"Lost your mind?"
Bullet's gaze sharpened as he stepped closer to Yamata no Orochi, unleashing a wave of Conqueror's Haki.
Orochi's body shuddered reflexively, the eight heads lowering slightly with a trace of fear.
But still, it made no move to submit. On the contrary, its coiled body began to tremble—an unmistakable sign it was about to strike.
"Raaagh!" ×8
All eight massive heads lunged forward at once.
Dark venom burst from their jaws like mist, engulfing Bullet in a poisonous cloud.
"Then let me help you out a little!"
Bullet grinned. This caught his interest.
If this living armor wanted to resist, then he'd just have to break it into submission.
In a flash, his figure vanished and reappeared atop one of the heads.
Before Orochi could even react, one of its heads was already severed from control.
Its massive body lost all balance under the crushing force and collapsed straight toward the island cloud below.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"Make sure to bring it to the lab for analysis later."
"Enel, you stay here and wait for them."
With those words, Doflamingo lost interest in Bullet's violent antics.
He turned away, satisfied with their catch, and headed back toward Tenryu Island.
...
Tenryu Island
As the Numancia Flamingo soared across the sky, the people below erupted into cheers.
"Doflamingo-sama!"
"Look this way, Doflamingo-sama!"
"Long live Doflamingo-sama!"
A peaceful life and daily prayers had made the citizens of Skypiea more fanatical in their devotion to him with each passing day.
...
Mental Health Clinic
Inside, Queen Otohime was working tirelessly, counseling patient after patient, numbing her own thoughts with the suffering of others.
Hearing the noise from outside, she looked up in a daze and murmured to herself:
"Doflamingo? The Heavenly Yaksha?"
"Doflamingo-sama… is there any way to quell the chaos on Fishman Island…?"
...
"Queen Otohime? Queen Otohime!"
Snapped out of her trance by the patient before her, she blinked rapidly.
"Ah! I'm so sorry, sir, I was lost in thought."
"It's alright, Queen Otohime. I'll be going now—I want to try and catch a glimpse of Doflamingo-sama! He's the one who gave us this beautiful life!"
With that, the man ran out.
"Ah! Be careful!"
Bang!
As the door closed behind him, Otohime hung a 'Resting' sign on the knob.
All at once, it felt as if her body had been drained of all strength.
She slumped against the door, her mind spinning with thoughts she couldn't push away.
A few moments later, a new light flickered in her eyes.
Straightening herself, she stepped toward the central district.
...
Aboard the Numancia Flamingo
As cheers rose from below, Tritoma turned to look at Doflamingo. Her gaze was soft, almost glowing with admiration.
This man wasn't just powerful—he also knew how to rule.
With someone like him, the Kuja could look forward to a glorious future.
Fwoosh!
The Numancia Flamingo, along with a government vessel, descended smoothly onto the dock at the heart of Tenryu Island.
Waiting there were Smoothie, Tesoro, Trebol, the bandaged Lao G, Jora, and Baccarat, whose belly had grown noticeably round.
"Doff/BOSS!" ×N
"Fufufufu~ I'm back. Thank you all for holding things down while I was away."
Greeting everyone, Doflamingo pulled Tritoma close to his side and introduced her.
"Tritoma, Empress of the Kuja, and daughter of the Pirate King's right-hand man, Silvers Rayleigh."
At those words, a subtle glint flashed in the eyes of both Tritoma and Smoothie as they exchanged a glance.
It wasn't strange for Doflamingo to have a new woman at his side. Even if this one looked strong, that alone wasn't unusual.
But this identity—this bloodline—was different.
The others stared at Tritoma in shock, as if trying to see a trace of the Pirate King's right-hand in her features.
They were all stunned.
Had Doff/BOSS really set his sights on the Pirate King's right-hand man now?
After introducing Tritoma, Doflamingo turned to introduce the rest one by one.
"Smoothie... I probably don't need to say much more about her."
Smoothie lifted her chin ever so slightly, gazing down at the daughter of Rayleigh.
She was Mama's daughter—and Doflamingo's bride from a former wedding ceremony.
And at only three meters tall, this woman didn't match Doflamingo at all.
Tritoma's eyes narrowed in turn, locking onto the princess of Totto Land.
So this was the woman who'd beaten her to the title of Doflamingo-sama's bride?
A woman with only legs and no curves wasn't worthy of him.
She had clearly won.
With that thought, Tritoma pushed her chest out a little more.
Smoothie's eyes darkened ever so slightly as she scanned the situation—friend or foe?
...
After everyone was introduced, Doflamingo waved Smoothie over.
As she stepped close, he gently caressed her cheek and spoke in a soft voice:
"Smoothie, take Tritoma with you to Kuja Island. Bring it back under our banner. And while you're there, pick up Rayleigh-san and Shakky-san as well."
Having Rayleigh anchored on Tenryu Island, plus Fujitora the slacker in the background, meant he could safely deploy heavy-hitters like Bullet and Enel.
"...Rayleigh-san?!"
Tesoro and the others were floored.
He hadn't just been planning to go after the Dark King—
He'd already succeeded?!
Cough cough cough! Lao G let out a few dry coughs.
As someone from Rayleigh's era, no one understood that man's terrifying strength better than he did.
Just how had their young master roped such a legend into his fold?
Smoothie wiped away her stiff smile and replied in a calm, low voice:
"Understood, Doff. I'll make sure everything goes smoothly."
She wanted to see exactly what kind of person the daughter of the Dark King really was.
As a child, she had once snuck into Totto Land and encountered members of the Pirate King's crew. Who exactly was this woman?
"I have no objection," Tritoma said with a serene smile. "Thank you for your help."
But in her heart—
Just wait, you leggy harpy. You'll soon learn what it means to be the Dark King's daughter!
"There's no time to waste. Off you go," Doflamingo said, patting both women lightly on the shoulder.
A sly grin played at the corners of his lips.
Of course he had noticed the tension between the two of them.
Let them fight it out on their own.
A little healthy competition wasn't a bad thing.
As Smoothie and Tritoma boarded her personal ship, Smoothie suddenly turned back and tossed a photo into the air.
"Doff. Someone infiltrated the island today. Even Bullet couldn't capture them. Here's what they looked like."
She and the others had already discussed this person, but none could recall ever meeting them before.
They couldn't figure out the intruder's identity.
Dragon, having only worked a few years in revolutionary movements, was still known mainly in war-torn countries or within the World Government.
Back in his Revolutionary Army days, he'd hidden his presence well even within the Marines. It was no surprise the outside world knew nothing.
"Oh?"
Doflamingo raised an eyebrow, intrigued, and reached for the photo floating in the air.
He had assumed the chaos near the Gate of Heaven had been caused by Bullet's "training session" with Orochi.
But now, it seemed there was a third party involved.
"Well then... let me take a look."
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg