"You really are something. I acknowledge you!"
"Doffy, interested in coming aboard my ship? I can give you a Lead Performer's seat."
"You looking down on me?"
Doflamingo raised his right hand and pointed with his index finger. A bolt of black lightning shot out and, before Kaido could dodge, grazed past his cheek, carving a bloody line across his face.
"Tch! Doflamingo, you bastard, you dare use Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) coating like that on me? You think I'm that easy to push around?!"
Kaido was furious. He'd actually been injured. That was unacceptable. While he raged inwardly, his body responded honestly: instead of doing any kind of flashy "evasive display of strength," he simply fought back.
The battle once again turned white-hot.
Time slipped by. A few more days passed, and from the moment Doflamingo and Kaido started trading blows, a total of twelve days had gone by.
Twelve days of nonstop fighting. Under the destructive power of the two monsters, the uninhabited island they started on had been reduced to ash and scattered into the sea.
During that time, King had flown over once. Clearly, he had something important to report.
But looking at the way Doflamingo and Kaido were fighting, yelling for a stop… he had the very real feeling he'd lose his life for it.
As much as he wanted to report, seeing Kaido currently on the back foot, King could only leave, frustrated.
After twelve days of battle, Doflamingo had only one thought: thank goodness the initial terms of the fight hadn't been a life-or-death duel.
If, at the very beginning, his clash with Kaido had been a true fight to the death, Doflamingo was certain he'd have secured a clean victory. In a non-lethal fight, he just slightly edged Kaido out.
But now, twelve days later, Doflamingo was confident he could utterly crush and kill Kaido with overwhelming strength.
Reality matched his assessment. Kaido was feeling more and more stifled. By the end he simply raised a hand to signal a pause.
Why? Because Kaido felt that if he kept going, he was going to get beat down badly.
He absolutely needed to eat and drink, to reset his state before fighting again.
Once Kaido spoke up about taking a break to eat and drink before the next round, Doflamingo said he didn't mind and followed him back to Onigashima.
The moment Doflamingo stepped onto Onigashima, he was greeted by the Beasts Pirates lined up in formation, having received advance word of his arrival.
In that welcoming line, Doflamingo unexpectedly spotted a familiar face: none other than Queen from the old MADS team.
According to Kaido's introduction, Queen was now one of the Three Lead Performers of the Beasts Pirates.
It hadn't actually been that long, yet Queen had already risen to the level of a Lead Performer.
Good grief. Queen's rise was no slower than Doflamingo's own. To be fair, Queen really did have considerable talent.
Of course, Doflamingo understood that before this, Queen had thrown himself into research completely and naturally had little time for training.
Now that he'd joined the Beasts Pirates, anyone could imagine what would happen if he didn't have enough strength. Clearly Queen had put in an enormous amount of effort to become stronger.
Judging from Queen's smug expression, and the faint desire for challenge and revenge in his eyes when he looked at Doflamingo, it was obvious he'd eaten a powerful Devil Fruit.
Even so, Queen wasn't stupid.
Seeing Kaido and Doflamingo return from battle, seeing Kaido in such a sorry state, bruised and battered all over, he knew Kaido hadn't exactly had an easy time of it.
Since he himself wasn't able to beat Kaido, there was no way Queen believed he could take down Doflamingo.
He could only throw Doflamingo a "just you wait" look, his gaze full of provocation.
Doflamingo couldn't be bothered to care. He didn't think much of Queen to begin with and naturally wouldn't waste attention on his little theatrics. He simply followed at Kaido's side into the banquet hall on Onigashima, where Kaido ordered his men to bring out more and more meat and alcohol.
As soon as the heaps of meat and jugs of liquor hit the table, Doflamingo started devouring them, gulping down sake whenever he choked, and even when he bumped into others he just drank more.
After who knew how much meat and booze, Kaido gradually got drunk.
Of course, after twelve days of fighting, Doflamingo's consumption was no small matter either, and he naturally needed meat to replenish himself.
Unlike Kaido's mindless gorging though, Doflamingo ate while his powerful body continuously converted the meat into energy.
Doflamingo kept this up for an entire day.
That night, a thoroughly drunk Kaido once again proposed having another fight with Doflamingo.
Having fully recovered his stamina and even feeling that he'd taken another step forward in strength, Doflamingo did not refuse.
Because he could sense a faint pressure radiating from the drunken Kaido.
When Kaido was drunk, he seemed not only stronger but strangely more unpredictable, forcing himself into an even more dangerous state.
The two picked another direction away from Onigashima, and Doflamingo rose into the sky alongside Kaido, who had transformed back into his azure dragon form. They fought as they flew, gradually leaving the island behind.
While Doflamingo and Kaido were opening their second round of battle, up on Skypiea, the fishman Ketonis Yulian and his son Ketonis Jabel were facing a huge turning point in their lives.
Ever since Jabel had been rescued by Doflamingo, he had been living on Skypiea.
During that time, Jabel met Enel. In the course of interacting with Enel, Jabel discovered that Enel's devotion to Skypiea's God bordered on fanaticism, to the point he was willing to lay down his life.
Not only that, but most of the island's residents were filled with reverence for God. Only a small portion of Skypiea's people were consumed by fear instead.
At first, Jabel had found it strange. What was so special about this "God" that made the people of Skypiea like this?
Then he saw the shrine with Doflamingo's statue towering over the city, and the smiles on the faces of ordinary residents.
Abundant supplies, satisfying wages from the factories, individualized, suitable jobs in the artificial cloud works, Skypiean Dial plants, skyship construction and other processing industries, and an environment that was absolutely safe.
In that moment, Jabel understood.
In a pirate world where humans devoured humans, Skypiea was practically a paradise. No wars, no invasions from outside forces. Even the route through Heaven's Gate had been almost completely cut off.
Economically, Skypiea was gradually flourishing. By exporting Dials and other unique products down to the Blue Sea, the Skypieans were earning a fortune, even if they did so under the guidance of God's subordinates.
Such a starkly different environment planted in Jabel a growing reluctance to leave.
It wasn't just the beauty of the living conditions. It was also his recognition of his savior's intellect, his recognition of that man's personal charisma. No wonder Enel worshipped his benefactor so fanatically.
For the first time in his life, Jabel found himself utterly convinced by someone.
He didn't hesitate.
Jabel chose to join the Divine Guard. After several rounds of selection, he became, like Enel, a reserve member.
Since it had been Jabel's own decision, Yulian could only be stunned when he heard it.
When Jabel had told him everything over a Den Den Mushi more than ten days earlier, Yulian had frozen for a moment. Too many things had happened in the Blue Sea in this period, to the point where Yulian could barely see the shape of the world anymore.
And now Jabel had indirectly joined the Donquixote Family. Yulian honestly didn't know what to say.
In this world, the only thing Yulian truly treasured was his son Jabel.
If Jabel chose to trust Doflamingo, then Yulian would also choose, unconditionally, to trust him.
After a series of twists and turns, Yulian managed, by some channel, to get in contact with Trebol. He demonstrated his own abilities and expressed his desire to join the Donquixote Family.
After reviewing him, Trebol did not turn him away. On the contrary, he arranged for Yulian to work in intelligence.
(End of Chapter)
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