Doflamingo slowly set his wineglass on the table and smiled at Barn, his eyes glinting with amusement and mystery. Barn naturally could not see any of that, but it did not stop him from catching the meaning behind Doflamingo's words.
"What exactly did you want to discuss, Mr. Doflamingo?"
Barn smiled as well, his grip on the First-Generation Onikiri tightening involuntarily.
Doflamingo said nothing, but the pressure emanating from the three subordinates beside him slowly grew, as though they might erupt at any moment.
Barn noticed it too. He tilted his head slightly toward Doflamingo's four subordinates, who were gathering their strength.
"Ha! Hahaha!"
Barn said nothing. Instead, quite unlike his usual self, he burst into unrestrained laughter. The four men's expressions changed. They could plainly hear the contempt in his laughter, and Barn had made no effort to hide it.
After a few loud laughs, Barn fell silent and resumed his faint smile, though the contempt in it had not diminished in the slightest.
Doflamingo was not blind. He saw the contempt on Barn's face clearly, and his own smile vanished as he spoke.
"Oh? Is there something amusing you'd like to share with me, Mr. Barn?"
Barn merely smiled and slowly rested both elbows on the table.
"Nothing much. It's just that, Mr. Doflamingo, if you really think these four subordinates of yours can stop me, or even kill me, then I really do have to laugh."
A smile crept back onto Doflamingo's face. He too rested his elbows on the table, interlacing his fingers beneath his chin.
"Oh? What makes you think that?"
Doflamingo smiled at Barn as he spoke.
"It seems I still overestimated you, Doflamingo. Your judgment, at least. Even after two of your subordinates tested me, you still haven't gained a basic understanding of