Bullet's concealed panic didn't escape Doflamingo's notice.
A smirk crept onto Doflamingo's lips, a mix between amusement and mockery.
"Of course I've got a gift for you."
As he spoke, he pointed toward a human stick suspended in mid-air.
Only then did Bullet realize that aside from the creepy horned man embedded in the ground, there was another—seemingly unconscious and bound like a totem.
Once he focused, he quickly noticed the gleaming scales on Kurozumi Orochi's body, and his eyes lit up.
"This is... a Zoan-type?"
"That's right. More precisely—Mythical Zoan, Yamata no Orochi form," Doflamingo said with a smile, adding casually,
"And this one's a plant-type Zoan user, totally devoid of self-awareness. Don't you want to try something new?"
"Mythical Zoan?"
A feral grin stretched across Bullet's face as he hoisted Kurozumi Orochi's limp form.
"Then I won't hold back!"
A surge of awakened purple light swept toward Orochi.
Though he had no consciousness, Orochi's body instinctively reacted to the Devil Fruit's influence, twitching violently in serpent form.
Resistance was futile.
The purple glow soon engulfed both Bullet and Orochi completely.
Moments later, a crystalline purple mass—like a massive egg—formed at the center of the lab.
"Looks like the fusion-based development of Devil Fruits is viable. Now we just have to see how long it'll take for Bullet to complete the process."
Doflamingo silently gave a thumbs-up in his heart to the crazy theorists from the forums in his previous life.
With both hands, he shot out a massive net that wrapped around the crystalline cocoon.
Time to move him to the no-man's zone.
If Bullet completed the fusion successfully, the first thing that madman would do would be to come fight him again.
Can't have that happening inside the lab.
Bang!
The door slammed open once more.
"Doffy! Doffy!"
Trebol burst in, his bloated body wobbling as he rushed in, his face filled with excitement.
"What's the big news, Trebol?"
Waving a freshly printed newspaper in his hand, Trebol shouted gleefully,
"Beh-hee-hee~ I'm tellin' ya, Doffy, you've got a new bounty!"
Though he hadn't slaughtered any civilians during his chaos in the North Blue, the World Government still slapped him with a well-deserved bounty.
But after his use of Seastone, the Government had no choice but to shut their barking mouths.
"Interesting."
Doflamingo smiled and eagerly took the paper, scanning the front page.
The first thing he saw were two contrasting images—
One showing the current state of Marine Base G8, and the other showing what it used to look like. The difference was stark.
Then came the bold headline:
"Emperor Raids the Marines – G8 Base Reduced to Rubble!!"
"Demon's Heir Joins the Battle – Fights Two Vice Admirals Alone!"
"Sengoku the Buddha's Fate Unknown – Possibly Slain by Doflamingo!!!"
...
From top to bottom, the headlines grew increasingly exaggerated, their factual basis gradually thinning.
But Doflamingo didn't mind.
That was exactly what he wanted.
Right now, public perception could be turned into real power.
After reading the sensationalized coverage, Doflamingo nodded in satisfaction and chuckled.
"Fufufufu~ Morgans did a fine job. Pay him the agreed fee."
"Yes, Doffy!"
And then came the final page—two shocking bounty posters.
Doflamingo – Dead or Alive – 4 Billion Belly!
Demon's Heir Bullet – Dead or Alive – 2.5 Billion Belly!
The photos were of their previous appearances.
Looking at them, Doflamingo suddenly remembered something he'd forgotten during the raid on G8.
A rare pang of regret surfaced.
"Sengoku, Sakazuki, Borsalino—when Tokikake died, their expressions were priceless... and I forgot to take pictures! What a shame."
...
Ruins of Marine Base G8
Warships were docked along the coast.
The once-proud Marines, returning from the South Blue, now walked with heavy steps, unable to meet each other's eyes without noticing the weight of defeat in them.
...
In the infirmary
Garp, his beard now completely white, looked down at the unconscious Sengoku lying in bed.
For once, guilt showed on his usually boisterous face.
He turned to the man by the window, remorseful.
"I came too late, Kong."
"This wasn't your fault. Who could've predicted Doflamingo would strike so suddenly?"
Kong stood with arms folded, gazing at the endless stars beyond the window, a trace of regret in his eyes.
"And besides... I was late too."
The Marines weren't only responsible for maintaining order across the Four Seas.
They were also charged with protecting Mary Geoise atop the Red Line.
But the World Government had always kept the Navy on a short leash—restrictions on troop expansion, limited mobilization.
Launching a full-scale assault on a Yonko in the New World was near-impossible.
Would there ever be another chance to catch Doflamingo alone?
...
"Kururururu... probably not."
Whitebeard, already infused with IV fluids aboard the Moby Dick, answered Marshall D. Teach's question with a laugh.
"Has there ever been a man as strong as Doflamingo in his twenties?"
"Even that brat Kaido was getting chased around by the Marines at that age!"
Even Edward Newgate—known as the World's Strongest Man—couldn't help but feel a tinge of emotion as he stared at the rising sun on the horizon.
He didn't know if it was simply that he'd grown old...
...or if the times were truly moving on.
He, an old relic, might really be falling behind in this new era.
These young men... were getting more terrifying by the day.
Sensing Whitebeard's melancholy, Thatch ran up and grinned.
"Old man, that Celestial Demon guy's nothing. If he ever crossed your path, he'd have been squashed like a bug."
The other division commanders chimed in:
"Exactly!"
"You're still the strongest, Pops!"
"Sengoku must be getting old—he can't even handle a nobody!"
...
Amid the noisy chatter, the future Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach, stood motionless.
He couldn't hear a word anymore.
Right now, he was questioning his entire worldview—his thoughts a swirling chaos.
"Was the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia I read back then... fake?"
"Old man's the strongest human. Kaido's the strongest creature."
"BIG MOM has soul manipulation. Doflamingo's a once-in-a-century monster."
"Out of the four, three are Paramecia... and only one is a Mythical Zoan."
"Don't tell me... the strongest Devil Fruits aren't Logia... but Paramecia?"
...
Ryugu Palace
A fierce argument echoed through the coral halls.
Neptune and Otohime were locked in heated debate.
"Otohime, I absolutely cannot allow this reckless idea! Even if you're worried about Tiger and the others, you cannot follow them to an unknown Sky Island!"
Neptune tried to contain his rage. This concerned his wife's safety—he couldn't just let it go.
After coming home crying last night, Otohime had insisted on taking their people and following Tiger to the Sky Island.
Otohime explained stubbornly,
"How is it unknown? Señor Pink has already shown us what it looks like!"
"That could easily be faked! What if your people become slaves? What about Manboshi and Ryuboshi?"
Neptune couldn't believe that someone like Doflamingo—a man who stirred up the entire sea—could possibly be a benevolent ruler.
But Otohime shook her head, trusting what her Observation Haki had sensed. Her large, glistening eyes stared into Neptune's.
"Believe me, Neptune. I felt it—those people in the recording weren't faking their joy."
"That is the dream home for Fishmen and merfolk!"
"We can leave Fukaboshi here at the palace. Once I confirm everything is safe on Sky Island, I'll bring the rest over."
Neptune, overwhelmed by her stubbornness, could only sigh and propose a compromise.
"If there truly are those among our people who wish to go with Tiger...then I, as their king, will go with them."
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg