Doflamingo silently stared at Professor Clover.
The room fell into an oppressive silence, and even Olvia began to feel uneasy.
Doflamingo’s suspicions had been correct.
Clover and Olvia truly did intend him harm.
Olvia had volunteered to accompany the expedition to Sleeping Ancient Town because she hoped an opportunity would arise along the way to make the criminal who had uncovered Ohara’s secret disappear without a trace.
Scholars did not need blades to kill.
Within their own field, there were countless ways to dispose of someone.
Doflamingo understood what they were planning, but he had no intention of exposing them outright.
As the young tyrant of the North Blue’s underworld, he had encountered more than enough people who tried to deceive, trap, or assassinate him over the years.
He was long accustomed to such schemes.
Was he angry?
A little.
But not as much as one might expect.
Duplicity was simply part of the world he lived in.
He could even understand their reasoning.
Had he been in their position, he would have silenced anyone who knew a secret capable of destroying everything he wished to protect.
Doflamingo tapped his slender fingers against the desk, breaking the heavy silence.
He did not intend to interrogate them or force the matter into the open.
Their plan had not yet progressed far enough to make that necessary.
“One of my former business partners once told me something rather interesting.” His voice was quiet.
“Sometimes, asking for too little in a negotiation can destroy a partnership.
It makes the other party even more suspicious.” Clover swallowed but said nothing.
Despite himself, he could see the logic in those words.
One of the reasons he distrusted Doflamingo so deeply was precisely because the young man’s original demand had been so small.
Doflamingo held information capable of bringing ruin to Ohara, yet he had used that leverage merely to ask about Sleeping Ancient Town.
Anyone in Clover’s position would wonder what he was truly planning.
A suffocating pressure gradually spread from Doflamingo.
His strength might be unimpressive by the standards of the New World, but here in Ohara, before scholars like Clover and Olvia, he was more than intimidating enough.
Both of them unconsciously swallowed as their unease deepened.
They feared he might suddenly turn violent.
A bead of cold sweat slid down Clover’s temple.
Only then did Doflamingo speak again.
“The terms of our agreement are changing.” His voice had grown colder.
“To help you place greater trust in me, I now have three conditions.” He continued before either scholar could respond.
“First, Ohara will send its finest team to Sleeping Ancient Town and retrieve something for me.” “Second, I want advanced Haki training methods.
Not the common fundamentals circulating throughout the New World.
I want knowledge capable of taking Haki beyond its basic applications.” “Third, I want the most complete Devil Fruit Encyclopedia currently held in Ohara’s collection.” Compared with his earlier request, Doflamingo was now demanding a great deal.
“Doflamingo, there’s no reason for this to become—” Clover began hurriedly.
“Fuffuffuffuffu…” Doflamingo’s sinister laughter cut him off.
“Professor, I gave Ohara an opportunity to become my friend.” His smile widened.
“Unfortunately, it seems friendship between us is impossible.” “So now I’ll have to approach you—and Ohara—in a different way.” His tone became unmistakably threatening.
“None of those three conditions are negotiable.” “If even one is left unfulfilled…” Behind his sunglasses, Doflamingo’s gaze turned vicious.
“Then don’t blame me for what follows.” “Within twenty-four hours, Mary Geoise’s Cipher Pol intelligence offices will receive everything I know about Ohara’s secrets—your illegal study of the Poneglyphs and the ancient script included.” Doflamingo had finally stated the threat openly.
Perhaps he had treated Ohara too kindly from the beginning.
Some people mistook courtesy for weakness.
Speak to them politely, and they plotted against you.
Strike fear into them, and they suddenly remembered how to cooperate.
Clover’s expression shifted repeatedly.
For a moment, panic overwhelmed him.
But he was still one of the world’s foremost scholars, a man who had dealt with powerful officials and witnessed his share of dangerous situations.
After his initial shock, he gradually regained control of himself.
He met Doflamingo’s cold gaze.
“The Haki material and Devil Fruit Encyclopedia can be obtained.” His voice was steady once more.
“But what exactly do you expect us to retrieve from Sleeping Ancient Town?” “How can you be certain it is there?” “If it does not exist, then your first condition would be impossible to fulfill.” Doflamingo paused.
Ohara had accepted those two demands far more readily than he expected.
Perhaps he had not asked for enough after all.
Devil Fruit encyclopedias were not exceptionally rare among major powers, though their quality varied greatly.
Doflamingo had seen one during his childhood in Mary Geoise.
Such books were never truly complete.
They were continuously revised as new information became available.
The World Government and Marine Headquarters undoubtedly possessed versions far more detailed than those held by ordinary organizations, thanks to their vast intelligence networks.
Ohara might not specialize in gathering intelligence about Devil Fruits, but its connections throughout the academic world were exceptional.
Its encyclopedia had likely been compared against records held by the World Government.
Doflamingo had already planned to begin acquiring Devil Fruits through the underworld.
Whether he sold them, used them to strengthen his network, or reserved them for senior members of the Family, a reliable reference book would be essential.
He had not originally intended to obtain one from Ohara.
His plan had been to establish ties with the World Government later and find some way to gain access through them.
As for advanced Haki training methods, Ohara might not possess them directly.
Professor Clover, however, almost certainly had enough influence to acquire them.
Countless thoughts passed through Doflamingo’s mind in an instant.
He smiled.
“There is no need to worry.
What I want is definitely inside Sleeping Ancient Town.” “So make sure you find it.” Clover gave him a frustrated look.
“And what is it?” “A Devil Fruit.” Doflamingo saw no reason to conceal the answer.
He held Ohara’s greatest vulnerability in his hands.
They had no room to defy him.
“A Devil Fruit?” Clover repeated in disbelief.
Olvia looked equally surprised.
All of this was for a single Devil Fruit?
“Perhaps Devil Fruits hold little value in the eyes of scholars,” Doflamingo said.
“I have no interest in debating that with you.” “Find it.
Bring it back.
Hand it over to me.” He paused before naming it.
“The Bat-Bat Fruit, Model: Vampire.
A Mythical Zoan.” “It should appear in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, so I doubt you need a description.” “A Mythical Zoan…” Clover was surprised, though not particularly shaken.
Such fruits were unquestionably rare, but as Doflamingo had guessed, scholars did not attach the same importance to Devil Fruits as pirates and warriors did.
Olvia looked directly at Doflamingo.
“Once we fulfill these three conditions, how will you guarantee that Ohara’s secret—” Doflamingo let out a cold laugh.
“I already gave you my word once.” “You chose not to trust it, and that is why matters have reached this point.” “I see no reason to offer another promise.” He rose from his chair.
At nearly three metres tall, he towered over both scholars, filling the study with an overwhelming sense of pressure.
A cruel smile appeared on his face.
“You will do exactly as I have instructed.” “That is the only choice Ohara has.” “Afterward…” His voice softened, which only made the threat more chilling.
“Pray.” “Pray that once I have what I want, I remain in a pleasant enough mood to forget this unpleasantness.” “If everything proceeds smoothly, Ohara will remain unharmed.”