Chapter 47: The Wager

"That settles it then."

Although Doflamingo was anxious about the situation in Wano Country, there was nothing else he could do.

"However... I can only hold out for a year at most. No matter what happens next year, the people below will need to have their bellies filled."

"That's not a problem. Sea Prism Stone is a major source of income. Otherwise, I'd be quite worried about running out of resources."

Caesar nodded: "By the way, there will likely be many merchant ships from Wano Country passing through here. Make sure your people don't raid them."

"Then I'll have to make sure to take care of that."

Doflamingo chuckled softly, his mood finally shifting in a positive direction.

"Speaking of which, I wonder which type of Devil Fruit you prefer? I'll keep an eye out for them. Also, the prices of different types of fruits... do you have a rough range in mind?"

"Mythical Zoan, Logia Type, Paramecia Type, and finally, Zoan."

Caesar clenched his fist: "For Mythical Zoan and Logia Type, each starts at a minimum of 1.5 billion! Paramecia Type and Ancient Zoan start at 500 million! Ordinary Zoan types start at 200 million! How's that price?"

"1.5 billion? You're really willing to spend, aren't you?"

"That's just the baseline."

Caesar shook his head slightly: "If you can get your hands on the Glint-Glint Fruit, I'm willing to pay 10 billion for it!"

"Fufufufu... 10 billion? The Glint-Glint Fruit?"

Doflamingo burst into laughter: "That sounds tempting, but the current user of that fruit is quite a troublesome fellow."

Among the current three Admirals of the Navy, it's hard to say who's the strongest, but the most troublesome one is definitely Kizaru!

Fight? You can't win.

Run? You can't escape.

Even if you do manage to win, this guy can vanish in the blink of an eye, reappearing kilometers away.

And personality-wise, he's also the most unpredictable.

Doflamingo would rather provoke Akainu than get too involved with someone like Kizaru.

"What a shame. That's the fruit I've always wanted the most."

Caesar sighed softly: "If I had a choice, who would willingly eat a Zoan-type fruit?"

Doflamingo suddenly fell silent.

Can you stop pretending for once?

Then let me ask you!

Did my String-String Fruit say anything?

Am I not a Devil Fruit user?

Am I not a user?

Am I or am I not a user?!

"Rumor has it... Devil Fruits choose their owners."

Doflamingo's tone carried a hint of regret: "The Vampire Fruit is quite good, isn't it? Compared to the String-String Fruit..."

"It's more like some trait of yours attracted the String-String Fruit."

Caesar said indifferently: "I heard you're skilled with Puppet Strings? I suppose you enjoy manipulating others' fates, don't you?"

"Fufufu... You're quite perceptive, aren't you?"

Doflamingo's heart tightened. It seemed his information wasn't a secret to Caesar, no wonder this guy acted so confidently.

"Then what about you? Why were you chosen by the Vampire Fruit?"

"Like I said, I just wanted to live a stable and long life."

Caesar's expression turned cold: "Bringing this up makes me want to beat you up."

Doflamingo's face stiffened, tripped by his own trap.

Caesar held up three fingers: "Three days. I want to see that Artificial Fruit."

"Don't worry, as long as it's really on Punk Hazard."

Doflamingo remained completely unfazed.

He had received news from Caesar Clown that the research on Artificial Devil Fruits had failed, and the World Government would no longer focus its efforts in that direction.

Obtaining a mere failed product wouldn't be difficult.

After the two had finished their meal, Doflamingo's mind began to stir once more.

Since they had already reached a consensus, he had completely abandoned the idea of controlling Caesar.

After all, Caesar was truly wealthy and genuinely willing to spend his money!

Moreover, Caesar's money was stored in a portable space, making it impossible to swindle him without Sugar's ability. Yet, using Sugar's ability wouldn't secure the money and even carried the risk of backfiring.

Now, what he needed to do was to extract as much profit as possible from Caesar.

"Speaking of which, this is your first time in Dressrosa, isn't it?"

Doflamingo chuckled warmly. "How about I treat you to a proper experience over the next couple of days?"

"Sure."

Caesar nodded. He was curious to see what kind of spectacle Doflamingo could come up with.

Soon, the two arrived at a structure resembling an ancient Roman coliseum.

On the high platform, Caesar looked down at the two gladiators battling in the arena below, feeling somewhat unimpressed.

"Is this it?"

"Fufufu, don't be so hasty…"

From the king's seat, Doflamingo chuckled softly. "Who do you think will win between these two?"

"A wager?"

Caesar swept his Observation Haki over the arena and lost even more interest.

The two fighters were evenly matched, both with bounties just over 100 million Berries, far from the level of the competitors in the original storyline vying for the Flare-Flare Fruit.

"Are all the fighters here slaves?"

"Well… there's a mix of people."

Doflamingo explained, "Bankrupt gamblers, pirates turned slaves, and some who are here to challenge themselves. These two in the arena are rookie pirates who once tried to challenge my position as a Warlord of the Sea."

"I see…"

Caesar thought for a moment. "I'm not particularly interested in simple wagers. How about we make it more interesting?"

Doflamingo looked intrigued. "Oh? Do tell."

Caesar raised his index finger, pointing at one of the pirates on the stage. A crimson glow gathered at his fingertip.

With a sharp whoosh, a Blood Bullet shot out, instantly piercing the pirate's shoulder.

However, in the next second, the pirate's eyes turned red, and the wound on his shoulder rapidly healed. He bowed slightly to Caesar before silently retreating to the side of the arena.

"Coincidentally, my Devil Fruit also has the ability to control others."

Caesar glanced at Doflamingo and gestured for him to take his turn.

"Fufufu, is that so?"

Doflamingo's interest was piqued. He flicked his finger, and a nearly transparent string shot out, causing the other pirate in the arena to freeze in place.

Caesar looked at Doflamingo. "How about a wager of 100 million Berries?"

"That's quite unfair to me."

After scanning the gladiator controlled by Caesar with his Observation Haki, Doflamingo's eyes flickered with caution. He had never heard of the Vampire Fruit having the ability to control others.

Although the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia was widely circulated, it only contained the most basic descriptions of the fruits' abilities. Otherwise, it would never have been published.

The most renowned aspects of the Vampire Fruit's Devil Fruit ability are eternal youth and immortality. In comparison, the power to manipulate blood is not as prominently noticed.

"With just a single thought, you can achieve what I need to control with my strings. Look, that guy is still resisting, fufufufu..."

As Doflamingo spoke, he slightly raised his ring finger, and the person under his control immediately brandished a greatsword and charged toward Caesar's Thrall.

"But consider it a gesture of goodwill, after all, this is your first time visiting me."

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