"Bang!"
Lafitte slammed onto the soft canopy of the airboat.
His eyes darkened as he reached for the Seastone bullet lodged in his shoulder, stuck between the bones.
He needed to regain his mobility.
But his fingers were limp, drained of strength.
Seastone… As an officer from the West Blue, he'd only ever heard of Seastone shackles, Seastone-plated warships, and a few standard-issue weapons used by high-ranking Marines.
Since when had people gotten extravagant enough to make bullets out of it?
"Hm? Not bad. You've got a strong body. Judge-sama and the others will be pleased."
Watching Lafitte's feeble struggle, Senor Pink raised an eyebrow and blew out a ring of smoke.
He reached into his coat once more and drew his gun.
This time, he aimed straight at Lafitte's head.
"Still feel like struggling?"
Staring down the black barrel, Lafitte forced a smile and sensibly raised his limp hands in surrender.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Three gunshots rang out.
Each one lodged into Lafitte's remaining uninjured limbs.
Lafitte: "..."
Was that really necessary? I already surrendered…
With things settled on that side—
The battle on the other side was also reaching its conclusion.
"You got any other moves, kid?!"
Daz Bonez couldn't remember the last time he fought such a frustrating opponent.
The brat in front of him spun like a top, torso twisting nonstop.
His arms were as hard as steel, endlessly clashing against Daz's blades.
No technique to speak of—just raw force.
But…
He couldn't break through it!
"I do have other moves, but for you? This is enough. You can't even use Haki."
Buffalo responded sincerely, with zero sarcasm.
Daz's face flushed red with rage and humiliation.
A mere brat… daring to look down on him like that?
Crack!
A sharp sound echoed from his blade.
The color drained from Daz's face, replaced by naked fear.
Meanwhile, Buffalo's eyes lit up with visible excitement.
His spin accelerated.
"Looks like your blade won't last much longer!"
Clang!
The blade snapped and flew far away.
"ORA!"
Buffalo's eyes sparkled with glee as he let out a fierce cry.
His legs twisted into a blur as he shot forward, crashing straight into Daz's defenseless chest.
His spinning fists pummeled down like hammers pounding mochi, slamming into Daz's head.
In that instant, this so-called assassin—
His face visibly caved in.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
"Enough, Buffalo. Don't waste him. Skypiea needs labor."
Senor Pink, dragging along a barely conscious Lafitte, called out to stop Buffalo.
"Got it!"
Buffalo cheerfully stopped, wiping his bloodied hands off on Daz's body.
So this was what the Boss meant about yelling strange syllables while beating someone up...
It really was satisfying!
...
Beneath the statue of Doflamingo.
"Your conviction is lacking."
Bullet spoke bluntly, summarizing his understanding of Conqueror's Haki.
"When your conviction is strong enough to match your spirit, you'll be able to use it."
"I am very determined! I want everyone below to live the same kind of life people have on Skypiea!"
Yamato clenched her kanabo, her eyes burning with resolve.
Wano, the North Blue, the Grand Line, East Blue, Skypiea—
Of all the places she'd been, only Skypiea had people who truly lived well.
Sure, Doffy was a villain.
But he was the kind of villain who made sure people lived decent lives.
"Oh?"
Bullet, born in a war-torn country, understood the weight of her words.
His massive eyes locked onto Yamato as he asked,
"A life without conflict, without war, without bloodshed?"
"Exactly!"
Completely unfazed by the pressure Bullet exuded, Yamato nodded firmly.
Then she turned her head, recalling something she'd learned during combat training.
"Conflict exists because too many voices clash in this world. Once there's only one left… things will calm down."
"Then give it a try."
Bullet hefted a set of Seastone shackles and strode toward Senor Pink.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Doflamingo's massive statue. His pace slowed just a little.
He added,
"Maybe you really can pull it off."
If she could—maybe that wouldn't be so bad.
And the road to achieving it would be paved with plenty of conflict and war.
A perfect excuse for him to fight to his heart's content.
...
While Yamato and the others were setting off for Fish-Man Island—
Aboard the Numancia Flamingo, sailing through the Alabasta water—
A royal family was in the middle of a very special bonding moment.
"Mushiru, don't push it!"
Wapol glared furiously at Mushiru with his beady little eyes.
Tied up hand and foot, he tried to kill his own older brother with sheer eye contact.
"Push it? Come on, how is this pushing it? Today's your ninth birthday, Wapol! Sure, our dear father may have tragically passed away… But you still have me, your big brother! From now on, every birthday you have— I'll be here to celebrate it personally. Now eat up! This is your special ninth birthday cake!"
Mushiru grinned from ear to ear, exaggerating the word brother with every smug syllable.
In his hands, he held a bucket of… something… indescribable, and brought it close to Wapol's face.
Neither of them would ever be king of the Drum Kingdom.
But as long as Mushiru surrendered fast enough—
And had already offered up the nation's resources—
He was still miles ahead of this idiot brother who'd somehow managed to offend Doflamingo-sama.
"Get lost, Mushiru, you patricidal bastard! If Father were still alive, he'd have you executed!"
Wapol's eyes glowed green with fury. His lips trembled. His nostrils flared like a warrior forced to eat a legendary Nine-Turn Intestine dish.
He twisted violently in the air, desperate to escape.
He'd thought the trash they hauled aboard yesterday was for some kind of use.
But this—this—was his meal?
And Mushiru, this monster, had even used his damn Fruit to ferment it overnight!
This wasn't cake—it was literal st!
Damn you! Damn you, Mushiru!
Damn you, Doflamingo!!!
"Stop resisting already!"
Mushiru's face twisted with rage as he grabbed a fistful of the trash and shoved it toward Wapol's giant hippo mouth.
"EAT! EAT IT, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"
His violent movements were fueled by all the pent-up humiliation he'd suffered under Doflamingo.
"MMMMPH MMMMPH MMMMPH~"
Tears streamed down Wapol's cheeks.
Click!
At the prow of the ship, Doflamingo snapped a photo of the touching scene and burst into raucous laughter.
"Such a picture of brotherly love! Fufufufufu~"
"BOSS, are we heading straight for the New World?"
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg