In the middle of the year 1508 of the Sea Calendar, the Ryugu Palace guard of Fish-Man Island, Jinbe, was specially recruited into Marine Headquarters and granted the rank of Captain. At the same time, Fish-Man Island dispatched 200 male fish-men to join the Marines.
The Marines, in turn, were very proactive. They immediately formed a special operations squad centered around Jinbe, composed entirely of fish-man Marine members, and placed it directly under the command of Diarmuid. However, it's rumored that Captain Jinbe is deeply wary of his direct superior, Diarmuid. Whether this is true or just a rumor remains to be seen.
With this, for the first time in several decades, the Marines were infused with new blood from Fish-Man Island. The relationship between Fish-Man Island and the Marines underwent a subtle shift.
Regarding this matter, the World Government was not as unresponsive as Diarmuid had described. In fact, the Gorosei were supportive of the initiative. They were powerless, or perhaps simply reluctant, to change the culture of slavery among the Celestial Dragons in Mariejois. However, they were very much in favor of anything that could ease tensions between Fish-Man Island and the World Government.
Although there had been some friction and disagreements between the World Government and the Marines in recent years, for the most part, they remained a unified entity. Since the Marines' action was also beneficial to the World Government, there was no reason to obstruct it. This seemingly insignificant event might one day change the course of the world.
However, for now, not many people have noticed this slight change within the Marines. The world's attention has recently been drawn to the North Blue.
The country of Flevance, which had been the richest in the North Blue for years and was known globally as an economic powerhouse, was hit by an epidemic known as the "White Sickness." The disease was quickly and officially named Amber Lead Syndrome.
As Amber Lead Syndrome broke out, the price of amber lead continued to fall, and countless people became deeply afraid of it. Yet, paradoxically, as the price plummeted, sales inexplicably rose, defying all market logic.
The royal family of Flevance applied to the World Government for asylum, and the World Government immediately granted their request. Before leaving the chaotic nation, the Flevance royalty went completely mad, selling off years of accumulated amber lead in one fell swoop.
Upon their arrival in Mariejois, the World Government organized a large number of international doctors and publicly declared that the disease was caused by improper mining, and that finished amber lead products were completely harmless.
Initially, no one believed them, but the Celestial Dragons continued to use amber lead, and many major nobles did not abandon it. A number of people sought out professional organizations for testing and discovered that finished amber lead products indeed had no problems.
As a result, the falling price began to rebound, showing a trend of a frantic increase. After all, Flevance was now in a state of utter chaos, and mining operations had ceased. Many major merchants saw the profit potential behind this. At the very least, until amber lead mining resumed, the price would continue to rise due to the lack of supply. And who knew when or if mining would ever resume?
As time passed, due to the outbreak of Amber Lead Syndrome and the departure of its royalty, the entire country of Flevance was in a state of anarchy. Large numbers of pirates began to plunder the prosperous kingdom. The surrounding countries, terrified of Amber Lead Syndrome, allowed rampant rumors about its contagiousness to spread, causing even more chaos.
Neither the neighboring countries nor the World Government offered humanitarian aid to Flevance. On the contrary, they sealed their borders.
From the World Government's perspective, Flevance was beyond saving. They had also stockpiled a massive amount of amber lead, making them the biggest profiteers. They planned to dump their stock for huge profits in a couple of years when the price peaked. Besides, Amber Lead Syndrome was truly an incurable illness.
As for the neighboring countries, while the Flevance royalty had fled, the citizens were still wealthy. Now that they were all terminally ill, the neighboring countries, even if they knew the disease was not contagious, allowed the rumors to spread to incite more chaos.
When Flevance refugees began to breach the borders, the three nations surrounding Flevance officially declared war on them, swiftly dispatching their armies to eliminate the refugees while seizing their wealth.
This economic powerhouse, which had been the richest in the North Blue for nearly 300 years, was completely destroyed by an epidemic by the end of 1508. Countless individuals grew fat and rich on the bones of its victims.
Among them, of course, was the very organization that touted itself as a bastion of justice: the Marines. The world can be a brutal place.
Smoker had been secretly acquiring amber lead since mid-1507. By 1508, he had even partnered with the approaching Doflamingo. With financial support from Marine Headquarters, he made a significant profit.
At the Donquixote Family's headquarters in the North Blue, Doflamingo was in conversation with Smoker.
Smoker's current strength was formidable, even surpassing his peak in the original story. After all, he hadn't been sent to the East Blue to stagnate for over a decade. Instead, at a young age, he had been kicked out of Marine Headquarters by Diarmuid to become a pirate, constantly facing the world's harsh realities.
Coupled with his Logia-type Devil Fruit ability, his solid foundation from his time in the Marines, and his many years of life-or-death battles, Doflamingo dared not underestimate him. He certainly wouldn't be able to instantly defeat Smoker as he had at Punk Hazard in the original storyline. The two were now roughly equal in strength.
Doflamingo, holding a wine glass, looked at Smoker, who was sitting on a sofa across from him in the courtyard, with three cigars smoking in his mouth. He laughed and said, "Smoker, the amber lead business in Flevance is coming to a close. Our cooperation in this area has reached its end. However, I do hope the business dealings between your Amway company and my Donquixote Family can deepen. I hope the friendship we've built over this past year of fighting side by side won't fade away so quickly... Fufufufu."
Smoker nodded. The acquisition of amber lead was nearing its end, with little left to do. The next step was to wait for the World Government, the biggest speculator, to drive up the price. Then, they would dump their stockpiled goods, making a huge profit. So, their joint venture to acquire amber lead with Doflamingo was indeed over.
As for the Amway company's business, there was no reason not to continue. With the steady development of the Calm Belt, he had more and more goods available, and he was willing to give Doflamingo as much as he could handle. There was no reason to stop the cooperation.
So, Smoker nodded and said, "Of course. I also look forward to cooperating with someone as clever as you."
"Fufufufufufu, we are two of a kind," Doflamingo said with a laugh.
Ever since Smoker started the Amway company, Doflamingo had grown to admire him more and more. His abilities and tactics were truly impressive, unlike Mihawk and Bartholomew Kuma, who had completely failed to leverage their Warlord of the Sea status and power. He wondered what the point was of those two holding their positions. Smoker was the real talent.
On top of that, Smoker's keen sense of opportunity led him to the North Blue to secretly acquire amber lead, which made Doflamingo feel like he had found a kindred spirit. As for where Smoker got the inside information about Flevance, Doflamingo had no doubts. He was a Warlord of the Sea; who knew what kind of agreement he had with the World Government? Maybe it was the World Government itself that gave him the information.
In any case, Doflamingo felt that now was the time to expand the Donquixote Family's full cooperation with Smoker. Perhaps with Smoker's resources, the Donquixote Family could rise to the next level.
After chatting for a while, Doflamingo suddenly said, "Smoker, you were the first Warlord of the Sea. Speaking of which, I'm very interested in that organization. Do you think I have a chance to join?"
Smoker glanced at Doflamingo. As an undercover Marine and a "confidant" of Diarmuid, he knew that Admiral Diarmuid had indeed reserved a spot for Doflamingo. However, it couldn't be given to him too easily, as things that are obtained too easily are never cherished.
After a moment of thought, Smoker nodded and said, "I think it's possible. Your reputation as 'Heavenly Yaksha' is decent among pirates, and you also have a massive presence in the underworld. You meet the requirements to be a Warlord of the Sea. As long as you can get the World Government's approval and evade the Marines' pursuit, becoming a Warlord of the Sea won't be a problem. Do you want me to recommend you?"
The corner of Doflamingo's mouth twitched slightly, and he shook his head, saying, "No, a recommendation isn't necessary. But if the time comes, I'd appreciate it if you could put in a good word for me."
Doflamingo knew very well that given his relationship with the World Government, they wouldn't just agree to let him become a Warlord of the Sea. So, a recommendation from Smoker would be useless. He couldn't take the World Government's path to becoming a Warlord of the Sea. The only option he had was the Marines.
However, this Smoker was rumored to be a Marine traitor with a terrible relationship with the organization...
After a moment of contemplation, Doflamingo still asked, "Do you think the Marines would agree?"
Smoker feigned surprise and said, "How could they? Everyone knows the Marines are the biggest opponents of the Warlord of the Sea system. If it weren't for those damn old men blocking it, the Warlord of the Sea ranks would have been filled a long time ago!"
"Is that so?" Doflamingo murmured to himself before continuing, "But you might not know this, there's a bit of a misunderstanding between me and the World Government, so they will never let me become a Warlord of the Sea. My only path is through the Marines..."
Smoker was silent for a moment before saying, "Not necessarily. If you can find a way to force the World Government's hand..."
Doflamingo's eyes lit up as if an idea had just occurred to him, but he quickly laughed and said, "That wouldn't be easy..."
"Where there's a will, there's a way," Smoker said with a smile.
The two were seated by the courtyard pool. As Devil Fruit users, they had no intention of getting into the water. However, the pool was filled with numerous beautiful women in swimsuits and bikinis, making for a very pleasant scene.
Just then, a commotion erupted at the courtyard gate. Diamante soon walked in and said, "Young Master, there's a crazy brat who insists on seeing you."
Doflamingo was in the middle of talking to Smoker and waved his hand, "I don't have time for this. Just take care of it."
But at that moment, a figure with a bomb in each hand and his body covered in them walked in from outside the courtyard. He had white spots on his body, his eyes were filled with a destructive aura, and a crazed smile was on his lips as he looked at Doflamingo.
In that instant, Doflamingo, who had not planned on paying any attention to this "crazy brat," looked into the boy's eyes. Behind his orange-tinted sunglasses, Doflamingo's eyes lit up. He was so similar!
That look, that aura of madness and destruction, was identical to his own when he was a child! It was the look of someone filled with hatred for the world, someone who wanted to destroy it!
With this thought, Doflamingo ignored Diamante. Instead, he stood up and walked over to the boy, showing no fear of the bombs. He looked down at him, a wicked smile on his face, and asked, "What's your name, brat!?"
"Trafalgar Law!" the boy replied without hesitation, his eyes still filled with a look of pure madness as he stared at Doflamingo.