Cherreads

Chapter 31 - "The Demon Child's Awakening"

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Boom! Boom! BOOM!!!

Doflamingo's relentless barrage showed no sign of stopping. Each strike carried enough power to level a mountain, every hit infused with the fury of the Heavenly Yaksha himself.

He refused to believe it—

that brat's defense couldn't possibly be infinite!

Crack—

In the midst of another brutal "God's Execution," a faint but distinct sound echoed through the chaos. Doflamingo froze mid-swing, his eyes—hidden behind shattered lenses—snapping to the source.

A tiny fracture had appeared across the chest of the faint blue skeleton.

"It… it's working?!"

His heart pounded wildly. Hope flared like a spark in dry tinder. With renewed madness, he jerked his hands, threads whipping faster than ever. Like a flood bursting through a dam, his awakened strings tore at the crack with merciless fury.

Crack! Crack-crack!

The fissure spread, branching like spiderwebs until the entire blue skeleton was riddled with glowing fractures.

"Lord Dan!"

From afar, Jack and the Beasts Pirates tensed, hearts pounding. Faces once ferocious now twisted with fear.

"Hahaha! Yes! It's working!"

"The brat's shell is breaking!"

"For Lord Diamante—avenge him, Young Master!"

The Donquixote Family erupted, their terror washed away in a wave of triumphant cheers. Even the underground kingpins watching from the sidelines exhaled in relief.

Finally, it seemed—this little monster wasn't invincible after all.

Then, with a deafening BOOM, the blue skeleton shattered completely. Shards of ethereal light scattered like stardust before fading into the air.

"YES!!!"

The Donquixote Family roared in victory. Doflamingo stood hunched and panting, sweat glistening in his blond hair, a twisted grin spreading across his face.

"Fufufufu… brat, it's over."

"This is the price for defying Donquixote Doflamingo!"

Jack's massive frame trembled, his expression frozen in horror.

"Lord Dan!!"

And then—

silence.

Every cheer died.

Every smile stiffened.

Every pair of eyes shrank in shock.

Because within that fading blue light—

around the tiny figure in a pair of baby split pants—

new light began to gather.

One… two… hundreds of glowing motes swirled in, forming once more that same skeletal armor—stronger, brighter, more terrifying than before.

Not a scratch.

If anything… even more solid.

The entire harbor fell into dead silence. You could've heard a pin drop.

The Donquixote executives' faces froze mid-celebration, their gaping mouths and bulging eyes almost comical. Even Doflamingo's grin turned to stone, the color draining from his face.

"Im… impossible…" he rasped, voice dry, shaking with disbelief.

"What kind of Devil Fruit power is that?!"

Golden Emperor Tesoro instinctively stepped back, golden eyes wide with shock.

Then, the Beasts Pirates erupted again, wilder than ever.

"Wororororo! Lord Dan is unbeatable!"

"I knew it! He's the strongest!"

"Invincible! Lord Dan can't be stopped!"

Suspended within the new blue armor, Dan's expression remained calm—utterly still. The child raised one small, glowing hand and brushed imaginary dust from his chest. Then his dark eyes met Doflamingo's trembling gaze.

His soft, childish voice cut through the silence.

"Condition."

"Agree."

Doflamingo's whole body shuddered. That calm stare sent ice crawling up his spine.

This kid's defense—it was a bottomless abyss.

Every attack, every technique… a joke in comparison.

Panic and pride battled inside him. To keep fighting meant certain death.

But surrender? In front of all these underworld kings?

To a kid in open-crotch pants?!

Unthinkable.

His voice came out hoarse, defiant.

"Brat… don't push your luck."

"The Donquixote Family isn't something you can toy with!"

"Even if you're Kaido's son—if I go all out—!"

He was still talking. Still bluffing.

But Dan had no patience left.

His tiny brow twitched.

"Yiya."

A whisper—soft, almost cute.

Then—

BOOOOM!!!

An overwhelming wave of power erupted from his small body, a force so massive it split the air and shook the island.

"Seventh Gate—Gate of Shock… OPEN!"

His childish voice hit like a thunderclap, a death knell echoing in every ear. The energy pouring from him was cataclysmic; blue steam roared around the skeleton, engulfing him completely.

All of Dressrosa trembled.

The docks split apart in violent cracks.

Even the sky dimmed, as if the world itself feared what was coming.

Doflamingo's signature sunglasses shattered under the pressure, shards raining from his face to reveal eyes wide with primal terror.

"T-this… this is the aura of an Admiral!"

Tesoro could barely keep his footing, golden pupils trembling. The underworld bosses quaked where they stood, too terrified to move.

Above them floated Dan—small, calm, divine and demonic all at once.

And in that moment, everyone finally remembered why he was called—

Dan, the Demon Child.

"..."

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