One Piece: Saving Hancock with the Batto Batto no Mi

Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 49, Red-Light District, Joyous Club.

In the dead of night, under the dim glow of colorful lights, a black bat silently flapped its wings and alighted on a concave patterned relief on the outer wall of a room on the club's fifth floor. It clung tightly to the wall, invisible to the naked eye, and carefully listened to the conversation within.

Inside the room, a tense aura permeated the air. There were three men and one woman, two standing, two sitting.

Stussy, the mysterious "Queen of the Pleasure District," wore a white hat with elegant flowers on her head, a pink dress, and had short, golden curly hair. With a deceivingly youthful and attractive appearance, she sat cross-legged on one of the sofas, her sharp eyes scrutinizing Doflamingo, who was seated on a long sofa chair with a half-smile. This was clearly her territory, yet the other party sat there casually as if it were his own home, a cynical expression on his face that made anyone shudder.

Regarding Doflamingo, who held the identity of a former Celestial Dragon—a World Noble—Stussy was neither fawning nor offensive. She said in a calm, indifferent tone: "Doflamingo, that lord is very satisfied with the slave you provided, and he has also agreed to your proposal. From now on, the Donquixote Family's drug, weapon, and human trafficking in the North Blue will be quietly permitted... Of course, this kind of thing cannot be completely open. I hope you understand. If this matter becomes public, the agreement reached today will be null and void."

Hearing this, Doflamingo immediately grinned broadly and burst into laughter, his characteristic "Fufufufufu!" echoing through the room: "Fufufufufu! Since you've agreed to my proposal, where are the items I want?"

Stussy gently snapped her fingers. A man in a white suit and a white mask, standing behind her like a shadow, placed a large box he was carrying on the table and opened it. Inside the box were two Devil Fruits with peculiar spiral patterns covering their surfaces, one white and spherical, and the other gray and square.

Stussy pointed to the fruits in the box one by one and introduced them: "These two fruits, one is the Yuki Yuki no Mi, a Logia type, and the other is the Ishi Ishi no Mi, a Paramecia type."

"Huh!?" Doflamingo exclaimed, his tone sharply changing. "Didn't I say I wanted two Logia types? Why is one replaced with a Paramecia type..."

Stussy remained calm. "Logia types are extremely rare, they can't be found just anywhere... Besides, the Ishi Ishi no Mi has a performance very similar to a Logia type. In addition to being able to incorporate the appearance, hardness, and other characteristics of stone into its own power, it can also allow the ability user to assimilate with stone and hide within it, while also being able to control stone to attack. Of course, if you are not satisfied, you will have to wait a while longer until we find a second Logia type."

With the World Government's intelligence agencies like CP0 at their disposal, it wasn't difficult to collect Devil Fruits, but if they wanted to search for a specific type, or even a specific ability, the difficulty was rather high—even for them.

Doflamingo first thought for a moment, weighing the pros and cons carefully, before finally speaking: "Forget it, these two will do!" A satisfied smile returned to his lips.

Joyous Club, First Floor, Private Hot Spring Room.

White steam billowed and filled the entire room, creating a soothing atmosphere. Sephiroth was lying on the edge of the hot spring pool, his eyes half-open and half-closed, as if he were in a deep slumber.

"Is this pressure alright, guest?" The tall, long-haired attendant used both hands to gently massage his shoulders, her movements skilled.

"Not bad..." Sephiroth replied subconsciously, while in his heart, he began carefully considering his next plan. He hadn't expected that by simply casually strolling around the Red-Light District, he would encounter Doflamingo and CP0 members conducting a secret transaction. These two Devil Fruits... he was determined to acquire them!

Late at night, the sky was filled with twinkling stars, a bright moon hung in the sky, and silvery light shone softly down onto the earth. The Commercial District had reached its most bustling and lively period. With red lights ablaze and green wine flowing, the atmosphere was boisterous and chaotic. People on the streets indulged themselves as they pleased, shedding all their weariness.

Joyous Club, Fourth Floor, VIP Suite.

Doflamingo, still wearing his characteristic sunglasses, was sound asleep on a large bed with a woman in his arms, soft snores audible. In the bedroom, a metal box rested quietly on the bedside table.

Outside the normal three-dimensional space of the bedroom, within the light green door world temporarily constructed using the Doa Doa no Mi's ability. Sephiroth held the Butcher's Blade and gently, very slowly, cut through the spatial barrier, so as to prevent himself from accidentally using too much force and cutting the Devil Fruits inside the box. This was an operation that required a high degree of precision.

At the top of the inner side of the box, the tip of the Butcher's Blade suddenly appeared in the air, slowly cutting open the space within the box. After cutting the air door, Sephiroth gently pushed the door inwards, into the door world, gaining access to the treasure.

Seeing the two Devil Fruits appear before his eyes, his heart was filled with surging joy. He reached out his hand gently, avoiding making any sound as he touched them, taking the fruits.

When Sephiroth removed the two Devil Fruits from the box and brought them into his door world, then closed the air door, Doflamingo, who had been lying on the large bed, suddenly awoke from his deep sleep as if he sensed something, his eyes snapping open.

"What's going on?" Doflamingo muttered, his gaze sweeping the room. "The thread I put near the box seems to have vibrated slightly..."

Doflamingo wore a puzzled expression and raised his hand to swat away the woman's arm that was draped over him. He got out of bed, walked a few quick steps, then forcefully opened the briefcase.

Amazement!

Confusion!

Rage!

Wah!

Seeing the empty box, anger surged from Doflamingo's heart like a volcanic eruption. He slammed the table with a powerful punch, shattering the entire table into pieces, turning it into a pile of rotten wood.

The sudden loud noise startled the woman on the bed awake from her sleep, terrified. She didn't understand why the man in front of her was so furious that his face had almost changed—from his characteristic smirk to a ferocious scowl.

"Who did this!!!"

Boom—!

An incredibly ferocious Haoshoku Haki suddenly burst forth from Doflamingo. Centered on him, most people within a hundred-meter radius were affected by this aura and lost consciousness, collapsing completely, including the woman on the bed who now lay limp.

The still-enraged Doflamingo didn't know that the thief who stole his Devil Fruits had already returned to Marineford through the undetected spatial door.

At the Marine Academy dormitory.

Sephiroth casually tossed the password-protected briefcase containing the two Devil Fruits into his locker, then lay happily on his bed, closed his eyes with a pleasant mood, and went back to sleep, a faint smile on his lips.

These two Devil Fruits, after some time, when the commotion settled, he planned to give the Yuki Yuki no Mi to Stella. As for the Ishi Ishi no Mi, he temporarily didn't have a suitable candidate, so he would set it aside for now and make plans for it later.

The reason Sephiroth was giving the Yuki Yuki no Mi to Stella was not because he had any ulterior motives, but because with the rapid development momentum of the Umbrella Corporation, in about half a year, they should be able to accumulate enough funds to establish their own industrial zone in the Sardo Kingdom.

As the princess of that country, Stella had the natural and legitimate right to inherit the throne. However, during the two years she was missing, the direct descendants of the royal family, like Stella, either died or disappeared, and the country had re-elected a collateral branch of the original royal family to inherit the throne. A helpless and powerless princess, after such a long disappearance, what could she use to regain her throne...?

Therefore, it was also necessary to give Stella self-protection abilities and corresponding power. At that time, with Tesoro's assistance, Stella would have money, people, and her own strength, making it very easy to reclaim the throne—without Sephiroth's direct intervention.

It was unthinkable that he, the big Boss of the Umbrella Corporation, would have to personally intervene in everything and remove obstacles for his subordinates, right...? If so, what was the point of having such subordinates? Sephiroth thought, smirking in his sleep.

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