New World, Dressrosa.
Doflamingo had been in a particularly good mood lately! The grand castle atop the Plateau of the King was bustling with activity. Many prominent figures from the underworld stood in the banquet hall, toasting and mingling. Doflamingo himself was dressed in lavish gold and silver, exuding opulence. Numerous underworld bosses approached him with glasses in hand, warmly greeting him. The tables were laden with rare fruits and delicacies from around the world!
The Golden Emperor, Tesoro, approached with a smile, swirling his glass of red wine. "Doflamingo, your recent business ventures are truly enviable!" Tesoro said with a grin.
"Tesoro, I didn't expect you to dare show up at this gathering!" Doflamingo replied with a smile, though his tone carried a hint of menace. In the past, Doflamingo had hosted an auction where he showcased the Gold-Gold Fruit. However, Tesoro had orchestrated a fire and stolen the fruit! At the time, Doflamingo had been furious and launched a worldwide manhunt for Tesoro. But Tesoro had cleverly hidden his tracks, only reemerging after awakening the Gold-Gold Fruit. By then, Doflamingo could do nothing about it!
"Why wouldn't I dare come?" Tesoro replied. "We're both businessmen. There are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests!" As a cunning figure in his own right, Tesoro showed no fear, speaking with a smile.
Doflamingo stared at him intently through his sunglasses, then clinked his glass with Tesoro's. Both men downed their drinks, and Doflamingo gestured toward a nearby room with a nod. Without a word, the two of them entered the room one after the other.
The room was extravagantly decorated, with a massive one-way mirror as its centerpiece. From the outside, it appeared to be just a mirror, but from the inside, the view was unobstructed.
"Your little hideout here is quite impressive," Tesoro remarked, squinting.
"I enjoy sitting here, observing them," Doflamingo said with a sinister smile. "It's easy to see the uglier side of human nature."
"Let's not dwell on that," Tesoro said, sitting down across from Doflamingo and staring directly at him. "You've been making a fortune in the underworld lately."
"Hardly. It's just the same old business," Doflamingo replied, toying with a thread in his hand, his expression unreadable.
"Come now, I wouldn't bring it up if I weren't certain," Tesoro said casually. "How many Senzu Beans have you brokered for the Navy as a middleman?"
The question struck a nerve with Doflamingo, and a flash of killing intent flickered in his eyes.
"Hey now, I came here with a cooperative mindset," Tesoro said, sensing the hostility. "And do you really think it's a good time to act?"
"Who said anything about acting?" Doflamingo replied. "How did you find out about this?"
Doflamingo took a deep breath, suppressing the killing intent within him, and calmly asked, "How I know is my own business!"
"But as a gesture of goodwill in our cooperation, I haven't shared this information with anyone. You can trust me on that!" Golden liquid flowed from Tesoro's fingertips as he played with it. "Besides, with your massive acquisitions, you're already monopolizing these Senzu Beans. Just look at those people outside!"
Tesoro gestured toward the outside with his chin. Indeed, in the grand hall, without Doflamingo present, many people had a hint of ferocity in their eyes.
"Let's do business together!"
"I'll provide manpower and funds!"
"With the two of us, we can easily suppress them!" Tesoro continued.
"With just that, your sincerity seems a bit lacking!" Doflamingo narrowed his eyes and said. To be honest, Doflamingo was already tempted, but he still wanted to squeeze out more benefits.
"Sigh, I knew you'd be greedy!" Tesoro sighed, then pulled out a purple-hued teleportation talisman from his pocket and placed it on the table.
"What's this?" Doflamingo looked curiously at the piece of paper emitting a strange glow and aura.
"This is the latest invention from the Whitebeard Pirates' Price—the Teleportation Talisman!" Tesoro said with a smile.
"Price? The same Price who invented the Senzu Beans? Isn't he a doctor?" Doflamingo asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Haha, don't be fooled by that Senzu Bean!"
"This Price is definitely a genius!" Tesoro shook his head and said.
"What exactly does this thing do?" Doflamingo was still quite curious.
"It can instantly take you to wherever you want to go and then bring you back!"
"It's incredibly convenient!" Tesoro explained earnestly.
"That's impossible!"
"That's just too unbelievable!" Doflamingo shook his head, refusing to believe it.
"I knew you'd react like that!"
"Come on, let me show you!" Tesoro said with a laugh, then placed his hand on Doflamingo's shoulder.
A purple light enveloped the two of them. In the next moment, they appeared in Tesoro's territory—the City of Gold!
"Whoo!"
"Using this thing is a thrill every time!" Tesoro exclaimed excitedly, clearly not his first time using the Teleportation Talisman.
"Are you messing with me?"
"Am I still dreaming?" Doflamingo was utterly astonished. After all, Dressrosa and the City of Gold were thousands of miles apart! Yet, in just a few breaths, they had traversed that vast distance! It was truly unbelievable!
"Definitely not a dream!"
"You look exactly like I did the first time I used the Teleportation Talisman!"
"Hahaha!" Tesoro patted Doflamingo on the shoulder and laughed heartily. Then, Tesoro pulled Doflamingo back and returned directly to the small room in the castle on the heights of the king.
Still in shock, Doflamingo sat down on the stool, unable to speak for a long time.
"Incredible!"
"Unbelievable!"
"This Price isn't human, he's a god!" After a while, Doflamingo whispered.
"Where did you get this from?" Doflamingo asked as if he remembered something.
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