Yadina's Office:
Although Li Yuan had his own office, which was much more luxurious than Yadina's, he liked to come to Yadina's office to relax after training.
Perhaps it was because Yadina, dressed in her work attire, was too alluring, or maybe it was the elegant atmosphere of the office!
After spending an hour relaxing behind closed doors in Yadina's office, Li Yuan felt refreshed. The moment he opened the window, the fatigue from several days of intense training vanished, giving him a sense of elevation and wisdom.
"Husband, why do you always like to mess around!"
After getting dressed, Yadina's face still bore a rosy hue. Just thinking about the thrilling moments earlier made her glare at Li Yuan in annoyance.
"My lady, you weren't saying that earlier. I wonder who was shouting so loudly just now, as if afraid others wouldn't know!"
Li Yuan teased with great interest.
"Hmph, husband, if you say that again, I won't wear stockings anymore!"
Seeing Li Yuan bring up such an embarrassing topic, Yadina wished she could find a hole to hide in. Unable to silence Li Yuan, she could only resort to the most primitive form of threat.
"Oh dear, my lady, I was just joking! Stockings look so good; how could you not wear them? When you wear stockings, your elegance reaches perfection!"
Upon hearing this, Li Yuan immediately stopped teasing Yadina, fearing that she might really stop wearing stockings. What would happen to the hundreds of pairs he had prepared for her?
"Bru Bru, Bru Bru!!"
Just as Yadina was looking for a way to save face, the Den Den Mushi on the desk rang, displaying an unfamiliar avatar.
"Hello, this is Captain Yadina of the Infinite Pirates!"
Yadina skillfully picked up the Den Den Mushi. After years of development, anyone who collaborated with the Infinite Pirates knew that as Li Yuan's woman, Yadina managed various affairs within the Infinite Pirates. Almost all the administrators in the Infinite Pirates were trained by Yadina, making her power within the organization second only to Li Yuan!
"Fufufufu, esteemed Captain Yadina, I am Doflamingo, the largest armaments agent for the Infinite Pirates in the North Sea!"
On the other end of the line, Doflamingo's classic laughter echoed. Li Yuan was very familiar with this unique laugh.
"Doflamingo, I know you. What do you want from me?"
Yadina replied, somewhat surprised, not understanding why Doflamingo was looking for her.
Although she knew Doflamingo, his rank was clearly insufficient, and aside from the first time she handled matters, she usually left dealings with him to her subordinates.
"Fufufufu, esteemed Captain Yadina, I heard that the Infinite Pirates are actively searching for various Devil Fruits. I happen to have two powerful Paramecia Devil Fruits, the Gold-Gold Fruit and the Spring-Spring Fruit, which I would like to offer to the Infinite Pirates!"
Doflamingo spoke with a hint of pain; he had originally intended to use these two Devil Fruits to strengthen his family's power, but without suitable candidates to consume them, he could only trade them to the Infinite Pirates.
"What do you want in return?"
Yadina inquired.
She knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. It was obvious that Doflamingo had ulterior motives for offering two powerful Devil Fruits to the Infinite Pirates.
"Fufufufu, my Donquixote Family wants to relocate from the first half of the Grand Line to the New World for development, but the New World is too dangerous. I want to use the name of the Infinite Pirates to protect my forces."
Doflamingo revealed his intentions. His strength was insignificant in the eyes of the major pirates in the New World. Once his forces began to grow, the vast wealth would surely attract the greed of those pirates, so he needed a backing. Otherwise, once he became strong, he wouldn't know how he would meet his end.
"To gain the nominal protection of the Infinite Pirates, these two Devil Fruits will only protect you for two years. After two years, the Infinite Pirates will withdraw their nominal protection. If you want to continue using our name, you will need to provide at least another Devil Fruit of equal value to the Gold-Gold Fruit!"
"Of course, your forces will need a good territory to relocate to the New World. I can help you find a suitable base, and the price is just two Devil Fruits of similar value to the Gold-Gold Fruit."
Hearing Doflamingo's demands, a "shrewd" smile appeared on Yadina's lips. Doflamingo was not the first to approach her for protection without the Infinite Pirates. Yadina was well-versed in this area and understood what these individuals truly desired.
For the Infinite Pirates, this posed no loss; it was merely lending their reputation to others. Yadina saw this as an opportunity to profit handsomely.
"."
Upon hearing Yadina's words, Doflamingo's heart twitched violently. This was too exploitative! His two powerful Devil Fruits would only buy him a two-year protection period, and to secure a territory, he would need to pay an additional two Devil Fruits. This was far worse than being a mere intermediary!
"Doflamingo, you must understand that the New World is occupied by various pirate crews, and only a few territories are left for others to compete for. The competition and bloodshed are beyond your imagination. Without the protection of the Infinite Pirates, you will find it nearly impossible to move in the New World!"
"More importantly, the territory you choose to develop must be stable. Otherwise, if those major pirate crews expand in your direction, you know what awaits you, and I don't need to spell it out."
Seeing Doflamingo hesitate, Yadina began her professional "explanation." She was quite familiar with this and had her own set of persuasive methods.
"Fine, I will offer two more Devil Fruits to the Infinite Pirates. I hope Miss Yadina can help me find a suitable territory for development."
Doflamingo gritted his teeth and said. To develop safely in the New World, he was willing to go all out.
"That's no problem. The Infinite Pirates value credibility above all else, and we will certainly fulfill our promises!"
"I can tell you right now that there is a large island in the New World. This island is not in the expansion direction of the Infinite Pirates or the Flying Pirates; it is one of the many territories we have deliberately left for other pirate crews."
"However, this island is currently occupied by several pirates. If you need the Infinite Pirates to help you drive them away, you will need to provide an additional Devil Fruit of equal value to the Gold-Gold Fruit."
"Just a friendly reminder, there are three major pirates on this island, each with a bounty of over three hundred million. As far as I know, your Donquixote Family may very well lose against these three pirates and their forces!"
Yadina continued.
"."
Upon hearing Yadina's words, Doflamingo felt as if his lungs were about to explode with anger. Two Devil Fruits for just one island, and that island wasn't even owned by the Infinite Pirates but was instead a free-for-all occupied by various pirates.
In other words, the Infinite Pirates were simply stating that this island was not in their or the Flying Pirates' expansion direction, and he would need to pay two Devil Fruits for it.
To acquire this island, he would need to pay even more. This was a vicious cycle of exploitation! If he had known the identity of the person on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, he would have wanted to curse them out directly. This was too exploitative; he had never encountered anyone so unscrupulous!
"No thanks, Miss Yadina. I want to try to conquer that island with my own strength."
Doflamingo gritted his teeth, suppressing his anger. Not relying on the Infinite Pirates to conquer that island was his last bit of stubbornness and pride. Otherwise, if everything depended on the Infinite Pirates, he would be completely bound to them. Without the Infinite Pirates, he would be nothing!
This was something he absolutely could not allow!
"Since this is your choice, our people will wait for you at Fish-Man Island when you enter the New World. We will complete this transaction then!"
Upon hearing Doflamingo's response, Yadina decided not to waste any more time. After confirming the transaction location, she hung up the phone.
"Damn Infinite Pirates, I will never submit to you! It's just an island, right? With my abilities, if I can't defeat those major pirates, can I not handle those weaklings?"
After hanging up, Doflamingo's pent-up anger finally erupted. The entire house exploded in an instant, and the ground around him cracked several meters deep from his stomp!
Invisible sharp threads swept through like a storm, slicing through all the surrounding buildings.
This was the first time he had been so ruthlessly exploited, standing there helplessly!
"Hey, hey, hey, young master, what happened? Did an enemy come to attack?"
Trebol rushed over upon seeing the commotion.
"Fufufufu, it's nothing. I'm just too happy! I've already made arrangements with the Infinite Pirates. We can use their name to go to the New World and seize the territory that belongs to our Donquixote Family!"
"Immediately give the order to establish a base in the Grand Line and then head to the New World."
"Once we secure a territory in the New World, I want to connect the New World to the first half of the Grand Line and then to the North Sea. That way, even in the New World, we can remotely control our business in the North Sea!"
By the time Trebol arrived, Doflamingo had already vented most of his anger, so he regained his composure and issued a series of commands.
The North Sea was where he had made his fortune, and he did not want to give it up. Even if he was going to develop in the New World, he could not abandon the foundation of his North Sea business, as it was the source of his continuous wealth!
"Hey, hey, hey, young master, I'll go urge them right away!"
Seeing that everything was fine and noticing the dark smile on the young master's face, Trebol immediately took off.