Bab 79: Chapter 79 : Doflamingo Joins!!
Doflamingo was now a bit panicked. He had come to Marineford with no intention of getting involved, merely planning to make an appearance and watch the spectacle.
But unexpectedly, he found himself in a fight with Sanjuan Wolf under Buggy's command!
Fine, he thought, if he had to fight, he would just play around with Sanjuan Wolf, not using his full strength and just passing the time.
However, he didn't anticipate that Sanjuan Wolf would get seriously fired up. Not only did he call for reinforcements in the form of Shiryu, but he also launched a surprise attack after significantly boosting his strength by eating Sengoku's Devil Fruit!
When Doflamingo was severely injured, he thought it would be the end of it. Yet, he was surprised when Buggy and his crew took him away during their retreat!
Thus, Doflamingo became one of the two captives in Buggy's hands!
The other captive was currently the unconscious Diamond Jozu, the third division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates!
Considering Blackbeard's ability to steal others' Devil Fruits, Doflamingo thought that Buggy might be interested in his Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, the Ito Ito no Mi (String-String Fruit)!
From the beginning, Doflamingo was contemplating what price he should pay to exchange his life for freedom from Buggy and his crew!
However, as soon as Doflamingo heard Buggy's introduction of the Cross Guild, he immediately had an idea!
If he could join this Cross Guild, not only could he save his life, but he could also turn enemies into friends with Buggy's crew! He could even use their strength to escape the constraints imposed by Kaido of the Hundred Beasts!
More importantly, Doflamingo was genuinely interested in this Cross Guild!
So, Doflamingo took the initiative and, in front of everyone, proposed that he wanted to join the Cross Guild!
Doflamingo believed that with the resources he controlled, Buggy wouldn't refuse his application!
Buggy looked at the confidently smirking Doflamingo and showed a meaningful smile, saying, "Of course you can join! But before that, there are some old debts that need to be settled between us, Doflamingo!"
Doflamingo was stunned and puzzled about what kind of debt Buggy was referring to!
In Doflamingo's memory, he shouldn't have had any significant interaction with Buggy!
Seeing Doflamingo's confusion, Buggy reminded him, "It seems you, Doflamingo, are really forgetful! Over the years, you've been stirring up trouble in the underground world under my name. Did you really think that the Buggy the Clown was just a nobody?"
The Clown... Joker?!
Doflamingo's pupils constricted as he instantly understood what Buggy meant!
But wasn't Buggy's excuse to trouble him a bit far-fetched? Who knew who you were before today, you Buggy the Clown!
Though he thought so, Doflamingo still forced a smile and said, "Hehehe, could there be some misunderstanding? When I mentioned 'Joker,' I was referring to the wild card in a deck of cards, not the clown!"
Buggy chuckled and looked at everyone, saying, "What do you all think 'Joker' means?"
"What else could it mean? 'Joker' obviously refers to a clown!"
"So the famous arms dealer and intermediary in the underworld, Joker, is actually Doflamingo? I never knew that before!"
"Fool! What are you talking about? Joker is clearly Captain Buggy!"
...
As soon as Buggy spoke, his supporters immediately responded! Some clever ones even directly attributed the name 'Joker' to Buggy!
Doflamingo's face darkened instantly. As one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, a ruler of the underworld, the head of the Donquixote family, and the king of Dressrosa, he had never been subjected to such humiliation!
Buggy waved his hand, signaling for the commotion to stop before looking at Doflamingo and saying, "See, Doflamingo? Everyone thinks 'Joker' means clown. Do you have anything else to say?"
Doflamingo licked his lips and replied with a somber laugh, "Hehehe, enough talking, Buggy. I admit defeat this time! Just tell me what you want!"
Buggy calmly said, "First, you can't use the name 'Joker' anymore! There can only be one clown on this sea, and that's me, Buggy the Clown!"
"And you dare to share the same name with me!"
Doflamingo nodded, saying, "Hehehe, that's simple. I'll change the name when I get back!"
Buggy smiled in satisfaction and continued, "Secondly, you must turn over all the assets related to 'Joker' in the underworld without conditions!"
The reason Buggy captured Doflamingo was because of his influence in the underworld!
However, Buggy was not interested in Doflamingo's underworld assets per se, but rather in the channels Doflamingo had in the underworld!
Doflamingo's arms business was spread across the entire world, indicating he had a well-established supply chain and transportation network!
If Buggy could control this, it would save the Cross Guild a lot of time and effort!
But upon hearing Buggy's demands, Doflamingo frowned!
The main business of the Donquixote family was the underworld. Now Buggy wanted him to turn over all the underworld operations, which was essentially taking away all his wealth!
This was no different from killing him!
Buggy saw Doflamingo's reluctance and added, "I'm not asking you to hand over all the underworld business to me personally. It's for the Cross Guild!"
"Currently, all positions within the Cross Guild are still open. Didn't you say you wanted to join? If you have the ability, you could easily reclaim the position of managing the underworld factions!"
"Moreover, you should have heard my introduction of the Cross Guild. In the future, our business in the underworld will certainly extend beyond just arms dealing!"
"Think carefully about the benefits and risks involved!"
Having said this, Buggy didn't rush Doflamingo but waited quietly for his response.
Upon hearing Buggy's terms, Doflamingo, who had been resolute, found himself wavering!
This was undeniably an opportunity to turn a small advantage into a great one!
Doflamingo was indeed once the king of the underworld, but Buggy's ambition was to make the Cross Guild the emperor of the underworld!
And Buggy himself wouldn't take up the position of emperor. Top-tier powerhouses like Blackbeard and Bullet surely weren't interested in this role either!
In reality, there wouldn't be many competitors for this position, and Doflamingo was the strongest among them!
Doflamingo still had that confidence!
After a thorough consideration, Doflamingo looked up and chuckled, "Heh heh heh, it's been a long time since I felt such thrilling tension! Buggy the Clown, I accept your terms!"
"A wise choice!" Buggy snapped his fingers and smiled, "Everyone, if you don't mind, let's move to the cabin and discuss the specifics of the Cross Guild's formation?"
"There's a flaw!"
As soon as Buggy finished speaking, a shadowy figure suddenly shot out from a dark corner, aiming directly for Buggy's head!
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Status Power Mingguan
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