Doflamingo did not remain in Professor Clover’s study for long.
After leaving the Tree of Knowledge, he decided to find somewhere in Ohara to stay for a few days while Clover searched for the information he needed.
Not long after Doflamingo departed, Nico Olvia knocked and entered the study.
She looked at Clover with concern.
“How did it go, Professor?” Clover stroked his thick beard as he considered the question.
“Far better than we feared.
He doesn’t appear interested in using our secret to blackmail us or force us into doing anything unpleasant.” “He only wanted information about Sleeping Ancient Town.” Olvia visibly relaxed, but her concern did not disappear.
“Perhaps we’re safe this time, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be another.
He isn’t someone we can trust.” “You’re right,” Clover said helplessly.
“Unfortunately, there’s little we can do about it.” Would Clover ever trust Doflamingo?
Of course not.
They barely knew each other, and Clover’s existing impression of him could hardly have been worse.
As far as Clover was concerned, Doflamingo was a ruthless man willing to do anything to achieve his goals.
He had murdered his own father without hesitation—and had only been ten years old at the time.
Many years had passed since then.
There was no telling how much more dangerous he had become.
Doflamingo had behaved calmly and politely during their conversation, but that was nowhere near enough to earn even a trace of Clover’s trust.
The problem was that Clover had no effective way to deal with him.
Ohara could hardly fight him.
The island was renowned for its scholars, not its warriors.
Meanwhile, Doflamingo wandered around Ohara’s town for a while before quickly losing interest.
For a moment, he wondered whether he might happen to encounter Nico Robin.
Then he remembered that she was probably only three or four years old at this point.
The chances of randomly meeting her were negligible, so he abandoned the thought.
After having dinner with Vergo and several Family subordinates, Doflamingo retired to the hotel they had reserved entirely for themselves.
Early the next morning, just after he finished breakfast, the scholar who had delivered his letter the previous day arrived at the hotel.
Professor Clover wished to see him again.
When Doflamingo returned to the Tree of Knowledge and entered Clover’s study, he found Nico Olvia waiting inside.
He was slightly surprised, though nothing showed on his face.
The corners of his mouth lifted into a faintly sinister smile.
“Fuffuffuffu… Professor, I assume you found something.
Ohara’s efficiency is impressive.” “Please, take a seat, Mr.
Doflamingo.” Clover gestured toward the chair.
“Allow me to introduce Nico Olvia, one of Ohara’s scholars.
She also possesses some knowledge concerning Sleeping Ancient Town.” “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Scholar Olvia,” Doflamingo said with a slight nod.
Olvia returned the greeting naturally.
Once everyone was seated, Doflamingo turned his attention toward Clover.
The professor did not waste time.
“We located the relevant records yesterday and organized the information they contain.” “We can now confirm that Sleeping Ancient Town was situated in the second half of the Grand Line—the New World.” “The island produced no magnetic field, so it cannot be located with a Log Pose.” “However, based on the surviving records, we have been able to determine its approximate coordinates…” Clover proceeded to explain everything they had uncovered.
Unfortunately, the conclusion was simple.
Sleeping Ancient Town would be extraordinarily difficult to find.
The coordinates alone were insufficient.
Anyone searching for the island would also need to account for unusual ocean currents, the positions of the stars, and various local environmental conditions.
Only after reaching the surrounding waters and observing those factors firsthand could its precise location be determined.
Doflamingo felt a headache coming on as he listened.
Did finding one island truly need to be this complicated?
Then again, it made a certain amount of sense.
Even someone as powerful as Patrick Redfield had spent an enormous amount of effort searching for Sleeping Ancient Town and only found it through a fortunate series of circumstances.
If the island had been easy to locate, its ruins would surely have been rediscovered at some point during the past two centuries.
Yet after the relevant records were destroyed, no one had managed to find it again.
That alone proved how difficult the search would be.
Before long, Doflamingo noticed something unusual in Clover’s explanation.
He raised a hand and adjusted his sunglasses.
“Professor, it’s obvious that you put considerable effort into investigating Sleeping Ancient Town for me.” His smile remained pleasant.
“If there’s something else you wish to say, there’s no need to circle around it.” Having been seen through, Clover rubbed his nose awkwardly before adopting a serious expression.
“What I mean is that Ohara has spent centuries developing reliable methods for locating ancient ruins and lost lands.” “We also possess highly experienced specialists in that field.” Doflamingo immediately understood.
So that was where Clover had been leading him.
He had spent all that time emphasizing how dangerous and complicated the search would be because he wanted to recommend Ohara’s own archaeological team.
Doflamingo could not tell whether Clover had exaggerated some of the difficulties to make the offer more appealing.
What he could say with confidence was that Ohara truly was exceptional in this field.
Archaeology was the island’s specialty, and its scholars were among the finest in the world.
They had likely located and excavated countless ruins over the course of centuries.
Their expertise was beyond doubt.
In the original timeline, Patrick Redfield had relied on Nico Robin’s memories and archaeological knowledge to decipher the ruins of Sleeping Ancient Town and obtain the Devil Fruit hidden there.
Having Ohara’s scholars assist him would undoubtedly make the expedition far easier.
While Doflamingo considered the proposal, Clover finally stated his terms.
“Archaeological expeditions are extremely expensive.” “Ohara accepts outside commissions to help fund its research.” “For fifty million Berries, we will send Scholar Olvia and a complete professional team to assist you in locating and exploring the ruins of Sleeping Ancient Town.” So that’s what this is about.
Doflamingo nearly laughed.
They wanted money.
Fifty million Berries was not a trivial sum, but neither was it beyond the Donquixote Family’s means.
He smiled and prepared to accept.
Then, just before he spoke, another thought occurred to him.
Something was wrong.
The money itself did not matter, and Clover had not struck him as someone who cared deeply about profit.
Judging by the professor’s attitude yesterday, he should have wanted as little contact with Doflamingo as possible.
Why would he now volunteer to send an entire team on a long expedition with him?
If Doflamingo accepted, every stage of the search would depend on Ohara.
They would interpret the coordinates.
They would identify the currents.
They would choose the route.
They would guide him through the ruins.
That would place him entirely in their hands.
And that was dangerous.
Within their own field of expertise, Clover and Olvia possessed countless methods of dealing with someone they could not defeat directly.
They could lead him into an especially dangerous stretch of the New World and allow the sea to kill him.
They could strand him inside the ruins and leave him to die of hunger or thirst.
If Sleeping Ancient Town contained ancient traps or mechanisms, they could arrange for him to trigger one.
None of those possibilities were unreasonable.
Professor Clover might look honest and respectable, and Olvia might appear calm and refined, but both were people willing to sacrifice their own lives for Ohara and the truth of history.
If they believed Doflamingo posed a threat to the island, deciding to eliminate him would be entirely consistent with their convictions.
The more he considered it, the more plausible it seemed.
A wicked smile spread across Doflamingo’s face.
“Fuffuffuffuffu…” His quiet laughter filled the study.
“Professor, it seems there is still far too little trust between us.” Clover’s expression shifted slightly.
Then he forced a smile.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean.”