Two years of ceaseless training. Doflamingo's Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) reached the advanced tier, and both his Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) and Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) also stepped into advanced territory. This achievement was anything but easy.
Every single day, Doflamingo was ruthless to himself. If the training didn't break him, he pushed it until it almost did. Morning: physical conditioning. Late morning: martial arts. Afternoon: Haki drills. Night: live combat—either hunting beasts in the forest or diving into the sea to fight Sea Kings.
Thanks to a sudden upswing in his body's recovery ability, such high-intensity regimens left no hidden injuries. On the contrary, he could feel himself growing stronger day by day—distinctly, measurably.
And over these two years—perhaps it was his imagination—Doflamingo clearly felt his recovery accelerating. Now, for example, if he sliced his own arm, an injury that would normally take months to scar and fade could vanish in just a single day.
As for truly severe wounds, he wasn't sure. With his current strength, it was already rare for anything to injure him that badly.
Assessing his present power, Doflamingo estimated himself at above vice admiral level. In a real death match, only an actual opponent could reveal what that meant; without live proof, precise judgment was hard.
Of course, reaching this level in only two years took many factors.
First, the physical changes after awakening his Earth memories. His recovery and stamina surged—a foundation for everything else.
Second, the Amazon Lily Haki methods. In those two years, Shakky began by orally transmitting how the Kuja train, then spent a full month personally sparring with him. That let Doflamingo quickly grasp the keys to advancing both Kenbunshoku and Busoshoku—enough to pry at the threshold of the very top.
By Doflamingo's understanding, Amazon Lily's Haki training likely comes from an ancient kingdom's legacy. It doesn't require a minimum physical benchmark to get started. During their bouts, Shakky used specific methods to continuously draw out his latent potential. Coupled with his talent and focused grind, he achieved in a short span what many might fail to reach in a lifetime.
And Doflamingo had a hunch: if he kept going, another breakthrough might be close.
Third, Beast Island itself—once a ruin-site of some ancient kingdom. After a year and a half of training, Doflamingo discovered a strange cultivation relic deep on the island: a golden scepter. That discovery was also one reason he battled those two beasts that wielded Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki).
Why call the golden scepter a cultivation relic? Because the instant he approached and touched it, a suffocating surge of Haki poured into his body and tried to merge with his own. After repeated checks, he confirmed it wasn't corrupting him; if anything, it tugged and amplified—strengthening his Haoshoku. That was one of the reasons his Conqueror's grew so fast.
Of course, that alone wouldn't prove the scepter's nature. But on its surface, Doflamingo found he could read lines of ancient text. They described methods for the highest training of Haoshoku Haki—the cultivation of a Haoshoku Ryōiki (Conqueror's Domain).
A treasure this rare left Doflamingo ecstatic. He didn't need it yet, but that didn't stop him from learning it early. What puzzled him was that only he could see the text. Vergo, Pica, Shakky, Torch Lily—each held the scepter in turn. None of them saw anything unusual. No letters at all.
He didn't mind. Better if no one else could read it; this kind of training was best learned alone. As for the scepter's future, he planned to find a master craftsman someday to smelt it into a golden pistol. When it comes to weapons, Doflamingo prefers guns.
Blades? They lack the visceral, bone-on-bone impact of fists and the ready convenience of firearms. He had no interest in swordsmanship.
While Doflamingo trained nonstop over those two years, Vergo and Pica never slacked either. Without Doflamingo's monstrous recovery, their paths were steadier, but the environment helped, and their grind—and Doflamingo's constant pointers—paid off. Their strength couldn't be underestimated. At the very least, they were brushing up against their "storyline-era" selves.
Even so, Doflamingo was not satisfied. For now, their strength barely sufficed. If they couldn't keep pace, they'd be kicked out of the core. Early loyalty? This was a world that eats people. Even if he became the strongest in the world, a crew of weaklings would still drag him down. In the Donquixote family's core, might would be the only ballot.
Perhaps sensing Doflamingo's implicit warning, Vergo and Pica trained to exhaustion every day yet gritted through, an urgency burning inside them. If they fell behind, Doflamingo would cast them aside—without hesitation.
Of course, he knew his own changes had accelerated everything. Compared to the original path, at this age he shouldn't even have a notable name yet. For Vergo and Pica to reach something near their canon-level achievements in their mid-teens meant their futures were bright. Doflamingo believed both could, at minimum, rise to a Shichibukai (Warlords of the Sea) level.
Change in two years wasn't only about strength. People changed—especially Torch Lily.
Not long ago, Shakky formally passed the title of Amazon Lily's Empress to Torch Lily. And at Torch Lily's "fifteenth birthday," she offered up her sincerest love. The recipient goes without saying—the one she'd been delivering those homemade bento to every day: Doflamingo.
It was hard to blame her. In two years, Doflamingo shot from 1.7 meters to 2.5. Though young, he looked every inch a full-grown man. Add his untamed nature, explosive physique, innate noble bearing, ever-swelling power, and sharp features under that golden hair… each of those tugged at Torch Lily's heart without a sound.
Time is a funny thing, and people even more so. At first, Torch Lily barely spared Doflamingo a glance—there was caution in her eyes. But when Shakky went to Beast Island to spar with him, Torch Lily, as successor, joined in as well. Witnessing his brutal regimen and the absurd speed of his growth, her view flipped in an instant. From guarded, to eased, to admiration—and then to love. That also led her, during those two years, to take over supply runs herself… just to see him.
Carrying Earth memories, Doflamingo of course noticed. But buried in training, he could only say: women slow my draw speed. Not that he disliked women—far from it. It was just that at thirteen, even with a body that could handle it, the developmental phase was best spent on power. As for Torch Lily's confession, he had his own approach: bait-and-reel, neither accepting nor refusing—tying her heart tight was not hard.
Amazon Lily, on the outskirts near the port, in a forest.
A tall wooden house was built around a centuries-old tree. Inside, the furnishings were complete—like a standalone villa.
There, Doflamingo, Shakky, and Torch Lily sat around a table facing one another. As for Vergo and Pica—by the rules of Amazon Lily, men were forbidden from entering, so they remained aboard the steam-sailer they'd come on.
"Torch Lily, I told you—this house wasn't necessary. I'll only stay on Amazon Lily for a few days. Once Diamante arrives, we're leaving. No need to waste manpower and resources."
(End of Chapter)
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