Putting on a brand new pair of sunglasses, Doflamingo stood alone on the deck, staring blankly at the sea.
The Donquixote Family's situation was dire.
Rumors about its activities in the underground world had caught the Navy's attention. The person overseeing the investigations was the Navy's Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General "He", who could wash Devil Fruits. Although "He" (the officer) hadn't revealed much of her strength in the canonical timeline, it would be a grave mistake to underestimate her.
Anyone who could spar with Garp and Sengoku in the Navy and still remain a high‐ranking officer could not be weak.
Her strength lay not just in combat, but in strategy. She used her cunning to sabotage several Donquixote Family transactions. If the Donquixote Family had not already secured the majority of Beihai's underground dealings, had not built formidable financial resources, and had not drawn many Naval agents to its side, it might have collapsed long ago. In the past two years, there had been moments when collapse seemed inevitable.
But thanks to his brother—his "good brother"—the Family had managed to endure.
Doflamingo's eyes turned cold. He considered what to do about his younger brother.
After integrating the original memories, he understood how highly the original Doflamingo had valued Rosinante. Vergo had been sent undercover; Rosinante, once weak, had risen to become one of the highest cadres in the Family.
Yet although Rosinante was his biological brother, the way he treated Doflamingo…
A soft laugh escaped him.
Had it been hatred that grew when Rosinante discovered the truth of their father's death? Or was it a remnant of the innocence he inherited from their father—some purity, some naïveté? Or perhaps he'd been mentally shaped by his adoption under the Warlord system?
From childhood, Doflamingo rarely slept well. The bitter contrast between their mother's death, the weight of sparing or killing their father, their status as Celestial Dragons—all of it built up despair.
To kill his father was to sever ties with the past—but no matter how much he hated him, the father was still his father. Regret and hatred warred together deep in his heart.
That had made him cruel, arrogant, merciless. But now…
Now, Doflamingo felt no regret.
If that father had never existed... his mother would never have died. None of the tragedies of his childhood would have happened.
In that case… Doflamingo might still be a high-ranking Celestial Dragon. With his potential, if he had obtained a strong enough Fruit, he might even have stood at the top.
But even now… it was still possible.
Since fusing with the transmigrator's soul, his abilities had improved tremendously: armament and color Haki, perception, reaction time, physical strength—they were all sharpened.
Though not yet equal to the greatest monsters, the gap had narrowed—and with enough training, it no longer seemed insurmountable.
Even his Conqueror's Haki had grown; in prolonged combat, this would be like a reserve force, like a secondary power rising ("a blue bar," he thought).
But more than strength—what really matters at the top are companions you can trust.
Within the Donquixote Family, aside from Vergo, there were many talented individuals—but many of them spread themselves too thin. Pica and Diamante, for example, though talented, had overestimated themselves, attempting to master both their Devil Fruits and specialized skills like swordsmanship. The Family lacked a true swordsmanship teacher; it was good if Diamante could reach a "late level," but even that was difficult.
Still, Diamante also trained Luo in swordsmanship. Luo, though his Devil Fruit ability was very powerful, also had a good foundation with the blade—evidence of Diamante's own skill.
What Doflamingo valued most were Dellinger and Senior Pica.
Dellinger had already developed formidable kicking techniques and strong armament-type techniques by sixteen. And Pica—able to stand against even Franky's modified body in hand-to-hand combat—gained strength, though eating that odd "swimming" Devil Fruit might be delaying his true potential.
Pica had suffered personal tragedy—his son's death, his wife's vegetative state—and his loyalty to the Family was his lifeline. But in Doflamingo's current mind, Senior Pica had not yet eaten that strange Fruit, nor met that woman; there was still hope.
As for Dellinger—he was still young. He could be raised, trained, shaped.
Now all the Family's major cadres were in place—including the Monet sisters (rescued two months ago) and Dellinger (recently weaned). Because of their youth and newness, Monet and Sugar had not yet eaten Devil Fruits. They were currently studying on an island owned by the Donquixote Family in the Grand Line.
It was few cadres in the past that had promise—many had been pushed out by Rosinante. After Rosinante's betrayal, Doflamingo grew wary of accepting new members into the inner circle. But fortune smiled yet—there were still twins with huge potential among the ranks, twins whom Rosinante had not yet driven away. They were aboard his ship now. He would not allow Rosinante to reject them as he once had with others.
Doflamingo knew of a traitor in the Family—but his affection for these family members made it difficult for him to believe fully.
The main holdings in the North Sea and the Grand Line remained hidden deep within bases known only to Doflamingo, Trebol, and Diamante. Rosinante did some administrative work, performed low‐risk tasks to build merit—but was kept away from deeper secrets. This was Doflamingo's way of protecting his Family.
Irony was not lost on him.
A transaction had just concluded; the Flamingo was returning to the North Sea from the Grand Line. Luo, Baby‑5, and Buffalo remained in their homeland with Diamante. Luo had not yet formed cordial relations with Rosinante; each day, his hatred for him grew.
Furfururafururabol...
This was interesting. With Luo's potential and current achievements, he would someday become Doflamingo's deputy—an emperor's deputy, perhaps. His future companions would be the bear, the tomahawk‑type Pirate Drakes, and other rookie pirates—like the pair of trash combinations, Kidd and Kira—with whom the underground network could forge alliances.
Given the Family's underworld power, finding those allies shouldn't be hard.
Then—an idea struck Doflamingo. Luo's attitude toward Rosinante was so full of hatred. What if Luo killed Rosinante?
He adjusted his sunglasses and laughed, a low, cold sound:
"Furfurfur..."
"This might be interesting."
"Then, my dear brother, don't disappoint me."
If you like, I can rewrite this with more One Piece-canonical dialogue or even integrate some existing arcs. Do you want me to polish further or break it into scenes?
You said:use Tsuru instead of HE ChatGPT said:
Absolutely — here's the revised version with "Tsuru" replacing "He" (i.e., Vice Admiral Tsuru), and all grammar, structure, and tone corrected and polished as before.
Putting on a brand new pair of sunglasses, Doflamingo stood alone on the deck, staring blankly at the sea.
The Donquixote Family's situation was dire.
Rumors about their operations in the underground world had caught the attention of the Navy. In response, the Marines had dispatched none other than Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Chief of Staff — a formidable veteran and wielder of the Wash-Wash Fruit (Woshu Woshu no Mi).
Though Tsuru didn't demonstrate her strength often in the original timeline, anyone who could remain one of the top strategists in the Navy — and had fought alongside legends like Garp and Sengoku — was no weakling.
In fact, Tsuru's true danger wasn't brute force, but her sharp mind. Her calm, calculating tactics disrupted multiple Donquixote Family operations. If not for Doflamingo's control over most of the North Blue's underground networks, a deep war chest, and several Naval collaborators in his pocket, the Family might've collapsed long ago. There had already been multiple close calls in the last two years.
And for all this? Doflamingo knew exactly whom to thank — his dear younger brother.
His expression darkened.
After fusing with the original Doflamingo's memories, he understood well: the former Donquixote cared deeply for Rosinante. He had even sent Vergo into the Marines as an undercover agent, while appointing the weak but trustworthy Rosinante as one of the highest-ranking officers in the Family — Corazon.
Yet despite being his own blood brother, Rosinante… betrayed him.
Was it because he resented Doflamingo for killing their father? Or had he inherited that naïve, soft-hearted idealism from Homing? Or worse — was he brainwashed by Sengoku, who raised him after the Celestial Dragon fall?
Funny, Doflamingo thought. The so-called "Hero of the Marines" — Garp — could learn a thing or two from Sengoku when it came to raising children.
In his original memories, Doflamingo had barely slept peacefully since childhood. The trauma of his mother's death, killing his father, and being cast down from Celestial Dragon status left him in constant torment.
He killed his father to sever ties with the past — yet even so, he was still his father. That complicated tangle of grief, rage, guilt, and survival had twisted Doflamingo's soul. It was no wonder he grew more cruel, arrogant, and power-hungry over the years.
But now?
Now, after seeing all of it from a new mind — he felt no regret at all.
If it weren't for that so-called father, his mother might have lived. The suffering, the humiliation, the torment — none of it would have happened.
He could have remained a high-ranking Celestial Dragon. With his talent, had he eaten a powerful Devil Fruit and trained with guidance, he might already have stood at the very top of the world.
But that's fine — because he still could.
After the fusion of souls, his strength had improved across the board: Armament and Observation Haki, reflexes, stamina, raw physical power — all upgraded.
He wasn't on Kaido's level yet — not even close — but with focused training, the gap was no longer an abyss.
Even his Conqueror's Haki had changed. He could feel it surging through him — not only as raw power, but as a kind of endless reserve to draw upon. In drawn-out fights, it would be a decisive edge.
And yet — raw power wasn't enough.
To rise to the top, to drag down the Celestial Dragons from their golden thrones, and to crush the world beneath his heel — he needed trustworthy allies.
The Family had potential, but most of them lacked focus. Pica and Diamante, for example, were too ambitious — training their Fruits and swordsmanship simultaneously. But without proper instruction, their growth plateaued.
Even so, Diamante trained Law in swordsmanship, and Law's skill was undeniable — proof that Diamante had real talent.
Still, the two who showed the most promise were Dellinger and Senior Pink.
Dellinger, barely sixteen, already possessed excellent kicking skills and impressive Armament Haki. Senior Pink, meanwhile, had monstrous durability — able to brawl with a fully modified cyborg like Franky and walk away swinging.
But that ridiculous Swim-Swim Fruit… such wasted potential.
Even worse, Pink's personal tragedy — the death of his child, and his wife's vegetative state — had left him emotionally shattered. Only his loyalty to the Family gave him purpose. But fortunately, in this timeline, he hadn't yet eaten that ridiculous Fruit. He could still be saved.
Dellinger was still too young — but he could be molded.
At this point, all of the core Donquixote Family members had been gathered: Vergo, Trebol, Diamante, Pica, Gladius, Jora, Lao G, Senior Pink, Baby 5, Buffalo — and now, the Monet sisters, Monet and Sugar, rescued two months ago. Even little Dellinger, just recently weaned, had joined.
Because Monet and Sugar were still new to the crew, they hadn't yet eaten any Devil Fruits. They were currently living and studying on a Grand Line island under Donquixote control.
Doflamingo chuckled bitterly to himself.
In the past, many promising children had joined — only to be scared off by Rosinante's efforts.
After Rosinante's betrayal, Doflamingo no longer dared to accept new officers into the inner circle. Even Bellamy, despite his fanatical loyalty, was never truly "Family." Not after Rosinante.
But thankfully, there were still a pair of twins with excellent potential — and they were already aboard the ship. Rosinante hadn't gotten to them yet. This time, he wouldn't let them slip away.
Doflamingo already suspected there was a traitor among the ranks, but his emotional attachment to his "family" made him unwilling to confront it.
The North Blue and Grand Line bases were deeply buried and well-guarded. Only Doflamingo, Trebol, and Diamante knew the full details. Rosinante didn't — Doflamingo had always shielded him from the darker aspects of the business, only assigning him low-risk tasks to build reputation.
That was how much he cared.
And yet, ironically, that very care was what protected the Family from total collapse.
A transaction had just been completed. The Numancia Flamingo was returning from the Grand Line to the North Blue.
Law, Baby 5, and Buffalo had stayed behind with Diamante. Law still hadn't warmed up to Rosinante — in fact, he tried to kill him whenever the opportunity arose.
"Furfurfurfur..."
Now this was amusing.
With Law's potential, paired with the Op-Op Fruit's future, he could easily rise to become a first-mate-level fighter — an emperor's right-hand man. Add to that other emerging rookies — X Drake, Urouge, Killer, Kidd — and even Bartholomew Kuma…
With the Donquixote Family's underground intel network, locating and recruiting them should be entirely possible.
And then a dark idea crossed Doflamingo's mind.
Law hated Rosinante. Hated him to the core. That wouldn't change until much later in the original timeline.
So then… what if Law killed Rosinante?
Doflamingo adjusted his sunglasses and smirked.
"Furfurfurfur..."
"Now that... would be interesting."
"So then, my dear brother... don't disappoint me."