Chapter 87: The Prince's Ambition

"Amazing, Doflamingo!"

"Taking down the next match easily—"

Facing the cheers of the crowd, Doflamingo smiled coolly.

"But you won against a nobody, Fufufu~."

That wasn't a nobody, and the other guests around wore solemn expressions. Blade Wind Moritz was definitely not weak, yet he was defeated by the other in just one move.

Although they didn't know the opponent's abilities, that gold-haired kid with the red arrogant sunglasses was not to be underestimated in terms of strength.

A formidable opponent!

Others in the audience subtly raised their assessment of Doflamingo's threat level, and at the same time, they began covertly gathering information about him. As people continued to enter and leave, terms like 'Donquixote Family,' 'Doflamingo,' 'Rosinante Nandi' began to spread through the spectator seats.

Meanwhile, the center of attention, the Donquixote Family, was communicating through their internal voice chat.

"I mean, I mean, what if the Donquixote Family goes back on their word?"

Taking advantage of Rosinante's 'Silent Shield' ability, Trebol voiced his concerns to the others.

"That's a Superhuman-type Devil Fruit worth a billion berries— If it were me, I'd send our family members out in the final round to win the competition..."

"No, they won't,"

Rosinante shook his head decisively.

If it were Trebol, the 'Strategist of the Bunch,' of course he would consider such a scheme.

But the Donquixote Family would definitely not do that. Rosinante knew well that on the chairman's platform, Donquixote Doflamingo was arrogant, ruthless, and cold, yet he was also someone who repaid kindness and kept his word.

After they were saved by the Straw Hat Pirates in the past and held off Big Mom's crew, none of them backed down even when they were all captured.

In short, he was someone who held the 'royal family's' reputation in high regard.

He definitely wouldn't resort to such underhanded tactics.

"But that's a powerful Stone-Stone Fruit,"

"Unlike when we got the 'String-String Fruit' earlier, not knowing its name and being afraid to eat it."

Diamante was also puzzled and couldn't understand. For street-born ruffians like them, the other party's behavior was just too 'abnormal.'

"Why doesn't the Donquixote Family eat it themselves?"

Facing Diamante's question, Rosinante stroked his chin.

"This question has to start with the essence of Devil Fruits— no, rather, the essence of life."

???

Not only Trebol and Diamante, even Doflamingo and Jora had question marks on their faces.

Weren't they discussing why the Donquixote Family didn't eat the Devil Fruit themselves? How did they suddenly switch to such a profound topic about the essence of life?

"That prince,"

He raised his chin towards the chairman's platform, and Rosinante explained to the others:

"Viola D. Donquixote, once joined a research team called 'MADS.'"

"It was filled with top scientists who discovered the essence of life in their research—gene, life factors."

"By analyzing the 'life factors,' they could even make weapons 'consume' Devil Fruits and grant ordinary people abilities similar to Devil Fruits, or even attempt to create artificial Devil Fruits..."

This wasn't Rosinante making things up; it was real technology in this world.

In the future, the five children of the Donquixote Family would possess superhuman abilities like 'lightning,' 'flames,' 'air pressure,' 'toxins,' similar to Devil Fruits. Yet, they were not Devil Fruit users.

Because their genetic factors, their genes, were altered while they were fetuses, so they were born with traits like 'unbreakable body,' 'rapid healing,' and extraordinary abilities...

"Do you understand now? The Donquixote Family has a method to 'create' individuals with abilities similar to Devil Fruits. Therefore, they naturally have no interest in Devil Fruits—"

The weaknesses of Devil Fruits are simply too obvious. The whole sea is taboo; once someone falls into the water, they're done for.

Moreover, there's Sea-Prism Stone, and there are plenty of people who choose not to eat Devil Fruits.

But the Donquixote Family has taken things a step further. While possessing various 'superpowers,' they are completely immune to both seawater and Sea-Prism Stone. You could say it's revolutionary technology!

"Understood,"

A group of people all nodded in sudden realization.

Although they didn't understand the long explanation earlier, knowing that the Donquixote Family wasn't interested in Devil Fruits was enough.

"So, doesn't that mean this Devil Fruit is ours for the taking?"

"Hehehe~~ Diamante, Vergo, Pica,"

"Which one of you three is going to eat it?"

...

"Tsk tsk tsk, heard some incredible information."

On the other side, as the short-haired woman recounted, the wide-forehead girl with a fan covering the lower half of her face flashed a cunning glance. Unfortunately, this wasn't the West Blue; otherwise, they could have tried to acquire this technology—

The girl wasn't just fantasizing; the Flower Country had official pirate crews ranked from 'One Treasure' to 'Eight Treasures,' all of whose leaders had bounties worth hundreds of millions.

With such strength, even in the New World, they were considered top-tier nations. If they united with other naval forces, even in a direct confrontation against the Donquixote Family, they wouldn't fall behind.

"Well, a strong dragon doesn't crush a local snake."

"We better attend the banquet honestly. Xaifu, do you want to go down and have some fun?"

The person referred to as 'Xaifu' was a seemingly inconspicuous 'elderly man' behind the girl. According to Rosinante's Color of Observation Haki, this person was indeed an 'ordinary person.'

A rounded top hat covered half of his face, and only his mustache hanging down was visible. Although he was wearing a black suit as a means to fit in, his habit of folding his hands in front of him gave away his identity as someone from the Flower Country in the West Blue.

"Miss Linglong,"

"If I intervene, I'd be messing with the Donquixote Family's event."

The person called 'Xaifu' raised his head slightly, his eyes gleaming brightly. He wasn't an elderly person nearing the end of his life at all.

Xaifu, the Chief of Staff of the Eight Treasures Naval Force.

He should have been a burly, intimidating man, but behind the girl was a seemingly inconspicuous old man with a hunched back who wouldn't stand out at all.

This wasn't a Devil Fruit ability; rather, it was a camouflage technique achieved by a refined control over the body, altering bone and muscle structure.

"Just as the Donquixote Family won't intervene directly, I, as a 'guardian' in the shadows, won't act either."

If he encountered an opponent with a Devil Fruit ability on the sea, he would just take it.

But in the Donquixote Family's territory, he would naturally follow their rules.

"Is that so,"

The girl shook her fan and looked at Rosinante and the others.

"It seems that if I want to become the final victor, I need to personally intervene."

...

"Take him down!"

"That's the way to fight, no, that's the only way!'

"Who's next, who's going next? Let's get on with it—"

Those who had come to attend the Donquixote Family's engagement ceremony were either powerful factions or straight-up bounty hunters. At first, they held thoughts like 'spectators watching tigers fight,' or 'fisherman benefiting from the fight.'

But as others started to compete, showcasing swordsmanship, martial arts, firearms... even Devil Fruit abilities, cheers erupted from the audience, and thirsty experts kept jumping into the arena.

The atmosphere became heated!

The Donquixote Family's medical technology was well-known throughout the North Blue.

As long as they weren't killed on the spot, they could be saved, even from losing limbs. In this situation, there was no need for 'schemes' or 'plots'; it was better to simply enjoy a satisfying fight!

After all, without sufficient strength, they wouldn't become the final victor.

...

In the blink of an eye, half a day had passed.

"Don't be disheartened. Only when you've fought against experts will you understand your own shortcomings."

Rosinante patted Pica, who had been carried back, who was taking this opportunity to test his strength, improve himself, and make a name for himself. Naturally, the Donquixote Family had sent people to the arena one after another, with wins and losses. Pica's fight was the most brutal this time.

"Be careful of animal-type ability users' teeth in the future."

"Got it."

On the stretcher, Pica, drenched in blood, nodded slightly. His neck had been gnawed at, and his trapezius muscles were severely damaged. He couldn't even lift his arms.

Of course, his opponent didn't have an easy time either. The sea merchant leader who had eaten the 'Animal-type · Cat-Cat Fruit · Lion Form' took quite a few heavy blows from Pica. If it weren't for the toughness of animal-type skin, he might have fallen down earlier.

Although Pica looked miserable, everyone was used to bloodshed and knew he wasn't seriously hurt. They began to review and discuss the battle that had just taken place.

"Create distance and use long-range attacks?"

"If engaged in close combat, it's better to use grappling techniques—"

"It's not just teeth,"

Rosinante remembered the 'Future' CP9, those animal-themed fighters, and reminded the others:

"Many animals use their tails as weapons too. Be cautious when dealing with them."

Closed-door planning wouldn't work; real battles weren't turn-based, where each opponent took turns attacking. Kicking, striking, gouging, clawing, and biting were all standard tactics. You could never predict what dirty tricks the opponent might pull out.

Going down to fight, experiencing a beating while contemplating how to deal with similar problems next time—that's how improvement happened.

It wasn't just the combatants in the arena who gained a lot; even the spectators were engrossed in what they were witnessing.

The essence of this world—or any world, for that matter—was that the one with the bigger fist was the one who held 'justice.' The pursuit of power was ingrained in the bones of anyone with ambition.

As more people went down to fight and were carried away for treatment, the level of combat grew more intense, and the fights became longer. After a burly man in a golden suit of armor won three consecutive matches, no one stepped into the arena again.

In a world where the hardness of gold surpassed that of steel, most people needed considerable effort to pierce steel armor. In the face of golden armor, they were left helpless.

Could the victor be him?

-----------

"Sixteen B-grade, seven B+ grade, and three who reached A- grade standards..."

At the podium, next to the upright and composed Donquixote Doflamingo, a white-coated researcher murmured the assessment of the participants' strengths, evaluating those who had participated in the arena battles.

"Combined with our battle suits, they can collectively advance one level."

The Donquixote Family was technologically advanced. The battle suits, made of high-strength fibers, could withstand bullets and blades. Equipped with high-tension 'spring boots,' they allowed people to run like the wind and leap several meters—

When these 'experts' put on the suits, they immediately transformed into killing machines!

As the researcher had said, letting them advance a level was a piece of cake.

"Yes, not bad."

The young Donquixote Doflamingo nodded calmly.

The reason he had offered the 'Stone-Stone Fruit' as a reward was to assess the strength of those present and then tailor battle suits for them.

Of course, this wasn't free. Those present were connected to his plans going forward.

"As many elite soldiers as we need."

"But what we lack are 'commanders' who can lead and break through the enemy lines."

The entire audience in the arena would become the 'tip of the spear' in his conquest of the North Blue!

As for anyone who refused to cooperate?

Donquixote Doflamingo had never considered that. As long as he conquered the entire North Blue, he could reward them with money, land, beautiful women—anything. If they didn't know how to appreciate this, the Donquixote Family had strong individuals who could make them see the reality!

He raised his hand, and his five fingers symbolically covered the entire arena.

In the eyes of the young prince on the podium, there was an air of "All the North Blue heroes are under my control."

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(End of this chapter)