Yuno removed his mask and set it aside. After tasting the food, he nodded. "Not bad—quite delicious."
Although the officers had already heard from Lao G that Yuno was very young, seeing him in person still left them surprised.
He looked far too young.
Not even twenty!
Doflamingo's eyes flashed as he said, "That's the most tender part of a deep-sea fish. It's quite expensive."
"What? You plan to charge me?" Yuno raised his glass and took a sip of red wine. The flavor was rich and mellow.
Doflamingo choked, then snorted, skipping the banter. "Now that you've entered the New World, what are your plans?"
"Plans? I'm not familiar with the New World yet. I'll talk about it after I get a grasp of things. Besides, I killed two Celestial Dragons. The Navy is probably searching for me everywhere. I'm terrified—I hardly dare to show my face." Yuno's voice was calm, his expression betraying no trace of fear.
The truth was, after Yuno's crime, the Five Elders had been forced to pacify the two enraged Celestial Dragon families day after day—a headache for the World Government.
Both the Navy and CP's intelligence networks were scouring the seas for Yuno's whereabouts.
Doflamingo's face darkened. He cut him off coldly. "That's your business. I am a Shichibukai. Even if we are allies, this is a matter you'd best keep far away from Dressrosa. I have no interest in being linked to an 'evil criminal' like you."
This madman—the Quincy—had actually dared to strike down Celestial Dragons. As someone born a Celestial Dragon himself, Doflamingo understood better than anyone what kind of storm such an act would bring.
The World Government would never forgive it.
"I didn't expect you, the famous 'Joker' of the underworld, to sound so timid," Yuno said with a faint smile.
"Hahhh… stay too close to a monster like you, and I'll end up swallowed whole."
"How could that be? You're my important partner."
"Hahhh…" Doflamingo sneered in his heart, but gave no reply.
Yuno leaned forward slightly. "You didn't deal with Umit yet, did you? Were you waiting for me to handle him for you?"
Doflamingo swirled his wineglass, meeting Yuno's gaze. "Don't underestimate any king of the underworld."
"I never underestimate anyone. Not even you." Yuno's smile twisted slightly. "Right now, I'm sitting here all alone, in the middle of your territory. Don't you want to try and kill me?"
"Hahhh…" A sharp glint flickered in Doflamingo's eyes as he grinned. "I'm a businessman. I don't cut ties with my partners so lightly…"
"This is your only chance," Yuno said, licking his lips with a mad gleam. "In the future, there won't be another."
"…Tch." Doflamingo stayed silent, cursing inwardly. Madman.
Then Yuno leaned back, tone casual again. "By the way, I'm curious—which Devil Fruit did you get from our trade?"
"That's none of your concern." Doflamingo cut his steak slowly, voice steady.
Yuno smirked, glancing at the officers behind him. "Judging from your faces, it must be something powerful. Did one of them eat it? How about a little practice match?"
At that, Doflamingo's mind began to race.
Quincy couldn't possibly know about Sucrose's abilities.
Should he kill him here?
But… if Quincy had prepared even slightly, the plan would fail.
So Doflamingo held himself back.
He didn't believe someone like Quincy would dare step into his territory alone without warning.
After weighing the pros and cons, Doflamingo gave up.
The officers caught under Yuno's gaze—Pica, Buffalo, Gladius, and the others—felt their scalps tingle, too afraid to meet his eyes.
Quincy's reputation for brutality was already well-known across the seas, especially since he had once defeated their young master!
How could they dare strike at such a ruthless individual, someone who had even dared to kill Celestial Dragons?
Meanwhile, the two younger ones, Baby 5 and Sugar, peered at Yuno curiously.
Had this young man really defeated their young master?
It didn't look like it at all…
"They wouldn't dare attack someone like you, Quincy-sama—with a bounty of 700 million," Doflamingo said, his tone carrying a faint mockery.
"The World Government is stingy after all. Killing two Celestial Dragons and only setting that much… But then again, maybe those Celestial Dragons were just trash. If it had been one of the stronger ones, perhaps things would've turned out differently," Yuno replied, unconcerned with Doflamingo's tone.
"Fuffuffuffu… maybe so. Those idiots have all the power in the world, but they don't understand what really matters." Doflamingo heard the intent in Yuno's words and clenched his teeth. Still, considering Yuno was a lunatic, he let it slide.
"That's right. The Celestial Dragons are fools. Otherwise, why would they provoke a lunatic like me?" Yuno said casually.
Crack!
The wine glass in Doflamingo's hand suddenly shattered, his face turning dangerously dark.
This bastard… he was doing it on purpose!
Yuno feigned surprise, as if puzzled by Doflamingo's reaction. "What? You don't like the taste of the wine?"
Doflamingo took the towel Baby 5 handed him, wiped his hands, and said evenly, "It's nothing. I just suddenly remembered something unpleasant."
"That's good. I thought I'd said something wrong." Yuno chuckled and raised his glass.
Silence.
After that, Doflamingo didn't speak again, and the air grew heavy.
Yuno didn't mind; he simply continued eating.
The oppressive atmosphere filled the room, and the other executives trembled in their seats.
Once finished, Yuno wiped his mouth, looked straight at Doflamingo, and said, "Let's get down to business. Give me the map of Umit's power distribution. Since we're allies, I'll also help you deal with your problems."
He had already made it clear—he intended to take Umit's position.
Doflamingo knew it well. But if he had kept Umit alive all this time, it was because eliminating him wasn't going to be made easy.
Even if Umit had already declared war.
That was the way of the underworld: enemies one moment, allies the next.
The only thing that never changed was interest.
The same applied to Yuno's alliance with Doflamingo—a relationship that could shatter at the slightest misstep.
If not for fearing Yuno's power, Doflamingo would've already turned him into a toy.
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