North Blue, Donquixote Family Headquarters
"Dammit! How dare he refuse the Donquixote Family!"
Doflamingo's roar was followed by the sound of porcelain exploding.
He had hurled a precious vase, one worth more than a small village, against the far wall.
Crash!
The shattering echo ripped through every corner of the opulent, and now deathly silent, room.
A young maid, who had been frozen by the door, flinched so violently she pressed herself flat against the wall, squeezing her eyes shut.
She didn't dare move, didn't dare breathe.
Cleaning it up now would be a death sentence.
Everyone in the Donquixote Family knew.
Ever since their Young Master was publicly humiliated—taught a lesson—by that monstrous Marines officer named Raleigh, his personality had... fractured.
The old Doflamingo was a force of nature—irritable, arrogant, and emotionally unstable, yes—but he could still somewhat control his innate, chaotic nature.
He had always been surprisingly gentle, even playful, when dealing with his true "Family."
This new Doflamingo was different.
The playfulness was gone, replaced by a cold, brittle paranoia.
He was a bomb with a hair trigger, and they were all living in the blast radius.
"Nee, nee, Doffy..." Trebol, goopy and sycophantic as ever, shuffled forward, his staff tapping on the floor.
"If you don't want to cooperate with the Marines, we can just leave the North Blue. We can go somewhere else!"
After the last battle, Doflamingo had brought his core family back to their headquarters to recover.
Since then, Trebol had watched his "King's" mental state spiral.
He didn't want this setback to hinder Doflamingo's glorious development.
Even after witnessing Raleigh's power, Trebol still believed, with religious fervor, that Doflamingo was destined to be a King.
Kings just need time to grow!
It was perfectly normal that he couldn't beat Raleigh now.
If Doffy just trained for a little more time, surpassing that Marine would be a simple matter!
"Trebol," Doflamingo's voice was a low growl. He didn't turn. "I don't want to run away anymore."
He slowly turned his head, his sunglasses glinting.
"Do you know? I've run away twice." His voice dropped, filled with a self-loathing that terrified his crew.
"The first time, I was just a powerless, sniveling child, hunted by peasants."
"Later... I awakened my Haki. I killed my father. I brought his head to Mary Geoise, a gift for my true-born clansmen. And there... I was humiliated again. They spat on me, and I fled."
"Now I'm in the North Blue, this tiny, pathetic sea... and I've found someone who makes me powerless again. I can't run." His voice rose to a shout. "I won't run! If I run again, how can I still be qualified to be a King?"
He clenched his fist.
The simple teacup he'd been holding shattered under his grip.
Sharp fragments of porcelain dug deep into his palm.
Blood, thick and dark, began to drip from his fingers, falling drop by drop onto the priceless, hand-woven carpet. No one moved.
"Doffy." Vergo, with half a fried egg and a spoon still hanging from his cheek, walked over.
His voice was flat, absolute.
"Whatever you want to do, we, the members of the Donquixote Family, will always stand behind you."
The other family executives, who had been standing in silent vigil, all stepped forward to stand with Vergo.
Pica, a silent mountain of muscle. Diamante, his face grim.
Their actions were their oath, a silent, unwavering wall of support for their Young Master.
Buru buru... Buru buru...
The gurgling, obnoxious ring of a Den Den Mushi sliced through the tension.
Doflamingo's entire body went rigid.
It was the one sound he had come to truly despise.
Because that particular snail—the one with the lazy, arrogant eyes—had been a "gift" from the person he hated most in the entire world.
He stood frozen, his hand still bleeding, as the ringing continued.
Every buru was another spike of humiliation.
With a snarl, he snatched the receiver.
"Moshi moshi, Doflamingo?"
A casual, almost frivolous voice drawled from the other end.
"It's me," Doflamingo spat through gritted teeth. "What do you want?"
"Tsk tsk tsk," Raleigh clicked his tongue.
"Judging by your tone, it seems you have some... dissatisfaction with me! Oh? And why do you think that is?"
The mocking, casual laughter that followed caused a thick vein to bulge on Doflamingo's forehead.
"You bastard," he hissed. "Did you call just to make fun of me?"
"Alright, alright, calm down," Raleigh said, sounding utterly bored.
"I contacted you because there's something... mmm, quite interesting happening. And I wanted to ask if you'd like to participate."
"What is it?" Doflamingo asked, his suspicion palpable.
"It's like this: the World Government is hunting down a female Marines officer named Bell-mère. A little personal project of theirs. They're not using the Marines, though. They're using their own personal attack dogs, CP9."
Raleigh paused, letting that sink in.
"So, if nothing major is happening in the North Blue, why don't you go help Bell-mère and ensure she safely... hmm, escapes... to the North Blue?"
Doflamingo's grip on the receiver tightened, the snail's eyes bugging out in pain.
He nearly crushed it.
"You bastard!" he roared. "You're just toying with me! You're asking me to be a bodyguard for one of your people! What's so 'interesting' about that?!"
On the other end, Raleigh leisurely crossed his legs, puffing on a cigar.
Listening to Doflamingo's furious voice, he smiled.
"I haven't finished speaking yet." His voice became a low, conspiratorial purr.
"Back then... those Celestial Dragons... they looked down on you, didn't they? Publicly humiliated you at Mary Geoise. Drove you out. I know you've been holding a grudge inside. Well, now I'm giving you a chance for revenge."
"They will definitely send elite members of CP9. The World Nobles' personal pets. You can... secretly... eliminate all of them. Deal a little blow to the World Government as retaliation. Fufufu... sound fun?"
At this, Doflamingo actually went silent.
The fury in his face was replaced by a slow, twisting grin.
CP9.
The Government's lackeys.
The very type of people who had driven him from Mary Geoise.
He hated the World Government. He hated the Celestial Dragons. And he especially hated those CP bastards.
But Doflamingo was, above all, a cunning and ambitious man.
He wasn't a dumb attack dog.
He knew Raleigh was playing him. Knowing that Raleigh was fully aware of his situation, he dropped the pretense.
"You're wrong," Doflamingo said, his voice cold and all business. "I do hate the World Government and those CP lackeys. But that has nothing to do with this 'transaction.' If you want me to protect your little Marine officer, you'll have to offer a price that satisfies me."
Hearing Doflamingo's immediate bargaining, Raleigh felt a flicker of genuine appreciation.
The boy was smart.
At the same time, it deepened Raleigh's cold, pragmatic killing intent.
Sometimes, clever people were easy to use.
But sometimes, if someone was too clever, it became a death warrant.
Doflamingo could never be truly subdued.
But until Raleigh found a better, sharper tool... he would continue to use this one.
"Name your conditions," Raleigh's voice was flat, all trace of mockery gone.
Doflamingo took a breath.
This was it.
"After this is done," he said, gritting his teeth, "the Donquixote Family will have no further connection with you. We are done."
The silence on the other end was broken by a sudden, loud burst of laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" It was a deep, full-throated, contemptuous laugh.
"Don't push your luck, Doflamingo," Raleigh said, his voice laced with amusement.
"The only reason I approached you is because I consider you an intelligent boy with... sufficient... strength. But intelligent boy shouldn't do foolish things. Don't you agree?"
"I'll state my terms," Raleigh continued, his voice hardening. "After this is done, I'll lift the restrictions on your Donquixote Family. You'll be free to unify the underground forces of the North Blue."
Doflamingo's breath caught.
"But," Raleigh's voice was a blade. "There's one thing I must make clear. Even after unifying the North Blue's underworld, you will abide by the rules I've established. You can be the King of the North Blue's trash, Doflamingo. But you'll do it on my leash. How about it? Take some time to consider."
Both fell into silence.
Raleigh gave him the time, knowing he was reeling him in.
Doflamingo stood there, his hand bleeding, his mind racing.
He was trapped. He hated this.
He hated Raleigh more than any man alive.
But the offer... control of the entire North Blue underworld... it was everything he'd been working toward. It was the only path forward.
A long, tense moment passed.
Finally, Doflamingo spoke, his voice thick with venom and acceptance.
"I agree."
"Good," Raleigh said, his voice instantly casual again, as if they'd just been discussing the weather.
"I'll send you the location. Make your preparations and head there."
Click.
Raleigh hung up.
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