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'You're fine now, but what about me?'
Doflamingo had something on his mind, but he couldn't voice it.
Because on the tree next to him, a large green lizard was watching him intently.
Doflamingo felt that if he dared to make a move against Dak, he might not live more than ten seconds. So, he suppressed the feeling of being played and calmed himself down.
"So, Feather of the New Moon, how can I obtain it?"
Doflamingo, driven by his desire to please Senor, was still thinking about acquiring the Feather of the New Moon.
"You could exchange other Devil Fruits for it, but not just any will do—I need to know exactly what kind they are."
Dak was not making it hard for Doflamingo.
Moreover, he indeed needed other Devil Fruits to protect his companions.
"I understand, just a moment."
Doflamingo fell silent for a while, then nodded and headed outside the shop.
About ten minutes later, he returned with a piece of paper in hand.
Dak immediately understood; Doflamingo wasn't alone, the others were simply hiding in Dressrosa.
Given that Doflamingo rarely wrote anything himself, whether he could write at all was questionable.
"What's this?"
"These are all the Devil Fruits that the Donquixote family can offer right now."
"So many."
Dak raised an eyebrow; the paper he held listed at least twenty-two Devil Fruits, most of them common Zoan types.
Dak guessed these were likely intended for Kaido, or perhaps to be stored for later collaboration with Caesar for the 'smile' experiments.
These were just what the Donquixote family was willing to disclose.
That meant there were Devil Fruits they hadn't revealed.
Dak noticed that the Hobby-Hobby Fruit wasn't listed.
At this time, Doflamingo would surely have acquired this Devil Fruit, crucial for maintaining control over Dressrosa. Without it, there would be no need for the Operation SOP.
At least, the Hobby-Hobby Fruit was one of the Devil Fruits the Donquixote family could not part with.
"This one."
Dak pointed to the last Devil Fruit listed on the paper.
The Snow-Snow Fruit.
The Logia type Devil Fruit that originally belonged to Monet.
This fruit could create a snow portal, even in the air, allowing for rapid returns to the Hatchery or to assist teammates in danger.
Most importantly, for Monet, a civilian, this Logia type would instantly elevate her to the top tiers of combat capability in the Four Seas and Paradise.
The name seemed hesitant when written, so the font was bolder than that of other fruits.
"This fruit is valued higher than the Door-Door Fruit."
Doflamingo glanced at it, unsurprised.
He had intentionally added the Snow-Snow Fruit, knowing that the other Zoan types might not be as appealing, so he chose a safe option.
Although the Snow-Snow Fruit was a rare Logia type, in the New World they were heading to, Logia didn't have the same oppressive dominance as in Paradise.
In the New World, even pirates often had Armament Haki, making it difficult for Logia users to envelop their energy attacks in Haki, which resulted in a sort of devaluation.
The prominent figures in the New World, such as the Beast Pirates with Zoan types and the BigMom Pirates with Paramecia types, were testament to this.
Even the Whitebeard Pirates mainly consisted of non-Devil Fruit users, with only a few top figures having abilities, and none were Logia types.
The future Dark-Dark Fruit owned by Blackbeard, which naturally mimicked the effects of Seastone, was a special case.
Doflamingo, a man who understood the world's affairs, clearly knew the value of the Snow-Snow Fruit and was willing to part with it.
"This fruit is not bad, but in my view, it doesn't compare to the Door-Door Fruit."
Dak knew Doflamingo wanted more benefits.
If the Snow-Snow Fruit was indeed stronger than the Door-Door Fruit, then he would consider it.
However, the Snow-Snow Fruit's potential was limited compared to the versatile and unpredictable Door-Door Fruit, not to mention other Logia types like the Ice-Ice Fruit, the Glint-Glint Fruit, or the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, which had unique advantages.
Thus, Dak's statement was not unfounded but rather his honest opinion.
...
Doflamingo was silent, contemplating if there was room for negotiation.
"The Feather of the New Moon, do you want it? If so, bring one hundred million Belly and the Snow-Snow Fruit. The exhibition match is starting soon, and I'm quite busy today."
Dak didn't want to waste any more time.
He took out the faintly glowing Feather of the New Moon from the system and placed it in front of Doflamingo.
His need for Devil Fruits was minimal; even without the Snow-Snow Fruit, he could find other Devil Fruits as substitutes.
Both the Navy and the Revolutionary Army would be eager to trade Devil Fruits with him.
Thus, it was the Donquixote family that needed the Mystery Hatchery, not the other way around.
"No problem, I will have someone deliver it before the exhibition match starts tomorrow."
"Good, it's a pleasure doing business. Here's the feather for you, hold it as you sleep tonight to activate its effect, which works only once. After that, at most it can only bring beautiful dreams."
Dak handed the Feather of the New Moon directly to Doflamingo.
The latter took it, then looked up at Dak.
Doflamingo wondered why Dak would so readily hand over the feather. Shouldn't it be a transaction where goods and payment are exchanged simultaneously?
Wasn't he worried about being swindled?
Such confidence!
As this thought crossed Doflamingo's mind, a chill ran down his neck.
He looked down and saw a green leaf blade resting on his neck.
When?!
Doflamingo turned to the side, where Sceptile stood, his movements and presence previously undetected.
Cold sweat began to form on his forehead.
Now, Doflamingo understood why Dak dared to hand over the Feather of the New Moon so freely.
He wasn't worried about him running off at all.
"I advise you not to entertain any crooked ideas; no one can take anything from the Hatchery for free."
Dak shook his head.
His psychic abilities allowed him to sense the fluctuations in Doflamingo's emotions, though he couldn't pinpoint his exact thoughts, the current situation was easy to deduce.
Giving the Feather of the New Moon to Doflamingo was because he had no concerns about the Donquixote family running off with the goods.
If Doflamingo dared such a move, then all of the Donquixote family's assets would be seized by the Mystery Hatchery the following day.
While the assets obtained this way couldn't be converted into Mystery Coins, that didn't mean they were useless.
The Hatchery would need a lot of money for its various activities in this sea area, and Dak was still figuring out how to manage this wealth. If Doflamingo was willing to bite and invest in their Hatchery, Dak would appreciate it.
Moreover, those Devil Fruits and weapons were what really tempted Dak.
These treasures could quickly build a powerful inspection team.
Dak was also testing the 'enjoy now, pay later' arrangement.
If even someone like Doflamingo could follow the rules, then there was no need to worry about others.
This also proved the feasibility of this arrangement, which could be included in the VIP benefits in the future, attracting more customers to purchase Pokémon Encyclopedias.
"Haha, rest assured, I value honesty in business."
"Ha ha ha ha, thank you, that's the funniest joke I've heard this year. See you tomorrow."
Dak couldn't help but laugh.
He patted Doflamingo on the shoulder, then turned and walked towards the deepest part of the branch, heading back to Pokémon Island.
Sceptile also lowered his arm, watching Doflamingo leave.
"By the way, Bon, move this mirror to the hall. Tomorrow morning at ten, let the customers start lining up, and make sure to check for tickets."
Dak didn't forget to instruct before leaving the branch.
Meanwhile, on Pokémon Island.
To embed the concept of 'command' deeply in people's minds, the first match featuring Gardevoir and Mismagius wasn't just about them fighting autonomously.
Instead, it was Monet and Sugar, as trainers, directing the Pokémon in battle.
If Monet and Sugar had mastered Observation Haki, they could have genuinely assisted Gardevoir and Mismagius in battle, but unfortunately, the sisters were ordinary humans.
These days, Dak was busy not only nurturing the two Pokémon but also guiding Monet and Sugar in command battle tactics.
"Speaking of which, we still haven't picked a referee for the match."
Dak rubbed his head with some frustration.
The job of a referee wasn't difficult; in the original story, it seemed to be just a few words.
But in reality, it was quite a hassle to learn.
One must be clear about the specific rules of various Pokémon contests and ideally have the ability to stop a battle at critical moments.
For instance, if one Pokémon had fallen and the other, still in a confused state, intended to continue attacking.
In such cases, the referee needs to step in, either snapping the confused Pokémon out of it or incapacitating it.
"Wait. Doesn't Perona's Negative Hollow do just that? Plus, she can project her soul onto the field, unafraid of being attacked."
Great.
Dak planned to ask Perona if she was interested; her Hollow-Hollow Fruit abilities were perfect for a referee's duties.
As for tomorrow's exhibition match, Dak would have to make his appearance first.
(End of Chapter)