Sea Train Log.
Sea Calendar – July…
26th Experiment.
Sixth reconstruction of the main body of the Sea Train.
Once again, the buoy track was destroyed by a Sea King.
Fishman Tom suffered a fractured left leg, while his assistants, Franky and Iceburg, sustained minor injuries.
[Image 1]
[Diagram of the sixth version of the Sea Train's main body.]
[Diagram of the 26th version of the buoy track.]
Material list for this experiment: Steel...
...
Reading every word of the log, Gladius couldn't quite describe his feelings.
Inside the room—
The junior overseer had left, and Tesoro let out a long breath of relief.
Without hesitation, he pulled Stella into his arms. She responded by wrapping her arms around his back.
Both seemed intent on melding into one another.
Looking at Stella's flushed face, Tesoro leaned in toward her soft lips—
"Gulu gulu gulu gulu."
"Damn it!"
Cursing under his breath, Tesoro quickly grabbed the pink Den Den Mushi.
"Moshi moshi. Tesoro, how's the first God of Gambling Tournament going?"
"Boss, there are still some registrations left to be reviewed, but brawls have broken out at nearly every sign-up location.
However, the people you're looking for—one blind man, one old hag, and an idiot—"
Tesoro trailed off, realizing what he was about to say.
How was a blind man supposed to gamble?
And how had those three even survived the initial bloodbath of the registration process?
Doflamingo, however, remained unconcerned. He chuckled and gave his orders.
"Fuffuffuffu… No need to worry. Those three are all dangerous figures."
"I'm counting on you, Tesoro. Personally review every application."
"Once this is over, you'll have yourself a vacation."
Hearing the keyword vacation, Tesoro perked up immediately.
"Boss, I'll handle it perfectly."
Click!
This gambling tournament had originally been arranged for Miss Buckin and her son.
But as fate would have it, a certain blind admiral—who also happened to be a notorious gambler—was attending.
Killing two birds with one stone.
As for why Tesoro had to personally review the applicants?
Doflamingo's drawing skills were atrocious, and with the Rocks Pirates having been gone for decades, he had no way of finding Miss Buckin's old bounty poster.
He had to rely on vague memories of her face for identification.
And in this world, facial recognition was a surprisingly difficult skill.
But Tesoro was different—one of the rare geniuses.
In the darkness, Doflamingo stroked his chin in contemplation.
"If that old hag Buckin shows up, I'll send her straight to her captain."
"As for Fujitora, that so-called 'merciful' admiral, he's proven himself willing to slaughter civilians for the World Government."
"His morals are flexible. I'll try recruiting him first."
"But if that fails, I'll have to take him out early. The Gravity Fruit is just as much of a threat to Skypiea as the Float-Float Fruit."
"Weaken the Navy. The sooner, the better."
...
Loguetown
"Your name is Miss Buckin, correct?"
Having just witnessed Weevil's devastating sword strike, a bronze-ranked Donquixote Family member immediately adopted a respectful attitude.
"That's right."
"Will this gentleman be signing up?"
"No need."
"Understood!"
"Please follow me for a photo."
Miss Buckin frowned. Her years as a pirate made her instinctively suspicious of such requests.
The receptionist noticed and quickly explained, eager to avoid an unfortunate demise.
"Please don't misunderstand! This is just to prevent fraud in case you win."
"Hmph. Fine, then."
"Alrighty!"
Click!
"Registration complete. There's a free room available for you in the back."
The receptionist bowed respectfully, handing over the name tag.
Even the dumbest men had their preferences.
Weevil, staring at the generous view before him, sniffled uncontrollably.
"Mama, I'm hungry."
"Let's go, my good son."
As the mother and son duo departed, the receptionist massaged her temples, frustrated by the meager number of participants today.
They were paid on commission, after all.
Hopefully, no more overly violent applicants showed up in the next two days.
With that thought, she sent the newly taken photos over to Sabaody.
...
Skypiea
"Huff! Ha!"
"Huff! Ha!"
"..."
"What an awful sound."
Still half-dazed, Enel snapped awake.
He shifted his limbs, wrapped tightly in plaster and bandages.
Turning his body into plasma, he effortlessly slipped free of his cocoon-like restraints.
Floating in the air, he looked toward the source of the noise.
There, tightly bound in Seastone chains, was Douglas Bullet, struggling through grueling push-ups.
Enel's pupils contracted.
He had trained with Seastone before.
He knew exactly how much harder it made any physical effort.
Taking an apple from his bedside, he bit into it leisurely before approaching Bullet with a smirk.
"Bwahaha! Bullet, look at you now!"
Bullet scoffed, not even sparing him a glance.
"Pathetic lightning brat. If I had your fruit, I'd already be the world's strongest."
Enel's face darkened.
Thinking back to how he had barely managed to survive and return to Skypiea, he couldn't help but pull a ridiculous expression.
"Got your ass beat by the Young Master, huh?"
Bullet's face twisted in rage, his roar shaking the entire sky island.
"Kill me! Kill me! Tell Doflamingo to kill me instead of locking me up in this damn place!!!"
"Hahahaha! Bullet, you look so stupid right now!"
Finishing off his apple, Enel laughed with his hands behind his head.
"If you wanna die, just do it yourself. But you won't, will you?"
"You lost to the Young Master and can't accept it."
"Hehehehe, you'll never beat him."
"You might as well sit tight and wait for him to deal with you!"
Bullet gritted his teeth so hard it was a wonder they didn't shatter. His eyes burned with fury.
"Enel, you deserve to die!!!"
...
"Fuffuffuffu, Young Master, that's the spirit."
The Den Den Mushi perfectly captured Enel's mocking laughter.
"Enel, next time you fight Bullet, be careful."
Enel's smile froze.
"Next time? Isn't he supposed to be a test subject?!"
"Too wasteful. I've decided to host a family battle royale. Everyone will be bound in Seastone."
"And your first opponent? Bullet."
"N-no need for that, Young Master."
On the other end, cold sweat dripped down Enel's forehead.
Bullet's monstrous physique... Who could possibly beat that guy?
"Fuffuffuffu, it's already decided."
Enel's joy and laughter didn't disappear—it simply transferred onto Doflamingo's face.
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