At the Haidongqing Tavern, the atmosphere was quiet yet intense.
As Mio arrived, Doflamingo picked up a wine glass, poured a drink for him, and slowly sat down with a grin on his face. He raised his own glass, eyes gleaming with amusement. "I have to say, when I saw the news, I was stunned for quite a while. But even now, I'm still curious—what was your real purpose in going to Impel Down, and just what exactly did you gain this past year?"
Of course, the newspaper had no idea of Mio's actual motives for going to Impel Down. They only reported what could be seen or speculated. But Doflamingo wasn't satisfied with surface-level information.
Even though he was shocked to learn Mio was the main culprit behind the chaos at Impel Down, what intrigued him more was Mio's decision to go there willingly.
Mio raised the glass to his lips, took a slow sip, then smiled. "Strength."
"Strength?"
Doflamingo's pupils contracted, and a flicker of genuine shock flashed across his face. His wine glass, mid-motion, paused in the air.
He wasn't an idiot.
The moment Mio said that word—'strength'—Doflamingo instantly understood. He thought of the terrifying monsters imprisoned on Level Six and the chaos that had ensued. Combine that with Mio's own mysterious identity, and the pieces began to fall into place.
After a long silence, Doflamingo finally burst into laughter. "Fufufufufu… What incredible courage!"
"It seems your harvest was quite satisfying."
His eyes shimmered with interest, and the smile on his lips widened. "So, you plan to head into the New World next?"
"Not quite yet. I still have one more thing to take care of." Mio leaned back comfortably on the sofa and crossed his legs. "Do you know where Crocodile is?"
Doflamingo didn't probe into what Mio meant. Instead, he considered the question before answering. "My family's subordinates recently tracked Crocodile appearing near Alabasta. If nothing unexpected has happened, he should still be there. But I can't guarantee how long he'll stay."
"I see…"
Mio's gaze deepened. He began to ponder.
"So Crocodile has already arrived in Alabasta…"
Crocodile might not yet be aware of the ancient weapon Pluto or the secrets buried in Alabasta, but that didn't matter to Mio. He already knew what he needed to know.
Now that he had Crocodile's location, he could go and find the man—one of the current Seven Warlords of the Sea.
As thoughts of the Warlords crossed his mind, Mio raised his eyes. "How's the selection process for the Seven Warlords of the Sea going?"
"Why?" Doflamingo asked curiously. "You interested in the title?"
He thought Mio's ambition lay beyond such things—more toward ruling the New World.
Mio shook his head. "No. I'm just curious."
Doflamingo thought for a moment and replied, "The process is still ongoing. So far, not many names have been confirmed. The final selection depends on who gets invited and who accepts. Currently, there are still three open seats."
"Let me know if anything new comes up with the Shichibukai," Mio said flatly. "I don't want the title, but it might still be useful."
"Heh, now that's interesting. But your existence is already too much of a threat. I doubt the Navy or the World Government would allow you to join the Seven Warlords even if you wanted to," Doflamingo laughed.
"Whether they allow it or not is irrelevant. I have my own methods," Mio replied calmly.
The two continued drinking and chatting casually for a while longer before turning to business.
"Alright, let's see what you've prepared for me," Mio said, his voice tinged with expectation.
He was eager to see what kind of treasures Doflamingo had gathered for him over the past year.
"Fufufufufu. Don't worry. I promise you won't be disappointed," Doflamingo grinned in response.
He snapped his fingers.
Moments later, a side door opened, and Doflamingo's men began filing in, carrying items one after another.
First came the Devil Fruits—four sealed boxes, each containing one fruit. Along with them was a Devil Fruit encyclopedia.
"The most complete Devil Fruit encyclopedia is in the hands of the World Government and the Navy Headquarters. This one here is the most detailed I could get my hands on, outside of those two sources," Doflamingo explained.
He gestured toward the boxes. "As for the fruits—three Zoan-types and one Paramecia-type. The Zoan-types are the Dog-Dog Fruit: Czech Wolfhound model, the Snake-Snake Fruit: Bamboo Pit Viper model, and the Cat-Cat Fruit: Snow Leopard model."
"And the Paramecia-type is the Image-Image Fruit. It allows the user to project and manipulate the surrounding environment visually, within a certain range."
"Hmm, pretty average stuff," Mio muttered, shaking his head.
There wasn't a single remarkable fruit among them.
But that was to be expected. In a world with so many Devil Fruits, a large number had strange or relatively useless abilities—especially the Paramecia-type, which was full of oddities.
"Hey, just finding Devil Fruits is hard enough, you know," Doflamingo chuckled. "A lot of factions are constantly searching for them. The really good ones are either hoarded by major powers or end up at auctions. And if the power is halfway decent, the price skyrockets."
"Yeah, I get it. Still hard not to feel a little let down," Mio said, flipping through the encyclopedia. "Anyway, what else have you got?"
"Now we're getting to the real highlight," Doflamingo said, grinning. He snapped his fingers again.
This time, three large cages were wheeled in, each covered with a black cloth.
With a wave, Doflamingo signaled for one of them to be uncovered.
Inside was an enormous eagle, its sharp gaze exuding an almost divine presence. Doflamingo's smile turned sinister as he introduced the beast. "This was found on an island in the New World. It cost a fortune to bring it here. It's vicious, sharp, and fierce—basically the king of eagles. We almost lost it during transport."
Mio's eyes narrowed as he looked at the majestic bird.
Back in his old world, this would be known as the "God of Ten Thousand Eagles." It was said that among a hundred thousand divine eagles, only one Saker Falcon would be born.
The highest-flying and fastest bird in the skies.
This Saker Falcon was massive, exuding agility and predatory might. Its talons gleamed like polished steel, and its beak looked capable of piercing through anything.
"This guy's claws can easily shred a pirate with a bounty over ten million, and its beak can punch through a 20-centimeter-thick iron plate like paper," Doflamingo added.
Mio's expression turned into a satisfied grin.
"Not bad at all. Let's see the others."
Doflamingo clapped his hands again, and the other two black cloths were removed.
As Mio's gaze landed on one of the creatures inside, his expression immediately changed—surprise flickering across his face.