Frevance, known to the world as the White Town, earned its moniker as the only place on earth with platinum-lead ore deposits.
Thanks to its monopoly over platinum-lead, Frevance was one of the most prosperous nations in the North Blue.
In a certain manor within Frevance, a man with short, pale golden hair was reclining on a rocking chair in the courtyard.
The man appeared young, with boyish features that hadn't fully matured, giving him the look of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old.
Yet, oddly enough, there was a certain air about him—something uncharacteristic of someone his age. It lent him an impression of being in his early twenties, like a young man.
As he lay there quietly, faint footsteps could be heard approaching from outside the courtyard.
Soon enough, a man dressed in a black suit, wearing brown sunglasses, and holding a cigarette at the corner of his mouth, walked into the courtyard.
This man exuded an elegant demeanor, resembling that of a polite gentleman.
Perhaps alerted by the sound, the man on the rocking chair slightly turned his head. Casually, he grabbed a pair of orange sunglasses from the nearby table and placed them over his nose, obscuring his eyes.
"Señor…" he called softly as he sat up.
Indeed, the man entering the courtyard was Señor Pink, an officer of the Donquixote Family in the North Blue. At this moment, he was dashing and composed—far from the comedic "pervert" he would become after tragedy struck his life.
"Young Master," Señor Pink replied after taking a few steps closer.
There was no doubt—the one Señor Pink referred to as "Young Master" was Donquixote Doflamingo.
Doflamingo's life was a tale of unparalleled twists and turns.
Once a Celestial Dragon, he later became the dark overlord of the North Blue, an underground broker, a Warlord of the Sea, the king of Dressrosa, and finally, a prisoner of Impel Down.
But none of that mattered now because, at this moment, the Doflamingo of this story had ceased to be his old self ever since the age of ten.
One could recall that bewildering moment—a foreign soul awakening in Doflamingo's body, standing in Mary Geoise before a crowd of grotesque Celestial Dragons. They surrounded him, hurling accusations and insults.
In his hands, Doflamingo held a severed head.
It was his father's head. Driven to despair by his naïve and foolish father, Doflamingo had killed him at the age of ten, carrying his head back to Mary Geoise in an attempt to reclaim his status as a Celestial Dragon.
But the attempt was futile.
He suffered humiliation in Mary Geoise and was eventually cast out in disgrace.
This inexplicable soul transmigration brought no noticeable changes.
No one noticed anything wrong with him—not even "Doflamingo" himself. Even his innate Conqueror's Haki remained intact.
After enduring humiliation at Mary Geoise, Doflamingo made no rash moves. He methodically returned to the North Blue, where individuals like Trebol—who had witnessed his Conqueror's Haki—venerated him as a king. Thus, the Donquixote Family was established, steadily expanding its influence in the North Blue.
Everything seemed to unfold as in the original story, though there were subtle differences.
For instance, when Trebol and the others offered him the String-String Fruit, intending for him to become a Paramecia Devil Fruit user, Doflamingo disdainfully refused.
The Young Master had no desire to eat the String-String Fruit.
Thus, the current Doflamingo was not a Devil Fruit user.
Stretching lazily and flexing his muscles, Doflamingo asked, "How did it go?"
"We successfully bribed several Frevance ministers. Trebol has signed a five-year platinum-lead mining rights agreement with Frevance's mining department. Additionally, we secured six mines with exceptionally rich yields," Señor Pink reported.
Indeed, the Donquixote Family's visit to Frevance was to renegotiate their mining contract, which had expired two years prior. Doflamingo intended to expand the business, so he personally led his officers here.
Judging by current progress, things seemed to be going well.
Doflamingo lightly tapped his fingers on the small table beside him. After a moment of thought, he said, "Good. As planned, funnel all platinum-lead, except the portion owed to the World Government, into the underground market."
The royal family of Frevance had close ties with the World Government, and platinum-lead mining was heavily regulated. No matter who you were, you had to surrender 30% of the yield to the World Government. Without doing so, mining rights were unattainable.
Neither Doflamingo nor the Donquixote Family had the power to defy the World Government at this stage, so even the so-called "Tyrant of the North Blue" had to play by the rules.
"No problem. The trials we conducted over the past two years have proven that smuggling platinum-lead into the underground market yields far higher profits than selling it through legitimate channels," Señor Pink replied immediately.
As the North Blue's largest smuggling organization, the Donquixote Family aimed to maximize profits by diverting platinum-lead to the black market. This also enhanced their influence in the underworld.
"Fufufu… This business venture is going smoother than I expected," Doflamingo chuckled lightly, a smirk forming on his lips.
"It's proof that under your leadership, Young Master, our Donquixote Family has grown stronger and more influential—at least in the North Blue," Señor Pink said with a smile.
"We still have a long way to go…" Doflamingo shook his head slightly before grimacing. "The airborne dust here in Frevance always makes me uncomfortable."
"Platinum-lead toxins only disperse momentarily upon exposure to air during mining. It's psychological," Señor Pink quipped.
"You believe everything the World Government says?" Doflamingo retorted disdainfully.
While it was publicly stated that platinum-lead mining posed no extra risks, certain individuals knew the truth. The World Government had long discovered that platinum-lead released trace toxins upon mining, toxins that were heritable.
Doflamingo was skeptical of the World Government's claims and preferred to minimize his contact with platinum-lead.
As Doflamingo and Señor Pink bantered, the Den Den Mushi on the table suddenly rang loudly.
Glancing at the snail phone, Doflamingo's eyes lit up beneath his orange sunglasses. He quickly picked it up and said, "Diamante… I hope you're calling with good news."
"Doffy! I've found information about Sleeping Ancient Town!" Diamante exclaimed urgently from the other end.
Doflamingo's breath quickened, his eyes filled with anticipation. "What's the news?"
"An antique smuggler on Minion Island said that when he was young, he saw a book about Sleeping Ancient Town in the Tree of Knowledge in West Blue's archeological hub, Ohara. There might be records of it there!" Diamante replied.
Doflamingo froze momentarily before grumbling, "I should've thought of that… Of course, Ohara would have clues."
Sleeping Ancient Town—a forgotten island shrouded in history, rumored to harbor a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit coveted even by Red Count Bartholomew Ledfield.
And Donquixote Doflamingo wanted it for himself.