At Marine Headquarters, in Marineford, Fleet Admiral Kong sat in his chair, listening to Vice Admiral Tsuru's report on her recent mission.
Since the failed capture of Doflamingo, Vice Admiral Tsuru and her fleet had returned to Marineford.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, it is entirely my responsibility that Doflamingo escaped the Marine's pursuit. I disappointed you; I underestimated Doflamingo," Tsuru said, with a tone of self-reproach.
Hearing Tsuru, Fleet Admiral Kong magnanimously comforted her: "This is not your fault. You already did very well. Doflamingo is truly too cunning."
Fleet Admiral Kong's comfort seemed to have little effect, and Tsuru continued:
"Besides Doflamingo, the Donquixote Pirates have other formidable helpers. And this time, Doflamingo used the Knock-Up Stream to escape our pursuit. So far, we haven't found any trace of them. I don't believe he simply died. I assume he's hidden somewhere, gathering strength and waiting for the right moment to get revenge."
It must be said that Vice Admiral Tsuru clearly saw Doflamingo's intentions.
Sengoku, who had listened to the report, frowned, his face revealing concern.
A single Doflamingo was enough to disturb them. Although his current strength wasn't great, his identity as a World Noble made them cautious.
Fleet Admiral Kong also had a headache. Doflamingo's strength was already not bad, and now, with so many helpers, did he want to turn the world upside down? What irritated him even more was the constant pressure from the World Nobles. He thought that by sending Tsuru this time, success would be guaranteed, but Doflamingo proved so cunning that he unexpectedly managed to escape their grasp.
Fleet Admiral Kong remained in his chair, pondering for a moment, and then an idea struck him.
"Although we can't find Doflamingo's traces for now, if he's not dead yet, he will surely reappear. Give the order to all Marine bases to increase vigilance and watch out for the movements of the Donquixote Pirates. Also, offer bounties for the members of the Donquixote Pirates, dead or alive."
Vice Admiral Tsuru and Sengoku exchanged glances and agreed, as, for now, without knowing Doflamingo's whereabouts, it was difficult to take the next step.
Meanwhile, the protagonist the Marine was discussing, Doflamingo, had just begun his journey in Birka.
"Where could the Goro Goro no Mi be? In the forest? Or in the temple here?" Doflamingo thought to himself, as soon as he set foot on Birka's soil.
After all, Birka was neither big nor small. Such a small fruit would certainly go unnoticed. Enel was humiliated since childhood, so the highest probability of him finding the Goro Goro no Mi was in the forest, since, in his childhood, Enel often went hungry and undoubtedly picked fruits to eat. This can be inferred from the fact that, later, he liked apples.
Although Birka also had a god, it was unlikely that he wouldn't keep something so good in his own hands. There was a possibility that the fruit was with the god. Perhaps the god didn't care about Devil Fruits; after all, as a descendant of a god, how could he care about a demon's power? Doflamingo thought so, but still felt a little lost, not knowing where to start.
"So be it, one step at a time," Doflamingo quickly adjusted his emotions.
Everyone on the ship quickly disembarked; no one stayed to look after the vessel. This time, Doflamingo decided the whole group would attack. First, he needed to find Enel, use his power, and at the same time, explore the mystery of Birka.
"Trebol, Diamante, Pica, Vergo, you four, each with a team, look for a person. He has no wings like the other sky inhabitants, has a lady-like hairstyle, and probably wears a turban. Also, the most striking feature is his earlobes that reach his chest," Doflamingo instructed.
"Is there really such a person?"
"How strange, such long earlobes."
The subordinates, upon hearing Doflamingo, expressed curiosity and were soon led away by Diamante and the others.
"If there's a conflict with the sky inhabitants, you know what to do, right? After all, we are pirates! Fufufufu," Doflamingo showed a smile to those who hadn't gone far yet.
In a forest in Birka, there was a small, old shack, Enel's home. Few people visited the forest, and Enel lived there alone. Except when necessary, he generally didn't leave the forest. Most of the time, he trained alone in the forest. He wanted to gain power, he wanted revenge, he wanted to get revenge on those who mocked and discriminated against him.
But, although the forest was good, even if he fed on wild fruits, it wasn't enough to sustain his life. He had to go out to get some essential goods. Although the sky inhabitants discriminated against him and mocked him, the wingless monster, there were always some kind people who pitied him and gave him food and supplies. And if there were no kind people? He would steal! What could they do? Thus, Enel lived humbly for over ten years.
Every time he left the forest, he inevitably got beaten, mocked, and humiliated by his peers. They seemed tireless, and humiliating and beating Enel was their pastime. Each time they saw Enel in a deplorable state, with a bruised body, they felt satisfied. Furthermore, Enel didn't fight back, which only confirmed his title of "human punching bag."
Enel didn't know how many times, nor which was the hundredth time, but although he was beaten and covered in injuries, he found that his physical condition seemed to have improved, and the intense pain he felt before seemed increasingly light. This made Enel even like this training method. To learn to fight, one must first learn to take a beating. Enel implemented this idea well. Years of beatings didn't make him fearful, but rather made his body more resilient, and at the same time, his hatred in his heart deepened more and more.
Enel, who was once reclusive, now went out for walks every day, not only because of his Endless Land but also to always remember this humiliation and pain, reminding himself not to be negligent.
Today, Enel, as usual, was about to go to the market to get some things and, while he was at it, ask for directions to the Endless Land. But, unexpectedly, as soon as he left home, Enel was intercepted by those who used to bully him, inevitably resulting in another beating and humiliation.
"Enel, you monster, why did you come out so early today? What's wrong, are you still thinking about your Endless Land?"
"The Endless Land is not for monsters like you."
"That's right, that's right. We are descendants of God, Enel. You're a monster, an insignificant thing, and you still want to go to the Endless Land? It's hilarious!"
"You're not qualified! Look at your ugly appearance, aren't you a living monster? Hahaha!"
Hearing their mockery, Enel didn't respond to their words. The Endless Land was his dream, and he wouldn't give up, no matter the cost.
Enel's good mood instantly plummeted. He knew there was no escape.
"Alright, I hope you bring us different fun today."
"Let's begin."
Fists that didn't seem heavy knocked Enel to the ground. Enel didn't resist, just curled up with his hands on his head, allowing them to assault him.
"Squeak, squeak" sounds slowly approached, but Enel, who was being beaten, and the aggressors didn't notice.
Doflamingo walked alone in Birka, thinking about the most likely place Enel would be, and hastily headed for the forest.
He saw four winged Sky Island youths beating a wingless young man. They were so focused that they didn't even notice Doflamingo approaching.
Doflamingo stopped not far from them, observing everything, and thought with a hint of malice: "Undoubtedly, the one being beaten is Enel, isn't it? Oh, oh, the arrogant and haughty god from before, now he's truly in a terrible situation."
Although Doflamingo didn't care about the future arrogant and presumptuous god Enel, he had to admit Enel's strength. After all, Enel's talent was quite good. The most important thing is that the current Enel was a great foundation, much more talented than the people in his family. Including him in his group would be a good choice.
"Are you just going to stand there, doing nothing? Are you resigned? You coward!"
The sudden voice startled everyone. Enel's beating was interrupted, and everyone turned their gaze to Doflamingo, who was approaching step by step.
"Hey? Where did you come from, brat?"
"You're looking for death, kid!"
Doflamingo ignored the winged "birdmen" and continued to speak to Enel: "You clearly have the power to kill them, but you're afraid and dare not act. With such cowardice, do you still want revenge?"
Upon hearing Doflamingo's words, Enel released his hands from his head and opened his eyes to look at the newcomer. Short golden hair, sunglasses obscuring his gaze, a delicate face with a hint of regret, an unbuttoned white shirt revealing defined abs. The most crucial thing: he had no wings. Yes, no wings!
Enel was in shock, so much so that he forgot to reply, just staring blankly at Doflamingo.
"Hey! Look, he has no wings!"
"Another monster?"
"Hahaha, Enel, you have a companion!"
"Two monsters!"
Doflamingo ignored their words. He didn't expect the lack of wings to cause such a shock to Enel, so he had to speak again:
"Do you want revenge?"
"Do you want to be a coward?"