December 15, 1500, Age of the Sea Circle
A few hours after Orion had emerged from the Pocket Dimension following a night of passion with Reira, the sun stood high in the sky, marking midday.
A large pirate ship, bearing a jolly roger of a crossed-out smiling face, swiftly approached the harbor of the island where Orion and the others were.
"Doffy, we're about to dock. Do you want us to go straight to see Gladius, or do you have something else in mind?" asked Trebol, his nose—as always—disgustingly dripping with mucus.
Doflamingo, leaning casually on the railing of the ship and watching the distant city with a certain interest, listened to Trebol's words and fell into thought.
His eyes began to twist and spin unnaturally, as though they had a life of their own, while he recalled the information obtained through his spies within the Northern Army. Slowly, his smile grew larger and more sinister.
"I think I'll go ahead on my own to greet our revolutionary friends. You all can go see Gladius in the meantime. I'll have a little fun!" Doflamingo finally said with a broad grin, stretching his fingers, and then taking flight through the skies, leaving the ship behind as he sped toward the city.
Watching Doflamingo flying off in the distance, Vergo turned to Trebol with a serious look.
"Should we go with him?"
"Nah, no need. Let him enjoy himself a bit. He's been under a lot of stress lately with all those negotiations with the World Government. It's better if he lets off some of that tension he's been carrying," Trebol replied, snorting up some of the mucus that had slipped out of his nose.
Then, looking at Vergo, who had an entire lamb shank stuck to his cheek, Trebol pulled a face of disgust.
"By the way, Corazón, clean your face. You've got food all over it! Don't be so repulsive!"
Vergo glanced at Trebol—whose own nose was dripping revoltingly—and didn't bother to contradict him. He simply pulled out a napkin and wiped his cheek, though without removing in the slightest the enormous lamb shank that was still attached there.
It was just another day in which Doflamingo's crew lived in their peculiar version of happiness.
Meanwhile, Donquixote Doflamingo was soaring through the skies above the town, heading toward the mountains in the distance. According to the report he had received from Trebol, Gladius was currently living in a garbage dump on the outskirts of the town, near the mountains, and it was there that Karasu and the revolutionaries under his command were planning their ambush.
For the moment, the idea of recruiting Gladius had slipped completely from his mind. All he wanted now was to amuse himself with the revolutionaries who had dared plot against him. That was why he had decided to advance on his own, leaving his crew behind.
On his way to the massive dump outside the city, Doflamingo came across a number of windmills which, for some strange reason, greatly irritated him. Almost as a reflex, he stretched his fingers, and the powerful strings he commanded through his Devil Fruit shot forth at great speed, slicing the windmills into tiny pieces.
"Damn windmills," Doflamingo muttered angrily, though almost instantly his twisted smile returned, and he continued on toward his meeting with Karasu.
Only minutes later he reached the outskirts of the dump and immediately sensed the presence of the revolutionaries, using his powerful Observation Haki.
Without wasting a second, he hurled himself toward Karasu, who reacted with great surprise at seeing him arrive, completely unprepared for Doflamingo to discover him while he lay in wait for an ambush.
"Little revolutionaries, what have you come here for? Do you want to play war with me? Hahaha!" Doflamingo shouted, laughing maniacally.
Still in midair, he unleashed a vast number of strings coated in Haki, which threatened to pierce Karasu's body and leave him nearly dead. The pirate had deliberately avoided the vital points of the revolutionary, for he did not want to end things too quickly—he wanted to watch him suffer, to writhe like a worm at his feet.
The strings covered in Armament Haki were just about to impale Karasu's body, but the revolutionary leader would not sit idly by. Before Doflamingo's attack could strike, Karasu's body completely dissolved, transforming into a flock of crows that scattered into the air.
Had the revolutionary been even slightly slower, he would have been impaled by Doflamingo's merciless strike. After all, the pirate had imbued his strings with Armament Haki, so even though Karasu was a Logia user, contact would have rendered his ability useless.
"Oh? Quite fast, aren't you. Good, good! That'll make this even more fun!" Doflamingo said, spinning in the air as he spread his strings across the entire area, intent on trapping Karasu completely and leaving him no room to escape.
Karasu rematerialized his body, only to find the strings of Doflamingo beginning to cover the air all around him. The pressure of facing such a foe multiplied in an instant, and a cold sweat trickled down his body.
Perhaps this time he would not be able to escape unscathed, thought the revolutionary leader.
Even so, he had no intention of simply surrendering without a fight. With a swift motion, Karasu sent two soot projectiles toward Doflamingo's eyes, but the pirate merely used his Observation Haki to tilt his head slightly and dodge them with no difficulty whatsoever.
Then, pulling on the strings that had formed a barrier around Karasu, Doflamingo's body vanished without a trace, moving at such incredible speed that it was impossible for a normal person's eyes to follow.
Doflamingo was capable of using his strings not only to attack but also to maneuver. Especially after establishing a zone of influence by spreading his threads to create a barrier. At this very moment, he was in perfect conditions for battle, and that was bad news for Karasu.
Karasu reacted at the very last instant, materializing a sword made of soot with which he struck at Doflamingo, who had appeared beside him like a specter.
"What a weak attack, is that all you can do, little revolutionary?" Doflamingo mocked, before throwing a kick straight at Karasu's head.
The revolutionary leader tried to dematerialize his body quickly to evade the kick, but this time he was too slow, and he took the full force of the blow.
Karasu was sent flying through the air from the impact, coughing up a mouthful of blood. Doflamingo, on the other hand, was still grinning like a madman, chasing him gleefully while unleashing several kicks coated with Armament Haki.
Karasu tried to defend himself, using the powers of his Logia Devil Fruit to create blades to slash at the pirate, but they were repelled by the countless strings Doflamingo had already spread across the area, without the pirate needing to move a single muscle.
Seen from the outside, the situation looked utterly hopeless. Karasu was being mercilessly beaten down by the ever-smiling Doflamingo, unable to do anything to stop it, and it seemed like he could die at any moment—whenever the pirate decided to stop playing with his prey and deliver the finishing blow.
However, a sudden shift occurred in the fight when Karasu, who had once again crashed to the ground, stood up with difficulty and immediately raised his hand in a signal.
At once, several of the Northern Army revolutionaries who had been hiding nearby revealed themselves, aiming their rifles at Doflamingo and opening fire without uttering a word.
The revolutionaries knew that when facing monsters of Doflamingo's caliber, there was no room for hesitation; any wavering would end in tragedy.
The grin on Doflamingo's face vanished the moment the revolutionaries opened fire, and a thick vein bulged on his forehead, a clear sign of his irritation at having his fight with Karasu interrupted. Although he had also planned to slaughter these pests, he could not tolerate their intrusion in his battle.
With his dark glasses concealing his eyes, it was impossible to see the expression in Doflamingo's gaze, but the aura pouring out of his body as he turned his head toward them made the revolutionaries involuntarily step back.
"Don't get in my way, trash," Doflamingo said coldly, and with a strange flick of his fingers he launched several strings in a deadly strike toward the revolutionaries.
"Noo!" Karasu shouted, trying to use his powers to intercept Doflamingo's attack. However, it was useless, as the pirate's strike was far beyond what Karasu could stop on his own.
The strings pierced the revolutionaries' bodies without suspense, and they collapsed to the ground like rag dolls. Yet Doflamingo's expression only grew darker.
"What is this supposed to be? What are you plotting?" Doflamingo asked in a chilling voice after noticing something off about Karasu and the others' actions.
Just now, his attack had hit squarely, but it had felt "off." Almost as if his threads had met an invisible barrier. Moreover, the soldiers were clearly faking their injuries, and even Karasu's expression seemed unusual.
Doflamingo paused, replaying everything that had happened in his mind. Since the moment he had arrived, only a few minutes had passed, yet everything seemed to have gone too perfectly. Even the fight with Karasu had been more disappointing than he had expected.
It was true that Karasu was far weaker than him, but with his Logia powers he should have been able to resist more. So why had he looked on the verge of collapse from the very first blow?
Suddenly, an idea flashed through Doflamingo's mind, and he violently turned toward the coast, unleashing his Observation Haki to its fullest. At once, his expression turned incredibly grim, his entire being wrapped in an oppressive aura. He was truly furious.
"Damn it! We've been discovered," Karasu thought bitterly, forced to admit that Doflamingo's reputation was no lie. He was indeed cunning, and deceiving him was no easy task. Perhaps the few minutes he had managed to buy were the best outcome possible.
Wasting no time, Karasu activated the small Den Den Mushi he carried with him and spoke hurriedly:
"Orion, we've been discovered, it's time to end the operation."
"Alright, good work, we've secured the Devil Fruits," Orion's voice resonated through the Den Den Mushi.
Doflamingo glared at Karasu with fury, and in his mind, he had already sentenced him to death for daring to deceive him.
Indeed, Karasu and the revolutionaries' ambush had been nothing more than a distraction to lure Doflamingo away and give Orion the opportunity to steal the Buki Buki no Mi.
Unfortunately, the fact that Doflamingo had arbitrarily decided to advance on his own without the rest of his crew had complicated things somewhat, since Orion and Kuma had been forced to deal with the members left behind.
Though perhaps luck had been on their side, because Vergo and Trebol had also abandoned the ship to recruit Gladius, leaving the defenses less problematic for Orion.
Obviously, if Orion had attempted to face the pirates directly, he would have been defeated with his current level of power, but stealing the Devil Fruits did not require a direct confrontation with the crew.
In the original plan, the ship was supposed to be left unprotected, or at least without high-ranking officers to oppose them. The idea was that the revolutionaries under Karasu's command could distract Doflamingo and the rest of the pirate crew, granting Orion the freedom to act. Yet in the end, things had not gone entirely as planned.
Now, Doflamingo had realized the deception, and he was seething with rage, ready to annihilate all those who had dared treat him like a fool. However, much to the pirate's misfortune, it was already too late, for Orion had managed to steal not only the Buki Buki no Mi but also the Guru Guru no Mi, along with all the treasure stored on the ship.
Orion's actions were nothing short of spitting in the face of Donquixote Doflamingo, the future warlord and underworld broker.
Doflamingo spread his hands, unleashing a massive amount of threads that wove into a cage around the revolutionaries. He would not allow them to escape; he had to ensure they died here and now. Yet he had not accounted for someone with abilities as powerful as his lurking nearby, ready to ruin his plans.
Karasu reached into his pocket and pulled out a small finger, which had been given to him by Orion for use in case of emergency. Then, under the astonished gaze of the revolutionary leader himself, the finger began to move on its own, opening a great portal in the ground that swallowed the revolutionaries whole, leaving not a trace behind.
It was Orion's special ability: Space Gate.
As a last resort, Orion had decided to use this method to ensure the revolutionaries' safety, since he did not know whether his Pocket Dimension would be secure with Doflamingo prowling nearby. After all, the sphere, though existing in a separate spatial plane, had been invaded in the past by enemies of great power.
As for the finger Orion had given Karasu, it was one he had created with his special ability "Un Fleur," which he had obtained thanks to Robin. Although he could only materialize a small finger, the ability proved quite useful both in combat and in support, as had just been demonstrated.
In particular, Orion had discovered he could use his Observation Haki remotely through this ability. For instance, in this situation, he had identified the revolutionaries' location and their current predicament thanks to his Observation Haki, even though his real body was far away on the island's coast.
This application of the ability opened up a world of possibilities for Orion, who was always searching for innovative ways to use his varied powers, and he particularly enjoyed exploiting versatile abilities of this kind.
Watching the revolutionaries vanish without a trace, Doflamingo roared in fury and hurled himself violently at Karasu, intent on at least eliminating the leader of the Northern Army. But he did not succeed, because before his powerful strings could impale the revolutionary, a door appeared in midair, and Karasu leapt into it, evading the attack.
Unlike the other revolutionaries, who were now in Pacific Kingdom after passing through the Space Gate and would later be transported by Kuma back to the North Blue, Karasu was inside the Pocket Dimension.
This was because Orion trusted that even if Doflamingo could sense Karasu's presence within the Pocket Dimension, he would not be able to inflict serious harm on him, as the revolutionary leader was not nearly as weak as he had pretended during their diversionary fight earlier.
Another thing Orion had discovered was that as long as a part of his body was present in a location, he could enter the Pocket Dimension even if his original body was elsewhere. Of course, he could not do this at unlimited range, but the effective reach of his "Un Fleur" ability was greater than that of his Pocket Dimension, which allowed him to turn it to his advantage in certain situations—just as he had done now.
Right now, he had used his Space Door to bring Karasu into the Pocket Dimension, and with just a thought he could let him out at the location of his real body, making it a kind of rudimentary teleportation.
Doflamingo was left alone inside his birdcage, and in a fit of rage he focused his energy, closing the cage violently and crushing every tree and rock that remained within it.
Certainly, that was one way to drain his stamina, but in his current state of fury, Doflamingo wasn't thinking about such trivial matters. Looking toward the coast, he could sense that Kuma and Orion were still there, and at once he began soaring through the skies, using the clouds as anchors to swing himself forward.
Meanwhile, on Doflamingo's ship, Orion and Kuma were struggling fiercely against Pica, having been discovered just as they were about to make a triumphant escape after stealing the Devil Fruits.
The sounds of their battle had even alerted the crew members who had gone to recruit Gladius, which meant the situation was far from favorable. Orion closed his eyes, focusing his attention on Karasu and the others.
In just a few moments, while Kuma held Pica at bay, Orion managed to evacuate all the revolutionaries and transfer Karasu inside his Pocket Dimension.
"Kuma, everything's ready, we can leave!" Orion said with a sudden smile as he opened his eyes.
Kuma, locked in a contest of raw strength against Pica, gave a slight nod. Moving closer to Orion, he slapped him with the powers of his Devil Fruit, sending Orion flying through the air. Then he leapt into the Pocket Dimension through the door Orion had created for him, vanishing without a trace.
Soaring across the skies with his hands behind his head and a smile on his face after securing such a great prize, Orion calmly surveyed his surroundings. However, something alarming suddenly appeared on the horizon: none other than the pirate Donquixote Doflamingo, the very man he had just robbed.
Orion locked eyes on Doflamingo, who was advancing swiftly through the air, panting with veins bulging across his forehead. For a moment, the pirate's grim and fearsome appearance intimidated him slightly, but he quickly furrowed his brow and, with great irritation, unleashed a wave of Conqueror's Haki.
Swish.
The wave surged toward Doflamingo, but before it could strike, it was repelled by another surge of invisible energy, released by the future warlord himself. Orion hadn't expected the pirate to counter his attack with his own Conqueror's Haki, though he wasn't overly surprised, since it was obvious that someone of Doflamingo's caliber would possess it.
At last, Doflamingo halted in midair, his gaze fixed on Orion, who was already moving away at a speed greater than he could manage by swinging from the clouds with his threads.
With no other choice, Doflamingo could only watch as Orion slipped away right under his nose, swearing that he would find him and tear him to pieces in the future. Orion, on the other hand, sensed the pirate's hostility, and just before vanishing beyond the horizon, he raised his middle finger with a wide grin.
The first encounter between Orion and Doflamingo had ended without a single blow exchanged, yet this would not be the last time they crossed paths on the battlefield.
...
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