Chapter 45: The Deal

"Fufufufu..."

After a brief silence, Doflamingo suddenly let out a low chuckle.

He clapped his hands, and the maids pushed a dining cart into the hall, placing plates of delicious dishes in front of the two men. "With your strength and background, you should understand better than anyone that there are no eternal enemies in this world, only eternal interests."

"Compared to the benefits I can bring you, this little misunderstanding is nothing. Otherwise, we wouldn't be sitting here so amicably, would we?"

In just this short time, Doflamingo felt he had already figured out Caesar's intentions.

First, he came alone, then he confidently asserted his dominance, and only when Doflamingo lowered his stance and gave him enough face did he relent.

Fufufufu...

He almost fell for the other's trick. This guy was probably here for benefits from the very beginning!

Caesar had no idea what Doflamingo was thinking, and Doflamingo would never have guessed that Caesar was indeed here to pick a fight.

But Caesar hadn't expected the other party to lower their stance so much. Even with his thick skin, he found it a bit hard to escalate now.

However, hearing Doflamingo's words, he immediately guessed what the other was thinking, and for a moment, he was genuinely tempted.

But on the surface, he remained calm, casually swirling his wine glass.

"Tell me, what are these so-called benefits you speak of?"

"How about the vacant position of Warlord of the Sea?"

Doflamingo suggested. "Wouldn't it be perfect for you to take this position? It would free you from Kaidou's restrictions and give you a considerable degree of freedom..."

Caesar scoffed lightly. "That position originally belonged to the Beasts Pirates. Are you giving me something that's already mine as a benefit?"

Doflamingo feigned surprise. "So, the authority of the Beasts Pirates lies in your hands?"

"More or less."

Caesar gave him a meaningful look. "After all, Kaidou is... my father-in-law."

"Father-in-law..."

Doflamingo's smile froze instantly.

Damn it...

He misread the situation!

He didn't doubt Caesar's words. Something like this could be easily verified with a phone call, so lying about it would be pointless.

But this also meant that his plan to ally with Caesar, leveraging the World Government and Kaidou for his own benefit, had fallen through.

With the identity of Kaidou's son-in-law and Caesar's strength, the position of Warlord of the Sea truly held no significance for him.

"The position of Warlord of the Sea? What would I do with it? Legalized plundering?"

Caesar scoffed. "Is this what you call a friendly conversation? It seems you lack even the most basic sincerity."

"Deals are negotiated, after all..."

Seeing that his first plan had failed, Doflamingo quickly changed his tone. "After all, Caesar and I have only just met. Why don't you name your price? Let's consider it a gesture of friendship. As long as it's within my power, I won't hesitate for a moment."

"Fine."

Caesar nodded. "I've been searching for a Devil Fruit recently. If you can help me find it, then all grievances between us will be settled."

"A Devil Fruit, you say? Why don't you tell me more?"

Doflamingo felt relieved. He wasn't afraid of Caesar making demands; he was only worried that the guy was solely focused on picking a fight.

"The Dark-Dark Fruit."

Caesar said calmly. "I'm sure you've heard of it, right?"

"Fufufu... Of course, the most fearsome Logia Type."

Doflamingo immediately laughed. When it came to finding things, he was the best at it.

And as for the so-called most fearsome Logia Type, it meant nothing to him.

Claimed to be the most fearsome, it was merely effective against Devil Fruit users. Its destructive power wasn't as straightforward and domineering as fruits like the Goro Goro, Pika Pika, or Magu Magu. It couldn't even achieve elementalization, placing it at best in the second tier among Logia Types.

Of course, all of this was based on the premise that one could only consume one Devil Fruit.

"If it's just one Devil Fruit, no problem."

"Of course, it's not just that."

Caesar shook his head slightly: "Speaking of which, I happen to know some information about Artificial Devil Fruits. That thing should have been developed by Vegapunk. Currently, there's only one failed product, and the cost is extremely high..."

Hearing this, Doflamingo's heart sank again.

"Fufufu... It seems you know more than I imagined, no wonder you're not very enthusiastic about my proposal."

"I'm not interested in who you trade with. In this regard, I only have two demands."

Caesar raised two fingers: "First, I want Vegapunk's failed product! Second, the subsequent mass-produced items must have no side effects! The research time can be slowed down, but the two fruits I want must be delivered to me as quickly as possible."

"How about it? Not too difficult, right?"

Caesar spread his hands slightly: "The Dark-Dark Fruit is hard to say, but that Artificial Devil Fruit is currently stored in Punk Hazard. With your means, it shouldn't be hard to get."

"One Logia Type, one failed artificial product..."

Doflamingo fell into deep thought: "Is Vegapunk's really a failed product?"

"It is indeed a failed product."

Caesar chuckled, without a hint of guilt: "But it's also a unique piece. Vegapunk has abandoned research on Artificial Devil Fruits, which means it's the only creation in the world from his hands."

"Since you've investigated me, you should know that my greatest hobby is collecting."

"So, a unique piece, huh..."

In his Observation Haki, Caesar showed no signs of lying, which slightly dispelled Doflamingo's doubts. Indeed, for someone who loves collecting, there's no word more attractive than 'unique piece.'

"Fufufufu... In that case, even I will have to pay a hefty price."

"This is just compensation for me personally."

Caesar shook his head slightly: "But I can help you recoup some losses in other ways."

Hearing there were benefits, Doflamingo immediately became interested: "Why don't you elaborate?"

"I want Devil Fruits, as many as I can get."

Caesar flicked a gold coin towards Doflamingo: "You don't need to worry about money. Even for ordinary Zoan types, I'm willing to pay 200 million per fruit—paid in gold!"

"Oh?"

Doflamingo casually caught the gold coin, gave it a slight squeeze, and was somewhat tempted.

Gold was a hard currency, especially in some war-torn countries, where its value could even multiply several times!

"That's quite an enticing offer, but Devil Fruits aren't easy to come by. If one happens to fall into your lap, that's one thing, but actively searching for them is incredibly time-consuming and labor-intensive."

"Add to that the Supreme Grade Swords, two billion for each."

"These are even rarer than Devil Fruits, and what's worse, the vast majority of them are in the hands of Great Swordsmen."

Doflamingo helplessly rubbed his forehead. If Caesar hadn't looked so serious, he would have suspected the man was just messing with him.

In truth, Caesar was indeed messing with

him...

If Doflamingo could actually get his hands on the Dark-Dark Fruit, then this guy would be of no use anymore.

But the act had to be convincing. Without a bit of sincerity, how could he fool this old fox?

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