I am the Bandit King of the East Sea.

"The collar around her neck is a custom-made version; you can unlock it by pressing a button on it."

"These slaves are gifts for you. Whether you want to put collars on them or not, and whatever style of collars you put on them, is up to you." Doflamingo smiled.

"Oh?"

Tesoro picked up the remote control from the plate and casually glanced at the blonde slave.

The slave, who looked remarkably like Stella, was looking at him with hopeful eyes, her mouth slightly open, her face full of expectation and disbelief.

Could it be... could it be that she's about to be free? She still found it hard to believe.

"Woman, from now on you will work for me. However, I don't like slaves, so..."

Tezzolo said in a low voice, picking up the remote control and pointing it at the blonde slave.

Then, he squeezed down hard with his palm, and with a cracking sound, Tesoro crushed the metal remote control into a lump of scrap metal.

“I was just kidding.” Tesoro looked down at the slave in front of him expressionlessly.

"How...how could this be?" The blond slave suddenly lost all strength and collapsed to the ground, his eyes losing all their luster.

Tesoro snapped his fingers lightly, a cold smile slowly spreading across his face.

"The best performance is when hope turns into despair."

"Doflamingo, I really like your gift."

Chapter 1116 Stella!

"How...how could this be?"

In the instant hope turned to despair, the blonde girl lost all strength and collapsed to the ground, her eyes filled with utter despair.

Doflamingo is right: once a slave, always a slave.

She was a slave to begin with, and had long since lost hope for the future.

The cruelest thing is to first give her hope of freedom, and then destroy that hope with your own hands.

"What a pitiful person..."

Behind Doflamingo, another woman was also silently watching this scene.

The woman was dressed in a one-piece dance dress, with a full bust, long brown hair cascading down her back, and a red flower adorning her head—a typical dancer's attire.

Violet, a member of the Donquixote Family, codenamed "Violet," is also the princess of the former Dressrosa Kingdom under Doflamingo's rule.

Seeing the female slave lying on the ground before her, Violet felt a pang of sympathy for her fellow human beings.

After the Kingdom of Dressrosa was taken over by Doflamingo, she, who possessed the power of the Gaze-Gaze ​​Fruit, voluntarily joined the Donquixote Family in order to save her father's life.

Violet glanced at the Golden Emperor, a chill creeping into her heart.

"What a man with a twisted sense of humor, he's practically a second Doflamingo..."

Such a change stunned not only Violet, but even Doflamingo himself, for quite a while.

“Tezzolo, there’s no second remote,” he reminded him.

"Doflamingo, don't underestimate me." Tesoro grinned, looking at Doflamingo.

"She's just a prettier woman. I could buy as many of her as I wanted."

He is no longer the boy he once was.

Now, he is the world-renowned Golden Emperor, able to chat and laugh with slave trader Doflamingo, and also to do business with the Celestial Dragons whom he once hated.

That golden city in the New World was a golden prison that enslaved countless people.

Tesoro, the Golden Emperor, is perhaps the largest slave owner in the world besides the Celestial Dragons.

“Interesting.” Doflamingo nodded, his eyes hidden behind sunglasses, making it impossible to see the change in his expression. He simply turned his head to look at a woman behind him.

“Violet,” he called out.

Violet nodded and stepped forward.

Violet is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user, and her ability, like the Wash-Wash Fruit and the Paw-Paw Fruit, can influence both tangible and intangible things.

The ability of the Gaze-Gaze ​​Fruit allows one to see through objects, providing a clairvoyant view that can observe objects up to 4000 kilometers away.

At the same time, it can also see into the invisible human heart and peer into the minds of others.

Similar to the Observation Haki of the Lone Red Queen and Princess Otohime of Fish-Man Island, the Gaze-Gaze ​​Fruit allows her to see into people's thoughts. Once she uses her power, no lie can escape her notice.

Doflamingo specifically called out to Violet, clearly indicating that he didn't fully trust Tesoro.

Violet made a circle with the tips of her index fingers and thumbs, similar to the "OK" sign, and then turned her arms upside down, placing them between her eyes.

"The Art of Mind Reading!"

The circle formed between her fingers seemed to be formed by an invisible, pale purple membrane. Through this membrane, Violet glimpsed Tesoro's heart.

........

“Stella.…”

"You've done so much for me, I feel so happy..." came a girl's voice.

Stella.

"You poor wretch, you can't buy anything without money." The Celestial Dragon's sinister smile.

Stella!

The fiery hoofprint of the Celestial Dragon, the angelic smile of the blonde girl, the clanking of the Celestial Dragon's collar and chains, the magnificent and decadent Golden City ship—scenes flashed by in a jumble.

......

Violet lowered her hands, blinked, and remained silent for a moment.

The Golden Emperor had many ideas, but like Violet, she was an "actor".

She turned to look at Doflamingo and slowly nodded, indicating that Tesoro was not lying.

"Doflamingo, what do you mean by this?" Tesoro sneered.

Although he didn't know Violet's abilities, judging from the strange pose she was striking, she must be a user of some kind of Devil Fruit.

This immediately put him on guard.

Doflamingo is not easy to deal with; he has almost thoroughly investigated Tesoro's own life story.

Showing even the slightest weakness in front of such a person will eventually lead to him devouring you, even the bones.

"Don't worry about it, I'm just surprised." Doflamingo's smile returned.

"Tezzolo, you've really impressed me."

Tesoro remained unmoved, only coldly saying:

"Are you done with your little tricks? Can we talk business now?"

"Business? That little arms deal isn't worth me coming all this way in person," Doflamingo scoffed.

"Tezzolo, I admire you. Seeing you now is like seeing my younger self."

"Would you like to form an alliance with me?"

"An alliance?" Tesoro paused for a moment, then shook his head:

"My Golden City is an independent nation recognized by the World Government, a sacred land of freedom!"

"The Celestial Dragons are frequent visitors to my Golden City. And whether it's the World Government or the Navy, they all have to keep their distance on my territory."

"Such a special status is no less than yours, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Why would I board your pirate ship?"

"Because the balance of the world is about to be broken." Doflamingo smiled mysteriously.

"The major events that are about to happen, regardless of the outcome, will dramatically change this era."

"By then, neither the Seven Warlords of the Sea nor your so-called independent nation will necessarily be able to maintain their original position in the torrent of the times."

Tesoro looked at him calmly.

Doflamingo continued:

You know Kaido of the Beasts, right?

"That was a terrifyingly strong monster, but ten years ago it was driven out of its territory by a certain man, and the entire Beast Pirates were wiped out. To this day, it has not recovered its strength and was even almost stripped of its title and status as one of the Four Emperors."

"According to the information I have..." Doflamingo lowered his voice and said:

"Ever since that man reappeared on the seas some time ago, Kaido of the Beasts has formed a pirate alliance with Big Mom, and they will advance and retreat together!"

"Your Golden City can withstand the Navy and the World Government. But against these behemoths, it will surely be torn to shreds!"

Tezzolo remained silent for a long time.

Then, he reached out and shook hands with Doflamingo.

"Pleasant to work with."

"Pleasant to work with."

As the two began discussing the details of their collaboration, a sudden commotion broke out outside the mansion.

"Open the door! The community is bringing warmth!"

Chapter 1117 Two Similar Flowers

There was a loud bang.

The mansion's gate was kicked open, and the entire gate flew backward into the courtyard, crashing to the ground and shattering into pieces.

Sieg led the navy in single file, ignoring the guards in the courtyard who were trying to stop them, and went straight into the hall where a banquet was being held.

"Doflamingo?"

Sieg glanced around the hall and paused slightly.

This mansion, which is on Disco's list, is the residence of Disco, a subordinate of the Don Quixote family.

Sigmund originally came to raid homes and seize slaves, but now it seems quite coincidental that he ran right into Doflamingo himself.