"Cooperation?"
Marco, standing beside Whitebeard, subconsciously repeated the word in a low voice, a hint of surprise and confusion flashing in his eyes. They were clearly here to "take" or "find" something, so when did it become cooperation?
But very quickly, Marco's sharp mind reacted.
He looked at the scientist in front of him, who had clearly misunderstood and was now engrossed in self-admiration, then glanced at Doflamingo next to him, whose expression was strange and who was trying to hide his embarrassment with a cough, and immediately understood.
Cooperation… Marco pushed up his glasses, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips. If it refers to the Devil Fruit, then it can indeed be considered a form of "cooperation."
Doflamingo, on the other hand, was even more bewildered by Caesar's sudden enthusiasm and talk of "cooperation." His eyes behind his sunglasses were filled with question marks, and his mouth twitched slightly.
Co… cooperation? Doflamingo ranted internally. What in the world is this guy babbling about?! Who are their partners?! They're grim reapers here to snatch something!
However, before Doflamingo could figure out a way to hint or interrupt Caesar,
the self-absorbed scientist had already spun around, excitedly grabbed Doflamingo's arm, shaking him vigorously, his voice filled with immense admiration and reverence:
"Shurororororo! Joker! You truly are a genius!!"
Caesar's eyes were practically glowing. "I previously thought our clients were at most some Underworld emperors and great pirates from the New World… I never imagined! I never imagined you could even connect with top partners like Emperor Whitebeard!"
The more he spoke, the more excited he became, as if he could already see endless Berries and research funds beckoning to him:
"This is great! This is truly great! With the Whitebeard Pirates as our channel and ally, will our powerful 'test subjects' still lack sales?!"
Shurorororo! With no worries about sales, funding will never be short again! Joker! You are simply a genius at business!
Caesar laughed wildly, completely oblivious to Doflamingo's increasingly grim expression.
Doflamingo's face beneath his sunglasses was as black as the bottom of a pot. He now fully understood—Caesar, this idiot, had no idea why the Whitebeard Pirates had come!
This guy was completely immersed in his own world, fantasizing a deadly crisis into his long-dreamed-of business cooperation blueprint!
A huge sense of powerlessness and the despair of "can't carry this dead weight" instantly overwhelmed Doflamingo.
He opened his mouth, looked at Caesar's face, which was so excited it was almost distorted, and then glanced at the meaningful, almost theatrical gazes of the Whitebeard Pirates beside them. All explanations and warnings were stuck in his throat.
He struggled to maintain a stiff smile that was uglier than crying, wishing he could sew Caesar's mouth shut!
Just as Caesar Clown was speaking excitedly, gushing about the infinite "financial prospects" brought by "cooperation" with the Emperor,
Doflamingo's stiff smile had completely vanished. He suppressed his anger, almost gritting his teeth as he whispered to Caesar: "Hey! Caesar! You… you come with me for a moment!"
He tried to pull this clueless idiot aside, at least out of sight of the Whitebeard Pirates, and quickly explain the dire situation to him.
However, how could his small actions escape Marco's eyes?
The moment Doflamingo tried to drag Caesar away, Marco's calm voice immediately rang out, carrying an undeniable meaning:
"Joker, if you have something to say, why not clarify it right here." Marco pushed up his glasses, his gaze sharply sweeping over the two of them. "Where… are you planning to go?"
Doflamingo's body instantly froze. He could feel the gazes of Whitebeard and the other Commanders also focusing on him, and the invisible pressure sent a chill down his spine.
He immediately released Caesar's wrist, forced an extremely awkward and submissive smile onto his face, and quickly turned to explain:
"Fufufu… No, it's nothing major! Just… just a small issue regarding the lab's security system that needs to be privately confirmed, absolutely no other intentions! Since Commander Marco said so, then we'll discuss it here, we'll discuss it here!"
He knew that any attempt to conceal or communicate privately could be misinterpreted as hostility, and the consequences were something he absolutely could not bear.
Helpless, he could only bite the bullet and look at Caesar, who was still bewildered and rubbing his wrist. He used the clearest possible tone, breaking Caesar's unrealistic fantasies word by word:
"Caesar… listen carefully." Doflamingo's voice was incredibly dry. "Captain Whitebeard and his crew's visit this time… is not for any 'cooperation' as you imagine."
He took a deep breath and spoke the most crucial words: "They came specifically for you!"
"For… for me? They came for me?! Shuroro?!"
The fawning and excitement on Caesar's face instantly froze, then cracked like shattered glass, replaced by extreme shock and panic!
He was so scared he stumbled back a step, almost tripping over his white lab coat.
"What… what do they want with me?!"
His mind raced, quickly reviewing all the heinous, illicit bad deeds he had committed over the years: kidnapping children for gigantification experiments, manufacturing weapons of mass destruction, spreading the Shinokuni gas, defrauding World Government funds… But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't recall when or where he had offended the colossal Whitebeard Pirates!
"I… I didn't offend them! Joker! What in the world is going on?!"
Caesar's voice took on a whimper. His previous ambitions and genius fantasies had long been scared away, leaving only the helplessness and fear of imminent disaster.
Seeing that the other party was scared out of his wits and almost collapsing to the ground, Marco stepped forward, pushed up his glasses, and his calm but undeniably oppressive voice clearly reached Caesar's ears:
"Caesar Clown, we are here for you, for only one thing."
Marco's eyes, through his glasses, sharply locked onto Caesar, as if he could see through all his thoughts.
"A Devil Fruit, the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon… but its color is pink."
Marco meticulously described the characteristics, every word like a hammer striking Caesar's heart. "A creation of Vegapunk, said to be a failure. You should know very well."
He leaned slightly forward. Although his tone was calm, the threat it contained seemed to solidify the surrounding poisonous fog: "You'd best think carefully before answering. Tell us, where is it?"