Starting with helping Zhao Kai ascend the throne in the snow

On the other side, at the dock, Shen Qing watched the Blackbeard Pirates' departing figures and thought to himself, "The Blackbeard Pirates, I believe we will meet again in the near future."

Today was only the first time Shen Qing had dealt with the Blackbeard Pirates, and both sides were extremely wary of each other. Therefore, Shen Qing was not in a hurry to get close to the members of the Blackbeard Pirates and would wait for a suitable opportunity in the future.

Moreover, a crucial point is that the current gap in strength between the two sides is too large, and they are not yet on equal footing. Even if Blackbeard speaks with great pride, without equal strength, he has no right to be friends.

Shen Qing then withdrew his gaze from the distance, turned to Doflamingo and said, "Mr. Doflamingo, thank you for your help today. I will remember this favor."

"Brother Shen, you're too kind. Your business is my business, no need to stand on ceremony." Dover said politely, but a barely suppressed smile played on his lips. He had done all this just for this favor.

Just then, a pirate ship flying the Donquixote Family flag came from afar and quickly docked at the pier. The next second, Diamante carried a small wooden box, and Serka followed closely behind him as he stepped off the ship.

"Young Master, how did you know we were coming back at this time?" Diamanti asked in surprise when he saw the Don Quixote family's officers all on the dock.

Because of her unique voice, Serka usually doesn't like to speak, but she looked over curiously.

Upon hearing this, Dover gave an awkward laugh. He couldn't very well say it was just a coincidence, as that would likely disappoint his subordinates. So he vaguely replied, "I received advance notice that you were coming back, which is why I came to pick you up."

The other officers, seeing that Dover was lying through his teeth, all suppressed their laughter. However, since it wasn't a big deal, they didn't expose Dover's lies.

"Young Master, we have successfully brought back the Flame-Flame Fruit." Although Diamante sensed something was amiss, he didn't dwell on it and excitedly handed the wooden box in his arms to Doflamingo.

Following Diamanti's words, everyone present, including Shen Qing, turned their gaze to the wooden box in Dover's hand, as if the box possessed the power to attract everyone's attention.

As one of the most powerful Logia-type Devil Fruits, the Flame-Flame Fruit's power has already been proven in the hands of its previous user, Fire Fist Ace. Now, with it so close at hand, everyone's hearts are pounding with excitement.

Doflamingo looked at the Flame-Flame Fruit in his hand, his heart filled with excitement. If this fruit was used well, his clan could gain another Shichibukai-level fighter.

However, after skipping over the family members, Doflamingo was suddenly startled. He was surprised to find that the Donquixote Family did not currently have a suitable candidate to use the Flame-Flame Fruit.

To maximize the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit, a suitable candidate is needed. Currently, the only members of the family without Devil Fruit abilities are Vergo, Dellinger, Lao G, and Queen (the toy factory manager isn't part of the Beasts Pirates). Giving Vergo the Flame-Flame Fruit as an undercover agent sent to the Navy would be inappropriate, given the difficulty in verifying its origin. Furthermore, giving Vergo the fruit would draw the ire of the Whitebeard Pirates' remnants, and as a covert spy, he needs to maintain a low profile within the Navy to avoid attracting attention. Therefore, he is the first to be ruled out.

However, once Vergo is removed, the others each have their own problems. As a half-fighting fish-man, Dellinger's strength is questionable, and Doflamingo never intended for him to use a Devil Fruit ability. After all, the Donquixote Family has too many Devil Fruit users, and they need some strong individuals who are not Devil Fruit users to maintain balance. Otherwise, if they were to fall into the water at sea, everyone would be doomed. Dellinger's existence is Doflamingo's way of making up for the family's shortcomings.

As for Lao G and Queen, one is too old and the other is too useless. Giving them the Flame-Flame Fruit would be a complete waste, as it wouldn't enhance the family's strength at all. This is why, in the original story, Doflamingo kept the Flame-Flame Fruit and didn't let his own people eat it, but instead chose to hold a fighting tournament more than a year later.

Suddenly, Doflamingo's gaze fell on Shen Qing standing to the side. His eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he said, "Brother Shen, we've known each other for a while now, and I haven't given you any decent gift yet. If you don't mind, I'll take this opportunity to present you with this Logia-type Flame-Flame Fruit. This way, your strength will be improved, and your safety will be guaranteed."

Among the three categories of Devil Fruits, the Logia type not only allows the user to become elemental and avoid physical damage, but it is also easier to learn, unlike the other two types which require training to unleash their full combat power.

Each Logia-type Devil Fruit corresponds to a natural elemental ability in the world, so after obtaining a Logia-type Devil Fruit, it is easy to develop and use it by referring to natural phenomena.

As mentioned before, Doflamingo, being a successful businessman, was willing to invest heavily once he decided to befriend Shen Qing. The Flame-Flame Fruit at this moment represents his sincerity.

Upon hearing Doflamingo's words, Shen Qing's mouth went dry and his heart pounded in his chest. He hadn't expected Doflamingo to have such courage, actually willing to give him the Flame-Flame Fruit.

Doflamingo's actions immediately struck a chord with Shen Qing. He had previously felt that his strength was insufficient and was thinking about how to improve it. Now, the timing of the Devil Fruit's appearance was just right.

The next second, Shen Qing excitedly took the wooden box from Doflamingo's hand. After opening it, a Devil Fruit with flame patterns appeared in front of Shen Qing. It was the Flame-Flame Fruit.

Holding the Flaming Fruit, Shen Qing felt his blood rushing to his head and couldn't wait to take a bite. At the same time, he mentally prepared himself for the disgusting, shit-like taste.

But just then, Shen Qing suddenly felt his hand lighten, and the Flame-Flame Fruit disappeared from his hand. He came to his senses and hurriedly looked up, only to see that the Flame-Flame Fruit was being held in the hand of the Old Sword God.

"Senior, what do you mean by this?" Shen Qing looked at Li Chungang with an unfriendly expression. He was furious that the Devil Fruit he had finally gotten his hands on had been snatched away.

Although he always respected Li Chungang as a senior, he could not tolerate others taking away his achievements when it came to matters of great importance concerning his own strength.

The sudden turn of events stunned Doflamingo and the others. Doflamingo then stood beside Shen Qing without hesitation and signaled the family members to surround the old swordsman.

Faced with the changes around him, Li Chungang remained calm. He looked at Shen Qing with an air of nonchalance and said, "Young Shen, this is the Logia-type Flame Devil Fruit, isn't it?"

Shen Qing nodded, still looking at Li Chungang with a dark expression, wanting to see what tricks he was up to. Moreover, Shen Qing was a little puzzled because, in his mind, the old sword god was not such a greedy guy, so what was going on in front of him?

Li Chungang casually tossed the Flaming Fruit in his hand, then looked sharply at Shen Qing and said, "Shen boy, let me ask you, for you, is your own combat strength more important, or is mastering a supernatural power more important?"

"This..." Faced with Li Chungang's sudden question, Shen Qing was stunned for a moment, then a thoughtful look appeared in his eyes, and then he fell silent.

Li Chungang's words were like a wake-up call, waking Shen Qing from his previous greed-blinded mind.

Admittedly, the Flame-Flame Fruit is extremely powerful and can allow Shen Qing to quickly improve his combat strength, but for Shen Qing, it is not indispensable.

He may lack personal combat strength, but he has the help of the old sword god in the snow and Hawkeye and Doflamingo in the pirate world. There are very few real dangers that he needs to face. Therefore, the Flame-Flame Fruit can only provide him with extremely limited improvement. So for Shen Qing, the Flame-Flame Fruit is not a good choice.