So adaptable—so ready to bend, or should I say to endure? Even if keeping Gan Fall alive would be far more useful than killing him, Doflamingo still didn't want him to live another second. How many villains die because they "cherish talent," and how many die because they hesitate at the critical moment?
A blue-white arc flashed. His fist crashed squarely into Gan Fall's forehead—boom. In an instant, the head burst like a watermelon; red and white spattered everywhere, and the four captain-level guards nearby were drenched head to toe.
Choking on the acrid stench, the captains didn't dare delay. They dropped to their knees at once, foreheads pressed to the floor, prostrating with all five points on the ground, terrified of becoming the next Gan Fall.
Tearing off a strip of curtain to wipe his hands, Doflamingo's eyes flared with killing intent, yet his tone stayed calm.
"Go summon every member of the Guard. Let them meet the new god of Skypiea. If anyone refuses, cut them down. And don't even think about running—every inch of Skypiea is under my Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki)."
"Yes, Kami-sama." The four captain-level guards replied in trembling voices. Without daring to lift their heads, they backed out of the shrine and hurried to carry out the order.
Doflamingo wasn't in a rush to make his next move. At the very least, before he took full control of Skypiea's military, he wouldn't hurry to the ruins of Shandora. The entire sky island was his now—what here was going to sprout legs and run?
Of course, he didn't idle either. He used the time to familiarize himself with the power of the Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit) and to develop new moves—his backbone for rampaging across the seas. Whenever there's time, strengthening himself comes first.
The four captain-level guards moved quickly. Twenty minutes later, they returned to the shrine with a contingent of fewer than one hundred fifty.
Seeing the captains arrive so deferentially with their men, Doflamingo stopped training and glanced over the group—fewer than two hundred by his rough count. His brows knit a little; the number seemed on the low side. Still, it would do.
"As your new god, you don't need to be afraid. So long as you swear loyalty to me, I will not only give you better living conditions, but I will also give you the chance to live upon the earth of the Upper Yard. Remember, my commands are Skypiea's highest law. What I say is right, and must be carried out to the letter."
"Yes, Kami-sama." Still terrified of him, yet relieved he wasn't slaughtering indiscriminately, the Guard members exhaled and answered with quavering voices.
Satisfied with their response, and with his upcoming plans in mind, Doflamingo continued:
"Good. Here is my first order. Spread my portrait across Skypiea and proclaim the new god's ascension. Then close Heaven's Gate. Entry only—no exit. Violators, kill."
"Heso! Yes, Kami-sama!" The Guard scattered at once. It wasn't that they didn't want to slack off—it was that the new god's terrifying sensory reach meant none of them dared relax for even a heartbeat.
Once the Guard had cleared out, the shrine was quiet again, leaving Doflamingo alone to continue his training.
After Doflamingo left earlier, Diamante and the other two had taken a waver and quickly reached the Upper Yard. They followed the Cloud River to the shrine under Doflamingo's guidance, where he paused and laid out the next steps.
"Diamante, the scientists I told you to track down a year ago—any leads?"
"Doffy, we've got a few. Lately that pack of crazy scientists seems to have drawn the World Government's attention—our informants got swept out." Diamante hesitated, then reported.
"The World Government, huh? Heh." Doflamingo let out a cold laugh. He knew MADS was currently researching the forbidden "Lineage Factor." It wouldn't be long before the Government discovered them. Then the organization would be disbanded; Vegapunk would be bought off by the Government; the Vinsmoke clan would return to the North Blue to research clone soldiers.
But this timing gave Doflamingo a different idea. After taking the Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit) and seizing Skypiea, once his strength truly surged, his thoughts changed. Overturning the world with only himself or a single faction was a fool's dream.
So—make the world love chaos. Drag more players into the water. The muddier it gets, the more he can steer the currents from the shadows. And perhaps, the more unexpected windfalls he'll reap.
Even so, becoming larger and stronger himself remained the real bedrock. If he could leverage some of those scientists to develop technology linking Skypiea to the Blue Sea, the results would be beyond imagination.
As for the scientists worth owning—Caesar was a must. Not just for Caesar's research talents; the fact that he'd joined Vegapunk's lab at eight years old alone made him someone Doflamingo needed to secure.
That was why he'd sent Diamante to probe for Vegapunk's group so early—though it was only after he took Skypiea that he truly intended to approach them.
"Just Government spooks. Once Skypiea stabilizes, I'll go to MADS's headquarters myself. I'm sure they won't refuse my invitation." Doflamingo's voice brimmed with confidence.
The three nodded. After what they'd seen today with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, how could they not be moved? No wonder the young master hadn't bothered with the String-String Fruit—judging by the power-up from Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit), it felt like Doflamingo could one-shot all three of them without breaking a sweat.
Even more reverent than before, Vergo sought to show his value and loyalty. He asked:
"Then, young master, what should we do next?"
"No rush. Wait for the Divine Guard to finish the orders. Vergo, Pica—recruit new blood from Skypiea and redeploy the island's defenses." Doflamingo knew that after a swift conquest, holding the city meant prioritizing stability.
The three had no objections to Doflamingo's commands—only execution.
Five days later, under the new order Doflamingo drafted, Skypiea began moving in a better direction. Those residents who had watched and doubted at first slowly discovered that so long as they followed the god's directives strictly, they weren't punished—on the contrary, they were rewarded.
Moreover, they discovered that two processing plants established within three days—the dial-processing plant and the cloud-processing plant—brought great convenience to daily life. Not only did they provide jobs free to take, they also promised that any worker's children or close kin would have priority to enter the Divine Guard.
(End of Chapter)
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