"We... pirates... cleave through... the waves..."
Amidst the flashing lightning. Through the numbing, searing pain. Moria's crew displayed their final shred of resolve.
"Life!!!!!!"
With a heart-wrenching roar, Moria's gaze became vacant, his chin pressing against the ground as he muttered.
"...I choose Life."
"Fufufufufu, congratulations. You've successfully saved your comrades, Enel!"
Looking at Moria, who now resembled a salted fish that had given up on its dreams, Doflamingo flashed a sunny smile and lifted his hand from Moria's head.
"Enel, today's game ends here."
"Yes, Young Master."
"Zzzzz."
The electric currents dissipated like silk being unraveled, withdrawing from the twitching bodies of the defeated crew.
"Life..."
The weight on Moria's head disappeared, but his eyes grew dull. He had given up his freedom to save his crew.
Like a faded photograph, a once-beautiful woman ruined by time. In stark contrast to Doflamingo, whose face was still full of joy.
Happiness and smiles never disappear. They simply change owners.
"Fufufufufu, Moria, don't be so down. Maybe this is a good thing for both you and your crew. After all, you only have yourself to blame for being too weak!"
Seeing Moria's spirit crushed, Doflamingo was brimming with satisfaction.
Not to mention Moria's usefulness. Watching someone transition from joy to suffering, from confidence to despair, before making a painful decision...
That.
That was the ultimate pleasure.
As for loyalty? Doflamingo never cared about such things. Moria was just a pawn who had stumbled into his path.
Enel alone was already more than enough to keep control of the New World's entry point at Raijin Island.
If Moria remained stubborn... Then they could simply replay the delightful scene all over again. He himself would make a fine test subject.
"Too weak... I was too weak!"
Supporting himself with both hands, Moria raised his bloodstained body. His weak frame exuded an inexplicable aura.
The surface of his claws... was coated in a dark, gleaming layer of Haki!
"State your conditions, Doflamingo!"
So quick to regain his fighting spirit?
Noticing Moria's Haki-covered claws, Doflamingo pointed toward a platter of roasted meat beside him and spoke with deep meaning.
"The value of a strong man is, of course, different from that of the weak. Your 55 crewmates—each of their lives is worth one month of your service. So, this is the time you must dedicate to me."
Moria's claws clenched, then hesitated. After a moment, he spoke in a deep voice. "...Fine!"
Though Doflamingo's words about his crewmates filled him with fury, he was nothing more than a defeated man awaiting judgment. He had no room to bargain.
"Your freedom is something you must seize for yourself. Use your life to challenge me, to defeat me! Fufufufufu!"
Standing in the sky, Doflamingo stretched out his arms as if to embrace the entire sea. Black and red lightning surged around him, thunder roaring above.
Moria, barely conscious, witnessed this scene—half god, half demon.
Already at his limit, he didn't even have time to respond. He simply collapsed into unconsciousness.
...
A few days later.
Doflamingo had just left the waters of Raijin Island when he was finally contacted by Trebol from Upper Yard.
"Doffy! I say, I say~ We've found Roger. Everything is proceeding according to your plan. How soon can you return to Upper Yard?"
"No rush. Just confirm Roger's location. Have Diamante deliver the secret medicine to Raijin Island as agreed. Enel and Moria will handle the reception. I need to make a stop at Spider Miles."
"Going to see Rosinante again, Doffy? But... who's Moria?"
"A failure."
Click!
After hanging up, Doflamingo immediately dialed another number—this time to Tesoro in Sabaody.
Now that Roger's whereabouts were discovered, there was no way his underling, Pluton, could be absent.
"Glug glug!"
"Boss, I've received the agreement with the Charlotte Family."
"When Diamante arrives at Sabaody, verify the quality of this batch of secret medicine. The Charlotte Family is important to us, for now."
For now?
In that brief moment, several possibilities flashed through Tesoro's mind. He answered in a deep voice.
"Understood, Boss. Shakky's Rip-off Bar has been found. It's on area #13. The coating specialist inside has disguised himself, so we can't confirm if it's really Rayleigh."
A man who understands priorities is always invaluable. Without needing to ask, he had already grasped the key issue. In the palace, he'd be a prime candidate for a grand chamberlain.
Unverifiable? Seems like Oda's infamous "plot armor" is at work again.
Doflamingo let his thoughts drift for a moment before responding to the Den Den Mushi.
"It doesn't matter. We don't need to confirm it—just knowing the location is enough. Your star project can begin now."
As a well-known intelligence bar, Shakky's Rip-off Bar rarely relocated.
If Shakky didn't run, then Rayleigh wouldn't simply disappear.
"Really?"
Tesoro sounded excited. The moment he joined the family, his ambition had been questioned.
"Apologies, Boss. I didn't mean to doubt your decision!"
"No worries, Tesoro. You now have the strength to stand in the spotlight. When Sabaody becomes the leader in the arms trade and entertainment industry, intelligence will come to us on its own."
"..."
Click.
...
"What kind of magnetic field, climate, and geological phenomenon could create this?"
Looking at the sharply divided sea before him, Doflamingo, despite having seen the Calm Belt before, still felt curiosity about its formation.
Reverse Mountain's currents still bore traces of artificial excavation.
But the Calm Belt—
It was like a sea zone that had been sliced out with surgical precision.
A true divine miracle.
The Calm Belt not only separated the North, South, East, and West Blue, but also isolated the Grand Line from the New World.
With no wind and no currents, sailing ships found it impossible to pass through.
And to make things worse, it was filled with gargantuan Sea Kings, adding to its deadly reputation.
For most pirates wanting to enter the Grand Line, they had no choice but to follow the traditional path through Reverse Mountain.
But Doflamingo was different.
No ocean currents? Who needed them when you had the clouds?
Today, he would take a shortcut, just like Pluton Rayleigh once did.
Numancia Flamingo Mini soared into the sky and plunged into the Calm Belt's airspace.
...
Deep beneath the Calm Belt—
A 5,000-meter-long prehistoric lizard leisurely swam toward its nest, devouring a freshly caught Sea King.
Its massive, millstone-like teeth ground the beast into mush.
Blood seeped into the abyssal depths.
...
A pair of eyes, the size of an ordinary sailboat, slowly opened in the darkness of the deep sea.
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+220 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg