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"Hah… hah… hah…"
Even though Dan's stamina had improved massively compared to before—and he was deliberately holding himself at the seventh gate—one full round of fighting still left him completely winded.
At least now he was just panting and sweating,not collapsing like before, weak as a kitten and out cold for days afterward.
[Ding!] Detected: Host has successfully defeated two characters of Warlord-level power (Donquixote Doflamingo, Gild Tesoro).
Mission complete!
Congratulations!
You've received the reward:
Skill — Special Beam Cannon! Special Beam Cannon: Concentrate your body's energy into your fingertips and unleash a spiraling beam powerful enough to pierce anything. Consumes stamina and Conqueror's Haki. Use with caution.
"Huh?"
Dan's dark eyes lit up.
Special Beam Cannon? Wait—wasn't that Piccolo's signature move from Dragon Ball?
Even Saiyans couldn't tank that blast!In the One Piece world? It'd be absolutely broken!
And the system description said it could pierce anything.Those four words alone spelled mass destruction.
Plus, it used stamina and Haki, not like the Eight Gates that drained him half to death.Now that's a good deal.
A smug little grin spread across Dan's small face.
From now on, fights would go like this:summon Susanoo as a shield, hide behind it, charge up a Special Beam Cannon—one shot, one kill. Perfect plan.
While Dan was gleefully daydreaming about all the ways to abuse his new toy—
"Please! Don't kill our young master!""We beg you, Lord Drought! Lord Dan!"
The wails snapped him back to reality.
Jack the Drought was stalking forward, massive ivory scimitar in hand, eyes full of murderous intent, heading straight for the half-dead Doflamingo buried in the rubble.
The remnants of the Donquixote Family—Pica, Sugar, Gladius, and the rest—were bawling like kids, pleading desperately.
Trebol, oozing slime all over the ground, was sobbing so hard his nose ran down his chin."Behahahaha! Lord Demon Child! Lord Drought! Please spare our young master! We'll trade all our artificial Devil Fruits—every last one—for his life!"
Jack snorted. "Who the hell wants your fake garbage? I'm cutting this flamingo freak in half to avenge Lord Dan!"
He raised his blade high—
"Oh."
The soft, childlike voice stopped him cold.
Jack froze mid-swing, blinking in confusion. "Lord Dan?"
Dan waved a tiny hand."Deal."
Artificial Devil Fruits counted as Devil Fruits too, right?Perfect for his side quest: "Consume two different Devil Fruits."
No reason to turn down a free delivery.
Jack wasn't happy about letting Doflamingo live, but if Dan said the word, he obeyed.He shot Doflamingo one last murderous glare and sheathed his weapon.
"Thank you, Lord Demon Child!"The Donquixote officers cheered like they'd just been pardoned from death row and scrambled to haul out crates of artificial fruits from the factory.
Amid the ruins, Doflamingo and Gild Tesoro slowly regained consciousness.
The moment they opened their eyes and saw that tiny figure floating midair—that adorable, doll-like monster—both men flinched hard enough to nearly pass out again.
To them, that child was more terrifying than any ancient beast.
"Y-Young master! You're alive!" Trebol crawled over in a panic.
Doflamingo coughed up blood, voice hoarse. "Still breathing…"
He forced his head up and met Dan's gaze—eyes filled with fear… and a sting of humiliation.
Trebol whispered quickly, explaining the deal he'd made to save him.
When Doflamingo heard it, his vision went dark.
Those SMILE fruits were his lifeline—his main funding source and leverage for expansion!Now he had to hand them over for free?Not just a loss—an utter disaster!
But what could he do?Say no?Not unless he wanted another fist through his chest.
Sometimes, you just had to bow your head under the roof.
Dan ignored Doflamingo's grief-stricken expression.He turned that round little face toward Tesoro instead.
"Money."
The single soft word carried the weight of a command.
Tesoro stiffened, forcing a smile uglier than crying."N-no problem, Lord Demon Child! Name your price—whatever you want!"
He had plenty of money, after all.If spending some kept him alive, fine.
Dan raised one chubby finger.
Tesoro's eyelid twitched. "…One… billion Berries?"
Dan shook his head.
Tesoro's heart sank. Don't tell me—ten billion?
That stung, but still survivable. "Ten billion Berries! I'll have it ready right away!"
Dan shook his head again, puffing his cheeks. Then he said, calmly—
"One hundred billion."
"Pffft—!"
Tesoro nearly spat blood.
A hundred billion?!Why not just rob me outright—oh wait, he is robbing me!
Gasps echoed all around.
One hundred billion Berries!The little demon was bleeding the Golden Emperor dry!
Jack and the Beasts Pirates behind him gawked, eyes wide.One hundred billion!Lord Dan really didn't hold back.
But… damn, that was slick.
Even Doflamingo, hearing that number, suddenly felt a little better.Compared to that, losing his SMILE stockpile didn't hurt quite as much.
At least now someone else was bleeding harder than he was.
"..."
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