"Fishman Karate? Worthless trash!"
Arlong spat in the direction of Tiger and Jinbe's retreating figures, already far in the distance.
His newest underling, Hody Jones, approached with a twisted grin on his face.
"Arlong, what should we do now?"
"Don't rush. Let those two traitors leave first."
He rolled the red candy-like pill between his fingers, his expression unreadable.
A strange thought suddenly popped into his mind.
"The wicked power of Doflamingo... we can use it too!"
...
The Next Day
Former Angel Island—Sky Cloud Region
"Boss, what the hell is Bullet doing in there?"
Enel looked puzzled as he poked the massive purple egg in front of him.
He could feel Bullet's presence inside, but it was as though another consciousness was overlapping with his.
"A rather interesting experiment,"
Doflamingo smiled with amused malice as he sensed Bullet's fluctuating consciousness.
"But I think he's still a bit out of it. Give him a jolt."
"Gladly!"
Enel grinned with anticipation—he hadn't had a proper fight in ages.
His muscles, honed from years of sparring with Bullet, tensed and bulged under his skin.
Then, his body crackled into pure lightning, shrieking like a swarm of hummingbirds as he slammed down a lightning-charged fist.
Boom!
A jagged crack tore through the egg.
A shadowy figure shot out from within—faster than even Enel's eyes could track—and slammed into his fist.
Thud!
Enel's expression twisted as his now visibly swollen fist dragged him backward through the air.
"Boss!!!"
Purple light shimmered as the egg's shell dissolved like flowing water.
Revealed within was Douglas Bullet.
His formerly compact, upside-down triangle physique—massive up top, narrow below—had now stretched out.
He stood a towering ten meters tall, his legs long and powerful, radiating pure explosive strength.
Every inch of his skin was covered in triangular scales, shimmering with iridescent black under the sun.
His mouth had grown sharper, and a red forked tongue flickered in and out.
His thick neck hinted at something hidden beneath the surface.
And with those blood-red eyes... he looked like the spawn of a demon.
He was the very image of a devil incarnate.
"Furufurufuru~ How are you feeling, Bullet?"
Doflamingo stroked his chin, visibly impressed by the serpentine monster standing before him.
This look... he'd fit right in as the final boss in a fantasy epic.
"Feels like..."
Bullet stretched out, spine cracking like fireworks as his joints snapped into place.
"Better than ever!!"
"Wanna go a round?" Doflamingo asked, intrigued by the strange calmness in Bullet's eyes.
"No need."
Bullet declined outright, his gaze rising to the sky.
The Yamata no Mi granted instincts beyond even the fiercest beasts.
If Enel's danger level was a 1, Doflamingo's was a clean 100.
New powers needed a test drive—and conveniently, a punching bag was flying right overhead.
"200 Million Volts: Divine Judgment!!"
A thunder pillar, thicker than a house, crashed from the heavens with zero warning.
Even Doflamingo's feathered cloak lifted slightly from the static discharge.
Boom!
A deep crater opened in the cloud island.
But Bullet had already vanished.
The lightning only obliterated a patch of prisoner-constructed buildings.
"What a beautiful day,"
Doflamingo wove a chair from strings and sat down with ease.
He watched the black and blue lights crash across the sky, his grin stretching wider with every impact.
...
Glub glub glub...
"Señor Pink... this better not be bad news."
Doflamingo picked up the call, tapping the Transponder Snail's tiny sunglasses with his finger.
"Of course not, Boss!"
Señor Pink sounded unusually confident.
He might've been a little panicked yesterday, but after two unexpected guests last night and this morning?
He was sure he'd be promoted when he got back.
"Boss, just like you predicted, Otohime is bringing her people to Sky Island."
"Fishmen and merfolk couldn't resist the offer you gave."
"Furufurufuru~ Señor Pink, when you return to Sky Island, I'll be sure to reward you handsomely!"
Doflamingo laughed maniacally.
To him, the Fishman race had little value beyond being cannon fodder... or maybe farming Sea Clouds.
Even five million Fishmen wouldn't be as useful as a single Otohime.
With her in his grasp, the appearance of Poseidon was his to decide.
With her, all the Ancient Weapons—save Uranus—were within his reach.
Señor Pink added, "But there's been a minor incident in the Fishman District."
"Fishman District?"
Doflamingo's thoughts flashed to the changes in the dreamspace.
"A conflict with Jinbe?"
"More than that, Boss." Señor Pink paused, then continued.
"Monet, Yamato, and Weevil beat the crap out of Arlong—the current boss—Jinbe, the former boss, and Tiger, the boss before that."
"Then so be it," Doflamingo waved it off. "If those Fishman orphans are content rotting in a dump like that, they deserve it. Garbage suits garbage."
With Otohime secured, he didn't care about the rest.
He wasn't a collector, after all.
"It's not that simple. After they exposed the brutal conditions of the Fishman District... the group split."
"Oh? Interesting. Tell me more." Doflamingo leaned forward, sensing fun.
"Tiger and Jinbe took a group of lower-class Fishmen and left Fishman Island. They want to survive following your mercenary system."
"Such patriotic hearts. I'm almost touched. Let them come."
Doflamingo calculated quickly—it was a good trade.
Even if the rest of the Fishmen were weak and low-potential, just Tiger and Jinbe alone made it worth it.
"And Arlong?" Doflamingo asked.
"He came to me last night with his faction. Wants to buy weapons from us."
Doflamingo smelled ambition—and an opportunity to squeeze Fishman Island dry. His grin widened.
"Fine. Sell to him. Half market price. Let's see what this young Fishman plans to do."
He remembered Arlong.
Talked big about being a noble Fishman representative, but turned around and played tyrant over a tiny fishing village.
A textbook coward—bullied the weak, feared the strong.
If he was buying weapons, it definitely wasn't to attack the Celestial Dragons or Sabaody.
So who else could it be?
His own people, of course.
The more chaotic Fishman Island became, the more appealing his Sky Island version looked.
"Understood, Boss. I'll bring the goods back soon."
Then, remembering the speed of news underwater, Doflamingo added:
"Be careful surfacing. Stay away from the Sabaody Archipelago."
Señor Pink blinked. "Something happen at Sabaody?"
"Oh... we accidentally blew up Marine G-8 recently. If they see you, they'll lose their damn minds."
Señor Pink: "???"
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg