After painting Umit a grand vision, Austin patted him on the shoulder and told him to attend the meeting first.
Pure Gold was indeed important, but so many days had already passed. There was no need to begrudge the little time spent in today's meeting.
Besides, someone was surely more anxious than he was.
There was no way Umit's offer of a huge reward for anyone who found the Lantern Fish could remain hidden.
Lesser-informed factions were one thing, but organizations like the World Government definitely had Cipher Pol agents keeping a close watch.
Besides,
even if he missed this opportunity, it would not be much of a loss. His body had yet to reach its peak, so there was no rush to permanently preserve his life.
With King Luffy as a fallback, he could find the Lantern Fish eventually, even if he had to follow someone to it.
Then...
He would make another trip after the meeting ended.
Elsewhere,
in private room number two, Doflamingo, dressed in a suit and draped in a cape, stood before the window and looked down over most of the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Long time no see, Dofla."
At some point, a figure had appeared in the room's main seat, sitting with his legs crossed and his fingers interlaced.
"Lord Austin!"
Doflamingo spun around, respectfully bowing slightly as he placed the box in his hand on the table.
"Fufufufufu... Since you mentioned several Devil Fruits that interested you last time, I have not failed your expectations and successfully found one of them."
As his words fell,
Doflamingo slowly opened the box, revealing a purple-black Devil Fruit resting quietly within.
The instant he saw the Devil Fruit, Austin grew interested as well. With a casual gesture, he drew the fruit into his hand.
The patterns