Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) flared to its limit, black lightning coiling on all sides and lashing precisely toward Caesar and Queen. Caesar, lacking true combat power, went down foaming at the mouth the instant it touched him. Queen's physique was far superior to Caesar's, but these days he was first and foremost a scientist; under Doflamingo's pressure he couldn't last long either.
Before long, Queen also toppled over, froth on his lips as he blacked out.
"Primary hunt complete. Next step—pay a visit to the finest scientist in today's world, the man five hundred years ahead of his time: Vegapunk."
The Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit) was truly convenient—speed aside, a single thought was all it took. The idea hadn't even faded when his body appeared before Vegapunk.
A scorch-trail crawled across the deck. Filaments of lightning gathered, more and more of them, until they knit into the shape of Doflamingo.
But before his elemental body had fully taken form, the hound-masked CP0 agent's strike arrived.
"Shigan (Finger Pistol)!"
The invisible, projected thrust pierced Doflamingo's elemental shoulder without doing any harm.
As if he'd expected that, a Busoshoku-hardened black fist followed immediately after.
"Heh. You really are underestimating me." The veins stood out on Doflamingo's brow. He already harbored a towering hatred for the World Nobles—now even a "dog" dared take a swing at him.
"Raijin no Ikari (Thunder God's Wrath)!" Doflamingo had no interest in playing house with CP0. He would kill them outright.
The hound-mask clearly hadn't expected Doflamingo to go straight for a lethal blow. The spear hit home before he could speak. Doflamingo didn't stop there—his right arm turned to lightning and shaped into a blade. In the instant the thunder-spear struck, he flashed in; Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) flooded the elemental edge, and he brought it down full force at the hound-mask's head.
The result was obvious. A large "dog's head" thumped to the floor and reverted to the scar-lined face of an old man.
It had all happened fast. In moments the fight was decided. The other CP0—braid down his back—sensed disaster and turned to flee.
Doflamingo had no intention of allowing that. He drew his golden revolver and snapped off several shots at his vitals.
He'd never trained marksmanship; only a single round punched into the man's leg. The rest he dodged.
Doflamingo didn't let up. He vaulted in with a flying kick. The braided agent instantly used Tekkai (Iron Body).
With a thunderous crack the man was booted several meters away, smashing through multiple bulkheads.
Sensing an opening, the braided CP0 didn't look back—he fled.
Doflamingo didn't immediately give chase. Instead, he eyed Vegapunk, who stood unruffled to the side, and asked in mild surprise:
"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you, Vegapunk?"
"You won't—unless you intend to make an enemy of the World Government and live forever as a rat in the gutter," Vegapunk replied with calm certainty.
"You know, sometimes clever people annoy me. The way they talk gets under the skin." Doflamingo sounded almost helpless—then his tone turned.
"Still, even if I can't kill you, I can make you hurt—for a while, or for life. And don't flatter yourself; I'm not interested in you. Don't expect mercy."
He walked toward Vegapunk in crisp, measured steps. As for Stussy, she was crushed motionless beneath his killing aura.
He pointed a finger at Vegapunk's oversized head. A current that hurt like hell without being lethal streamed from Doflamingo's fingertip without pause.
"Ah—ah—!" Vegapunk screamed like a slaughtered pig.
He never imagined Doflamingo would be so unreasonable. He was a top scholar five centuries ahead—was this how one treated a scientist? Shouldn't he be coddled?
In truth, Doflamingo really didn't care whether Vegapunk lived or died—in fact, he found him distasteful. That blind faith in Nika in the "original story," those choices—every bit of it was galling.
And as for Vegapunk's research value—Doflamingo simply didn't rate it. To him it was of little use. Once one's strength reached a certain threshold, clone soldiers or war machines alike could be settled in a single move.
He didn't kill Vegapunk for exactly the reason Vegapunk had stated: the World Government was still an opponent the Donquixote Family couldn't afford to provoke—yet. That didn't mean he feared them. Given who he was and how strong he was, letting the braided CP0 run might well serve to "notify" the Gorosei—and even Imu—that he had returned, and he'd brought a sea of wrath back with him.
Vegapunk's body was weak. After several jolts, snot running, he begged Doflamingo for mercy and chose to submit.
Whether he would submit or not—Doflamingo frankly didn't care. If Vegapunk refused, he would simply hand the Government a "brand-new" Vegapunk. They might even feel "grateful."
If he yielded, all the better. Knowing the future triple-agent prowess of the beauty at Vegapunk's side—Stussy—Doflamingo wanted that kind of talent. Poaching her was the best option.
"If you'd done this from the start, you could've spared us the 'wise man' act. Now, here's your choice: rewrite the directives in your lovely assistant's head so she will forever serve me. If not, her life ends here. And you—heh—how long do you think you can endure my current? A day? Two? Let's hope that brilliant brain of yours won't get fried."
Vegapunk understood perfectly. The current might not be lethal, but repeated or prolonged shocks would ravage the nervous system. Would he be left a drooling fool?
His dream wasn't fulfilled yet. He hadn't seen the heights of science. He didn't want to go on living like a corpse. In the end, he chose to bow his head.
When the instruments were ready, Doflamingo stood at the door like a temple guardian, barring all interference.
Vegapunk pressed a point on Stussy's back; she sagged into unconsciousness. She lay on the operating table, limp as if her will had been switched off.
A dozen minutes crawled by. Doflamingo grew impatient. Too long—so long the great paddle steamer had gone utterly quiet. So long that to prevent surprises he re-stunned Caesar and brought him over. So long he sensed hundreds of Marines surrounding the lab from outside. So long great beads of sweat rolled down Vegapunk's big bald head…
(End of Chapter)
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