Chapter 44: Laying It All Out

Doflamingo's smile gradually froze.

He was a bit confused about where Caesar got the confidence to act so arrogantly in front of him.

And... how did such a cocky brat manage to survive under Kaidou's command?

His Observation Haki silently spread out, quickly extending across the entirety of Dressrosa, even reaching the ships docked outside the port. Doflamingo left no stone unturned.

Did this guy really come alone?

After a moment of thought, he tentatively directed his Observation Haki toward Caesar. In an instant, his eyes narrowed slightly behind his sunglasses.

Oh ho...

I almost missed it!

This brat isn't even that old, yet his strength is ridiculously strong!

All living beings in this world emit a unique sound that ordinary people can't hear.

The principle of Observation Haki is to perceive by capturing this sound.

The stronger a person is, the louder the sound they emit. The same goes for living creatures.

And in Doflamingo's perception, the sound coming from Caesar was downright deafening!

Even a novice who had just awakened their Observation Haki could clearly hear the terrifying power hidden beneath that pretty-boy facade.

Is this guy really eighteen?!

Upon sensing Caesar's aura, Doflamingo found himself in a difficult position.

"Four minutes."

Just as he hesitated, Caesar's voice, like a death knell, rang out again.

Tch...

Damn brat!

Doflamingo's expression darkened, but considering the other party's strength, he wasn't confident he could take him down quickly.

If things escalated and he couldn't resolve the situation swiftly, Kaidou might catch wind of it.

Thinking this, he had no choice but to suppress the killing intent in his heart.

"Well... why so impatient? The researcher of the Artificial Devil Fruit is currently under the World Government's control. I'm merely offering a direction for cooperation. I'm not a subordinate of your Beasts Pirates, so there's no reason for me to be coerced by you, right?"

As he spoke, Doflamingo stepped aside slightly, bending forward in an inviting gesture.

"While my place may not compare to Tesoro's extravagant, hedonistic cruise ship, it's still the Fairy Kingdom of love and passion. Why don't you come with me to the palace, and we can discuss this properly?"

Hearing this, Caesar flipped his pocket watch shut and strode past Doflamingo without a care, seemingly unafraid of any sneak attack.

Doflamingo's reaction was unexpected, but it made sense.

This guy's strength was roughly at the level of a Sweet Commander in an Emperor Crew. Sure, he was taken down by Monkey D. Luffy's Fourth Gear punches, but considering how Fourth Gear burns Haki at full power, there are very few below the Emperor level who can withstand a single Great Ape King Gun.

If Doflamingo had made a move, Caesar wouldn't have hesitated to cut him down halfway.

But Doflamingo held back, and Caesar actually respected him more for it.

This guy...

Is even more cowardly than me!

Seeing Caesar's attitude, Doflamingo twitched his fingers but ultimately held back.

However, what followed was Caesar acting as if he owned the place. He casually made his way to a hall, walked straight to the head of the long table in the center, leaned back in the master's seat, placed his longsword across his lap, and then propped his legs up on the table. He looked at Doflamingo with a relaxed expression.

"Bring out the food."

"..."

Doflamingo fell into silence.

Caesar could clearly see the bulging veins on his forehead.

However, he held back his anger and instructed his subordinates to prepare food, then sat down at the far end of the long table.

Truly, this was a man who could navigate between the Four Emperors and the World Government with ease…

Just this level of patience alone made Caesar feel inferior.

When he was doing business back then, he had never been so submissive.

Oh, right, I had my connections back then, relying on bribery…

Thinking of this, Caesar couldn't help but chuckle. However, this smile, when it fell into Doflamingo's eyes, seemed like mockery.

"You seem quite happy, sir."

After some thought, Doflamingo decided to stop testing the waters and instead opted for a straightforward conversation.

"By the way, have I ever offended you in any way?"

"Yes, of course you have…"

Caesar replied indifferently, "More than two months ago, I had just arrived in the New World, found my destined Devil Fruit, and was fortunate enough to awaken Conqueror's Haki. But just at that moment, a drunkard suddenly fell from the sky, hitting me with a Thunder Bagua and sending me to Wano Country…"

Doflamingo was puzzled, "But… how does that have anything to do with me?"

"I only found out later…"

Caesar's tone was calm, "The reason Mr. Kaido appeared there that day was because someone had discussed a business deal with him. He was on his way back to Wano Country at the time, and the content of that deal, coincidentally, was about Artificial Devil Fruits."

"Originally, I could have left the New World, spent some money to ask Garp, my fellow countryman from the East Blue, to teach me how to use Haki. I could have lived as a local tyrant in the peaceful and prosperous East Blue, enjoying my wealth and status without a care in the world. Whether it was the Four Emperors or the World Government, even if the sky fell, it wouldn't have affected me."

"But this life that should have been perfect was suddenly shattered by a damn business deal! And the very person responsible for all this even came to me directly…"

As he spoke, Caesar narrowed his eyes slightly, "Doflamingo… tell me, should I blame you?"

"I see…"

After hearing Caesar's words, Doflamingo paused for a moment and finally understood the source of Caesar's hostility.

"Fufufufu, in that case, it really is my fault!"

Because I discussed a deal with Kaido, you're taking it out on me?

Makes sense!

Completely makes sense!

A smile finally reappeared on Doflamingo's face. It was precisely this kind of unreasonable, strength-focused realist who was worthy of doing business with him!

A mere misunderstanding? Completely trivial!

Gild Tesoro burned down his auction house and stole his Gold-Gold Fruit, yet he still cooperated with him.

As for Caesar's issue, in his eyes, it was just a young man venting his frustration.

Is this even a problem?

What kind of problem is this?

This isn't even worth mentioning!

And to be honest, Sugar's Fruit Ability might work well against ordinary people.

But when it came to those monsters whose strength was not inferior to his, he felt somewhat uncertain. If they could clear up this misunderstanding, there was still a possibility of mutual cooperation and benefit. There was no need to risk controlling such a dangerous individual.

In Doflamingo's eyes, Caesar should be the same type of person as him—ambitious, scheming, and unwilling to be subordinate to others.

If we can cooperate and achieve mutual benefits, the gains would far surpass what fools like Kaidou and Big Mom, who only rely on brute force, could ever achieve!

Especially in this matter, I think you, Caesar, are perfectly suited for the position of a Warlord of the Sea!

Don't you want to be your own local emperor?

The position of Warlord of the Sea is just right, and I can be the one to recommend you!

With the backing of the Beasts Pirates, combined with my connections and your managerial skills as a legitimate businessman, we can easily split this paradise between us, brother!