Under the impact of Bullet's Conqueror's Haki, the surrounding Marines staggered and fell, unable to stay on their feet.
There was a sharp crack, and the glass cup on the coffee table suddenly shattered, splashing watermelon juice all over the floor.
"Hey, hey, hey... Don't just unleash your Haki like that. You spilled my watermelon juice..." Borsalino muttered, looking pained.
Bullet shot a glance at Borsalino, then suddenly said,
"Hey, aren't you supposed to be one of the 'monsters' of Marine Headquarters? How about we have a fight?"
By now, he had already healed this one arm. Cracking his knuckles, he grinned savagely, his eyes burning with battle lust.
"Let me see if you're really worthy of standing alongside Daren!"
A strange gleam flashed behind Borsalino's sunglasses. He raised both hands in surrender, flashing a grin.
"I surrender."
Bullet's grin froze. He ground his teeth together.
"Why!?"
Borsalino scratched his head.
"I can't beat a monster like you. Might as well surrender right away."
Bullet: ...
Getting pummeled by Daren in front of so many Marines and then being thrown into a warship's prison had already been a huge blow to Bullet's pride.
Now that he was a member of the Shichibukai and would be dealing with Marines regularly, if he didn't wash away that humiliation... how could he keep his head high among the Shichibukai?
Since he couldn't beat Daren, Bullet figured he could at least regain some pride by taking it out on Borsalino.
Of course, there was another reason too.
For some strange, inexplicable reason, just seeing Borsalino's face made him itch to punch it.
Even Bullet himself found it weird—he hadn't had any conflict with the guy before.
But he hadn't expected Borsalino, this sleazy-looking man, to just shamelessly surrender on the spot in front of everyone, openly admitting he couldn't win.
Did he not care about his dignity at all?
Were all Marines this shameless!?
Feeling the awkward, strange stares from the surrounding Marines, Bullet gritted his teeth harder—then suddenly burst into a feral grin.
"It's not up to you!"
Boom!!
Without any warning, Bullet erupted, sending the food and drinks on the table flying.
A dark purple-black aura spread from his brow, enveloping his whole body in an instant. His devil form activated, and like a rampaging beast, he charged straight into Borsalino.
Boom!!
Their clash shattered the cabin apart, sending splinters and debris flying as the two figures—one gold, one black—streaked through the air, colliding fiercely before shooting off toward a deserted island in the distance.
Boom!!
A massive explosion rocked the island, and thick black smoke rose high into the sky.
The sudden turn of events sent a wave of panic through the Marines. Their faces paled.
"Vice Admiral Daren! What do we do now!?"
"That bastard Bullet... he actually attacked Vice Admiral Borsalino!"
"He's broken the Shichibukai agreement!"
The three Vice Admirals broke into a sweat, looking utterly flustered.
"Do we intervene?"
"Should we trigger a Buster Call!?"
They stared at the distant island in shock, nervously swallowing as they awaited orders.
Meanwhile, on the island, an intense battle had already broken out. Golden beams of light occasionally tore through the sky, crashing into the sea and exploding into massive bursts of fire.
"Calm down. Trust in Vice Admiral Borsalino's strength."
Daren waved his hand lazily and reclined on the beach chair as if nothing had happened.
"Besides, Bullet's injuries haven't healed. He can't stir up much trouble."
The three Vice Admirals froze. Was Vice Admiral Daren being a little too relaxed?
Was this what they called the composure of the strong?
Before they could fully process it, a streak of golden light shot back from the distant island and materialized on the deck, forming a tall figure.
Borsalino casually tossed Bullet—still coughing up blood, charred black, and twitching—onto the deck, then shrugged helplessly.
"That was scary. I almost got killed..." he muttered.
The three Vice Admirals: ...
No way—you're not even scratched!
"Damn it... your strength..." Bullet coughed up more blood, staring at Borsalino with bloodshot eyes full of disbelief.
Daren wasn't surprised by the outcome. Bullet's injuries were severe—managing to unleash even 70% of his peak strength was already an overestimation.
He chuckled and said, "Didn't you say you wouldn't lose again until you beat me?"
Bullet's face turned the color of a pig's liver.
Gritting his teeth, nearly coughing up blood again, he muttered stubbornly,
"Starting... starting from now!"
...
Three days later.
A bombshell piece of news appeared on the front pages of every major newspaper and spread across the world with astonishing speed.
"The Shichibukai System Established!!"
"Legal Pirates—All Their Crimes Forgiven!"
"Unprecedented! Pirates Becoming Allies of the Marines!?"
"Shichibukai! Government's Lapdogs, or Tools for the Great Pirates to Seize Power?"
Countless reports about the Shichibukai flew to every corner of the seas like they had wings, stirring the world like a bomb had gone off.
Pirate crews, dark organizations, and government officials everywhere turned their attention to this new system led by the World Government.
Some sneered, some mocked, some grew ambitious, others remained indifferent.
But there was no doubt—the establishment of the Shichibukai had thrown the seas into even greater chaos.
Many began to weigh the pros and cons of becoming one of the Shichibukai.
Even more focused their attention on the first two names confirmed for the position.
"Crocodile," Bounty: 281 million Belly!
"Demon Heir," Douglas Bullet, Bounty: 2.174 billion Belly!
Although only two members were confirmed so far, there was no question—the sheer size of their bounties was proof enough of their terrifying power.
While people were stunned by the figures, they were even more curious about how the Marines had managed to recruit such monsters.
...
North Blue.
Rubeck Island, Donquixote Family Council Hall.
Trebol and the other officers knelt on one knee on the cold marble floor, bowing their heads respectfully.
"Kufufufufufu... The Shichibukai are finally official," Doflamingo chuckled.
Holding a newspaper in one hand, he covered his face with the other, laughing maniacally.
"Now, it's our time to move."
The newspaper was suddenly sliced into countless pieces by an invisible force. Grinning wickedly, Doflamingo shoved his hands into his pockets and swaggered out of the hall with his signature arrogant gait.
The pink feather coat draped around his shoulders fluttered dramatically behind him.
"Let's go. We can't keep Godfather waiting."
On that day...
Donquixote Doflamingo, the black market kingpin of the North Blue, stormed into the Grand Line with unstoppable momentum, leaving chaos in his wake.
By the time he stepped into the New World a month later, his bounty had soared to 340 million Belly, earning him the nickname—
"The Flamingo."