"I didn't expect the stranger in front of me to actually be Doflamingo's real brother. And the feeling they give off... completely different."
Issho was slightly taken aback. A bold thought popped into his mind—between these two brothers, which one had the mutated gene?
"What is it, Blindman-san?"
Sensing Issho's gaze, Rosinante waved his hand in confusion.
Issho shook off the stray thoughts and began summing up the past two years of his life.
"Doflamingo is a deeply complex man. You can't simply label him with one term."
"To the people of Skypiea, he is a benevolent king."
"To the citizens of Flevance, a savior."
"To the World Government and the Marines, a never-before-seen enemy."
"And to the rest of the world, he is both a source of indirect suffering... and a beacon of new possibilities."
Rosinante's expression grew stranger by the second.
He never imagined he'd hear what sounded like praise for Doflamingo coming from one of his enemies.
"What about you, Blindman-san?"
"...At the moment, he's my client."
After a brief pause, Issho answered calmly.
He couldn't deny it—when it came to ruling, Doflamingo was far more competent than the World Government.
...
Donquixote Royal Laboratory.
Since Doflamingo hadn't given clear orders regarding how to deal with Crocodile...
The juicing plans for Crocodile and Lafitte had only been half-heartedly carried out.
As for Daz Bonez? Naturally, he'd been added to the slave workforce.
Contributing his strength to Skypiea's "glorious cause."
Clack!
The last researcher to leave shut the heavy door behind him.
Inside the dimly lit cell...
Only Lafitte and Crocodile remained, both looking far thinner than before.
Their limbs were bound in seastone shackles, suspended midair.
Crocodile's signature slicked-back hair was now a tangled mess hanging over his face.
He hung his head, staring blankly at the bare floor, muttering to himself.
"Why..."
He couldn't understand it. Why was Bullet, who used to be on par with him, now so overwhelmingly strong?
And if Bullet was that powerful...
Then just how strong was Doflamingo?
Was he on the level of Whitebeard?
Beside him, Lafitte felt a sharp pain shoot through his spine and cursed inwardly.
"I never should've gone to that damn commotion. Thought I was joining up with a real big shot... But the guy crumbled within days. Now what the hell do I do?"
Thud thud thud...
Heavy, deliberate footsteps approached.
Bang!
The door, which had barely been closed for a moment, was kicked open again.
Light flooded the room.
A tall, imposing silhouette stood in the doorway, completely blocking the light behind him.
His shadow fell over Lafitte and Crocodile.
They both looked up.
Black suit. Pink feathered coat. Blood-red shades. Slicked-back golden hair.
It could only be one man.
"Doflamingo!"
Crocodile raised his head, forcing each syllable through clenched teeth.
"Fufufufufu~"
Doflamingo spread his arms wide, as though embracing the entire kingdom.
He flashed a bright smile at the two hanging men.
"Welcome to my kingdom, Crocodile."
After spending all that time mentally preparing himself, Lafitte was stunned at being ignored.
He was a dignified officer from the West Blue, and he wasn't even worth a mention?
Crocodile let out a roar, venting the fury that had been festering for days.
Then he quieted down, glaring at Doflamingo through the strands of hair covering his face.
His voice turned cold.
"Not going to kill me?"
Unfazed by Crocodile's harsh tone, Doflamingo wore a smile of amusement.
"Come on now, it's not like we have some deep grudge. I even brought you a gift."
"Guhahaha..."
Crocodile's laughter was low and chilling, his face growing darker.
"A gift? What, trying to humiliate me again?"
Damn. Got it in one.
Doflamingo suspected maybe he'd laughed too gleefully.
He tried to rein in the smile creeping up the corners of his mouth.
Then he stepped aside to reveal the girl standing behind him.
"How could I ever? Look—it's the one you've been dreaming of: Nico Robin."
"Robin, say hello to the great Warlord Crocodile."
"Hello, Mr. Crocodile."
Robin gave a polite wave, her eyes showing a hint of pity.
Crocodile keenly noticed her expression. A wave of discomfort surged in his heart.
But he no longer held any particular obsession with Nico Robin.
"Enough. Say what you came to say, Doflamingo. What do you want?"
"Join me, Crocodile. Be my so—partner."
Doflamingo barely stopped himself from slipping up.
"Let's open a little snack shack together. You can even have Pluton to play with."
"Even Whitebeard couldn't make me bow. You think you can?"
Crocodile's rejection was swift, his face twitching with fury at the implication.
Rage bubbled up in his chest.
"Kill me, or I swear I'll make you pay someday."
"Pity. Another predictable refusal."
Doflamingo's smile twisted nastily.
Since he wanted to be stubborn, then he had no one to blame but himself.
He raised his hand.
Fine strands of thread shimmered into the air.
Crocodile closed his eyes, ready to accept whatever came next.
Swish!
The threads sliced clean through the chains.
Crash!
Lafitte, already barely hanging on, crashed hard to the ground.
"Gah—!"
He winced in pain, glaring up at Doflamingo with confusion and growing resentment.
"Wait, wasn't it Crocodile who refused you? Why am I the one getting hurt?! I didn't do anything!"
"Robin! Move this birdbrain to a different room."
Doflamingo slowly approached Crocodile as he gave the order.
"Got it, Boss."
Robin nodded sweetly and activated her ability.
Countless arms sprouted from the ground, lifting Lafitte like a conveyor belt and carrying both of them out.
She thoughtfully closed the door behind her.
"Still not going to kill me?"
Crocodile opened his eyes, calm and disdainful.
"Fufufufufufu~"
Doflamingo laid a hand on Crocodile's shoulder, pulling out a few dials from within his coat.
Then he leaned in close and whispered into his ear.
"No rush, Croco-boy. We've got plenty of games to play."
Crocodile felt the hairs on his neck stand up one by one.
Veins bulged on his forehead.
The calm he'd just regained shattered in an instant.
He whipped his head toward Doflamingo's smug face and roared,
"Get away from me! Doflamingo, just kill me already!"
"Such a fragile display. That's exactly why you've grown so weak."
Doflamingo pressed one of the dials, forcibly turning Crocodile's head toward the wall.
His grin widened with dark delight.
"How can you grow stronger like this? Let me help sharpen that will of yours."
Crocodile's gut told him nothing good was coming.
On the wall...
A scene slowly replayed—an island in the Calm Belt, half a year ago.
"DO—FLA—MIN—GO—YOU—BASTARD!!!"
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg