Once Doflamingo was invited inside the Tree of Knowledge, he could not help feeling amused.
Rules were rigid.
People were not.
Only recognized scholars were allowed inside?
And yet here he was.
The interior of the Tree of Knowledge was vast.
Desks, reading areas, private rooms, and towering shelves filled the hollow trunk.
Scholars gathered in small groups throughout the library, debating subjects that sounded impressively obscure and complicated.
Doflamingo had no interest in joining them.
He followed the scholar guiding him through the library and soon arrived outside Professor Clover’s private study.
After a knock and a reply from within, Doflamingo opened the door and entered.
Professor Clover was the only person inside.
Doflamingo had no idea that Nico Olvia had been there earlier, so her absence meant nothing to him.
The moment he stepped through the door, Clover fixed him with an intense stare, as though hoping to uncover the truth merely by studying his face.
Doflamingo remained completely at ease.
“Professor Clover, I’ve heard a great deal about you.
It is an honor to meet you in this temple of knowledge and culture.” “Even after the rather discourteous way you arranged this meeting?” Clover asked with a cold smile.
Doflamingo placed a hand against his chin, feigning confusion.
“I wasn’t aware I had behaved discourteously.” “So young, yet already so insincere,” Clover said.
“I suppose that is only fitting for a former World Noble.” He had deliberately brought up Doflamingo’s past.
To his surprise, Doflamingo showed neither anger nor embarrassment.
“Thank you for pointing that out, Professor.
I’ll try to appear more sincere in the future.” Clover had no interest in trading verbal jabs with him.
He gestured toward the seat across from his desk.
Doflamingo sat without hesitation.
Clover could no longer contain himself.
“That letter you sent—how did you—” “Fuffuffuffu…” Doflamingo interrupted him with a quiet laugh.
“Please don’t misunderstand, Professor.
I have no interest in Ohara’s research, its archaeological expeditions, or anything else its scholars may be doing.” His smile gradually sharpened.
“I certainly didn’t come here to discuss something like…the Void Century.” Clover lowered his gaze and said nothing.
The silence stretched on until even the study seemed suffocating.
Only then did Clover speak.
“In that case, Mr.
Doflamingo, what exactly do you wish to discuss?” Doflamingo straightened slightly.
“You are one of the most respected archaeologists in the world.
Everyone I’ve spoken to praises your knowledge of both ancient and modern history.” He paused.
“I came to ask whether you have ever heard of a place called Sleeping Ancient Town.” Clover had expected blackmail.
Perhaps Doflamingo intended to extort money from Ohara or force its scholars to carry out some disgraceful task.
He had even prepared himself to cooperate, provided the demand was not completely intolerable.
Protecting the secret of their Poneglyph research mattered more than his pride.
Instead, Doflamingo merely wanted information about Sleeping Ancient Town.
Clover stared at him with a conflicted expression.
“You came here only to ask about that?” “That’s right,” Doflamingo replied as though the answer were obvious.
Clover fell silent again.
Since Doflamingo had chosen not to pursue the matter of the Void Century, Clover decided it would be best to behave as though the subject had never been raised.
At least for now.
“Sleeping Ancient Town…” Clover said after considering it for a moment.
“A place by that name did exist more than two hundred years ago.” Doflamingo raised an eyebrow, his interest immediately sharpening.
“So you really do know about it.
I intend to find the island.
What can you tell me?” Clover folded his hands on the desk.
“More than two centuries ago, a strange cult emerged there.
Its followers worshiped blood and disease.” “They launched a series of attacks on nearby islands, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths.” “Their atrocities eventually drew the attention of the Church.
The cult was condemned as heretical, and the Church assembled an armed order to destroy it.” “A large fleet was sent to Sleeping Ancient Town.” Doflamingo listened with visible surprise.
At the same time, part of the story seemed strangely fitting.
In the original timeline, Dr.
Vegapunk would eventually suggest that Devil Fruits were born from humanity’s desires.
The theory still lacked a complete explanation, but it had come from the man widely regarded as the greatest scientific mind in the world—and the foremost authority on Devil Fruits.
There had to be some truth behind it.
If a cult devoted to blood and disease had flourished on Sleeping Ancient Town two hundred years ago, perhaps it was somehow connected to the Mythical Zoan hidden there.
Could the Bat-Bat Fruit, Model: Vampire have emerged from the desires of those cultists?
There was no way to know.
Then again, Doflamingo was not a scientist.
He did not need to understand how the fruit had come into existence.
He only needed to eat it.
Clover continued.
“The Church’s forces exterminated the cultists.” He paused before correcting himself.
“No.
More accurately, they destroyed Sleeping Ancient Town itself.” “To prevent the cult from ever returning, the Church petitioned the World Government to erase the island’s existence completely.” Doflamingo’s expression shifted.
“A Buster Call?” Clover nodded.
“You could say that what happened there contributed, at least in part, to the creation of the Buster Call system.” “The World Government considered the cult’s crimes and approved the Church’s request.” “The Marines joined the operation and helped erase Sleeping Ancient Town—not merely from the sea, but from maps, written records, and books.” “Almost every trace that the island had ever existed was destroyed.” Clover’s expression hardened.
“Ohara alone managed to preserve a few fragments of that supposedly evil history.” Judging by Clover’s explanation, the formal Buster Call system had likely been established sometime afterward.
Doflamingo could easily imagine why.
The World Government had discovered how useful it was to erase an entire place and everything connected to it.
“So where was Sleeping Ancient Town located?” he asked.
“I don’t remember the exact coordinates,” Clover replied.
“But Ohara does possess records concerning it.
I’ll have the relevant books brought out for you.” Doflamingo nodded and did not press him further.
“Thank you, Professor.
If Ohara helps me locate the ruins, I will naturally provide suitable compensation—” “I don’t want your money,” Clover interrupted.
“All I ask is that you stay out of Ohara’s affairs and never mention what you know to the World Government.” Doflamingo smiled.
“Fuffuffuffu… That won’t be a problem.” “Whatever secrets Ohara possesses will not spread through me.”