Doflamingo's rumors

It was purely by chance that Doflamingo encountered Nico Robin here. As he said, he was merely perfunctorily hunting some pirates for the Marines. In fact, not just him, but all the Shichibukai were doing similar things.

This was the very purpose of establishing the Shichibukai system. While their existence was intended to counter the growing power of the Emperors of the Sea, it was unrealistic to expect them to go all out against those monsters of the New World.

Even the World Government, for the sake of their so-called balance, restricts large-scale wars. This supposed check and balance is nothing more than lip service; Shichibukai are more focused on cleaning up their own backyard and perfunctorily does Marines' work.

Moria in the Florian Triangle, Crocodile in Alabasta, Jinbe on Fishman Island, and Hancock in Kuja all clear out some pirates in their respective regions from time to time.

The most unique of them was Hawk Eyes. Most of the time, he wouldn't do anything, but if something provoked him, he could chase you to the ends of the earth.

Compared to the other Shichibukai, Doflamingo was even more exceptional. His territory was in the New World, where many of the pirate groups were linked to powerful entities. It wasn't uncommon for some of them to be under the influence of one of the Emperors of the Sea.

So when Doflamingo wanted to hunt pirates for the Marines, he'd usually come to the first half of the Grand Line. After all, Dressrosa wasn't far from here, and it was here in the first half that he happened to encounter Nico Robin on the island.

The Beasts Pirates have been making headlines lately. After the official Marine report, Morgans' newspaper also revealed the situation at G-1. With his personality, he wouldn't miss a chance to grab attention.

As for where Morgans got the photos and intel, it wasn't hard to figure out. Too many people had witnessed it, and the World Government hadn't deliberately tried to cover it up, so the information naturally spread. By piecing together the news in two newspapers and using his own unique information channels, Doflamingo roughly have an idea of what had happened.

This made him realize that if he wanted to survive in the New World's Underworld in the future, he would need to maintain a friendly relationship with the Beasts Pirates. The current New World seemed to have seven Underworld rulers, but the other six combined couldn't compare to the Beasts Pirates.

They didn't have the military might that can give Marines' headache, nor did they possess terrifying biotechnology capable of pulling off a stunt, where the World Government had to brush it off as if it was nothing.

The first time Doflamingo met Nico Robin and this encounter shared a common trait: both places had some ancient artifacts. He could boldly speculate that Robin was searching for something related to history.

This was a risk-free gamble. If he won, he'd gain a lot; and even if he lost, he wouldn't lose much.

"What?"

"Let's talk somewhere else. This isn't the right place for a conversation."

With his usual cocky stride, Doflamingo led the way. Once Robin's curiosity is piqued, it isn't so easy to extinguish.

...

On the Donquixote Pirates' ship, after his family had prepared tea, they left at Doflamingo's signal.

"So? Have you found what we're looking for? By now, you should have a stable channel for trades, right?"

"Fuffuffuffu, unfortunately, I'd like to say I found it, but it's a bit difficult."

Doflamingo knew exactly what the Beasts Pirates wanted most: plates and Zoan-type Devil Fruits. Zoan-type fruits weren't too hard to find, but there was no need to mention this to Robin. As for the plates, they were much harder to find.

The islands he could reach were far fewer than those of the Beasts Pirates. Even with Pica merging into the islands to search, it yielded no results. Doflamingo lacked the capabilities of the Beasts Pirates, who could extend their search across the world.

"This matter might be related to you, Miss Robin. You seem to have quite an interest in history."

"Hmm?"

"Don't get me wrong. Even if you wanted to overthrow Mariejois, I would applaud you. It's just that I happen to know a place with a deep historical background."

Many pirate crews bore the Beasts Pirates' flag, but he had never seen another person, supposedly an ordinary person, carry their flag in a private capacity.

Well, not exactly an ordinary person. Over the years, Doflamingo had quickly integrated into the New World's Underworld, and he had come to know certain secrets.

Nico Robin—a woman with exceptional skills. Wherever she went, she could manage most of an organization's or a group's operations with remarkable efficiency. She was also a gifted negotiator. But there was one problem: any group she joined usually didn't survive longer than six months, always meeting with some "unfortunate accident."

There was no concrete evidence that Robin was responsible, which is why there were always those who didn't believe in rumors and tried to recruit her.

However, to Doflamingo, it all made perfect sense. The woman standing before him was part of the Beasts Pirates. No matter which organization she joined, she was never truly loyal to them—at best, she was an undercover agent.

Although, in order to achieve their own goals, undercover agents might work hard to help the organization and can be very useful, the impact of their actions can be severe once they make their move.

Some had suspected Robin of being trouble but were too tempted by her skills, thinking they could control her, what with her being just a woman. As a result, she managed to thrive in the underworld.

"Black Widow" of the Underworld, this title had already gained some fame. Some believe it's a fate that she's destined to "take down bosses," while others think she's actively hunting them down, each interpreting the title differently.

Doflamingo, however, had no opinion on the matter—he had no desire to offend the Beasts Pirates.

"Speaking of history, you can't avoid the mysterious Void Century. It's the very thing the World Government has banned. But Miss Robin, you should know, there is a group of people who lived through that era and continue to do so to this day."

"Celestial Dragons? You think Mariejois is a safe place?"

No one knows she is from Ohara, and those aware of it live on Onigashima. Thus, Robin didn't mind discussing history. Doflamingo's hint was clear enough—only the Celestial Dragons had survived from 800 years ago until now.

However, the Celestial Dragons lived in Mariejois, a place Robin couldn't easily access.

"No, no, no. The descendants of the 20 kings who founded the World Government 800 years ago became the privileged class ruling over the world. But of those 20 families, only 19 live in the Holy Land Mariejois. One family never moved there."

As Doflamingo spoke, he spread out a map and pointed to a country in the first half of the Grand Line.

"One of the 20 kings, the Nefertari family. They refused to relocate to Mariejois and chose to remain in their original kingdom. That kingdom is called—Alabasta."

"How do you know such a thing?"

"Fuffuffuffu, Miss Robin, everyone has their little secrets. But I can assure you, this is all true."

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