The corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily. Beneath the confident expression on his face, a trace of barely concealed anxiety seeped through.
"However," Tenma continued casually, "judging by the present, there are some things you can still do beautifully."
Seeing that the timing was right, Tenma finally revealed his true intent at an unhurried pace.
"I want everything you control—all your connections and channels across the North Blue, and even the first half of the Grand Line."
The moment those words fell, the expression on Doflamingo's face froze solid.
As a smart man, how could he fail to grasp the subtext?
This was a clear demand for him to hand over the relationship network he had painstakingly built over many years, letting Tenma use it as a stepping stone for his own expansion.
There was no doubt about it—Doflamingo's carefully cultivated base in the North Blue would be thoroughly disrupted,or even directly taken over.
Hidden beneath his feathered coat, Doflamingo's fingers curled slightly.
But on second thought—compared to that magnificent, sweeping "new era," what did this sacrifice amount to?
As long as he could board that massive ship, everything would be worth it.
…
After leaving the grand Shogun Castle, the sea breeze carrying a hint of salt rushed toward them.
Doflamingo led his four most trusted officers, striding quickly toward another harbor.
Only after boarding their own pirate ship and fully sailing away from the oppressive waters surrounding Wano did Trebol—who had been holding his tongue the whole time—finally dare to speak.
Sniffling as usual, his perpetually leering face leaned in close.
"Neh neh, Doffy—how did the talk with that Emperor go? Can it really bring us that kind of heaven-sent fortune?"
That was the question burning in everyone's mind.
Especially Rosinante. Though his face gave nothing away, his ears were practically standing straight up, afraid to miss a single word.
"Fufufufu… Trebol, you're always so impatient."
Back on his own turf, the stifling pressure vanished completely.
Doflamingo spread his arms wide and let out his signature unrestrained laugh, the sound carrying far on the sea wind.
"This time, we can say we've firmly seized the throat of the future!"
His fingers moved with deft precision. Several nearly invisible strings shot out, allowing him to step upward through the air as if climbing invisible stairs.
At the same time, countless fine threads interwove into a dense net, tightly wrapping the entire Flamingo, completely isolating it from outside surveillance.
Standing high above, Doflamingo looked down at the four "family members" he trusted most, madness flickering in his eyes.
"Fufufufufu… care to guess what earth-shaking secret I heard from that monster?"
His voice grew sharp with excitement.
"It's a divine creation capable of overturning the era itself—artificial Devil Fruits: SMILE!"
Even repeating the term now, the shock in Doflamingo's heart hadn't faded in the slightest—if anything, it felt even stronger than the first time.
Seeing the four officers below him staring dumbfounded, as if listening to a fairy tale, Doflamingo didn't bother with suspense. He poured out the general details in one go.
Their expressions were priceless.
First, their eyes nearly popped out in shock. Then came disbelief. And finally—pure, unbridled ecstasy.
The cigarette in Rosinante's mouth fell onto the deck with a clatter, scattering sparks—but he didn't notice at all.
The fist hidden in his sleeve clenched tightly, his palm slick with cold sweat.
His inner turmoil was the complete opposite of the pirates' revelry around him—like a storm-tossed sea.
Wano could actually produce something this terrifying, something so utterly against nature… This had to be reported to his superiors immediately. Not a second could be wasted!
Completely unaware that his own younger brother was a traitor, Doflamingo continued indulging in his grand visions of the future.
"This is a super business involving two Yonko—and I will be the sole bridge connecting them!"
"From this day forward, the gates to the New World will be fully open to us. This is what it feels like to soar with the wind at your back!"
Trebol danced with excitement, snot flying everywhere.
"Behhehe! Incredible! That means we've got two Yonko backing us now. The Donquixote Family won't even have a choice about getting rich!"
Seeing his family cheering from the heart, Doflamingo felt elated.
But he also recalled Tenma's meaningful reminder before he left.
"Oh, right—Diamante. When we get back, make sure you properly 'train' that little girl, Baby 5."
Doflamingo adjusted his sunglasses, his tone turning more serious.
"I hear Wano has a group of top-tier scientists specializing in weapons. That General seems very interested in Baby 5's Arms-Arms Fruit."
He issued his orders methodically.
The next half year would be a crucial buffer period. He needed to handle everything Tenma had entrusted to him flawlessly. As for internal family arrangements, his officers could take care of those.
The implication couldn't have been clearer—this was about sending a person as a gift.
For the sake of that grand plan, he could abandon even the precious Snow-Snow Fruit and years of groundwork. What did one not-yet-mature Baby 5 amount to?
Especially when she wasn't even a full-fledged officer yet.
"Behhehe, Doffy—I've got an idea."
Trebol leaned in with a nasty grin.
"Why don't we take a page from that Queen of the Pleasure District? Dress the girl up nicely, package her up, and send her over? That General seemed very satisfied with that kind of 'gift' last time."
Doflamingo stroked his chin, thinking it over.
Baby 5's face surfaced in his mind—still youthful, but already showing the promise of beauty.
Then he recalled how that woman named Natasha had been brought straight into Shogun Castle the very next day.
His trademark wicked smile spread across his face once more.
"Fufufufu… not a bad idea. Let's do it."
…
Almost the moment Doflamingo left Shogun Castle, Hancock—who had been quietly playing the role of background decoration—immediately changed demeanor.
Like a clingy little cat, she leaned softly against Tenma.
She had traveled all the way from Amazon Lily this time for one reason only—to ease that bone-deep longing.
Now nearly sixteen, after Gloriosa's imperial-style education, combined with the new knowledge she'd absorbed from Wano and Tenma himself, Hancock already carried the faint authority of a future empress on Amazon Lily.
Perhaps because she'd come to understand just how rare her beauty truly was, her proud little temperament had begun to show.
Though she hadn't officially ascended the throne yet, she was already accustomed to looking down on others with her chin raised high—that signature posture of extreme arrogance was beginning to take shape.
On Amazon Lily, that arrogance was instead regarded as the ultimate expression of beauty and dominance.
After all, Hancock's strength now stood firmly at the very top among the Kuja.
In just four short years, her talent was nothing short of astonishing.
In terms of pure combat power, even without the Love-Love Fruit, her mastery of all three forms of Haki alone meant she was no weaker than her original self when she first went to sea as a Warlord.
The reason she hadn't taken the throne yet was, first, her age; and second, while she was strong, she hadn't yet reached the level of absolute suppression over everyone else.
After all, she wasn't the only one getting stronger.
Since being incorporated into Wano's sphere, Amazon Lily had entered full-scale training mode. Its overall strength had multiplied several times compared to its days in the Calm Belt.
Especially those female warriors personally favored by Tenma—each of them was now comparable to the former Nine Red Scabbards.
The widespread adoption of advanced Armament Haki, combined with systematic, militarized scientific training—these were all tangible resources Wano had poured in.
"Tenma-sama~"
In front of Tenma, Hancock was always obedient and gentle.
At this moment, she was tracing circles on his chest with a long, fair finger.
"That monkey-looking man just now—and his subordinates—are they really worth you putting in so much effort?"
Her innate talent for coquettish jealousy was at full output in private.
In this world, aside from Tenma, all other men were no different from roadside stones in Hancock's eyes.
Someone like Doflamingo—outside Wano's system—was, to her, nothing more than a lowly creature that hadn't finished evolving.
She wouldn't normally bother with such people, nor did she care how Tenma arranged his plans.
But the mention of a woman named Baby 5 touched a sensitive nerve.
Her goal was no longer to be Empress of Amazon Lily—it was to become a woman worthy of standing beside this General, the future Lady of Shogun Castle.
Especially after being exposed to Wano's more open-minded knowledge, and seeing the tactics of courtesans, geisha, and even maids, Hancock now thought far more clearly than her original, love-struck self.
At present, the only rival who truly made her feel threatened was the most troublesome one of all—Yamato.
As for Maria Fang, who dreamed of becoming a top courtesan, or the housekeeper-like Kozuki Toki and Robin—Hancock's pride meant she didn't even place them in her sights.
Perona, who was all bark and no bite, was even less worth mentioning.
But those were known quantities.
For unknown, potential rivals—like Gion when she first arrived, or this unseen Baby 5—Hancock naturally paid close attention.
Tenma knew exactly what the girl was thinking.
Smiling, he explained, "Don't underestimate Doflamingo. His mind is too scattered for him to ever reach the peak, but precisely because of that, he's exceptionally capable when it comes to operating in the gray zones."
As a transmigrator, Tenma knew the future all too well.
This so-called North Blue tyrant still playing in the mud would one day become Joker—the clown who played both sides of black and white, reading newspapers even from inside prison.
"As for Baby 5," Tenma continued lightly, "how could she possibly be qualified to stand on the same level as you all?"
He stroked Hancock gently, saying exactly what she liked to hear.
Of course, if "you all" were changed to just "you," Hancock would probably faint from happiness.
"That said, if her Arms-Arms Fruit is developed properly, its potential is indeed astonishing. You know—we've got a whole bunch of madmen in the Academy who do nothing but tinker with weapons all day."
This wasn't empty talk.
The Arms-Arms Fruit could turn the body into any known weapon. The upper limit was absurdly high.
With sufficient knowledge and imagination, creating future weapons far ahead of their time wasn't impossible.
It would also provide the scientists with a living test platform, further boosting Wano's military deterrence.
Just look at what Baby 5 became in the original story under Doflamingo.
With such a powerful fruit, she ended up merely average by New World standards.
Neglect was one reason; limited resources were another.
But to Tenma now, those weren't problems at all.
And if her warped "need to be needed" personality were corrected even slightly, she'd become the perfect killing machine—and personal attendant.
"So that's how it is…"
Hancock hummed in satisfaction, her body soft as water as she pressed tightly against Tenma.
She breathed in his scent greedily, savoring this rare moment alone together.
Her increasingly well-developed figure, pressed so close, conveyed her growth unmistakably with every movement.
"I… understand."
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