As Ortoren was flipping through the weekly magazine in his hands, the Den Den Mushi he carried suddenly began to ring.
He took it out, glanced at the shell's familiar pattern, and raised an eyebrow before answering with a light smile. "Doflamingo? Did that guy Umit come looking for you?"
Indeed, the call was from Doflamingo.
Hearing the question, Doflamingo chuckled in his usual tone. "Fufufufufu... Yeah, that guy's on his way to Dressrosa, but he's still in transit. Don't worry, I'll take care of the Sea Train matter with him."
"With you handling it, I'm naturally at ease," Ortoren replied with a faint laugh before asking, "So, is there something you needed to tell me?"
"Right," Doflamingo confirmed. "It's about that slave-hunting squad you asked me to look into last time..."
Honestly, Ortoren had nearly forgotten about it. Hearing that, he straightened up and asked, "So? What did you find? Any news about those three sisters?"
"I did. Turns out, the three sisters were captured by a slave-hunting crew run by a man named Etorois. You've probably never heard of him—he's a small fry, but a loyal dog of the Celestial Dragons. His team regularly supplies slaves to Mary Geoise. According to my intel, the sisters have already been sent there..." Doflamingo explained.
"Mary Geoise, huh?" Ortoren let out a quiet sigh. Just as he suspected.
While Ortoren reflected on that, Doflamingo continued, "I also pulled a few strings to check things out in Mary Geoise, but... tch, I ran into a bit of trouble."
"What kind of trouble?" Ortoren asked again.
"Two weeks after those sisters arrived in Mary Geoise, the Celestial Dragons held one of their 'games' at the Palace of the Gods. By sheer misfortune, all three sisters were forced to eat Devil Fruits—they've become Devil Fruit users now," Doflamingo said helplessly.
"Oh? That fast?" Ortoren raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
Still, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He'd been wondering whether this incident might interfere with Hancock's encounter with the Mero Mero no Mi, but it seemed the sisters became Devil Fruit users almost immediately after arriving in Mary Geoise.
Not dwelling on it, Ortoren asked again, "Is there any way for you to get those three sisters out of Mary Geoise?"
"That's... a little difficult," Doflamingo hesitated, then explained, "From what I've found, the sisters are now kept as performing slaves by the Figarland family. And our Donquixote family has always had... tense relations with them."
"If I'm not mistaken, your Donquixote family doesn't get along with anyone, right?" Ortoren teased.
The Donquixotes might as well have a hereditary condition—collective madness.
That clan has always produced eccentrics. Doflamingo and Rosinante—one pure evil, the other pure good—were already a perfect example. Their father dragging the whole family down from heaven on a whim was another.
Doflamingo even had a cousin, Mjosgard, who after meeting Princess Otohime on Fish-Man Island, turned into a thorn among the Celestial Dragons, ranting day and night about equality and freeing slaves.
Those were just the notable weirdos of this era. In every generation, the Donquixote family somehow managed to stir up chaos and add "color" to Mary Geoise.
Because of that, their relations with other Celestial Dragon families had always been complicated and unstable.
Hearing Ortoren's jab, Doflamingo gave an awkward chuckle but added, "Heh, small disputes with other families don't matter much, but with the Figarlands... yeah, things are really bad between us."
Ortoren went quiet for a moment. He remembered how, in the original story, Mjosgard had caused a scene during the Reverie, siding with Princess Vivi and the others to attack his fellow Celestial Dragons.
For the Celestial Dragons, that kind of scandal wasn't a huge deal. But since it happened during the Reverie, it caused quite a stir. Even so, it shouldn't have warranted a Celestial Dragon's death.
Yet the matter was handed over to the God's Knights. Their current leader, Figarland Garling, upon learning that the troublemaker was from the Donquixote family, executed Mjosgard on the spot.
Thinking about it now, when Doflamingo said their relationship was "extremely hostile," he really wasn't exaggerating.
"Got it. Try to see if there's a way to get them out for me. If that doesn't work, I'll consider other measures to arrange their situation..." Ortoren said after a brief pause in thought.
Doflamingo replied, "Understood. But don't get your hopes up too high. The more I move around, the more likely it'll put those three sisters in danger..."
That was true. If Doflamingo stayed quiet, the Hancock sisters might just remain insignificant performing slaves under the Figarland family. But if his movements were discovered, the Figarlands could very well decide to get rid of the sisters entirely...
After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Ortoren shook his head helplessly, then picked it up again to dial another number.
Before long, the line connected, and a lazy yet elegant voice came through. "Benn-kun? Any progress?"
"Two hundred billion Belly. Don't forget," Ortoren reminded her first.
Shakky's tone immediately sharpened. "So you've got solid information?"
"Yeah," Ortoren replied. "The Boa Hancock sisters are currently in Mary Geoise, imprisoned inside the Divine Residence. They belong to the Figarland family now—kept as performing slaves. Unfortunately, all three have already been forced to eat Devil Fruits."
Shakky stayed silent for a long while before finally speaking. "At least they're still alive. That means there's still hope..."
"I've already told you the exact location and situation. The rest is up to you. Just make sure my two hundred billion Belly gets to me soon," Ortoren said casually.
Realizing Ortoren was about to wash his hands of the matter, Shakky hurriedly said, "Wait, Benn-kun! Mary Geoise isn't somewhere just anyone can get into. You've got the means to gather intel there—why not lend a hand and help us get them out?"
"That's Mary Geoise we're talking about—the political, cultural, and economic heart of the World Government! You expect me to cause trouble there? Did you forget what I am? I'm a Marine!" Ortoren refused firmly.
"I'll pay more!" Shakky said without hesitation. "If you can bring them back, I'll add another two hundred billion!"
"You have that much money?" Ortoren asked skeptically.
Shakky might've been well-off, but she only ran a private information business, not a large-scale organization. Two hundred billion was already a huge amount—could she really add another two hundred billion on top of that?
"I don't," Shakky admitted, "but Amazon Lily can raise the money. Besides, you know as well as I do—those three sisters are the crown princesses of Amazon Lily. Hancock herself is likely to become the next Empress of Kuja Island..."
Ortoren immediately understood what she meant. In truth, part of his reason for getting involved had been just that. Hancock's value was immense—not only because of her beauty and fame as the World's Most Beautiful Woman, but also because of her incredible combat power.
And Amazon Lily was known for its fierce warriors—almost everyone there was skilled in Haki. If he could bring that island under his banner, it would be like gaining an entire elite fighting force overnight.
While Ortoren was silently weighing his thoughts, Shakky mistook his silence for hesitation over the price. "Three hundred billion!" she blurted out. "I'll add three hundred billion! Amazon Lily will put together five hundred billion Belly for you!"
"You think you can buy me with money? That's an insult!"
Ortoren wanted to scold her outright—but the sum was simply too tempting.
"Ahem... This isn't about the money," he said, clearing his throat awkwardly. "It's just that I'm a kind-hearted guy. Fine, I'll see it through to the end. Meet me at the Sabaody Archipelago. The Hancock sisters should be safe for now. Once I've handled my current affairs, we'll meet and talk in person."
With that, Ortoren gave his final, slightly embarrassed confirmation.
...
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