Click!
With the end of the call, the battle in the sky also reached its conclusion.
A streak of blue shot downward—a meteor crashing violently into the earth.
Doflamingo extended his hand and yanked back Enel, whose arms had swollen from impact.
He gave his judgment for the day.
"What a hard-headed mutt. Not even a hint of finesse in that tug-of-war."
"I was trying to drag him, BOSS! It's just that Bullet got faster again!"
Enel looked up, indignant. He was sure his tactics had been flawless.
"Is that so?"
Doflamingo's expression didn't change. Threads coiled around Enel's arms and gave them a savage twist.
"Aaaaaaaaaghhh!! I was wrong, BOSS!"
Enel quickly shifted gears. He could be flexible when it mattered.
Buzz!
With a soft thud, Bullet's tall, menacing form landed beside Doflamingo, showing off a terrifying level of bodily control.
Seeing Enel in such a pitiful state, Bullet smirked.
"Idiot. You're supposed to adapt your tactics on the fly. Your strength lies in speed, but you chose to wrestle with me?"
"Oh?"
Enel rubbed his reddened hands.
Tiny arcs of bioelectricity danced between his fingers, stimulating the damaged tissues and speeding up recovery.
He shot a sharp look at Bullet and shot back:
"With all your brilliant tactics, you must've beaten the BOSS by now, right?"
"..."
Bullet's grin froze. His just-relaxed fists clenched tight again.
This little bastard just had to bring that up.
Watching Bullet's face stiffen, Enel silently grinned.
"Enough. Cut the chatter!"
Doflamingo interrupted just as the two were about to go for round two.
He didn't have the time to babysit these two problem children.
"Bullet, how does that form feel?"
"Mythical Zoan... it really is something incredible."
A demonic grin crept across Bullet's face—one that could stop a child's cry cold.
"This fruit fills the gaps in my physical endurance and speed."
Off to the side, Enel was wide-eyed, his brain full of question marks.
"Wait, what? 'Gaps' in physical strength? Did I hear that right? Bullet thinks his body isn't strong enough? Then what the hell am I? Trash?"
Doflamingo didn't think anything was wrong with that statement. In fact, he nodded approvingly.
With Bullet's terrifying Armament Haki paired with a powerful Mythical Zoan...
He might have already surpassed that adorable idiot.
"How long can you hold the form?"
"Until I run out of stamina."
A flicker of purple light flashed around Bullet as he hoisted the black-charred human club that had separated from his body.
"But this thing seems different from my Clank-Clank Fruit. It feels... alive. Like it has a will of its own."
"Devil Fruits carry the spiritual imprint of what they represent. They're born from human desires and prayers. Don't worry about it."
Doflamingo had experienced that firsthand when dealing with Pica.
With Zoan-types, this phenomenon was even more obvious.
Otherwise, Vegapunk wouldn't have figured out how to feed Devil Fruits to inanimate objects.
"Do you think I can awaken in this form?"
Bullet's gaze sharpened. If he could master the awakened power of a Zoan...
He would be stronger than ever before.
"I have no idea. Devil Fruits symbolize limitless potential. Maybe try overpowering the Mythical Zoan's will completely."
Doflamingo shrugged like a helpless bear cub.
In the past, he would've said no.
But now that the origin of Devil Fruits seemed tied to human imagination...
And with a mutant like Marshall D. Teach—something close to a synthetic lifeform—capable of using both Darkness and Quake powers...
Who's to say Bullet couldn't match or even surpass him?
"I understand!"
Bullet sat down cross-legged on the ground.
The purple light glowed again, wrapping itself around the charred black club.
If there was a chance to get stronger—he would take it, no matter the risk!
...
Fish-Man Island – Port
Compared to the other docked warships, Yamato and the others' little boat looked almost comically small.
"The guys are here!"
Bored from waiting, Yamato perked up upon seeing Jinbe and the others arrive, waving excitedly.
"Hey! Over here!!"
Looking over the group, Senor Pink saw Tiger leading a group of about a thousand young Fish-Men.
Most of them were under fifteen, visibly undernourished and skinny.
He flicked some ash from his cigarette, a smile playing on his lips.
"Looks like Fish-Man District really did split off completely."
Buffalo scratched his head at the mumble.
"What was that, Senor Pink-san?"
"Nothing."
Seeing Tiger and Jinbe approach, Senor Pink stepped forward to greet them.
"Senor Pink-san, from this point forward, we're in your care."
Tiger and Jinbe pressed their right hands to their chests and bowed, just as they'd practiced during negotiations yesterday.
"We'll be in your care!" *N
The young Fish-Men mimicked them in unison.
"All good. We're all doing this for the BOSS."
Smiling broadly, Senor Pink helped them to their feet—representing the Donquixote Family as Fish-Man District officially pledged their allegiance.
This was all going in his report card!
"You'll see for yourselves just how much the BOSS cares for the family."
"I'll do my best!"
Tiger grasped the hand Senor Pink extended, genuine sincerity in his eyes.
"The Ryugu Kingdom's fleet is here too."
Jinbe pointed to the sky, where the royal ships approached slowly from above.
Otohime was nestled in Neptune's arms, riding atop the whale.
Though things between Ryugu and Fish-Man District were still tense...
That wasn't going to stop her from setting foot on land.
...
Laboratory
No one knew how many days Judge had been up.
His entire body reeked, his bloodshot eyes crazed as he held up a fist-sized chunk of special alloy.
Under the lab lights, the metal gleamed brilliantly.
"Hahahahahaha!"
Gripping the tested piece of alloy, Judge threw his head back in manic laughter.
This alloy was a scientific revolution. The future itself.
The return of something thought lost for eight hundred years.
Caesar... Vegapunk... all of them would be beneath him now!
"BOSS! BOSS, I DID IT!!"
Judge burst out of the lab clutching the alloy, as ecstatic as Fan Jin when he finally passed the imperial exam.
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg