"I plan to kill one of the Four Emperors after entering the New World."
Oboro delivered this earth-shattering declaration with the same casual tone one might use to discuss the weather. His calm demeanor made the impossible statement all the more unsettling.
"Fufufufu..." Doflamingo's characteristic laughter carried notes of disbelief and dark amusement. "What nonsense are you spouting? The Four Emperors... you?"
Despite his grievous injuries, the Heavenly Demon's voice grew stronger as indignation fueled his words. "Those monsters are more powerful than your wildest imagination. Don't assume you have the capital to challenge them just because you managed to defeat me. Even if you grow stronger in the future, you may never have a genuine chance of victory when facing them. After a few encounters... you'll probably be dead."
His tone carried the bitter wisdom of someone who had witnessed the Four Emperors' overwhelming power firsthand.
"Whether I can accomplish it or not is my concern," Oboro replied with unshakeable confidence. "You needn't worry about such details. But consider this, if I succeed in killing one of the Four Emperors, the resources and territories under their control will become vacant. Your Donquixote Family could claim significant portions of that inheritance. Moreover, I would protect you from coercion or retaliation by the remaining three Emperors."
The proposal hung in the salt air between them like a tempting poison.
"If you could genuinely kill one of the Four Emperors," Doflamingo's tone shifted to analytical calculation, "then cooperation would be unnecessary. You could easily replace them and inherit everything yourself. If you wanted my assistance hunting down the fallen Emperor's remnants... well, someone capable of slaying an Emperor of the Sea would hardly need help dealing with scattered survivors."
His reasoning was characteristically sharp despite his injuries. "So don't beat around the bush. Tell me your real purpose."
"What I value," Oboro said with predatory satisfaction, "is your identity."
"My status as a former Celestial Dragon?" Doflamingo's expression darkened with old pain and rage.
"Precisely."
The single word carried weight that made the air itself feel heavier.
"Even though you were exiled from the Holy Land of Marijoa, you still maintain connections through that relationship, advantages that others simply don't possess," Oboro continued with clinical assessment of the political landscape.
"Don't you want to become a Four Emperor yourself?" he asked, studying Doflamingo's reaction with predatory interest.
"I'm not interested in that particular throne," Oboro replied with dismissive honesty.
The response clearly surprised the Heavenly Demon, whose worldview centered on the acquisition and exercise of power.
"Fufufufu..." Doflamingo's laughter carried new undertones of unease. "What exactly do you intend to do to the Celestial Dragons?"
He sensed the true scope of Oboro's ambitions now, something that transcended mere piracy or even challenging the Four Emperors. If anyone else had claimed to target the World Government's divine masters, Doflamingo would have dismissed such boasts as delusional fantasy.
But this was the God Slayer, the only person in recorded history who had successfully assassinated a Celestial Dragon and lived to escape the consequences.
"I can't reveal those details yet," Oboro said with calculated restraint. "I'm concerned you might betray me to preserve your own position."
"Fufufufu..."
"Let's focus on the Four Emperors for now," Oboro continued, redirecting the conversation toward more immediate concerns. "Once one of the Emperors disappears, the resources they controlled in the New World will attract competition from every major power, including the World Government itself. Your family alone lacks the strength to secure such prizes, but with my backing, acquisition becomes achievable."
He paused to let the implications sink in before delivering his masterstroke.
"Moreover, you wouldn't need to assume any personal risk. You could adopt a wait-and-see approach, after I eliminate one of the Four Emperors, you can decide whether cooperation serves your interests. If I die or show any signs of weakness that suggest ultimate failure, you're free to refuse my offer immediately. You could even join forces with the remaining Emperors to target me."
"Observe the results... then take action," Oboro summarized with predatory amusement.
"However," his tone shifted to carry subtle menace, "I must remind you of certain consequences. Once you cooperate and claim the rewards I provide, retreat becomes impossible. If you betray me after accepting my gifts... well, someone capable of destroying Four Emperors would hardly struggle with eliminating a mere Dressrosa."
The threat was delivered with such casual confidence that it sent chills through Doflamingo's enhanced survival instincts.
"Marijoa..." Doflamingo's analytical mind began working through the implications. "It seems you possess deeper understanding of the Celestial Dragons than your public actions suggest. What exactly do you know? If you truly want cooperation, you should demonstrate good faith. Your intelligence sources... should be shared with potential allies. Only then can I consider your proposal seriously."
"I know far more than you imagine," Oboro replied with mysterious satisfaction. "But I cannot reveal my information sources. Such knowledge represents one of my most crucial advantages."
He fixed Doflamingo with a stare that seemed to pierce directly to his soul.
"Choose one path: remain a Shichibukai in the World Government's service, or ascend to become one of the Four Emperors."
"You're suggesting I could become an Emperor of the Sea?" Doflamingo's laughter carried bitter irony. "While such elevation appeals to me greatly... if I possessed the capability for such achievement, I would already rule as an Emperor. And you... wouldn't be breathing right now."
His voice grew more serious as tactical reality reasserted itself. "Those monsters command strength that defies rational challenge. Fighting them represents the height of strategic foolishness."
"Don't waste time with impossible fantasies," he continued with growing irritation. "While your suggestions sound appealing, everything depends on whether you can actually kill one of the Four Emperors, and that remains completely unproven! Furthermore, your ambitions regarding the Celestial Dragons... don't underestimate those beings. Even if you could somehow overthrow an Emperor of the Sea, it doesn't mean you can challenge the true rulers of this world."
"Fufufufu... we should leave before it becomes too late!"
Distant sounds carried across the water, subtle movements that spoke to approaching forces closing in on their position.
Someone had landed on the island!
"You don't know me well enough yet," Oboro said with cold amusement, slowly rising to his feet despite the accumulated battle damage. "So I forgive your ignorance."
"I told you, if I can elevate you to Four Emperor status, I possess methods to grant you strength comparable to those monsters. Just because you cannot achieve such power independently doesn't mean I lack the capability to provide it."
The declaration struck Doflamingo like a physical blow. Even through his pain and exhaustion, he began to suspect that the God Slayer might be genuinely delusional. Everything he'd explained should have made the impossibility of such claims obvious.
"A gift for you," Oboro announced with theatrical flair.
Two cards materialized in his hands, objects that remained completely invisible to Doflamingo's enhanced perception. One pulsed with accumulated combat experience, while the other gleamed with supernatural power that transcended normal understanding.
The experience card contained memories extracted from Muzan Kibutsuji's centuries of predatory existence. For someone of Doflamingo's caliber, the practical combat enhancement would be limited, after all, the Demon King's power operated on entirely different principles than what a Shichibukai could utilize. But for a warrior of his level, even marginal improvements represented tremendous value. Oboro simply wanted him to experience the sensation of growth... the intoxicating realization that further evolution remained possible.
The skill card represented something far more significant.
Oboro had deliberately sought out and transformed one of the Lower Rank demons whose abilities complemented Doflamingo's Ito Ito no Mi powers. The selection had required careful consideration of compatibility and strategic value.
Rui of Mount Natagumo, the Spider Demon whose Blood Demon Art, Thread Manipulation, allowed him to create and control razor-sharp threads with supernatural precision.
While Doflamingo's combat capabilities far exceeded anything Rui had achieved during his demonic existence, the fundamental synergy between their abilities promised extraordinary results. Both powers centered on manipulating threads as weapons and tools, though Rui's Blood Demon Art operated according to principles that conventional Devil Fruit users had never encountered.
With Doflamingo's exceptional talent and decades of string-based combat experience, he might be capable of evolving his Ito Ito no Mi abilities beyond their current limitations through integration with Blood Demon Art techniques. The qualitative enhancement could transform his already formidable white threads into something approaching supernatural artistry, perhaps even developing the crimson coloration that marked Rui's blood-enhanced threads.
Even if such evolution proved impossible, the demonstration would serve its intended purpose. Oboro needed Doflamingo to understand exactly what kinds of power he could provide, a tantalizing taste of possibilities that would fuel the Heavenly Demon's ambitions while creating psychological dependency.
The bloodline cards that could truly transform him into something approaching the Four Emperors' level would remain reserved for later negotiations. These skill and experience cards represented mere "bait" in a much larger game.
Because based on Doflamingo's background, personality, and accumulated experience, the man was undoubtedly an ambitious sea tycoon whose dreams of ultimate power had been constrained only by realistic assessment of his limitations.
Now Oboro would show him that such limitations could be transcended.
The two cards dissolved into streams of light that penetrated Doflamingo's battered form. For a brief moment, his consciousness scattered as foreign knowledge and abilities integrated with his existing capabilities, but his formidable willpower reasserted control within seconds.
This represented the autonomous "defense" of someone whose spirit had been forged through decades of impossible challenges.
Oboro sensed the approaching forces and raised one hand in casual farewell. "I'll await your decision."
With that pronouncement, his figure shot skyward and disappeared beyond the horizon with supernatural speed, leaving only the devastated battlefield as evidence of their encounter.
Doflamingo lay alone amid the rubble, slowly raising his palm toward the afternoon sun. With tremendous effort, he extended one finger and willed his String-String Fruit to respond.
A thread emerged from his fingertip, but this filament differed fundamentally from anything he'd previously created.
The strand gleamed crimson in the sunlight, its surface displaying a crystalline beauty that seemed to capture and refract light with impossible clarity. The color matched the blood-enhanced threads that Rui had used in his most devastating attacks, proof that the Blood Demon Art had indeed integrated with his Devil Fruit abilities.
"What... is this..." Doflamingo whispered, studying the transformed manifestation of his abilities with growing wonder.
"Fufufufufufu..."
His laughter began as a whisper but grew progressively louder until it echoed across the devastated island like the voice of madness itself.
Science? Bloodline enhancement? Impossible evolution of his Devil Fruit powers?
There was no rational explanation for what had just occurred. No framework within his extensive knowledge that could categorize or understand the transformation he'd experienced.
What a... magical bastard!