"Now that we've eaten, let's get down to business, Doflamingo..."
At Barn's words, a glint flashed across Doflamingo's oddly shaped glasses.
"Well, Lord Barn, what 'business' did you have in mind?"
The words were cordial, but coming from Doflamingo's mouth, they took on a different flavor. Like a sharp knife hidden in soft cotton, an undisguised threat lurked beneath them.
Barn's smile deepened when he heard that, but it was no longer as natural as before. It looked like a molded mask fitted over his face. Rather than answer Doflamingo immediately, he slowly reached toward his waist and untied the cord there, one loop at a time.
Barn took the First-Generation Onikiri from his waist and laid the deadly weapon on the table with utterly natural, practiced movements.
Once that was done, Barn turned his head back toward Doflamingo.
"You should know perfectly well why I'm here. But since you insist on making me repeat myself, I'll do you that favor..."
"Shut down every slave-trading operation under your command!"
Barn still wore that masklike smile as he spoke, but his hand came to rest on Onikiri on the table!
Smack!
It was that nuisance Gladius again. At Barn's words, he stood up once more, heedless of the danger. Worse still, he slammed his hand down on the table.
If Barn could still smile at a time like this, he wouldn't be Barn. Even the mildest man had a temper, let alone a great pirate who had roamed the seas for decades. Barn might have been good-natured, but he wasn't so accommodating that he could greet everyone with a smile.
The smile vanished from Barn's face in an instant, and the eyes hidden behind his sunglasses shot Gladius a fierce glare!
His Conqueror's Haki erupted in an instant. Unlike before, it