Capítulo 300: Chapter 300: Doflamingo
(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)
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Fortunately for Alabasta, Colt's appearance spared them three years of suffering.
After facing the reality of what was going on, Crocodile quickly went into action.
First on the agenda was ending the dance powder incident he had started before.
He was ordered to terminate it.
With some remaining inventory on hand, Crocodile found it wasteful to simply destroy it.
Instead, he located two scapegoats, blaming them as the instigators of Alabasta's suffering.
It was rather easy for someone like him to do so. The two weren't good people at any rate.
He then publicly burned the remaining dance powder, enhancing his reputation and establishing himself as a true national hero.
Even King Cobra of Alabasta expressed his gratitude, welcoming Crocodile into his palace for dinner with the king.
However, Princess Vivi, though still young, harbored suspicion and hostility toward Crocodile.
Crocodile just didn't care, however; it was just the view of a young girl.
He had already destroyed all evidence linking him to any wrongdoing, even if it raised some doubts.
Did King Cobra suspect him before?
Of course, he did. And he still does to this date.
But why was he still so welcoming?
Because he understood that the world was not only about right and wrong; it was also about strength and weakness.
Now that Crocodile had publicly ended the incident, it meant that the matter was closed.
Cobra had no other choice.
Crocodile wasn't a weak person from their perspective…
With the dance powder incident settled Crocodile turned to other pressing matters—making money and gathering resources.
Crocodile started reassigning Baroque Works operatives, sending his elite members to Whiskey Peak.
As an experienced pirate, he knew how to make money fast.
Those fresh to the Grand Line, coming from across the seas, were often wealthy elites carrying fortunes.
When these newcomers first entered the Grand Line, they were likely at their wealthiest.
By using his people as pirate hunters, Crocodile could not only plunder their wealth but also hand them over to the Marines for additional income.
The main reason?
Colt's massive needs: starting with providing enough supplies for 100,000 people, as such, he required as many as possible.
When the numbers climbed, even basic supplies came at a tremendous cost.
But during this time, Crocodile noticed some unexpected competition.
A pirate hunter named Kakuzu had recently risen to prominence—he was not only powerful but he was also targeting pirates aggressively, often within Crocodile's area of influence.
The most troubling was the news that the Marines were impressed by Kakuzu and were even considering him for a position among the Shichibukais.
If Kakuzu actually became a Shichibukai, wouldn't he become even more powerful?
Faced with this new rival, Crocodile went to Colt, who was busy collecting points by healing people.
"Kakuzu, did you say?"
Watching the Wood Clone outside tirelessly healing others, Colt stayed in the room, drinking as he listened to Crocodile's report.
"Yes, Kakuzu has hunted various pirates with a collective bounty total reaching over one billion berries recently, many of them were Baroque Works' targets."
Colt's mouth twitched as he set his cup down.
This… he knew quite well.
Not long ago, Kakuzu had sent over Colt's cut, totaling 600 million berries.
To avoid delaying his earnings, Kakuzu stored the berries in the coffin of the [Impure World Reincarnation], allowing Colt to summon them directly.
He was a true, hardworking ally.
Unexpectedly, his activities had caught Crocodile's attention.
It seemed Colt had to explain things.
"What? Is he also one of your subordinates?"
After Colt's explanation, Crocodile was shocked, blurting out in disbelief.
"Ah, well, kind of," Colt replied.
"I'll contact Kakuzu and arrange for him to share this territory with you."
Colt took out a small den-den mushi and began dialing.
Although contacting Kakuzu through the [Impure World Reincarnation] or [Rinnesharingan]'s remote communication would be faster, Colt had recently become fond of the communication method of this world.
He found it amusing how it mimicked the expressions of the person on the other end.
Yesterday, he had called Sasuke and had nearly laughed himself to tears.
Seeing Sasuke's serious expression on a tiny snail was hilarious.
********
Meanwhile, in the Grand Line— Jaya Island.
Jaya held many legends, the most famous being the tale of the land of gold preached by the great liar Noland.
Long ago, Jaya and the Sky Island had once been one, until an upward current separated them, sending part of the island to the White Sea, creating the Sky Island.
Though Noland's words were dismissed as lies by many, some still believed in the land of gold.
Jaya had since become one of the most pirate-populated areas in the first half of the Grand Line.
And with so many pirates came pirate hunters.
Kakuzu being one of the best to do it, was taking full advantage of this paradise.
In his pursuit of wealth, Kakuzu had become the most disciplined pirate hunter in the world of pirates.
Marine's bounty conditions required hunters not to carry a bounty on their own heads, and Kakuzu respected the rule as long as he profited from it.
"Once I finish these two, I can head to the nearby Marine base to collect the bounty."
Studying his notes, Kakuzu silently walked into a bar where two supernova pirates, each worth 100 million, were drinking.
He muttered to himself, "That guy, Uchiha Sasuke, has a bounty of over a billion, but I'm no match for him…"
The thought of maybe capturing Sasuke and cashing his bounty stirred a strange excitement in Kakuzu.
If only he knew Sasuke better; a partnership with the kid could also be very profitable.
Dividing the spoils with the guy, and giving him 20% sounded worthwhile.
Kakuzu pushed the bar door open.
To his surprise, he was met with silence and a room full of corpses, including his two targets.
Sitting at the bar was a tall figure with small sunglasses, a pink feathered coat, and a glass of wine in hand.
"Shichibukai Doflamingo."
Kakuzu's voice held a note of displeasure as the shadows around him seemed to shift restlessly.
"Are you here to steal my prey?"
Doflamingo burst into laughter, his sinister grin widening.
"Fuffuffuffuffu… Kakuzu-san, don't misunderstand," Doflamingo replied.
"These two can be considered a gift from me to you."
Capítulo 301: Chapter 301: Advice worth 100 Million
(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)
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Anyone who could give Kakuzu money was a good person in his book.
After seeing Doflamingo's sincere gesture, his attitude warmed visibly.
By that, it meant he didn't try to kill him anymore.
"Do you need to discuss some sort of business with me? As long as you bring enough money, I don't mind."
"However, I won't do illegal things, as otherwise, I can't collect bounties from pirates anymore..."
Kakuzu spoke up seriously.
And Doflamingo replied with a laugh.
"Fufufu... Kakuzu-san, you're truly interesting. So powerful, yet so focused on money."
"It's not 'just money'; that's literally my life."
Kakuzu retorted seriously, unaware that he was long dead and now in a weird state in between.
But for him, as long as he could make money, life or death made no difference.
Doflamingo merely chuckled, opting not to argue further.
He, too, was a pirate who valued money and power, though perhaps not to the point of being obsessed like Kakuzu.
Then Doflamingo got to the point.
"I only need an answer to a question of mine from you today, Kakuzu-san. If it satisfies me, there's plenty of money in it."
Doflamingo fidgeted with his fingers, thin threads barely visible to the naked eye filling the space around them.
His tone suddenly turned serious.
"I heard that whenever you hunt pirates, their hearts disappear. It reminds me of a Devil Fruit I once lost…"
"Kakuzu-san, did you eat the Op-Op Fruit? And, do you happen to know about a man named Corazon?"
Doflamingo's voice deepened and his expression grew dark, as if recalling unpleasant memories.
"No problem, I can tell you. But how much are you willing to pay?" Kakuzu replied bluntly.
"One hundred million Berry," Doflamingo's eyes glinted coldly from behind his glasses.
If Kakuzu didn't have the Op-Op Fruit, it was fine; but if he did... then he'd die first before he would even get to count the money.
Brrr brrr brrr!
At that moment…
A Den-Den Mushi began to ring.
Kakuzu looked down at the snail, motioning Doflamingo to be quiet, and answered.
"I'm busy. It's not convenient right now."
"Ehhh…" Doflamingo noticed Kakuzu took the call reluctantly, implying some fear of the caller.
"What's going on with you?" came Colt's voice, sounding displeased.
"The Shichibukai Doflamingo came to buy some information from… more specifically about the Op-Op Fruit," Kakuzu explained about noticing Colt's displeasure.
Colt paused briefly.
"Hand him the Den-Den Mushi."
"Don't ruin my business…" Though he protested, Kakuzu still passed over the Den-Den Mushi.
'Sigh…' Kakuzu had a bad feeling.
Doflamingo took it with amusement.
"Well, well... who do we have here? Fufu-"
"Shut up."
A cold voice cut through his laughter.
"I don't want to hear that ugly laugh of yours." Colt wasn't in the mood for that.
Actually, he would never be in the mood for that.
"Interesting... No one's spoken to me like this in such a long time—" Doflamingo kept his composure, opting to figure out who he was talking to first.
But Colt, had woken up and chose violence today.
"Stop pretending, Doflamingo."
"Aren't you acting superior just because you're a lackey of Kaido?"
"Also, did you forget back then when you went begging on your knees to become a Celestial Dragon trash once again...? What gives such trash like you the right to act superior?"
Doflamingo's smile froze, a vein throbbing on his forehead.
Colt's words were like knives, reopening painful, shameful wounds.
"Who the hell are you?
His voice couldn't hide his murderous intent anymore.
But he was still focused on knowing who he was talking to. This guy knew he worked under Kaido. And he even knew that he was a former celestial dragon… the keyword being: 'begging on your knees to become a Celestial Dragon trash once again'.
"That's not your main concern for now," Colt replied casually.
"First, Kakuzu's abilities aren't your business. When we're done, you'll leave as quickly as you came. Second, you'll give him 100, wait, no, make it 200 million Berries. That's what you should do now"
He started to give him orders as if he was already working under him.
Naturally, Doflamingo wouldn't just do as he said…
"Fufufu… truly amusing. You think you can command me just because you know a few secrets about me?"
"Whoever you are… you can go fuck yourself! I'll die before I'd do as you said," Doflamingo snorted, and tossed the Den-Den Mushi back to Kakuzu.
At that moment, Kakuzu knew that his hunch was correct.
Kakuzu glanced at Doflamingo with pity…
But he was eager to collect his due money before things went further south.
He just needed Colt to finish and hang up.
"You don't need to know who I am, but you'll soon learn that you shouldn't have insulted me and instead done as you were asked. For now, you can back to Dressrosa and wait for your fate," Colt's voice echoed, and he then hung up.
The bar returned to silence, but Doflamingo's expression was still dark.
Doflamingo thought himself an arrogant man, but Colt's audacity was something else.
"In regards to your questions: No, I have not eaten a devil fruit at all, much less the one you spoke up about, I don't know it, and I don't know anyone named Corazon"
"Now, where is my pay?" Kakuzu reminded him, keen to finish the deal and get away.
Boom!
The bar's counter splintered, revealing a small box.
Doflamingo, grumbling, handed it to Kakuzu with a silk thread.
"I'll give you the money as agreed, but I want information on the man talking through that Den-Den Mushi," he said, eyes darkening.
Kakuzu opened the box and counted.
"Only 100 million? You should have somehow gathered the 200 as he told you… But I suppose this will do."
Kakuzu already had been expecting 100 million so he wasn't too disappointed.
"For the sake of the money you handed me, I would give you an advice worth the amount."
"Go back and enjoy a very fancy dinner while you still can."
Although he hadn't lived for long in the ninja world and didn't know about what happened after he died, Kakuzu still recognized that crossing Colt was a foolish risk.
Doflamingo froze, then scoffed.
"You think I'm a dead man walking? Ridiculous."
In the entire ocean, who besides the Four Emperors dared to look down on him?
"Interesting… very interesting, Fuffuffuffuffu"
Doflamingo got up, and stepped past Kakuzu with a cocky stride.
"Go back and tell him I'll be waiting in Dressrosa for this so-called 'fate.'"
With that, Doflamingo left without a backward glance.
"Such a shame," Kakuzu murmured, pocketing the money.
"A Shichibukai can't be turned in for bounty… what a waste."
As he watched Doflamingo's retreat, he resumed contact with Colt.
"Everything's done on my end... Anything else you need?"
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