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Dressrosa, at the docks.
The air was thick, almost choking, with tension sharp enough to taste—gunpowder and bloodlust hanging invisible over the waves.
Doflamingo arrived with his family executives in tow, flanked by Tezoro, the Golden Emperor, and several of the underworld's most notorious figures.
And there, looming before them like a living fortress, was Jack the Drought—his hulking frame casting a shadow as heavy as the warship shaped like a monstrous mammoth that loomed behind him.
But what caught everyone's eye wasn't Jack.
It was the tiny figure at his feet.
A toddler in split-crotch pants, cheeks like carved jade, wide black eyes staring curiously at the world.
The Demon Child—Dan.
Behind the tinted lenses of his sunglasses, Doflamingo's gaze locked on the baby. His lips were curved in that familiar, eerie grin, but the wild, manic edge had dulled, replaced with something sharper—caution.
"Fufufufufu… Jack, you idiot. You've really got the guts to bring trouble to my Dressrosa?"
Jack's bloodshot eyes flared like a beast being goaded. His roar split the air.
"Doflamingo! You damn pink-feathered flamingo!"
"SMILE prices up twenty percent?! How many lives do you think you've got to dare try that on me?!"
"Either you fix this, or I'll tear your whole rotten island apart!"
Each word landed like a hammer, the stone beneath his boots cracking wider with every syllable. His killing intent pressed down like a physical weight, forcing even seasoned pirates to grit their teeth. Behind him, Kaido's Beast Pirates drew weapons, ready to turn the docks into a battlefield at the slightest spark.
Tezoro's brow twitched and he subtly edged half a step back. The underworld bosses exchanged grim looks.
Doflamingo's grin stayed plastered on, but his eyes narrowed. He adjusted his sunglasses with a flick of one long finger.
"Fufufufu… your shouting doesn't scare me, Jack."
"As for the price hike…" His voice slowed, sliding into a drawl. His gaze swept over Jack—then lingered on the baby, who was still silently hovering near the mammoth's massive legs, taking everything in with innocent curiosity.
"In deference to Boss Kaido… and to this young little master here…" Doflamingo deliberately emphasized those words.
"We'll drop the increase. Price stays the same."
Jack's rage eased slightly, shoulders lowering.
"Hmph. You'd better know your place."
But Doflamingo wasn't finished.
"However… fufufufu… orders have been stacking up. Factory production's falling behind."
"The next batch of SMILEs… I'm afraid delivery will be delayed."
He spread his hands in mock helplessness, the smirk on his face practically daring Jack to react.
"How long? Well… who can say? Three months? Six? Maybe a year?"
"WHAT?!"
Veins bulged across Jack's forehead, fury boiling back over.
"You bastard—you think you can screw me over like this?!"
"Not raising the price but delaying delivery—it's the same damn thing!"
"I'll gut you where you stand!"
His massive twin scimitars flashed into his grip, the sheer murderous aura flooding the docks like a tidal wave. His crew roared with him, weapons gleaming, bloodlust overflowing.
At once, Doflamingo's officers moved into formation. Pica's towering stone body loomed up as a shield, Diamante's eyes gleamed with hostility, and blades whispered out of sheaths.
The dock trembled with the weight of imminent war.
And then—
"Yah."
A soft, milky voice cut through the storm. Clear, simple.
The single sound hit like ice water over a bonfire. Jack's fury evaporated in an instant. His scimitars froze mid-swing.
From behind him, the tiny figure floated up, weightless, until his little body hovered in the air—face to face with Doflamingo.
"Dan…" Jack's growling voice softened into something almost… obedient. His expression shifted, the raging beast replaced by a strangely docile servant.
Everyone on Doflamingo's side gawked. Eyes bulged.
What the hell?!
This was Jack the Drought—Kaido's walking calamity, the beast who could level nations on a whim, the pirate who even fought admirals head-on.
Stopped cold… by a baby's coo?
And not just stopped—he looked like he wanted to bow.
For the first time, Doflamingo's grin twitched stiffly. Behind the sunglasses, his pupils contracted.
This kid… was dangerous.
Tezoro's golden eyes narrowed, suspicion gnawing at him. The other crime lords dared not even breathe too loudly.
Floating there, Dan's black eyes fixed calmly on Doflamingo. His tiny mouth puffed slightly.
"Fighting… not good," he said softly, words mushy but carrying a strange, absolute weight.
"We… are civilized people."
"No… hitting. No… breaking."
One of Doflamingo's officers couldn't hold it in—snorted a laugh. But Pica's murderous glare silenced him instantly, leaving him pale and shaking.
Doflamingo clapped slowly, theatrically.
"Fufufufu… well said! Beautifully said! No wonder you're Kaido's son. Such insight at such a young age!"
"Yes, yes, fighting is so barbaric. We're civilized, aren't we?" His grin sharpened. "Then tell me, little master… how do you think we should resolve this?"
Jack's fists clenched nervously, waiting on Dan's judgment like it was law.
The child frowned faintly, as if deep in thought. Then he raised one pudgy hand and pointed a chubby finger at Doflamingo.
"Lower price."
The words dropped like stones into silence.
Doflamingo blinked. His smirk faltered.
"…Lower the price? Fufufufu… surely you're joking, little master?"
His officers traded incredulous looks. Was this brat serious? Forget avoiding a hike—now he wanted a discount?!
But Dan only shook his head, dead serious. He held up two tiny fingers.
"Twenty percent."
The dock went dead quiet.
Even Doflamingo's composure cracked, voice rising.
"Twenty percent OFF?!"
Was this a negotiation or a robbery?!
"Kid, don't push it!" Diamante snapped.
"Shut up!" Jack roared, his glare enough to make Diamante shrink back, pale.
Dan ignored them all. His dark eyes never left Doflamingo's.
"Also… earlier delivery."
"Every box… delivered."
Each word was childishly soft, but the tone was final—unyielding, sharp enough to cut steel.
Doflamingo's smile had vanished entirely now, replaced with cold calculation. His gaze drilled into the baby, but Dan didn't flinch.
This brat meant it.
A twenty percent discount.
On-time, full delivery.
It was like carving the flesh straight off his bones.
"Little master… don't you think those terms are a bit too much?" Doflamingo's voice rasped low, strained.
But Dan's cherubic face stayed blank, eyes black and fathomless as a winter lake.
The air itself seemed to freeze solid. Every gaze on the dock was fixed on the unlikely standoff—one of the underworld's most feared emperors against a floating toddler.
And just as Doflamingo braced himself, thinking he'd heard the final demand—
Dan spoke again.
This time, the baby's soft voice carried an edge of pure ice.
"Otherwise…"
He tilted his head slightly, a small, eerie smile twisting his doll-like features.
"Dressrosa…"
"…doesn't need to exist."
BOOM!
The words detonated into reality as a tidal wave of raw, overwhelming Conqueror's Haki exploded from Dan's tiny body, crashing over the docks like a storm of kings.
"..."
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