Dressrosa, the heights of the royal palace.
Doflamingo sat on the sofa, his hands clasped together with his chin resting on them, elbows propped on his knees as he stared at the newspaper spread out on the table in front of him.
The headline featured a photo.
The photo showed a monster with the head of a crocodile, its body covered in rough, uneven scales, yet its lower half was human.
"Hey, Doffy, is it true that someone in Water 7 can make artificial Devil Fruits?"
Trebol, one of the four top executives of the Donquixote Pirates, stood behind the sofa, seeking confirmation.
The former World Government science unit member, Caesar Clown, had entered into a partnership with the Donquixote family to produce artificial Devil Fruits, and a factory was currently under construction in Dressrosa.
However, no results had been achieved yet.
Doflamingo stared at the newspaper, grinning greedily. "Caesar claims only he can make artificial Devil Fruits, SMILE. It seems he has competition. Where's Baby 5?"
Trebol chuckled. "She received a confession this morning and is probably still on a date."
Doflamingo straightened up, placing his hands on the back of the sofa as he looked up at the ceiling and laughed. "Call her back, and kill the guy who confessed to her... What a troublesome fellow."
Trebol left, still giggling.
Before long, Baby 5 walked in, visibly annoyed. She slammed one of her long legs onto the table in front of Doflamingo. "Young Master, you interrupted my date!"
"But I need you to do a small job for me."
Doflamingo's gaze settled on Baby 5's face, completely unfazed by her rudeness. He laughed. "You're only fifteen, don't rush into love. I still need you."
Baby 5's anger instantly dissipated. Being needed was truly the best feeling.
"You and Buffalo will go to Water 7 and bring this monster back." Doflamingo motioned for Baby 5 to pick up the newspaper and memorize their target.
"What kind of monster is this? So ugly."
Baby 5 picked it up, glanced at it, then tossed the newspaper aside in disgust, pulling out a cigarette to calm herself.
"If there's a chance, bring back the person behind this monster."
Doflamingo smirked maliciously. The monster appearing in Water 7 wasn't his real target—the person who created it was.
"I want them alive."
Onigashima.
Kaido gulped down large mouthfuls of liquor from his gourd until it was empty. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and let out a drunken belch.
"Joker told me someone in Water 7 made an artificial Devil Fruit. Who will bring it back for me?"
Black Maria stood nearby, handing him a new gourd, completely uninterested in the matter.
King and Queen also showed no intention of stepping forward.
Water 7 was a famous tourist city. The monster's rampage had been witnessed by countless people, but there was no evidence that it was the result of an artificial Devil Fruit.
"Lord Kaido, aside from Vegapunk and Caesar, I can't think of anyone else capable of making artificial Devil Fruits." Queen, also a former member of MADS, didn't believe a third person capable of such a feat existed.
"Joker has already promised to supply us with artificial Devil Fruits. There's no need for us to go to Water 7."
King's reasoning was simpler. Since Doflamingo was willing to provide artificial Devil Fruits, the Beasts Pirates didn't need to waste effort. Besides, no one dared to deceive Emperor Kaido.
"Lord Kaido, I'll go."
The twelve-year-old Ulti, seeing no one willing to make the trip, eagerly raised her hand, dragging her reluctant younger brother Page One along with her.
Page One wore an expression of utter despair as his sister pulled him in front of Kaido, too ashamed to lift his head.
"Sasaki!"
Kaido ignored her and directly called on one of the Flying Six, Sasaki.
Ulti flew into a rage. "Lord Kaido, you're looking down on me!"
To secure her and her brother's position in the Beasts Pirates, she had stolen two Ancient Zoan Devil Fruits from Kaido's collection. Though Kaido hadn't punished her, she was desperate to prove their worth.
In her eyes, the trip to Water 7 was a perfect opportunity.
Black Maria covered her mouth and laughed. "You're still young. Matters like this are best left to adults."
Ulti sneered, retorting, "I'm not some woman who only knows how to pour drinks."
"Big sis, stop talking..."
Page One hurriedly tried to stop his sister from provoking further. Compared to the other Headliners, he and his sister were still newcomers.
Ulti, like an enraged little dinosaur, wrapped an arm around Page One's neck and scolded him. "You should stand firmly on my side."
Black Maria continued to laugh behind her hand, unbothered by Ulti's taunts. She was a woman with little ambition for power.
"Lord Kaido, Ulti is also a Headliner. Sending her to Water 7 shouldn't be a problem." Sasaki was more than happy to let someone else take the trip and immediately recommended Ulti.
Ulti glared, as if saying, If you don't agree, I'll throw a fit.
Kaido let out another drunken belch and waved his hand impatiently. "You two, go and bring that person back to Onigashima."
Enies Lobby.
Rob Lucci put on his black suit and walked toward the door.
The pigeon Hattori flapped its wings and landed on his shoulder, accompanying him out of the room.
Soon, the rest of CP9 assembled.
Kalifa adjusted her glasses, her expression serious. "Has the mission in Water 7 changed?"
The incident of the monster's rampage in Water 7 had spread worldwide via the newspaper, and CP9, as one of the World Government's intelligence agencies, had naturally received the information.
Moreover, after the execution of Tom, the world's greatest shipwright, CP9's next mission was to infiltrate Water 7 and retrieve the blueprints of the ancient weapon, Pluton.
However, preparations were still underway.
Lucci nodded. "Spandam wants us to find the person behind that monster."
Kaku sighed, shaking his head. "Spandam wants the person who created that monster... Does he plan to replace us?"
Spandam had inherited CP9 from his father, but no one in the organization respected the incompetent fool.
Using monsters to replace them wasn't entirely out of the question.
Kalifa scoffed. "CP9 isn't just an assassination unit. Replacing us with monsters is a joke."
Lucci said, "Regardless of what Spandam intends to do with these monsters, our mission is to find the creator and, at the same time, look for opportunities to infiltrate Iceburg, Tom's disciple."
Blueno asked, "Should I still proceed with the original plan of opening a bar?"
Lucci nodded.
Bars were one of the best places to gather intelligence while also serving as a cover for their operations.
After outlining key points, Lucci took the lead.
"Let's move."
The merchant ship docked at the port of Water 7.
Lucci and the others disguised themselves as unrelated strangers and dispersed to begin their investigation.
Unbeknownst to them, a child in the crowd had already recognized them.
"These are the people Reddy was looking for?"
Haya thought to himself before turning and running out of the port. He didn't care who these people were—if Reddy wanted them, that was enough.
Returning to the camp, Haya saw Reddy playing with a few three- or four-year-old kids and rolled his eyes. He couldn't understand why an adult would enjoy playing with little brats.
"Doctor Reddy, the people you were looking for have arrived."