Linlin naturally understood that Whitebeard's warning was aimed at Shiki.
He had said you two, but what he really meant was you.
Shiki understood that perfectly well too.
What irritated him was Linlin's grating laughter.
"What exactly are we supposed to do next?"
After forcing down his anger, Shiki looked toward Whitebeard.
Since Whitebeard had seen Cyrus arrive, there was no chance he had not spoken to him.
Whitebeard fell silent for a moment.
He still could not tell whether Cyrus had been serious about leaving this world.
Someone like Cyrus was unlikely to make a joke like that at a time like this, but the idea itself was so far beyond anything Whitebeard understood that he could not fully accept it yet.
"You'll find out when the time comes. Don't do anything unnecessary, and you'll probably keep your lives."
"You think I care whether I live or die?"
Shiki's declaration earned him openly scornful looks from both Whitebeard and Linlin.
They had all accepted long ago that death could come at any time on the sea, but that did not mean anyone wanted to die for no reason.
Dying in battle was one thing. Throwing away one's life pointlessly was another.
And Shiki, of all people, was hardly eager to die.
"What are those looks supposed to mean?"
Anger flashed across Shiki's face, clearly born from embarrassment.
"I've already warned you, Shiki."
Whitebeard said nothing more.
Shiki stared at him with a dark, shifting expression, then glanced at Linlin, who had returned her full attention to eating.
With a cold snort, he finally fell silent.
…
Inside a secluded residence on Sky Island, a stern-looking middle-aged man in sunglasses delivered his report.
"Young Master, those two kids challenged Whitebeard again. Something unexpected happened during the fight. Someone interfered, and it may have been that man."
"Vergo, are you certain?"
Doflamingo immediately sat upright, his expression turning serious.
After completing the task of killing Celestial Dragons, Doflamingo had brought his remaining people to Sky Island by a roundabout route.
At first, they had hidden their identities to avoid retaliation from Mary Geoise.
The result had been better than expected. The Holy Land clearly had no spare attention to deal with them.
After eliminating the CP agents who followed them, the group had remained on Sky Island for quite some time.
They had not ignored the outside world during that period. Every major change across the sea had reached their ears.
"I can't confirm it," Vergo admitted. "But whoever it was spoke directly to Whitebeard. There shouldn't be anyone else capable of bringing Whitebeard here and making him remain quietly on Hunter Guild territory."
He lowered his head slightly.
"I'm not the only one who thinks so. I heard many people discussing the same possibility on my way back."
Vergo sounded almost ashamed that he could not provide a more definite answer.
"It's fine, Vergo. That's more than enough."
Doflamingo rose with a wide grin, unable to hide his excitement.
"Doffy!"
Trebol, standing nearby, immediately warned him when he saw that expression.
"Relax. I know better than to provoke him right now."
Doflamingo's excitement only grew as he continued.
"But if the Hunter Guild successfully holds this exam, the balance of power across the sea will change dramatically."
"Young Master, how does that benefit us?"
Vergo could not understand what Doflamingo was planning.
"Crocodile now controls an enormous share of the Hunter Guild's authority."
For the first time, a trace of envy entered Doflamingo's voice.
In his eyes, Crocodile was merely somewhat competent. The only reason he had risen so high was because Cyrus dragged him upward.
From everything Doflamingo had learned, Cyrus rarely interfered in the Guild's daily affairs.
Nearly every major operation and decision was handled by Crocodile.
The thought of wielding that much power was intoxicating.
"Doffy, we can't move against Crocodile."
Trebol's face filled with alarm.
He knew Doflamingo well enough to believe he might genuinely attempt to assassinate Crocodile—or even use the String-String Fruit to control him.
"I have no intention of touching him."
Doflamingo shook his head.
"How are things progressing with the weapons factories?"
He changed the subject without further explanation.
Doflamingo's factories had suffered repeated attacks after his conflict with Cyrus, back when Cyrus had yet to fully rise.
Eventually, Germa seized the entire operation.
Doflamingo had never intended to abandon them.
In the past, the factories had brought him vast profits.
Money was still important now, but the weapons themselves mattered even more.
His continued investigation had revealed that much of the current production went to the Revolutionary Army, while nearly everything else was sold in bulk to the Hunter Guild.
Many Hunters were swordsmen or Devil Fruit users, but firearms remained convenient and extremely popular.
If Doflamingo regained control of the factories, he could use them as leverage after joining the Hunter Guild.
That leverage could help him climb into the Guild's inner circle.
Perhaps, with Cyrus continuing to avoid daily management, Doflamingo might even seize control of the entire organization one day.
He doubted he was the only ambitious person on the sea thinking along those lines.
Even if the Hunter Guild's structure was loose, its influence already stretched across the world.
"It won't be easy," Trebol said, shaking his head. "Germa has no intention of surrendering the profits they've taken. They warned the people we sent, and Germa personnel are already stationed at Hunter Guild headquarters."
"So they're relying on their backing?"
Doflamingo sneered.
"Germa is powerful on its own," Vergo added. "Unless we mobilize everyone, we may not be able to defeat them."
"Any obstacle can be moved if the reward is great enough."
Doflamingo looked back at them, his grin nearly reaching his ears.
"Give them the artificial Devil Fruit technology."
"Huh? Doffy, that technology was developed years ago by that man, Caesar, and the others."
Trebol stared at him in disbelief.
"Their research focused on different fields. Otherwise, we wouldn't be the only ones holding this version of the technology."
Doflamingo did not believe Vinsmoke Judge possessed the true method for producing artificial Devil Fruits.
If Judge had it, there was no chance he would have left it unused.
That made the technology a valuable bargaining chip.
And the weapons factories were perfectly suited for producing them.
The World Government was far too occupied to interfere now.
"All right, Doffy…"
After thinking it over, Trebol agreed and prepared to contact Germa about a possible partnership.
Boom!
A muffled explosion sounded nearby.
All three men turned sharply toward it.
"Doflamingo, come out! Stop hiding. I know you're in there!"
The shrill voice made Doflamingo frown.
"It's Moria," Vergo said grimly.
"Move."
Doflamingo's expression darkened, veins throbbing across his forehead.
Even Moria dared come looking for trouble now?
When he stepped outside, he found a much thinner Gecko Moria waiting for him.
Doflamingo glared through his red-tinted glasses.
"Don't make that face, Doflamingo. I came to ask you something."
Moria ignored his hostility and stood there with his usual arrogance.
Recently, he had forced himself to resume training.
News of Kaido's death had restored much of his confidence, and after working himself back into shape, Moria believed he was no weaker than he had been in his prime.
"Gecko Moria, are you here to die?" Doflamingo's voice turned icy.
"Would you dare fight me here?"
Moria threw his head back and laughed.
Doflamingo's expression grew even darker.
"Say what you came to say."
"Want to work together?"
That single question froze Doflamingo's face.
He looked Moria up and down in disbelief.
"You want to cooperate with me? For what?"
"To win the exam, obviously."
Moria waved one hand as though victory was already assured.
"Not interested."
Doflamingo answered immediately.
"Heh heh heh! Don't reject me so quickly, Doflamingo. You don't seriously believe you can pass this exam easily in your current condition, do you?"
Moria grinned.
"What are you trying to say?"
"The final obstacles are Whitebeard, Edward Newgate; Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin; and Golden Lion Shiki. Do you still think you can pass easily?"
Doflamingo paused.
"Those three?"
No one could confidently claim they would overcome a challenge like that.
"If Cyrus has gone to this much effort, he wouldn't design an exam no one can pass."
After only a moment's thought, Doflamingo noticed the flaw.
"And how did you learn this? None of my people heard a word about it."
Doflamingo knew Whitebeard and the others were on Sky Island, but he had received no information that they would participate in the exam.
Nearly every Donquixote officer had been sent to gather intelligence, yet not one had heard anything similar.
"Kishishishi! Naturally, one of my people has already entered the Hunter Guild."
Moria looked extremely pleased with himself.
His gaze passed over Doflamingo's shifting expression, then swept across the people beside him—including the old man and the bizarre man dressed like a baby whom Moria had knocked aside earlier.
"You're right, Doflamingo. The exam can't be impossible to pass. But ask yourself this: why did Cyrus bring Whitebeard and those other monsters here?"
Doflamingo suddenly understood.
The applicants varied wildly in strength and age.
Some were older than Lao G, while others were barely in their teens.
A single test based purely on combat strength would be meaningless.
That meant the exam would probably divide candidates according to their level.
And people like them would almost certainly have to face one of those three monsters—perhaps even all three.
Doflamingo frowned deeply.
He knew exactly how powerful the Emperors of the New World were.
He had confidence in his own strength, but against Whitebeard, Linlin, or Shiki, he had no chance of winning alone.
"Now that you understand, cooperate with me."
Moria extended the offer again.
"Who else is involved?"
Doflamingo asked in a low voice.
"There are others, but I can't tell you yet. You'll find out when the time comes."
Moria shook his head.
"Fine."
Doflamingo accepted without hesitation.
If facing them alone meant certain defeat, then an alliance was the obvious answer.
He looked down on Moria, but the man still possessed considerable strength. If enough people joined, Moria could at least serve as useful cannon fodder.
Having received the answer he wanted, Moria left immediately.
"Doffy, should we send someone to watch him?"
Trebol asked quietly.
"No."
Doflamingo rejected the idea and ordered him to contact Germa instead.
Learning this information early was certainly useful, but deciding how to respond would require careful planning.
Moria, meanwhile, walked away wearing a triumphant grin.
He considered his advance knowledge a valuable bargaining chip.
If he gathered enough powerful fighters and secured a leading position in the alliance, his chances of success would rise dramatically.
"Captain, couldn't we simply join the Guild gradually after the exam?" Hogback asked as he fell into step beside him.
The zombie doctor had been waiting outside.
From his perspective, Perona's information had already made failure almost certain.
After discussing it, they had concluded that Whitebeard and the others were probably there specifically to stop pirates like them from passing.
The Hunter Guild had attracted too much attention to openly ban pirates, so it had created this obstacle instead.
But taking the exam was not the only way to join the Guild.
And the idea of facing Whitebeard was enough to frighten almost anyone.
"Kishishishi! I want to challenge Whitebeard myself."
Moria revealed his true intention.
Hogback stared at him in disbelief.
He almost reminded Moria how his last attempt to challenge Kaido had ended with nearly his entire crew being wiped out.
But seeing his captain finally motivated again, Hogback hesitated and kept quiet.
"Come on. We're going to find Hawkeye. Whitebeard defeated him last time, so he must want another chance."
Moria wore a smug expression, convinced he had already developed the perfect plan.
…
"You want us to challenge Whitebeard together?"
Mihawk had agreed to meet Moria, but his expression turned strange after hearing the proposal.
"With only you?"
"You dare to look down on me?!"
Mihawk's tone was so openly dismissive that Moria's confidence shattered instantly.
"Then show me your strength."
Mihawk's hand closed around the hilt of his sword.
---------
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