The distress call from the royal family of Flevance, following Rosinante's attack, had already reached Pangaea Castle.
The Five Elders, long tormented by Doflamingo, exchanged glances, unexpectedly sharing the same calm thought.
That's it? Compared to his damn brother, he's practically an obedient child.
"The people of Flevance cannot be saved. That nation is doomed to destruction."
"Even before the lead-plague settles in the air, the land itself is already a wasteland. We've extracted enough profit from the amber lead mines—why not wipe out the royal family along with the rest of Flevance?"
"Agreed."
"Seco—"
Gururururu!
A snail transponder suddenly rang.
They had just been talking about a madman, and now the madman had arrived.
The Five Elders exchanged wary looks.
"Moshi moshi, it's been a while. I assume word of my useless little brother's actions has already reached you?"
"Enough with the small talk." The sword-bearing Elder cut straight to the point. "What do you want?"
Lying lazily amidst the floating clouds of an island, Doflamingo watched as Zoffy and Ace brawled in the distance, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
"Fufufufufu, no need to be so tense. I'm sure you wouldn't want the truth about Flevance to spread to the world, would you?"
Before the Five Elders could erupt in anger, he continued,
"Everyone in Flevance is doomed anyway. Conveniently, my foolish Onii-chan takes after my father—he wants to die alongside them."
Hearing this, the Five Elders gave a slight nod.
Indeed, foolish. If only Doflamingo had never lost his status and had instead been nurtured, he would've made a fine successor to the Five Elders.
"So? What's your point?"
"I have a mutually beneficial proposal. Since Flevance is worthless now that the amber lead mines are exhausted, why not let me take care of my dear brother? Let me buy it."
Buy?
The Five Elders glanced at each other and nodded.
"With what?"
"Seastone."
"The lead-plague won't spread to the ocean. And the royal family?"
"Well-fed livestock exist to be slaughtered, don't they?"
"And the spoils?"
"I have no interest in money. This is simply to fulfill my dear brother's dream."
"..."
Click!
Doflamingo hung up the transponder snail and turned to another one, frozen in shock.
"Rosinante, do you understand what true salvation is now?"
"I understand, Brother."
Standing motionless, Rosinante gave a dull nod.
He deactivated the soundproof barrier that had been muting the desperate cries of Flevance's King V.
Immediately, a furious voice echoed through the grand hall.
"You motherf— THE WORLD GOVERNMENT SOLD ME OUT?! YOU FIVE OLD BASTARDS JUST SOLD ME OFF—WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?!"
Doflamingo's eyebrows twitched in irritation.
"Hmph. That idiot of a king can stay for now. Once the new ruling family takes over the palace guards, you can deal with him. For now, pull out his tongue. If you can't bring yourself to do it, I'll kill that family of doctors you're trying to save."
Hearing this, King V of Flevance struggled to turn around, pressing his forehead against Rosinante's boot.
"No—Sir Rosinante, please, we're friends, aren't we? I personally granted you your noble title—"
Standing at nearly four meters tall, Rosinante lifted the bloated king like a pig ready for slaughter.
Then, for the first time, he smiled—one eerily similar to Doflamingo's.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
The king's shrill screams pierced the air.
Yet, not a single sound escaped Rosinante's massive soundproof barrier.
Listening to this beautiful melody, Doflamingo smiled in satisfaction as he hung up the call.
If Rosinante still can't handle Flevance after this… he might as well die.
Casting a glance at the brats who had finished their sparring, Doflamingo turned and flew toward the laboratory.
...
"Ugh… my head hurts. My jaw hurts. My back—why does my back feel like it got crushed by a boulder?"
On a hospital bed inside the laboratory, Moria groaned in pain as he regained consciousness.
He blinked up at the unfamiliar ceiling, the faint scent of gas lingering in the air.
"Where… am I?"
His forehead, jaw, and cheeks throbbed, as if they had been shattered. The pain scrambled his thoughts, making it impossible to think straight.
For nearly half an hour, he sat in a daze, waiting for the pain to subside. Finally, memories of what happened started coming back.
"I remember now… my handsome face! Damn that bastard Bullet!"
Moria clenched his fists.
That lunatic had invaded illegally, and he had fought alongside Enel against him. But beyond that, his memories were fuzzy—except for one thing.
Bullet had been insanely jealous of his handsome face.
Punch after punch, the bastard had beaten him senseless.
But… how was he still alive?
That man wasn't the type to spare an enemy.
Gurgle…
A sudden hunger pang interrupted his thoughts.
His stomach growled in protest, forcing him to put his confusion aside and search for food.
The commotion alerted the guards at the door. Moments later, a group of muscular men burst into the room, surrounding his bed in excitement.
"Captain Moria, you're finally awake!"
"Waaah! Thank god! I thought we lost you, Captain!"
"As expected of Lord Moria! Your sturdy body is as resilient as ever!"
His crew cheered, overwhelmed with emotion.
Meanwhile, Moria's recovering brain felt like it was being fried over a fire.
Veins bulging, he roared, "SHUT UP! What the hell happened after I passed out?! And more importantly—WHERE'S MY FOOD?!"
Before long, Moria was gulping down milk, his expression complicated.
Not only had he failed this time, but he had ended up being saved by Doflamingo.
How the hell was he supposed to betray him after this?
"Ugh, shut up already, you onion-headed idiot."
Pfft!
Moria spat out his milk.
"BULLET?!"
Only now did he realize that there were three more hospital beds in the room.
Enel, Diamante, and Bullet—each of them was wrapped in thick bandages from head to toe. Their limbs were even in casts, looking like mummified corpses.
But Bullet had the most special treatment.
Not only were his arms and legs shackled with seastone chains, but even his bed was made entirely of seastone.
Seeing Bullet in the same miserable state he had once been in, Moria broke into an ugly laugh.
"Kehehehehehe! Looks like you got humiliated by Doflamingo too, huh?! How does it feel to fail?!"
"That's right, Captain Moria! If Lord Doflamingo hadn't spared his pathetic life, he'd already be rotting in hell with Roger!"
"Kehehe! Too bad! So sad! Can't hit me now, can you?"
"..."
"You bastards… how dare you humiliate me like this…"
Bullet's bloodshot eyes burned with fury as he yanked on his chains, the seastone shackles groaning under the pressure. Fresh blood seeped through his bandages from the reopened wounds.
"Fufufufu… quite the lively energy."
Amused by the spectacle, Doflamingo finally stepped into the room.
The moment he entered, silence fell.
Except for Bullet—who only grew more frenzied.
Eyes blazing, he roared, "DOFLAMINGO! KILL ME! JUST KILL ME!!!"
"No rush. Stay right there, trapped in your bindings, and think about how to get stronger."
With a flick of his finger, Doflamingo sent a gag ball flying into Bullet's mouth.
"And then… wait for your next failure."
-----------
(For each review +1 additional chapter)
+277 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg