One Piece: Crown of Darkness

Crossing Reverse Mountain once again, the Donquixote Family officially challenged the Grand Line.

"Of the seven Grand Line routes, which one will you choose, Doffy?" Diamante spread out the sea chart, holding a Log Pose. "Trebol and I took the easternmost one before. If you choose that one too, we're familiar with the climate and currents, so the dangers would naturally be... Doffy? Doffy?"

Receiving no response for a long time, Diamante looked up in confusion, then realized he had been talking to himself.

Doflamingo hadn't heard a word Diamante said. He was fully focused on gazing towards the Twin Capes lighthouse on the coast, or more precisely, at the person beneath it—a burly middle-aged man with a turban, fanning hair, and a peculiar horizontal mustache. He was reading a newspaper, and even from a distance, his stiff posture and mournful emotions were evident.

"Behehehe~ What's so interesting about a lighthouse keeper, Doffy?" Trebol, a typical scatterbrain who completely forgot Doflamingo's cold treatment when he spoke out of turn yesterday, shamelessly sidled up to Doflamingo.

Doflamingo pondered for a moment, then, without a word, used Geppo to step onto the shore.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sounds of him breaking through the air caught the other man's attention. He put down his newspaper, expertly masking himself as if nothing had happened.

"Stop pretending, Crocus!" Doflamingo landed, glancing at the newspaper placed by the rocking chair, its headline boldly declaring "The Great Pirate Era." He spoke aggressively, "Fufufufu~ Unhappy? You single-handedly achieved the 'Pirate King's' great feat and also single-handedly laid the foundation for the 'Great Pirate Era.' What an unsung hero!"

Crocus's eyes flashed with a sharp glint, then he scratched his head awkwardly and chuckled, "I don't understand what you mean, young man."

"No, you do understand," Doflamingo's lips curled into a smirk, his tone utterly certain.

After staring at Doflamingo for a while, Crocus sighed helplessly. "What do you want, kid?!"

"Fufufufu~ Admitting it now? Good." Doflamingo's fingers twitched restlessly. "I need a ship doctor."

Crocus's expression turned indignant, and he flatly refused. "Impossible! Even Roger, I—"

Mentioning Roger, he stopped speaking.

"You're overthinking it. Letting someone I don't trust be my ship doctor? Do you think I want to die quickly? Fufufufu~ I'm not that foolish," Doflamingo said playfully. "Your medical skills can even slow down a terminal illness like Roger's. I want to possess them! As compensation for me not reporting your identity and whereabouts to the World Government!"

Doflamingo added, "Roger played such a big game. The World Government will definitely try their best to erase all traces of his existence before his death to minimize his influence as much as possible. And you, the Pirate King's crew, are naturally among those very important traces of his life."

Crocus frowned and snorted, "The World Government would believe you? You're a pirate too! Even if the World Government believed you, would I honestly just stay here waiting for them to come find me? Don't look for trouble."

"Fufufufu~ You've truly seen big battles, so bold and confident, you even lie with such righteousness! You're willing to just walk away, leave Twin Capes? Laboon, Laboon, poor little Laboon~" Doflamingo chuckled, even making up a little song on the spot. He didn't elaborate on anything, but he cleverly hit Crocus where it hurt.

Crocus's expression changed. "Who the hell are you, kid?!"

"Your medical skills," Doflamingo said, dropping his smile and extending his hand.

Crocus pondered, then said, "You can have my medical skills, but on one condition! Since you know about Laboon, you should also know the Rumbar Pirates, right? I want to know if anyone from the Rumbar Pirates is still alive."

"'Calico' Yorki," Doflamingo replied concisely to Crocus. The name he spoke was that of the Rumbar Pirates' captain, proving he knew about the long-lost pirate crew.

Crocus scrutinized Doflamingo again, then turned and walked into the Twin Capes lighthouse, returning with a stack of old books. "These are my medical skills."

"Someone from the Rumbar Pirates is still alive. Brook, the violinist, is still alive," Doflamingo gave a definitive answer and accepted the books, walking away without hesitation.

Crocus froze, then immediately intercepted Doflamingo, agitated. "Where?! Where is Brook?!"

"Your question was 'Is anyone from the Rumbar Pirates still alive?' It didn't include 'where are the living ones'! Your medical skills are what I got in exchange for not reporting your identity and whereabouts to the World Government, and I even threw in an extra piece of information. I've already lost out big time," Doflamingo raised an eyebrow. "Fufufufu~ Want to fight? You shouldn't look for trouble either."

A faint, lingering aura of Conqueror's Haki surrounded Doflamingo, making him seem like a primordial beast ready to devour someone.

Crocus flinched, instinctively stepping back a few paces, filled with apprehension.

"In my eyes, that's all your value is," Doflamingo patted the stack of old books and said playfully, "Unless you have other value. No? Goodbye."

Crocus remained silent, not daring to act recklessly.

Returning swiftly to the Flamingo, Doflamingo said, "Giolla? Den Den Mushi."

"Doffy? Of the seven Grand Line routes, which one are you choosing?" Diamante reminded him weakly.

Doflamingo replied, "The middle one! Less chatter, set sail!"

A moment later.

Pere pere pere~

Click.

"Spandine, my friend, it's me! How are you? I have some good news for you... You're busy? Oh, the location of a member of the Roger Pirates, you're sure you don't want to know?!"

Clearly, Doflamingo was unscrupulously scamming the same person, Crocus, twice.

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