.
Diamante led a small team consisting of Gladius, Buffalo, Lao G, and Baby 5. They traveled through Mary Geoise to the Sabaody Archipelago, where they picked up a ship and the fruits from Monet.
They sailed without stopping and arrived in Mock Town.
Jin took a look.
Well, well. Four walking Devil Fruits.
But he wasn't a monster. He kept his word. After receiving the ransom, he released Doflamingo.
The fight wasn't over. Not by a long shot.
Would Doflamingo let this humiliation slide?
Of course not.
From the look in Diamante's and the others' eyes, they wanted to skin him alive.
'Good, That's the spirit.' Jin thought.
There would be other opportunities. He would devour them, piece by piece.
Doflamingo and his executives left, thoroughly humiliated. The ownership of Mock Town was no longer up for debate. He was in no position to argue.
"It was a pleasure playing with you," Kizaru said. "We should do it again sometime."
The Admiral was an avid card player. This had been a nice little vacation for him. He boarded the warship that had come to pick him up and returned to Marine Headquarters.
Jin let out a sigh of relief. He sent the Devil Fruits back to the carrier and left fifty million Berries with Van Augur.
"You're in charge of the town's reconstruction and security for now," he said. "And I want you to keep a record of every pirate crew that tries to ride the Knock Up Stream to Skypiea. I'll send someone to take over in a while."
Jin had originally wanted to ask Cricket and his crew, but they were determined to go to the sky island themselves.
"Oh, and by the way," he said, "you should try this."
He handed Van Augur a custom 98k rifle with a scope, along with some specially made bullets.
It was different from the standard version, a weapon designed specifically for a master sniper. It could be loaded with a variety of special ammunition: tungsten armor-piercing, hollow-point, dum-dum, incendiary...
Its power was far greater than any of the other firearms in the pirate world.
After a few test shots, Van Augur saw its potential. The rifled barrel gave the bullets greater accuracy, speed, and range. It was even better than his "Senriku," a sniper's dream rifle.
The only problem was that the ammunition had to be supplied by Jin. He couldn't just craft it himself like he could with flintlock rounds.
—————————
Leaving Van Augur to guard Mock Town, Jin set sail.
In the meantime, the news of his victory over Doflamingo had been reported by the World Economic Journal, sending shockwaves around the world.
[ONE-SHOT! THE KING OF PARADISE CRUSHES A WARLORD! WHO CAN STOP HIM? A FUTURE EMPEROR??]
Morgans' headline was a masterclass in journalism: truthful, but with just the right amount of exaggeration to grab the reader's attention.
"WUHAHAHAHA! YES!"
The person who was happiest about this news was not Jin, but Hanafuda. He took a long swig of ale, a feeling of pure satisfaction washing over him.
Finally, he was no longer the only Warlord to be defeated by Jin.
Seeing someone else fail is sometimes more satisfying than succeeding yourself.
And Doflamingo had been taken out in a single blow!
Sure, the guy had gotten stronger.
But so what?
He, Hanafuda, had at least put up a fight...
He felt vindicated.
"Once I capture Ace," he declared, "I will once again be the King of Lizards!"
—————————
Whole Cake Island.
"The King of Paradise? Mamamama..." Charlotte Linlin laughed, holding the newspaper. "He might just be my last husband. And this Ace... every time I see him, I'm reminded of a certain face. Could it be a coincidence? Smoothie! Oven!"
"Yes, Mama!"
"Take an invitation. I want them both at this year's tea party."
"Yes, Mama!"
—————————
Hannabal.
Jinbe listened to the cheers of the people celebrating their king's victory over Doflamingo. It was unbelievable.
"Wilson," he said, "please, tell me more about this king of yours."
"Boss Jinbe... I'm sorry," Wilson said, looking conflicted. "It's not that I don't want to. But the kingdom has strict rules about confidentiality."
He never would have expected Jinbe to seek him out. For the Fish-Man pirates, Jinbe was a legend.
"Then just tell me what you can," Jinbe said, his voice earnest. "It's very important... for the future of the Fish-Man race."
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