One was that precious Logia-type Snow-Snow Fruit; the other was the maid Baby 5, who had eaten the Arms-Arms Fruit.
The former had created Wano's now-famous Oniwabanshu candidate, the man known as the Snow Samurai, Yao Ye.
The latter had also risen rapidly through the ranks, becoming one of Tenma's most trusted personal retainers.
In truth, Doflamingo had once held another powerful Devil Fruit in his hands—the Gold-Gold Fruit, capable of controlling the flow of gold itself. Unfortunately, some damned bastard had caused chaos at an auction house and stolen it away, leaving Doflamingo so furious that he barely slept for days.
That said, even if the Gold-Gold Fruit were still in his possession, Doflamingo almost certainly wouldn't have been willing to give it away as a gift.
Its nature was completely different from the Snow-Snow Fruit's. Much like Sugar's Hobby-Hobby Fruit, it held irreplaceable strategic value to his own long-term plans.
Thinking this, Doflamingo adjusted the sunglasses on his nose, his gaze slowly sweeping over the members of his family.
Before long, his eyes locked onto Monet like a radar beam. Calculation flickered within his gaze—nodding one moment as if it might work, then shaking his head the next as doubts surfaced—leaving the surrounding subordinates utterly baffled.
Just as the atmosphere grew strange and awkward, Senor Pink, dressed in baby clothes and sucking on a pacifier, pushed the door open and broke the silence.
"Young Master, the Germa Kingdom's giant snail ship has docked."
The report instantly snapped Doflamingo back to reality. He waved for his men to receive the guests at the harbor and straightened his pink feather coat, preparing to greet them personally.
After all, the other side had already submitted a formal request for a meeting.
As fellow North Blue powerhouses, Doflamingo and the Germa Kingdom were old acquaintances, having done no small amount of business together over the years—mercenaries, after all, were always in dire need of weapons.
Still, a meeting this open and grand was unprecedented in all these years.
A mocking curve tugged at the corner of Doflamingo's mouth. He could roughly guess Judge's intentions—trying to reclaim the glory of once unifying the North Blue in this turbulent era was nothing more than a fool's dream.
That said, contempt was one thing. When Vinsmoke Judge was respectfully ushered into the reception hall, Doflamingo immediately donned a professional smile.
"Fufufufu… King Judge, what a rare honor. What wind blew you here, that you'd make the trip yourself to talk in person?"
Standing on someone else's turf, facing the infamous underground broker and wicked pirate, Judge nonetheless acted as if nothing were amiss. He sat down boldly on the opposite sofa.
"I want an entry pass to the Fire Festival," Judge said bluntly, getting straight to the point.
Doflamingo's smile widened. This was the most direct proof of how power and status reshaped the world—even if that glory had little to do with him personally.
"The Fire Festival isn't easy to get into. You should know how many people out there would crack their skulls open just to get an invitation."
"That's exactly why I came to you," Judge snorted, leaning forward slightly. "Enough games, Doflamingo. Name your price."
Doflamingo dropped the pretense, raising two fingers and giving them a lazy shake.
"Two Devil Fruits. That's the door fee."
Time slipped by, and in the blink of an eye, a full month passed.
The highly anticipated Fire Festival once again burst into life across the waters of Wano.
On this day, it was as if the New World's year-long chaos and warfare had never happened. Splendor filled not only the floating archipelagos in the sky, but even the sea-level ports were packed to bursting. Countless great ships from distant lands were moored at specially constructed temporary docks.
Above them, fleets tasked with transporting supplies and guests to the Sky Kingdom filled the cleared land to capacity.
Guests from afar clutched their invitations tightly, lining up under the guidance of the Charlotte Family children responsible for reception, boarding the transport fleets and ascending toward the continent in the clouds.
"Sister, which wave of guests is this already?"
At the docks, sea winds whipped their clothes as Effilée, the Charlotte Family's fifth daughter, watched another inspected ship depart and turned to ask Amande in the center.
"Probably the sixth," replied Amande, the third daughter and a formidable swordswoman, shaking her head lightly. Her snake-like, icy gaze swept the surroundings.
"I've lost count myself. In the next few days, there'll only be more. Stay sharp—don't let a single rat slip through."
With the establishment of the Sky Continent, the number of invited guests had multiplied several times over. Inevitably, many would try to slip in under false pretenses. Their job now was to guard this gate.
Though exhausting, they were already accustomed to the transition—from guarding tea parties to serving as festival inspectors.
"Understood, Sister."
On the right, Aixu, the fourth daughter, exchanged a glance with Effilée. Both nodded solemnly.
The three of them were snake-neck tribe hybrids, sisters along with their second sister, Monde. Because Amande's strength was overwhelmingly superior, the quadruplets had long taken her as their leader.
Suddenly, Aixu's communicator flashed red and white—the signal from the Shadow Guard, indicating new ships approaching.
Before long, two highly distinctive giant vessels cut through the waves toward the inspection zone: one shaped like a massive snail, the other flying the emblem of a flamingo.
"Fufufufu… This really is absurdly grand. A miracle like this—only that man could pull it off."
Standing on the deck, Doflamingo tilted his head back, gazing at the endless floating islands and continents overhead, feeling both awe and envy.
The power of the Float-Float Fruit was truly monstrous. The ability to lift entire islands into the sky was the kind of might that suffocated all who beheld it.
In scale, appearance, and practicality, it utterly surpassed the old Wano landmass—let alone the completely revamped facilities inside.
Thinking back to Punk Hazard, which he had once coveted so dearly, it now felt like nothing more than a junkyard by comparison.
"Wow… it's so beautiful. Even more dreamlike than the Sabaody Archipelago!"
Watching countless colorful bubbles float through the misty clouds, the entire Sky Kingdom wrapped in rainbows, Monet—who had never seen such a sight—couldn't help but gasp, stars sparkling in her eyes.
"This is just the shell," Diamante observed, looking ahead. "The real marvel is inside. But it seems the entry procedures are different now."
At that moment, red stop-signal flags were raised at the docks leading into the inner sea.
Tall watchtowers bristling with fully armed soldiers lined the area, and at the very center, three tall, snake-necked women were staring at them coldly.
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