Lord of the Stars of the Grand Line

The older woman provided the funding, Doflamingo acted as the middleman, and Caesar contributed his efforts; this research has been ongoing for quite some time.

Logically speaking, it's definitely worth a try. The old lady has an enormous curiosity. If she were to say that Luo Feng and the others would be coming to Dressrosa, they might actually come here!

"No, BIG MOM, we can't even consider it, we can't even let her know!"

This time, Doflamingo actually gave up on his own initiative, refusing to accept his subordinates' advice and having no intention of revealing any information to Big Mom.

"Why, young master? This could be a great opportunity!" Diamanti asked, puzzled.

"Don't think about it, Diamanti."

"That old woman is even crazier than Kaido. If she comes to Dressrosa, we might be in trouble too!"

"The Four Emperors are monsters who don't follow any rules when they do things. What would you do if she took a fancy to Dressrosa?"

"This is where that guy is interested in the little people!"

"And don't forget, once that crazy old woman's cravings kick in... fu fu fu..."

At this point, Doflamingo stopped and did not continue.

But the three top officials below immediately understood and shuddered...

That's right. Once an older woman's craving for food kicks in, she'll become ruthless, even eating people. Who wouldn't be terrified?

Moreover, their island does indeed have races that the other party is interested in. If they are forcibly occupied, they will have nowhere to cry.

Before Luo Feng and his group even had to lift a finger, they would be wiped out by the reinforcements they had found!

This risk is too great; Doflamingo doesn't want to take it, and he can't afford to...

"Alright, you three can go down now."

"Go back and prepare your manpower, arrange your family cadres, and be on standby for battle at any time to monitor the entire Dressrosa and the surrounding seas!"

"I'll think of a solution... Fufufu, I refuse to believe that this brat is really going to turn the world upside down!"

Doflamingo forced himself to remain calm and gave the three top executives a boost of confidence.

They can't afford to fall into chaos before the enemy even arrives; otherwise, it'll be game over...

"Yes, my lord."

"receive."

The three top officials accepted the order and then left the meeting room one after another.

In the huge meeting room 097, Doflamingo was left alone again. After the executives left, his face returned to its gloomy state, and he fell into deep thought.

Doflamingo was at a loss as to who to ask for help.

Kaido won't work!

Auntie, the risk is greater than that of an enemy; we can't take that risk!

As for the Navy and the World Government... the aftermath of the Marineford War has only just begun, and they are too busy taking care of themselves to have time to deal with them.

Furthermore, Mary Geoise is far too far from Dressrosa. The Fallen Gods might have already entered the New World. By the time they arrive, it will be too late!

However, regardless of whether it was useful or not, Doflamingo still made a phone call to the World Government, informing them of the possible appearance of the Godfall Pirates.

As for how they act, that's none of his business... It's just a psychological comfort; they probably won't make it in time and can hardly be of any help.

Half an hour had passed, and Doflamingo was still deep in thought.

At the last moment, a figure suddenly flashed through his mind...

"I'm afraid this is the only guy we can count on for now."

"Ugh... How disgusting. I really don't want to cooperate with this arrogant guy, but I have no choice."

"Gilde Tezzolo!"

Chapter 262 Ming: This is so damn frustrating!

"Hey, Joker, what good business opportunity you've got that made you think of contacting me?"

"Don't waste my time with ordinary business, I'm very busy. A few more 'VIPs' just came in, hahaha!"

Doflamingo had already dialed the number, but before he could speak, a slightly excited voice came from the other end.

"Fufufu... Tesoro, you still talk in such an annoying way. Don't forget who helped you get to this position."

Doflamingo's laughter was somewhat eerie, but this time it was different from when he spoke to Kaido before, when he was in a subordinate position, cautious and dared not refute.

This time, his interaction with the other party completely validated Crocodile's oft-repeated statement: they were talking on equal footing!

Gild Tesoro is the lord of Gran Tesoro, the world's largest entertainment city, known as the Golden City!

Calling him a city lord is a bit of an understatement, considering that Gran Tesoro has been granted special status by the World Government as an independent nation.

However, calling him a king would be a stretch, because this so-called country (city) was actually built on a giant ship...

It is about ten kilometers long, which is ridiculously large for a ship, but excessively small for a city.

However, don't underestimate it. This small town on a ship actually possesses 20 percent of the world's wealth!

That's right, it's twenty percent of the entire pirate world! This terrifying wealth is all in the Golden City on this ship!

Its owner, Gild Tesoro, was known to the world as the Golden Emperor!

This title is even more famous than his real name. Many people may not know Tesoro, but even commoners have heard of the legend of the Golden Emperor.

He was once captured by the Celestial Dragons and enslaved, suffering terribly, until Fisher Tiger's rebellion. It was at this time that Tesoro, along with other slaves, escaped from the clutches of the Celestial Dragons.

Even if he escaped the Celestial Dragons' control, he would still be just an ordinary person, and it would be difficult for him to survive on this vast sea teeming with tigers and wolves.

But it was precisely because of his ordinary identity that he became a legend!

In just twelve years, Tesoro rose to power and controlled 20 percent of the world's wealth. He could even manipulate the Celestial Dragons with his vast wealth!

This alone makes it unattainable for most people on this vast ocean, so what more could you ask for?

This is exactly the philosophy that Tezzolo has always adhered to: a person without money will accomplish nothing and will only be controlled by money!

To be able to wield money to the point of controlling the Celestial Dragons, he is truly unique in this world, leaving everyone else far behind...

"Hahaha, Joker, now that things have come to this, why are you still bringing up these old grudges? Don't forget how much money I made for you. Our score is settled long ago!"

On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, the Golden Emperor's loud laughter came through, sounding exceptionally cheerful, but the next moment, his voice turned somewhat sinister.

"Besides, your family hunted me down for a long time back then... Joker, I almost died at your hands!"

These words sounded somewhat resentful, indicating that the other party was still holding a grudge about being hunted down in the past.

However, while Tesoro felt wronged, Doflamingo felt even more wronged!

Ten years ago, the Donquixote Family held a grand auction. In order to create hype and attract more wealthy and powerful people to participate, Doflamingo did not hesitate to use a precious Devil Fruit as a gimmick for the auction.

This fruit is the Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that Tesoro currently possesses: the Gold-Gold Fruit!

Doflamingo truly lives up to his reputation as the 'greatest villain' and 'most honest man' on this sea; perhaps the Devil Fruit really is his natural counter...

Leaving aside the creation of so many SMILE Devil Fruits and their trade with Kaido, consider the arena held in Dressrosa in the original One Piece world.

Using the Flame-Flame Fruit as a prize to attract participants is one thing, but they actually put the real thing in the treasure chest!

This ultimately led to Sabo, the second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army, successfully obtaining and eating the Flame-Flame Fruit, causing Doflamingo to suffer a huge loss!

The same thing actually happened ten years ago at that auction, where the Don Quixote family brought out the real Golden Fruit as a gimmick to attract buyers.

In the end, by sheer chance, Tesoro, who was just a small-time hoodlum at the time, found out about it and brought his henchmen to the auction. They pulled off a big heist by setting fire to the auction venue, turning the entire auction into chaos!

Meanwhile, Tesoro took advantage of the chaos to steal the genuine Gold-Gold Fruit, and then disappeared in a flash...

It's easy to imagine that Doflamingo was furious when he found out about this!

You should know that they never intended to sell the Gold-Gold Fruit; they only brought it out to create hype. In the end, they just threw it away!

It would be better to sell it; at least you could get some Pele in return.

Compared to the events twelve years later, Doflamingo this time seems more like a victim, truly a scapegoat.

After learning of this, the Don Quixote family did everything they could to find the person who stole the Gold Fruit, but they found nothing.

Three years later, Tesoro, having eaten the Gold-Gold Fruit, grew stronger and more famous, becoming known to more and more people, and naturally, this could no longer be kept secret from the Donquixote Family.

After getting to the bottom of it, Doflamingo finally realized that this guy was the culprit who stole his Devil Fruit three years ago!

Enraged, he dispatched the entire family to hunt down Tesoro, a task that lasted a full year!

However, it must be said that Tesoro's talent is indeed exceptionally good. In just three or four years since he ate the fruit, his abilities have developed to a terrifying degree.

Their strength was almost abnormal; even the Don Quixote family's executives, after finding them, were powerless against them.

Therefore, left with no other choice, the two sides had to temporarily put aside their hatred and instead became partners in the underground market!

As you can imagine, Doflamingo, who was clearly taken advantage of, is now being blamed by Tesoro. At this moment, he has nowhere to vent his anger and feels a bit like he has swallowed a dead fly!

This is so damn frustrating!

However, the situation is different now; I'm the one who needs their help, so it's really not appropriate to make a scene...

Chapter 263 Doflamingo Deceives the Golden Emperor

"Fufufu... Yes, you said it yourself, this matter should have been wiped clean a long time ago, so let's not mention it."

Doflamingo voluntarily backed down and did not continue to dwell on the topic.

After all, Tesoro is not the same as before. The wealth and power he now possesses are even the envy of Doflamingo!

It's important to know that Doflamingo was able to restrain the World Government because he held the secrets of the Celestial Dragons.

Tesoro, with his wealth alone, can influence and even control a portion of the Celestial Dragons.

He truly used his wealth to operate in both the legal and illegal worlds!

In today's underground market, the Donquixote Family is undoubtedly the king, but Tesoro is no less powerful and is another dark emperor of the underground market!

The Don Quixote family took nearly twenty years to reach this point, but Tesoro only took a few short years…

However, if we're just talking about these things, Doflamingo wouldn't be acting like this today, forcing a smile at this guy he used to hate, and still hates now.

The main reason is Tesoro's fighting power!

This guy's talent in combat is truly terrifying. In less than ten years, he actually developed the Gold-Gold Fruit to the point of awakening!

Now, in 097, his true fighting power is in no way inferior to Doflamingo's...