"Pica, someone as powerful as the Boss is still a rarity."
Judge walked out with a proud stride, flattering as he spoke.
With both his son and daughter thriving and the family rising again, Judge looked more spirited than ever—his twin mustaches even seemed more pleasing to the eye.
Doflamingo nodded subtly to himself.
Keep the compliments coming. I'm loving it.
"Fufufufufu... That's why the Boss has been pouring so much effort into your development."
Caesar floated over, his face still carrying the excitement of recent breakthroughs.
Lately, thanks to Lady Baccarat's help, life had been unbelievably good for him.
His experiments were progressing faster than ever—new discoveries rolling in every day.It was exhilarating.
From under his oversized lab coat, Caesar pulled out a vial containing a sample of Enel's original bloodline factor and pointed to it.
"Option one: we integrate Enel's lightning bloodline factor into you. It would grant you lightning, extreme heat resistance, and similar traits. Given your body's toughness, mastering lightning would make you absolutely formidable."
Hearing this, Pica lifted his head slightly, his eyes glinting with interest.
After all, both Vergo and Enel could wield lightning.
It made perfect sense for him, as one of Doffy's right-hand men, to command such power too.
"But..." Judge continued, "the downside is that, although nothing is truly immune to electricity, your stone manipulation doesn't mesh well with lightning."
He didn't finish the sentence—but Pica understood immediately.
He recalled sparring with Vergo and Enel.
Back then, he could block their lightning with stone armor.
But combining stone and lightning offensively...?
Caesar picked up the explanation.
"Option two: fuse you with the bloodline factor of a previous Woods-Woods Fruit test subject."
He smirked, his excitement obvious.
"Judge, the Boss, and I all agree this would be a synergistic combo. The Woods-Woods Fruit taps into the earth itself—you would have an endless supply of stamina. With your current abilities combined, whether in mass battles or one-on-one duels, you'd transcend to a whole new level."
"Osss!!"
Pica gasped in awe.
Earth... stone... isn't stone basically the earth?
This would make him like some ancient Titan from myth—an unstoppable giant with limitless energy!
As Pica continued to daydream, Judge moved on to the next proposal.
"Option three: fuse with the Float-Float Fruit's bloodline factor. If option two focuses on balance, this one pushes extremes. According to the Boss's vision, if you master it fully..."
He grinned widely.
"You could nullify the gravity of your stone giant form. A hundred-million-ton beast with actual speed. No question—it would be a walking natural disaster."
A natural disaster...!
That would help Doffy even more!
Pica's heart pounded as he imagined the glorious future Caesar painted for him.
He looked excitedly at Doflamingo, who was smiling back at him.
"Doffy, I want this one!"
"Fufufufufufu! Good taste, Pica!"
Doflamingo laughed heartily.
Sure, Laboon had smashed into the Red Line for decades with little effect.
But that whale wasn't big enough, fast enough, or hard enough.
Caesar and Judge exchanged a glance, then spoke up again.
"Boss, actually... we have a fourth option."
"Oh?"
Doflamingo raised an eyebrow—this was one more than he expected.
These two weren't the type to throw ideas around recklessly.
"Alright, I'm interested. Let's hear it."
"Fufufufu! Just give me a second, Boss!"
Caesar shot out of the room like a missile, buzzing with excitement.
...
Moments later, he returned, holding an Image Dial.
He pressed play.
The screen lit up, showing several pirate crews closing in together.
There was shouting, chaos, cursing, manic laughter—the usual mess. But amidst it all, a voice came through clearly:
"Date: December 21, Year 1500. Location: Periphery of the Sabaody Archipelago. Involved parties: South Sea's Venom Pirates, Grand Line's Blockhead Pirates, Dark Nation Pirates..."
These were the convoys Doflamingo had equipped with recorders.
First, to prevent internal corruption.
Second, to track down any little brats who dared rob from him—and later wipe them off the map.
Normally, this fleet should have been looted.
But today was different.
With a rumble like thunder, glowing spheres of molten rock exploded across the sea, setting the waters ablaze.
Pirates screamed as they sank, swallowed by fire and waves.
The screen shifted to show a Marine fleet approaching.
On the lead ship's prow stood Sakazuki.
Upon spotting the convoy's unmistakable flag, Sakazuki's face turned dark—and he ordered a retreat without hesitation.
"Fufufufufu!
The Marines really are our best friends, aren't they?"
Doflamingo couldn't help bursting into laughter at the sight of Sakazuki's sour expression.
"I think I get it now—lava?"
"Exactly!"
Caesar and Judge chimed in together, their faces practically glowing.
"Boss, lava is just molten rock! It's the perfect evolution for Pica."
Caesar was floating higher with excitement.
"If we can implant a bloodline factor that generates enough heat...Pica will be able to control magma!"
He twirled through the air, arms spread wide.
"We could create an unprecedented Paramecia · Lava Fruit ability user! Fufufufufu!"
At first, Pica had been a little lost watching the recording.
But now, he was staring at Doflamingo, eyes sparkling with hope.
He really, really, really wanted this.
Feeling their burning gazes, Doflamingo couldn't help but nod.
Pure stone attacks were already strong.
But magma was something else entirely.
And Sakazuki might serve the Celestial Dragons obediently, but he'd never bow to Doffy.
Having a "gun-version" substitute sounded pretty damn good.
After some quick thought, Doflamingo looked at Caesar and Judge.
"Alright. Tell me—which bloodline factors are you targeting? Any candidates?"
"King the Conflagration's bloodline factor. Charlotte Oven's Heat-Heat Fruit. And the New World's Brand, who has the Burn-Burn Fruit."
Judge rattled them off without hesitation.
Clearly, they had been preparing for this for a while.
King?
A quick brawl with Kaido's boy toy should be enough to snag that.
Oven?
Eh, they weren't that close—but with Big Mom's connection, maybe they could arrange something.
After a moment's thought, Doflamingo agreed.
"Alright.
Where's Brand operating these days? Send Vergo after him."
Then he turned toward Pica.
"Pica, let's go. Looks like we'll have to delay our little project a bit longer."
"No problem, Doffy."
Pica followed close behind.
He'd heard plenty about the monster Vice Admiral Akainu. He could wait for this power upgrade.
...
Leaving Pica behind, Doflamingo headed for the Divine Palace.
He needed some "divine intervention" to ease the fatigue of the past few days.
"Lord God!"
Several shrine maidens greeted him sweetly.
God, huh...?
Doflamingo's mind wandered.
He remembered watching Thor: Ragnarok back in his previous life. Surtur, that giant fire demon, had wrecked Asgard.
And these bastards—these so-called Celestial Dragons—called themselves gods?
Maybe someday, Pica could reenact Ragnarok right here in the Holy Land.
Wouldn't that be a hell of a show?
"Fufufufufufufufu~~"
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg