Cooperation

Bedeck was walking with a beautiful woman behind Nicholas, just shortly after leaving the club, when they were stopped by a strange-looking man.

The man stopping them was dressed in a high-collar long coat, wearing a mask with round lenses covering his face. His hair stood up like a hedgehog, and there were wounds sewn shut on each side of his eyes. His clothes were adorned with gears and other metal decorations, giving off a steampunk vibe.

"'Arms King,' Bedeck?" the man inquired.

"Who are you?" Bedeck asked irritably. While he couldn't stand up to Nicholas in front of Celestials, he was one of the notorious kings of the underground, especially in Sabaody Island.

"I am Gladius," the man replied, "You may not know me, but you must know my young master, as he's quite interested in you and the person behind you. He wishes to meet you."

"Who's your young master?" Bedeck asked.

"My young master is Donquixote Doflamingo," Gladius answered, with a hint of pride.

Bedeck gave Gladius a deep look. He had heard of Doflamingo, not as the leader of the Doflamingo Family in the North Sea as Gladius thought, but because of Doflamingo's former affiliation with the Celestial Dragons.

To Bedeck, the Doflamingo Family in the North Sea was nothing more than a small fry. They couldn't match his wealth or the number of his men. Bedeck mostly dealt with monarchs from various countries or great pirates of the Grand Line. What did the Doflamingo Family amount to?

Before Bedeck could dismiss the fool, Nicholas spoke up, "Bedeck, go meet with that young lord from the North Sea."

Though Bedeck didn't understand why Nicholas wanted to meet Doflamingo, he quickly made a decision.

"Lead the way. I want to see what this famous Firebird from the North Sea wants with me."

Surprisingly, Gladius didn't take Bedeck and Nicholas to a bar or restaurant but to a construction site. There, Doflamingo, the future Joker of the underground world and Warlord of the Sea, was standing.

Doflamingo was nearly three meters tall, with golden short hair contrasting against his pink feather-weaved coat. Underneath the coat, he wore an unbuttoned white shirt, revealing his muscular upper body, paired with cropped pants and pointed shoes without socks.

Just by appearance, one could say Doflamingo looked like a rogue. No wonder he was called the Heavenly demon.

Doflamingo stood in the center of the construction site, manipulating his fingers like puppet strings. Not far in front of him, several decently dressed individuals were wielding hammers, shovels, and trowels, engaged in a fierce struggle. Some begged for mercy while others fought with the tools in their hands.

Around them, many workers watched, their faces showing a mix of fear and satisfaction.

Shovels hit heads, trowels slashed bodies, hammers smashed knees, eliciting cries of pain. Instead of sympathy, these actions only brought joy to Doflamingo, who laughed happily.

He didn't even turn around but knew Gladius had brought people over. He flicked his fingers, and the heads of the two surviving decently dressed people flew into the air. Their headless bodies took a few steps forward before collapsing to the ground, blood gushing from their necks.

"Seneor, make sure to pay the workers' wages and let them continue construction. And tell Diamenté to go round up the families of those guys and bring them here to accompany them," Doflamingo ordered, then turned to Bedeck with a smile.

"'Arms King' Bedeck, I've heard of your name in the North Sea and wanted to meet you. Finally, we have the chance to talk."

"What do you want to talk to me about?" Bedeck asked calmly. His boss was standing right behind him; even if a mere newcomer from the North Sea showed up, Bedeck would dare to challenge him.

"This isn't the place to discuss business. Follow me," Doflamingo said, turning and walking away, motioning for Bedeck to follow.

Bedeck followed Doflamingo around a corner and found a sunny spot on the other side of the construction site, with several loungers, parasols, and boxes of wine nearby. A barbecue grill was also set up nearby.

At that moment, several members of the Doflamingo Family were sunbathing.

Doflamingo lay back on his lounger and said to Bedeck, "What I want to talk about, of course, is business, big business. I love dealing with smart and interesting people. I'll be here for a while. If your boss behind you comes to the Sabaody Archipelago, remember to tell him about this."

Adjusting the angle of the parasol, Doflamingo suddenly turned to Bedeck with a furrowed brow and said, "Alright, if there's nothing else, you can leave."

Bedeck was instantly displeased upon hearing this. Who did this guy think he was?

It could be said that Doflamingo's actions had left a very bad first impression on Bedeck.

"Why aren't you leaving yet?" Doflamingo frowned at Bedeck, who was still standing there. In his eyes, Bedeck, who seemed so glorious to outsiders in the underground world, was just a puppet put on display by some big shot.

After all, he had done a detailed background check. This guy used to be just a slave catcher captain. Later, he ended up in his current position due to various coincidences and the support of his current behind-the-scenes boss.

"What do you want to talk to me about?"

As Nicolas took the chain from Bedeck's hand and walked over to a lounger to sit down comfortably, he asked Doflamingo.

Seeing this scene, Doflamingo burst into exaggerated laughter. "Hahaha, I never expected someone like you, a big shot, to appear under the noses of those guys. I wonder if they'll be able to sleep peacefully once they find out about this news."

Seeing Nicolas's indifferent attitude, Doflamingo, after laughing, also spoke seriously to him.

"I have a plan. I wonder if you're interested?"

"What plan?" Nicolas asked, showing some interest.

Doflamingo pointed to the woman standing next to Nicolas with a somewhat vacant expression.

"Do you want to partner with me to monopolize the slave trade?"

Nicolas seemed uninterested. He really wasn't interested in human trafficking.

Ignoring Nicolas's attitude, Doflamingo's face showed a strange smile as he pointed to the construction site behind him.

"When that place is completed, it will be the largest auction house in the Sabaody Archipelago, and even in the entire Grand Line. All slave auctions in the Sabaody Archipelago will take place there!"

"I was originally thinking of finding other people to cooperate with, but if I can cooperate with you, I won't need to find anyone else."

Doflamingo reached out his right hand and clenched it towards the sky. "Your arms trade, combined with my human trafficking and the various channels I control, along with your powerful force, can be the bond that connects us. By working together, we can monopolize all the underground business in the first half of the Grand Line."

With his upper body propped up, Doflamingo looked at Nicolas, who was also looking over, with ambition in his eyes. "By then, all the underground transactions in the first half of the Grand Line, and even in the New World, will be under our control. We can even establish a force that can rival the World Government and the Marines! By then, this sea area will be ours!"

"Well, it's a good idea. I'll have Bedeck talk to you about the details. Also, honestly, your strength seems a bit weak. I hope to see you with awakened abilities next time."

After saying this, Nicolas picked up some grilled meat offered by Diamenté and left with Bedeck.

Leaving Doflamingo standing there in confusion.

"Diamenté, am I really that weak?"

Doflamingo's forehead veins bulged as he looked at Diamenté, who was holding an empty plate, and asked.

"Doflamingo..."

"Never mind."

Without waiting for Diamenté to reply, Doflamingo waved his hand, then lay back on the lounger, and no one knew what he was thinking behind those glasses.

 [AN- Thinking about Zoro, i was hoping him to bring the Akatsuki, esparda, fairytail (Nerfed) to destroy Marygeoise 😂😂 but i may get hate. Id like to hear ur opinion]

[AN-Only 2 chs today, sorry🤗❤️]