Thinking that far, Doflamingo shot into the forest like lightning, with Vergo and the others close on his heels.
The instant he entered the trees, his heartbeat pounded hard. The turning point that would change fate was finally near, and he couldn't help the surge of excitement.
Without a shred of hesitation, he flung Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) fully open. While moving at speed, his eyes swept every inch around him. Any beast that barred his way was shredded without pause—one after another, no exceptions.
After several passes of carpet-searching, he finally found a strange chest in a cloud-stream. His heart gave a violent thump. Hands faintly trembling, Doflamingo lifted the box.
"Boom."
"Boom."
"Booom—"
One after another. He couldn't hold back anymore. He eased the lid open. A flash of gold leapt into view.
His pulse seemed to skip. Resting inside was a golden-hued fruit shaped like a thunderbolt, its surface bristling with jagged, lightning-like barbs. Even the stem bore the patterns of a strike.
Yes—the Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit). He hadn't seen the entire Devil Fruit encyclopedia, but by the memory of the "original," he was certain. This was it.
He lifted it lightly from the chest, tossed the box aside, and—without a moment's hesitation—ate the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, stem and all, not wasting a single drop.
Disgusting?
Sure. But compared to growing stronger—and to the pain of training—it was just a shock to the tongue. However dry the stem was, he swallowed it whole. Before power, all else is trivial.
People say a single bite is enough. But who dares guarantee that one bite grants the fruit's full power? With no guarantee, he would devour it all.
The instant he finished, power flooded through him from head to toe.
"Kzzzt—"
Arcs crawled over his body. In the next breath, he became a bolt and reappeared before Diamante, who was searching near the forest's edge.
Diamante stared wide-eyed as the crackling arc took Doflamingo's shape. It was too sudden—and he hadn't sensed a thing. Which meant, if Doflamingo chose to strike, he would have no time to react.
Fast.
So fast it defied belief. That was Doflamingo's first impression.
Right before Diamante, he closed his eyes without worry. At once, he could feel Pica, perched in a tree five kilometers away, and Vergo, diving for clues ten kilometers off in a cloud-stream. Reaching further, he sensed Gan Fall on God's Island, patching a roof for a Skypiean. He sensed Shandians hunting near the Cloud-Hidden Village. He even felt the titanic presence coiled among the houses piled with gold—the "lord of the Sky Island," Nola. The whole Sky Island stood out to his senses, crystal clear.
Pushing deeper, he felt a premonition: one minute from now, Pica would head his way, and Vergo would surface in disappointment.
Only one thought fit the change—his Kenbunshoku had become terrifyingly strong.
He opened his eyes, flicked off his sunglasses, and—for the first time before others—laughed with zero image to maintain, laughing until tears rolled.
Still he didn't stop. Even when Pica arrived, he was laughing—and, boosted by Kenbunshoku, the sound carried across the entire Sky Island.
Hearing the familiar voice, Vergo didn't hesitate. He sprinted toward Doflamingo's position.
As for the Skypieans—including the Shandians—they were seized by raw terror at the unknown laughter. Gan Fall was no exception. For a heartbeat, that truly godlike sound left him stunned. Forcing calm upon himself, the "God" of the Sky Island moved—slowly—pushing through fear to gather the Guardian Squadron and learn what had happened.
But he had no time to prepare. Doflamingo's laughter cut off. A voice like thunder roared in the heart of every Skypiean:
"Fufufufufu—are you ready to greet the descent of the true god? Foolish Skypieans, you have one choice. In thirty seconds—kneel and submit, or stand and choose death!"
He raised a finger to the sky. Black cloudbanks spread in an instant over the entire island. Skypiea fell into a false night, lit only by the arcs dancing between the clouds.
To that proclamation, the warrior Shandians were first to bellow their defiance. Their current chief, with every fighter at his back, shouted to the heavens:
"'True god'? Stop pretending. If you're a warrior, come fight us face-to-face!"
"Shandians?"
"You've chosen death. All of you—die."
Doflamingo merely crooked a finger toward the Cloud-Hidden Village. Countless bolts fell in indiscriminate judgment.
Many Shandians never even had time to scream before they turned to ash. Only the chief, with greater strength, lingered a few seconds longer. In a matter of heartbeats, the village was flattened—no life left.
Nor were the original Skypieans spared. Every voice of resistance drew a single stroke of lightning—each one becoming a charred corpse.
The effect was immediate. With that god-penalty crashing down and bodies falling one after another, even the strongest minds broke. One by one, knees hit the cloud. Prayers for mercy rose in a trembling wave.
Second by second, the thirty ticked by. No one remained standing. Most lay prone, devoutly bowing to the sky.
Doflamingo was very pleased. His power was frightening. He could feel it—the boost from the Rumble-Rumble Fruit wasn't beneath an Admiral's. Whether he could beat one would take a real fight to know.
Of course, he had only just obtained the fruit. He hadn't begun to truly develop it yet. This was all instinct. With continued cultivation, he would climb higher still.
He brushed the black clouds away with a flick. After instructing the three to ride Wavers to God's Island, he turned to lightning, vanished, and, in the next instant, stood within the shrine on God's Island.
He casually picked a big-bearded captain-looking guard and ordered him to bring all the guard captains to the shrine.
Soon, the bearded captain arrived with four in tow. To Doflamingo's mild surprise, Gan Fall was among them—which meant the "God" had chosen to yield to him.
(End of Chapter)
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