The pirate ship cleaved through the North Blue's frigid waters. Spray burst from the bow, catching sunlight in a scatter of glittering shards.
On deck, the mood was the complete opposite of the suffocating pressure inside the Spida Miles castle.
"So that's it?" Moria broke the silence of the voyage. His massive frame leaned against the railing, and even his signature "kishishishishi" carried a hint of dissatisfaction. "That's all, Kael?"
"What a bore. Not even a proper slaughter. That stone guy called Pica, and that swordsman who flutters around. If we'd killed them both, we could've gotten two decent shadow soldiers."
He licked his lips. The crimson tongue stood out starkly against his pallid face, full of regret at not expanding his shadow army.
Mihawk folded his arms. Cold light glinted in his hawk-like eyes as he delivered his assessment in an even voice.
"That man doesn't look like the type to obey."
Objective. Fair. Straight to the point.
Someone like Donquixote Doflamingo had pure malice and arrogance flowing in his bones. He would never bow his head just because he'd suffered one defeat.
A true man born under heaven, how could he endure living beneath another for long? And that was before you even mentioned someone with the qualities of a king.
Mihawk's movement paused slightly.
In his mind, Kael's seemingly casual knife-hand flashed again.
Flesh and blood alone, yet it carved a line sharper than any famed blade.
Did a swordsman really need a sword?
The question clung to him.
"Of course he won't."
The answer came in a lazy drawl.
Kael Grylls was sprawled out on a lounge chair, wearing sunglasses, holding a glass of juice packed with ice, fully returned to his salt-fish mode.
"How could a flamingo born from hell fold that easily?" He took a sip and let out a satisfied sigh. "Right now, at best, he's a rabid dog with its fangs temporarily knocked out and a collar slapped on."
"A dog that bites doesn't bark. The quieter he is, the nastier the thoughts he's brewing."
Moria bared his teeth. "Then why let him live?"
"Who said I let him off?" Kael pulled off his sunglasses, revealing golden eyes that gleamed with amusement. "I don't need a loyal dog."
"I need a vicious dog that bites for me."
"As for loyalty… for someone like him, it's never as reliable as a chain that's strong enough."
Mind games were a craft.
Kael hadn't come to the North Blue expecting to "tame" Doflamingo in one trip.
What he wanted was the Donquixote Family's underground empire, the arms deals, intelligence web, and smuggling channels spread across the world.
All of it.
Doflamingo was nothing more than the "manager" on paper.
A puppet with his life in Kael's grip, and the hope of revenge dangled in front of his eyes.
"Alright, stop daydreaming, Moria." Kael slid his sunglasses back on and waved a hand. "Time to send our little birds out to sing."
Moria answered with a weird chuckle.
He straightened up. His enormous shadow rippled across the deck, stretching and writhing.
He slowly closed his eyes and focused.
Hiss.
Clumps of pure darkness peeled away from his shadow, gathering in midair and rapidly forming palm-sized crows, pitch black from beak to tail.
They had no physical bodies. They were made entirely of shadow, yet their eyes were two points of eerie blue light, lively and sharp.
After Moria's breakthrough, he'd devised this by killing weak creatures, stripping away shadows that carried tiny fragments of soul, then shaping them into intelligent shadow beasts that could be controlled remotely.
These shadow birds were Kael's mobile surveillance and information carriers.
The shadow crows circled once, releasing a silent screech, then dissolved into black smoke and shot into the distance.
Kael crossed one leg over the other and spoke lazily. "That idiot Morgans has news coos all over the seas, right? Have the shadow birds quietly 'parasite' inside the shadows of those news coos."
"Hidden, hard to trace, and we get the world's slightest ripple the moment it happens. What do you think?"
Moria's eyes lit up. His kishishishishi grew louder.
…
A few days later.
The news truly grew wings and flew across the Grand Line and the four seas.
The World Economy News Paper ran a headline in the most exaggerated, attention-grabbing font imaginable.
BREAKING! "HEAVENLY YAKSHA" CLASHES WITH "WAVE KING" IN THE NORTH BLUE! DONQUIXOTE FAMILY ROUTED, SPIDA MILES CHANGES HANDS!
Half the front page was dominated by a photo snapped from an infuriatingly sharp angle.
The background was the ruined remains of a castle cleaved apart.
Kael, Mihawk, and Moria were clearly visible, while in the corner of the shot, several officers supported a bloodied, battered Doflamingo as he fled in disgrace.
The article itself did what it did best: maximum dramatization.
It painted the clash as an earth-shaking war.
Doflamingo was framed as a ruthless overlord who dared draw his blade even against a legendary pirate like the Wave King.
Though he ultimately lost and abandoned the family stronghold he'd cultivated for years, the mere fact he survived Kael was presented as an unparalleled honor.
The sea erupted.
"That Heavenly Yaksha actually dared fight the Wave King? Is he insane?"
"Forget fighting. The paper says he lived! That's ridiculous!"
"I heard from my uncle's daughter-in-law's neighbor's second uncle's little sister that the Wave King is a monster who can go in and out seven times without ever going down!"
"?? What are you talking about? In and out of what, seven times?"
"Marineford, obviously!"
"Ah… right, right… I thought you meant…"
"So Doflamingo's way stronger than we thought!"
And just as the public frenzy hit its peak, the World Government and Marine Headquarters moved fast.
Not long after, an even more explosive story swept the world.
WORLD GOVERNMENT EXTENDS AN OLIVE BRANCH! "HEAVENLY YAKSHA" DONQUIXOTE DOFLAMINGO INVITED TO BECOME ONE OF THE SEVEN WARLORDS OF THE SEA!
That announcement cemented his status.
Being recognized by the World Government and legalized as a pirate was the clearest proof of strength there was.
Rather than being tarnished, the name "Heavenly Yaksha" only grew louder, echoing across the world.
Holy Land, Mary Geoise. The Room of Authority.
Five old men studied the report, each wearing a different expression.
"Isn't it too hasty, making that Donquixote brat a Warlord?"
"Extraordinary times demand extraordinary measures. The sea is already chaotic enough because of Roger and that Kael bastard. We need a force that can balance the other pirates."
"Doflamingo's identity is special. But that's exactly why he understands the importance of 'rules.' Besides, we have leverage over him."
"Most importantly, he's someone who 'survived' Aaron Kael. That record alone is enough to give him credibility among those lawless pirates. We need a sharp blade to deal with other blades."
In the end, the Financial Warrior God delivered the conclusion.
"Then it's decided. Have CP approach him. A trained vicious dog is easier to control than a lone wolf roaming free."
They had no idea that the "vicious dog" they intended to release into the sheepfold had already returned from hell.
And around its neck was a chain forged from the abyss.
Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 24.
Kael set down the newspaper, a satisfied smile on his face.
Everything was exactly as planned.
He tossed the paper onto the table, took a sip of the black tea Yuki and Rin had just brewed, and narrowed his eyes with quiet pleasure.
"A devil bird back from hell…"
"Let your fires of revenge burn."
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