The sound of Doflamingo's approaching footsteps finally pulled the enraged Scylla back to her senses.
Turning her head, she saw him—now two meters eighty tall, heavily muscled, swaggering forward with an arrogant gait, having grown even taller than before—and instantly felt the two human men she had been eyeing earlier were no longer appealing at all.
With such a handsome, powerful man right here, what bicycles did she still need?
Her previous target was instantly forgotten.
Scylla retracted her weapon, completely failing to notice how the iron thorn whip had passed cleanly through Doflamingo's body without resistance.
Instead, she felt as if waves of electric current traveled through her chest.
She suddenly recalled what the old women in her village had told her when she was young:
"If you meet a man who makes you feel like lightning struck you… then that's definitely your destined one."
Scylla trembled with joy.
Single for over thirty years, she had eaten many men, but true love—this was the first time.
Man, you're lucky, she thought.
If Doflamingo knew what she was thinking, he would probably vomit last night's dinner.
Unfortunately for him, he didn't.
He only felt that Scylla—having put away her weapon—was giving him a strange look, a look that seemed full of… "love"?
Unbelievable.
But that did not stop him from wanting to kill her.
However—unexpectedly, before Doflamingo even reached her, Scylla suddenly dropped to one knee.
Out of nowhere, she produced a ring and held it forward with absolute seriousness.
"Man, I don't know who you are… but you gave me that electric feeling.
Marry me.
Follow me, I'll let you eat the best, drink the best."
"…What the—?! You've GOT to be kidding me!"
The change was so sudden it was like a tornado.
Doflamingo was completely stunned by Scylla's sudden proposal.
Not just him—Barrett and the others behind him also froze, jaws hanging open.
Then, once the shock passed, they began suppressing laughter with no mercy whatsoever.
A marriage proposal.
A proposal directed at their young master (BOSS).
This was… this was really… really something.
Hahahahahaha—
Because Doflamingo didn't answer immediately, Scylla thought he hadn't heard her and repeated the exact same proposal.
This time, Doflamingo's forehead bulged with veins.
He didn't bother speaking.
He simply raised his hand and unleashed a heavy, close-range Raijin no Ikari (Thunder God's Wrath).
His intention was simple—kill Scylla so thoroughly she couldn't die again.
Yet surprisingly, even under Doflamingo's devastating close-range strike, Scylla did not lose consciousness.
Instead her eyes glowed even brighter as she stared at him and said:
"As expected of the man I've set my eye on! Strong enough indeed! Originally I planned that if you refused, I'd just kidnap you… but it seems I can't do that after all.
But man, the way you hit me feels soooo good.
I like it.
Come on—do it again!"
Doflamingo finally understood.
This "Evil Angel Scylla" either possessed an abnormal physical body or had a very special Devil Fruit.
Even Barrett, if struck unguarded at close range by his Raijin no Ikari, would stay down for a moment.
But this woman—she could still talk, still blush, and even make shameless requests.
Doflamingo was no saint.
How could he possibly spare her just because she said a few strange things?
With full Armament Haki coating his fists, he hammered punch after punch into Scylla.
The explosion of flesh and bone he expected did not occur.
Though Scylla constantly vomited blood and her body was bent in grotesque angles, she wore an expression of pure pleasure—her eyes growing more affectionate and obsessed as she stared up at him.
After several minutes of pummeling, Scylla finally reached her limit.
Just as Doflamingo prepared to deliver the finishing blow, Barrett suddenly stepped forward to stop him.
"BOSS, I remember who she is.
She's the Evil Angel Scylla who ate the Recovery Fruit.
Thanks to its power, her regenerative ability is absurd—unless she's killed in a single instant, she heals almost immediately.
Her pirate crew has gained considerable fame in the Grand Line.
And every member of her crew is a top-rank artisan—blacksmiths, craftsmen, engineers.
She herself is a high-level weapons maker.
If we can tame her, it's like gaining an entire elite craftsmen corps for the family."
"Damn…"
Doflamingo didn't even know what to say.
No wonder she was so hard to kill—she could self-heal nonstop.
And what the hell was a pirate crew composed entirely of artisans?
Still… Barrett's proposal made sense.
The family did need craftsmen.
After thinking for a moment, Doflamingo withdrew his fist.
He left a Den Den Mushi and a member of the God's Guard to convey his conditions, then took Julian—who had been captured earlier—and left the area.
To be honest, now that he couldn't kill Scylla, Doflamingo was genuinely creeped out by the loving gaze she kept throwing at him.
His disgust toward her now far surpassed even Trebol wobbling his snot in front of him.
At an abandoned shipyard, Doflamingo sat cross-legged on the edge of a broken dock, overlooking Julian and the two humans tied up with rope.
"Speak.
You dragged Scylla toward me—what exactly are you going to offer to make up for that?"
Julian had known the group was trouble the moment he made his move, but he didn't expect them to be this terrifying.
Being able to flatten Scylla in an instant, and having subordinates strong enough to capture him effortlessly—combined with the crushing aura Doflamingo now radiated—made it hard for Julian even to breathe.
But given his situation, he knew there must be room to negotiate.
Otherwise he would already be dead.
So Julian decided to beg directly.
"This lord… my name is Kritos Julian.
I truly had no intention of offending you, but the situation was urgent and I had no better method.
I have nothing to compensate you with, but please—allow me to redeem my son first, and afterward I will offer my life to pay for my mistake.
I know it's unreasonable… but right now, I absolutely cannot die.
My son is being kept by the Flying Pirates as a hostage and forced to do labor.
If I die, he will surely die as well."
"Oh? The Flying Pirates?"
Doflamingo was genuinely surprised.
A fishman… being used by Shiki?
Sensing Doflamingo's interest in the Flying Pirates, Julian—though unwilling—realized this could be his lifeline and revealed his value with a trace of pride in his tone.
"Forgive me for boasting, but this great me possesses two special abilities.
First: I can reach any location on the Grand Line without needing a Log Pose.
Second: my swimming speed is extremely fast—sometimes even faster than communication via Den Den Mushi.
Lord Shiki values me precisely for these two talents.
This time, he sent me out to notify the scattered subsidiary fleets across the Four Seas and Grand Line to gather at the Eterwall Sea."
"…Eterwall Sea?"
Doflamingo's heart trembled.
Is the downfall of the Flying Pirates—the Eterwall Sea Battle—about to begin?!
If that was true, then he absolutely needed to get involved.
Not to stop anything—just to make Shiki owe him a favor.
Between brain-damaged Shiki with a rudder stuck in his head and complete Shiki, which one was more destructive?
Just imagining it made Doflamingo feel certain Shiki, at full strength, would absolutely not let the world stay peaceful.
"You mean you've already notified Shiki's fleets?
When did they set out?"
"It has already been ten days.
They should be reaching the Eterwall Sea any day now!" Julian replied.
(End of Chapter)
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