"Fufufufufu~ Duke - Garfield Caesar, to think even a monster like you has shown up. You almost made me run away in fright! Hey, Gregory, I’m not confident against a monster , and the reward is too small." Doflamingo first gave a sinister chuckle, then the latter part of his sentence was directed at Gregory.
"I didn’t expect him to come either. Just hold him off. The reward won’t be lacking then," Gregory said, slightly out of breath.
"I’ll give it a try. After all, monsters like him aren’t easily provoked, fufufufufu~" Doflamingo extended his long tongue, his expression a little grim.
A person’s shadow reflects their reputation.
The name Duke - Garfield Caesar was infamous in the New World, his prestige no less than Doflamingo’s.
In terms of power, the Donquixote Pirates were even inferior to the Garfield Pirates. In the underworld, the weapons Garfield sold were also of top quality and highly sought after.
But since he was already here, he couldn’t just leave. That would be too humiliating. If word got out, wouldn’t it be said that Doflamingo was scared off by Garfield?
"World Government dog, it seems you really want to fight," Garfield said, retracting his Glass Barrier and staring at the blond man suspended in mid-air.
"Fufufufufu~ Your Excellency Garfield, after all, if you accept someone’s goods, you have to help them with their troubles. Please bear with it," Doflamingo said, wiggling his five fingers. "I have a proposal. How about neither of us makes a move?"
"That won’t do. If you hand over the person I want, then we can talk," Garfield said, pointing his sword at Doflamingo.
"Then there’s nothing to discuss," Doflamingo retorted with a shrug.
Although he still didn’t know the prisoner’s identity, it was clear that the World Government wouldn’t willingly hand over someone they’d paid a hefty price for him to protect.
Garfield said softly with a smile, "Then defeat me!"
"Fufufufufu~ I’ll give it a try."
Doflamingo playfully tilted his head, suddenly dropping from the air. At the same time, he extended his right index finger towards Garfield, creating a tangle of fine white threads at his fingertip that shot out like bullets.
A small, thin white blur flashed by at an invisible speed.
Garfield’s body flickered, leaving his spot. The next moment, a very deep small pit appeared on the ground.
At this point, Garfield bent his knees, pushed off forcefully, and shot into the sky, slashing at the descending Doflamingo.
Doflamingo chuckled oddly. Facing such a strong opponent made his blood boil. He spread his five fingers, and between them, nearly invisible threads moved back and forth. He brought his hand down like a claw.
In mid-air, a metallic sound resonated. The almost invisible threads blocked the glass longsword, and a wild surge of air immediately exploded outwards, like a fierce gale.
The two were locked in a stalemate in mid-air for a moment, but Garfield, with no stable footing, eventually descended first.
Then, Doflamingo, trailing threads, slowly landed.
"Heavenly Yaksha, you’re certainly interesting."
Garfield held his glass cross-sword, extending it forward. The longsword rippled, instantly elongating and thrusting forward at extreme speed.
In the blink of an eye, the suddenly extended blade was already thrusting towards Doflamingo.
"You really startled me!"
Doflamingo leapt up into the air. At the same time, he extended his index finger, and over a dozen threads shot from his palm. The threads intertwined, forming a sharp whip that moved with incredible speed and urgency.
In a moment of urgency, Garfield dispersed the sword in his hand and flashed to the side.
The sandy ground was cut open, the crack extending all the way to the sea, even slicing a trench over ten meters long in the ocean. Many fish were cut in half by the whip.
"Excellent, excellent power!"
Garfield grinned ferociously. He bent down and touched the ground with his hand. Instantly, within a hundred-meter radius, countless translucent glass spikes erupted from the sand, standing over two meters tall, resembling a crystal jungle. Under the sunlight, they shimmered beautifully.
Glass: Glass Spike Jungle!
Rumble, rumble, rumble...
From a distance, the island continuously roared. Waves of translucent glass collided with waves of tens of thousands of white threads. The earth was torn, forests were flattened, and the seawater continuously churned.
Meanwhile, in an unknown sea area, a fleet consisting of one Special Grade Battleship, two Battleships, and four Second Grade Battleships sailed on the ocean.
On the bow deck of the Special Grade Battleship, a tall man in a white suit vest and dark blue shirt lay sleeping on a reclining chair, with a green eye mask covering his eyes.
"Mmm~ So, how much further?" A sleep-talking voice drifted out.
"Uh~ Admiral Aokiji, about half a day," a Marine officer wearing a ’Justice’ coat wiped his forehead, speaking awkwardly.
"I can sleep for another half day. Wake me when we arrive." Aokiji lazily rolled over and drifted back to sleep.
Dressrosa, Central Avenue.
"This is Aeridar, what’s up?" Aeridar strolled along the street, holding a Den Den Mushi.
"Captain, Dalt says he needs to capture a few Devil Fruit users for experiments," Arlan’s voice came from the other end.
Aeridar raised an eyebrow, a little surprised. "Oh, has it reached the point of needing experiments already?"
Arlan replied over the phone, "Pretty much. I’m not entirely sure of the specifics, it’s his request."
Scanning the bustling street, Aeridar thought for a moment, then said, "Tell him to focus on genetic enhancement research first. Devil Fruit users aren’t easy to catch. If I encounter any, I’ll bring them back."
"Dalt also asked if we could research the Supernova we captured," Arlan continued.
Aeridar paused, then muttered to himself, "Steel Demon Angus Abel... Go ask him again. If he still refuses to surrender, hand him over to Dalt to handle." He continued, "A Paramecia-type Steel-Steel Fruit... if developed well, it’s a decent ability."
"Understood. Also, Captain, can we get a batch of weapons? Cannons, firearms, ammunition, and so on. Since we have a base now, we should stockpile some," Arlan added.
"I know, I’ll take care of it. Doflamingo should have some. I’ll bring them back when I’m done," Aeridar readily agreed. After all, if they were to go to war with other pirates or factions, a lack of ammunition would lead to extremely heavy casualties.
While they would establish an armaments factory eventually, they didn’t have one yet, so they needed to buy from outside.
And with Doflamingo being ’Joker’ of the underworld, buying from him would not only support his business but also get them a discount, making it the best option.
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