The two girls noticed by Blake were naturally members of the Donquixote Family from the original work—Monet and Sugar.
Blake recalled carefully; he remembered that Monet and Sugar should have joined the Donquixote Family in the same year as the Ope-Ope no Mi incident, which was Marine calendar year 1509.
As for how they were specifically noticed by Doflamingo, he couldn't remember.
But it didn't matter; if Blake saw them, they were his.
Later, he would have Scarlett return to Dressrosa and bring Violet back as well.
Although this would leave Doflamingo without a single decent female character under his command, that was not an issue.
Ambitious people like Doflamingo should focus on training diligently and building their careers; as for taking care of female characters—
Blake expressed that he was perfectly willing to take on the burden and help Doflamingo share a bit, Fufufu... Just then, a middle-aged man, expensively dressed but with shrewd eyes, came scrambling onto the deck and knelt with a thud:
"Esteemed Celestial Dragon Saint Blake, welcome! Your presence truly graces this humble ship!"
His face was plastered with a fawning smile:
"Is there anything I can do for you?"
Blake frowned, glanced at his surroundings, and sneered:
"Humble? You underestimate 'humble' a bit too much!"
The Slave ship owner was a bit embarrassed, at a loss for words, and could only continue to look at Blake with a fawning expression, cold sweat dripping down his forehead.
Fortunately, Blake had no intention of continuing to dwell on the issue with him, and was even too lazy to look at him.
The environment on this ship made him feel it was even worse than a pirate ship, and the pervasive smell in the air made him lose interest in personally choosing.
He pointed at Monet, who was in a cage, and instructed Stella beside him:
"Those green-haired sisters, buy them."
After speaking, Blake turned and returned to the sanctuary.
This left the Slave ship owner feeling both disappointed and somewhat relieved.
After all, the Celestial Dragon clearly disliked his ship; staying longer might result in him being thrown into the sea if the Celestial Dragon became unhappy.
But he was also reluctant to miss such a good opportunity to get close to a Celestial Dragon.
However, before he could think much more, Stella bowed slightly towards Blake's retreating figure, then turned to the Slave ship owner, her tone filled with business-like efficiency:
"Name your price!"
The Slave ship owner finally came to his senses; he rubbed his hands, his smile unchanged:
"It's already a great honor to serve Saint Blake, how could I accept money?"
"For these sisters to catch the eye of a Celestial Dragon, it's their good fortune accumulated over lifetimes!"
He turned and shouted to the Slave crew members:
"What are you standing around for?! Hurry and release them! No... invite them out!"
Stella watched the man's performance with indifference.
Having followed Blake for so many years, there were simply too many people like the Slave ship owner who wanted to associate with Celestial Dragons.
Don't let this guy's current subservience fool you; if she really just accepted the two Slaves, he would turn around and use this incident to earn ten, even a hundred times the profit.
By having the pretext of having delivered Slaves to a Celestial Dragon, others, operating on the principle of "better safe than sorry," might not even dare to touch him, perhaps even the Marines.
After all, most Celestial Dragons are insane, who knows if they might cause trouble because they feel their dignity has been slighted?
So, when Stella faced such matters, her tone was completely calm:
"Name your price!"
Although Stella appeared gentle and kind on a daily basis, the poise she had cultivated over many years as a Celestial Dragon's chief butler was not something ordinary people could compare to.
The Slave ship owner was immediately intimidated by her aura and dared not harbor any petty thoughts.
His throat bobbed, and he tremblingly quoted a market price.
Stella reached into an alternate dimension and pulled out a stack of Berries, exactly the right amount, no more, no less.
She didn't even count them, directly throwing them to the Slave ship owner, giving him no chance to decline.
The owner held the money, his feelings complex.
He regretted missing the opportunity to climb the social ladder, but also felt fortunate that he at least hadn't offended this esteemed person.
Stella turned to the Monet sisters, a gentle smile returning to her face:
"Please come aboard with me, His Highness is still waiting for us."
Monet held Sugar's hand, instinctively hiding her behind her; in their eyes was both the relief of escaping the cage and the fear of an unknown future.
Blake stood on the deck of the sanctuary, watching Stella successfully complete the transaction, and then ordered the ship to continue sailing.
As for the Monet sisters?
It was still the same phrase—no rush.
The sanctuary readjusted its course, continuing to patrol near Barrels's pirate group at that not-too-close, not-too-far distance.
For Blake, this unexpected interlude was now over... Meanwhile, Kuzan's fleet had already entered the New World.
He wore an eye mask, lying on the deck of the battleship, emitting a steady breathing sound.
"Admiral Aokiji!"
Just then, a messenger rushed onto the deck, stood at attention, and saluted him:
"Admiral Aokiji, a message from Marineford—"
"Admiral Akainu... Sakazuki's NEO Marines have appeared near Setcliffe Island."
Kuzan was awakened by the sudden sound; he lazily pushed his eye mask onto his forehead, the afternoon sun making him squint slightly:
"Hmm... Have they found them so quickly?"
He let out a long yawn, rubbed his somewhat disheveled curly hair, then reluctantly stood up:
"Sigh... what a bother..."
It was unclear whether he was complaining about Sakazuki, who had defected from the Marine, or the World Government, which was urging him to carry out orders.
Kuzan complained as he stretched:
"Since there's news, let's go!"
His orders were given without enthusiasm, but the massive Marine fleet slowly turned, cutting through the blue sea, heading towards Setcliffe Island, the island that was about to become a battlefield.
On Sakazuki's side, due to the ideology he conveyed in his broadcast, he had gathered a group of subordinates in just half a month, and even some Marines originally stationed in the New World had come to join.
After all, the Marine recruited soldiers in the name of "Justice," and many of them had long been dissatisfied with the various actions of the World Government.
Now that a new, emerging Marine force had appeared, one that both fought pirates and was not under the jurisdiction of the World Government, their eagerness was imaginable.
Not to mention them, even a portion of Marineford was preparing to sail to the New World to join the NEO Marines.
This was also where Sakazuki was more astute than Zephyr; he clearly, through a global broadcast, presented his observations, thoughts, and ideas to everyone.
Those who resonated with his ideology and shared his aspirations would continuously join him, becoming his strength.
Someone once said that the Fleet Admiral is chosen from among the highest-ranking combatants as the most intelligent person, which is why Sengoku became the "Strategist."
Similarly, Sakazuki's ability to become an Admiral in the original work did not mean he was merely a hothead.
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