Chapter 138

"It seems the result is already very clear, fufufufufu."

Donquixote Doflamingo laughed unrestrainedly, extremely arrogant.

Although he never thought he would lose from the start, the fact that his 'family' won all three battles still made him feel extremely honored and exhilarating!

Du Feld clicked his tongue but showed no intention of reneging, "A bet is a bet, the matter from earlier is now settled. But there is no next time. Your Donquixote family men can't make trouble in my territory again."

"Of course, after all, I own a share in your North Blue casino—who would dislike their own money!" Doflamingo grinned, giving Du Feld a metaphorical step down, assuring that such an incident would not happen again.

"Hmph, better be. I'll have someone deliver that money to you, of course, the usual processing fees and interest are not to be omitted."

"Besides that, I'm prepared to invest another sum in you, the kind without interest. Let's see if you dare to accept it." Du Feld lit up another cigar for himself and offered one to Doflamingo.

Doflamingo did not accept it right away, instead, he looked seriously at the other party, his brain working overtime analyzing the intent behind the offer, considering the benefits and costs associated with accepting this 'kindness.'

In a split second, he made his decision and took the cigar from Du Feld's hand.

"Then here's to a pleasant cooperation."

"Pleasant cooperation indeed."

"Fufufufufu!"

"Hahahahaha!"

A moment ago they were at loggerheads, ordering their people into three deathmatches, and now, suddenly, they had reached a cooperation, smoking cigars together, laughing heartily.

One can only say that in their eyes, only power and profit could determine their relationship!

If the Donquixote family had not displayed such potential and strength today, Du Feld would never have let it go easily, and certainly wouldn't have considered investing in Doflamingo.

It could be said that at this moment, Du Feld was very optimistic about the development of the Donquixote family led by Doflamingo, intending to make good karma, also for a share of the spoils when the other party rose to power.

As for whether he harbored thoughts of swallowing them in the future, that was something only he knew.

For Doflamingo, with the huge fortune provided by Du Feld's loan or investment, he could make the Donquixote family's development take off immediately!

At a minimum, it would save him three to five years' time.

This temptation was something he couldn't refuse by any means.

Although this would leave a hidden danger for the family's future development and require a portion of future profits to be shared.

But Doflamingo felt it was worth it.

Because his ambition was far, far greater than the other party could imagine!!!

And so, the two struck a deal at once.

All the unpleasantness from before was immediately forgotten.

Du Feld even invited everyone to a party on his massive ship, the Money King!

Doflamingo didn't want to snub the other's face, so he happily led his men to the party, ready to indulge in the revelry.

Du Feld was right about one thing; his previous setup was already quite ordinary.The real good stuff was all on the ship; they were too lazy to move it down.

Of course, it was also possible that they thought the Donquixote family of that time was not worthy.

But things are different now—delicacies and fine wines unseen in the North Blue are being piled up in the banquet hall.

Abel didn't need to be invited, his eyes shone with eagerness as he dived like a predatory fish into the 'ocean' of gourmet food, ready to teach this loan shark king a lesson!

Others were not as boorish as him. Although they also ate quickly, it was relatively more elegant. 

"Abel, this kid really left an impression on me. Last time you mentioned that he's only 11 years old?" 

Du Feld and Donquixote Doflamingo, two heavyweights, sat elsewhere, sipping red wine and smoking cigars, not even glancing at the exquisite food in front of them.

Doflamingo didn't hold back, "That's right. When I first took him in, I didn't expect Abel's talent to be so high. Martial arts, swordsmanship, marksmanship, tactical knowledge—he learns it all with ease. And then he even developed Flying Slash, as well as some other strange moves on his own."

"Later, after he became an officer, I taught him the training methods for Observation Haki and Armament Haki. In just over a week, he was already able to release them freely."

"In some respects, Abel's talent is definitely top-notch, comparable to the monsters of the New World."

Du Feld had expected Abel's talent to be great, but not to such an absurd extent.

He wondered if there was any exaggeration, but after thinking about it carefully, he felt it was unnecessary.

And the truth was laid out in front of him—he couldn't disbelieve it if he wanted to.

What puzzled him, though, was that Doflamingo seemed to reveal too much, as if he had no intention of hiding anything. Wasn't he afraid the kid might perish before he grew up?

Just like that flat-top boy who had the fortune to eat the Snow-Snow Fruit.

Noticing the brief doubt that flickered across Du Feld's face, Doflamingo chuckled in his distinct way before revealing Abel's origins and his terminal illness.

Only then did Du Feld come to a realization; he understood that he'd been manipulated.

This guy was obviously using his curiosity to lead the conversation to this topic.

"Pity, I've heard of White Lead Disease and I haven't heard of anyone who can cure it."

Du Feld immediately reined in his thoughts, started drinking.

He didn't bother about Abel anymore.

A genius with little time left to live was not worth targeting or competing for.

And that was exactly what Doflamingo intended.

After all, everything he said was true. Even if the other party were to investigate, the result would be the same.

In this way, considering their partnership, regardless of what Du Feld thought, he should not bother with someone who was about to die.

Even if he coveted the talent that Abel displayed, he would certainly not waste more time and energy.

Doflamingo played his cards really well.

At the same time, Doflamingo felt an urgency.

If he really couldn't cure Abel's disease, it would be a great pity.

"Devil Fruits. It seems I need to invest more effort. Fortunately, this time I unexpectedly acquired a large sum of money, that should be enough."

Doflamingo's thoughts drifted far away.