Chapter 208: Mutual Deception
Ian had no idea that Doflamingo had been searching for him ever since the Mary Geoise incident, all for the Celestial Dragon identity chip that had fallen into Ian's hands.
Back when the Donquixote family withdrew from the ranks of the Celestial Dragons, it was Doflamingo's father who made that decision. After their withdrawal, the Donquixote family's identity chip was taken back by the Celestial Dragons. Doflamingo was still young at the time and didn't understand the significance of that identity chip. It wasn't until he grew older that he realized this chip meant something far from simple to the Celestial Dragons!
Although he was no longer recognized as a Celestial Dragon, Doflamingo still maintained some connections with the World Government and the Celestial Dragons. Through years of covert activities, he gradually learned the secret of the Celestial Dragons' "national treasure," and it seemed the Celestial Dragon identity chip was something akin to a certification program for that treasure.
Over the years, Doflamingo had also tried to reclaim the identity chip that once belonged to his Donquixote family, but it appeared the Celestial Dragons had already destroyed it.
The Celestial Dragons guarded their family identity chips very strictly, and only someone with the same bloodline could open the vault. This seemed to involve the concept of lineage factors. Ian had only stumbled upon one by killing a Celestial Dragon by chance, so Doflamingo naturally had no idea how to obtain chips from other families.
When Ian escaped from Mary Geoise, Doflamingo learned through his intelligence channels that a Celestial Dragon identity chip had been stolen. He immediately wanted to find Ian, the mastermind, to extract from him how he had obtained the chip. If possible, he also wanted to snatch the chip from Ian's hands.
In Doflamingo's impression, a single identity chip wasn't that significant on its own; it seemed to represent only a matter of qualification. Yet even so, Doflamingo still wanted to get his hands on that chip.
For his grand ambitions, Doflamingo had even considered that it wouldn't matter if he actually allied with Ian. Vergo was already dead, and even avenging him wouldn't bring him back to life.
Vergo was considered family, but the question was, what kind of person was Doflamingo? He had even killed his own biological father and brother. So what did non-blood-related family mean to him? This so-called protection of family only existed when they were still useful.
Doflamingo was an extremely self-centered person. The surface warmth was all a facade. Among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, he was the most evil.
On the other side, Ian was silent for a long time before finally speaking: "You want the Celestial Dragon identity chip? Can you tell me, what exactly is it used for?"
"You don't need to worry about that!" Doflamingo said. "The condition for our alliance is that you hand over the identity chip to me!"
"And what do I get?" Ian asked.
"Great benefits!" Doflamingo laughed loudly. "I can give you a piece of my territory, have the Celestial Dragons cancel your wanted poster, and I'll propose that you join the Seven Warlords of the Sea. You have the strength for it!"
Ian sneered inwardly. This Doflamingo was truly cunning. If he hadn't talked with Kuma back then, he might have actually been fooled by Doflamingo.
According to Kuma's speculation, if too much time passed and the Marines couldn't do anything about Ian, they would inevitably propose that Ian join the Seven Warlords of the Sea to retrieve the identity chip. Doflamingo was using this as a condition to give Ian benefits. It was just going with the flow! He didn't have to give anything and could take the identity chip from Ian.
And that so-called giving up a piece of territory wouldn't hurt Doflamingo at all. His real territory seemed to be only Dressrosa, right?
Fortunately, from the very beginning when Ian discussed an alliance with Doflamingo, he had the mindset of "you can be strong, but I'll just play dirty." The identity chip had been taken by Kuma, and what would be returned would probably be a fake. Even if Ian gave Doflamingo a fake chip, it wouldn't matter.
So Ian spoke: "It's possible, but the identity chip isn't on me right now."
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Doflamingo said displeasedly.
"Dofla, if it were you, would you carry the identity chip on you?" Ian said with a shrug. "I definitely hid it somewhere. If I die, that identity chip will never see the light of day!"
"You...!" Doflamingo almost roared in anger. This statement was clearly aimed at him.
And Ian even directly called him "Dofla," showing no respect at all.
But then, thinking it over, Doflamingo felt it was possible. Wasn't it written on the Marine wanted posters that he could only be captured alive? They were probably worried about the identity chip being hidden.
"So, when can you hand over the identity chip to me?" Doflamingo asked.
Ian rubbed his chin and thought for a moment, then said: "We'll talk after you fulfill the conditions you promised me!"
"Fine!" Doflamingo agreed immediately. "We'll talk after you become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"
"Also! As an ally, shouldn't you show some goodwill?" Ian said with a chuckle.
"What do you want?" Doflamingo asked.
"Look, two Marine Admirals are chasing me with ten warships!" Ian counted on his fingers. "But on my side, I can probably only handle one Marine Admiral. As an ally, shouldn't you help take down one?"
Doflamingo was furious. "How is that possible? My identity is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. How could I attack the Marines? Do you want me to lose my position as a Warlord?"
Tsk! No good, huh? Ian knew this request was a bit unreasonable. Asking Doflamingo to deal with a Marine Admiral was just a wild idea Ian had come up with, but it turned out Doflamingo definitely wouldn't fall for it.
Alliances between pirates were inherently unreliable, let alone with someone like Doflamingo. Ian had never taken Doflamingo's words seriously from the start. In this so-called alliance, Ian was fooling Doflamingo, and Doflamingo was fooling Ian too.
But just letting Doflamingo get away with giving nothing in return made Ian a bit unwilling. After thinking it over, he said: "Alright, if you won't attack the Marines, fine. But Dofla, I'm short on cash lately. What do you think?"
"I can give you 1 billion Berries!" Doflamingo said directly. His underground business was earning him a fortune daily, so this amount meant nothing to him.
"Too little!" Ian shook his head. "Give me 10 billion to spend!"
"Do you think my money grows on trees!?" Doflamingo's forehead bulged with veins again. Ian had just multiplied it tenfold in one breath, and even Doflamingo couldn't help but get angry.
Damn it, after getting the identity chip, I'll definitely kill this guy!
"At most 3 billion!" Doflamingo said. "Consider it sponsorship for an ally. If you don't want it, forget it!"
"Alright, how do you give me the money?" Ian asked.
"Release Buffalo and Baby-5!" Doflamingo said. "I'll have them deliver the money to you!"
"No, no, no! Don't joke around! How is that possible?" Ian said. "What if your so-called alliance is fake? If I send them away, you'll turn around and attack my ship, right?"
Doflamingo was speechless. He found that this was the first time he had such difficulty communicating with someone. After a moment of silence, he said through gritted teeth: "Then what do you suggest?"
"Let Buffalo bring me the money! But Baby-5 stays with me!" Ian said. "And Baby-5 needs to stay on my ship until you fulfill the agreement. This maid is really obedient, and I happen to need someone to serve me. What do you think?"
"..." Doflamingo was silent for a long time before finally speaking: "Let Buffalo and Baby-5 answer the phone!"
By this time, Buffalo and Baby-5 had slowly woken up. Ian had them brought up and let them talk to Doflamingo.
"Master!" Buffalo cried as soon as he got near the Den Den Mushi. From the appearance of the snail, he knew it was Doflamingo on the other end. "Master, we failed your trust!"
"Buffalo, stop crying!" Doflamingo's voice softened a bit. "We've now formed an alliance with the Dragon Hunter Pirates. You come back, and let Baby-5 stay on their ship!"
"Master, you... you don't want me anymore?" Baby-5 asked, her eyes reddening even though she had a cigarette in her mouth.
Doflamingo explained: "It's not like that. Staying there is to serve as a liaison. Do you understand what I mean?"
Baby-5 immediately understood and quickly nodded: "I understand, Master!"
Ian stood nearby, watching this scene with a cold sneer in his heart. He could see through Doflamingo's intentions. Leaving Baby-5 behind was only partly as a hostage, part of the agreement, but at the same time, Baby-5 could also spy on the Dragon Hunter Pirates' true strength.
"Good, as long as you understand!" Doflamingo said. "For now, follow his orders!"
The two withdrew, and Doflamingo had Ian get back on the phone. "Now that the alliance is formed, I hope you keep your promise."
"Don't worry, I will!" Ian said, patting his chest.
But in reality, this was just empty talk. Neither of them took this so-called alliance seriously. They hadn't even met face to face, just chatted on the phone like this. Anyone would find it flimsy, right?
On the surface, it seemed Doflamingo was the one losing out, since he had to pay 3 billion Berries and also give up Baby-5, while Ian benefited more. At least after this conversation, he didn't have to worry about Doflamingo joining the Marines to attack his pirate crew.
But how could Doflamingo be someone willing to suffer a loss? After hanging up the phone, he hovered in midair for a while, then suddenly changed direction and headed elsewhere.
And the place he was going to was the headquarters of one of the Four Emperors, Kaido of the Beasts!
"Hehehehehe!" Doflamingo's laughter echoed through the air. "Although I've agreed not to attack you for now, that doesn't mean others won't!"
From his conversation with Ian, Doflamingo had keenly noticed a problem. Ian seemed unaware that Kaido was also looking for him. Doflamingo also had an underground identity as a broker in the underworld, codenamed "Joker." He had already established contact with Kaido of the Beasts, doing business in artificial Devil Fruits.
So Doflamingo planned to prepare two options! One was deception, the other was forceful seizure!
"Let the Beast Pirates make a move. As long as they capture you, they can force you to hand over the identity chip! Then, after I get the chip back from Kaido, I can kill you to avenge Vergo!"