Doflamingo merely frowned slightly, then quickly came up with a solution.
He stretched out his hand. A moment later, a faint glow gathered in his palm, and another Op-Op Fruit appeared!
"It needs a little extra something." Doflamingo gently stroked the Op-Op Fruit he had created a few times, and a faint green light flickered across it.
This was Doflamingo's supreme illusion technique, turning the unreal into reality. Of course, although his illusion skills had far surpassed what they once were, he still could not simply create a Devil Fruit from nothing.
What he had created was really just a fruit that looked exactly like a Devil Fruit. Aside from tasting similar to one, it possessed no abilities whatsoever.
Afterward, Doflamingo also sealed some Mental Energy within the counterfeit Op-Op Fruit, ensuring that whoever ate it would go insane on the spot and kill everyone around them.
After all, the Op-Op Fruit could perform the Perennial Youth Operation. If Doflamingo had not intervened, the most likely outcome was for this Devil Fruit to fall into the hands of the Celestial Dragons, who would have their slaves eat it. Naturally, Doflamingo had to interfere.
With a wave of his hand, Doflamingo restored Barrels's consciousness and altered his memories. Then he stepped into the dream once more, vanishing from the Pirate ship.
The swapped Devil Fruit remained in the pirate captain's hand.
Under the effects of his illusion, Diez Barrels noticed nothing after waking up. He was still brimming with excitement as he stroked the Devil Fruit in his hand.
As for how he later sold the Op-Op Fruit to the World Government, drove one of their most brilliant doctors insane, and was then hunted down and killed by the World Government, that was a story for another time.
In Alabasta,