It was thrilling. The fact that Doflamingo still remembered her after all this time was absurd—and all because she had run her mouth that day.
Although Amano An found his territory wild and exhilarating, she knew deep down that joining him would be asking for trouble. As she tried to come up with an excuse to deflect his offer, the door burst open and a childish voice chirped from the hallway.
"Young Master, there's a pirate outside asking for an audience!"
It was Dellinger's voice—bright, high, and impossibly cute.
Amano couldn't resist her sinful impulse; her hand darted out and pinched his baby-soft cheek.
"Hey? Is this horn real? I thought it was just decoration! Are you a fishman? No, wait—half-fishman, maybe?"
The little hybrid's face flushed as Amano laughed, entirely distracted by his cuteness. The Donquixote Family really did have quite the eccentric lineup.
While Amano teased Dellinger and Baby 5, she deliberately ignored the commotion outside. Pirates begging to join Doflamingo's crew weren't exactly a novelty. But their voices were loud—gratingly loud—and soon impossible to ignore.
When she finally turned to look, Amano blinked.
Why did those faces look familiar?
Before she could piece it together, the newcomers had already introduced themselves, declaring that they wanted to join the Donquixote Pirates.
"Heh heh heh… and where do you think you're crawling in from?" Trebol sneered, snot dribbling as always. "The Young Master doesn't need gutter trash hanging around."
His tone toward them was worlds apart from how he'd addressed Amano earlier. In his eyes, these fools were just insects waiting to be squashed.
But Bellamy, the loudest of the bunch, didn't back down.
"Where were you born?" Diamante asked, hand resting lazily on the hilt of his sword.
"We're from Notice Town!" Bellamy shouted, eyes blazing with pride.
"That's a rich town," Doflamingo finally spoke, his low voice cutting through the chatter like a blade. "Why leave it?"
"It's boring there!" Bellamy's excitement grew with every word. "The Donquixote Family is the pride of the North Blue! We want to be pirates like you! Not weaklings who just dream about it—we'll make it real!"
Amano let out a quiet sigh, lowering her gaze back to Dellinger, whose tiny horn was once again the victim of her curious fingers.
Another bunch of brats, she thought. I remember how this one ends… petty, loud, and too proud for their own good. Didn't Luffy knock this idiot out with a single punch later?
Still, before she could roll her eyes, Doflamingo chuckled.
"I can lend you my name," he said coolly, "but if you lose—return it immediately."
"Really?" Bellamy's grin stretched from ear to ear. "That's amazing!"
No one dared to question Doflamingo's decision. No one except Amano.
"Are you that bored?" she muttered. Her tone wasn't sharp, just exasperated—but the jab was clear.
Bellamy's head snapped toward her, his smile faltering. He didn't recognize her, and his expression darkened—until he realized she was a small, young-looking woman.
Another kid? he thought, frowning. Why are there so many children in this crew?
But before he could open his mouth, Doflamingo's lazy drawl interrupted.
"Don't be rude to my Corazon," he said with a smirk. "She's family."
"I am not!" Amano snapped immediately, her voice rising. "Stop saying that—I'm not one of you!"
"Or maybe," Doflamingo said, setting down his wineglass, his grin widening, "you were just teasing me when you said you'd consider joining."
Thin threads of light shimmered at his fingertips.
The air changed.
Everyone in the room took an instinctive step back. Trebol even leaned toward Bellamy and whispered, "Kid, you'd better move unless you wanna die."
Amano's eyes widened. "Hey, hey! Don't you know what 'I'll consider it' means? It's a polite no! Why do men like you take that as encouragement?"
But it was too late.
"Bullet String!"
A sharp, compressed thread shot from Doflamingo's index finger, fast enough to pierce bone.
The impact rang out—ding, ding!—as the projectile struck something invisible and stopped dead. Amano's eyes gleamed.
"You're no fun at all," she sighed, her tone dry. "Guess we're doing this."
Haki rippled over her skin like obsidian armor. If this were a comic, her body would be entirely blackened from head to toe.
Her small fist shot forward—clean, precise, devastating—straight for Doflamingo's face.
"Overheat Whip!"
Dozens of transparent strings burst from Doflamingo's palm, weaving into a massive whip that sliced through everything it touched. The moment the two forces collided, the air exploded.
The shockwave tore through the street, shattering nearby walls and sending dust flying into the air.
"Young Master, wait!" Buffalo shouted, scooping up Baby 5 and Dellinger as his propellers roared to life. "Hold on tight, Baby 5!"
"Run! Dellinger's crying!" she yelled, clutching the boy in her arms. Then, looking down at the chaos below, she gasped, "Is she okay?!"
"How could she not be?" Buffalo gritted out, struggling against the violent winds. "Who is this woman? Is she the one who's been stirring up trouble before? No wonder the Young Master's furious!"
On the ground, Doflamingo and Amano clashed again, neither willing to yield. He swung a long leg through the air, invisible threads extending from his toes.
"Foot-Shaving Thread!"
"Oh, please," Amano muttered, blocking with crossed arms. "Long legs are only impressive if you know how to use them."
She shifted her weight, using his own momentum to drive an elbow toward his knee. Doflamingo twisted, countering with a downward slice of razor-thin threads.
Just moments ago, they had been trading quips like old friends. Now, they fought like predators.
"She's keeping up with Dover," Trebol rasped, half in awe. "That kid's terrifying. How old even is she?"
Diamante's hand tightened on his sword hilt. "Don't do anything stupid, Trebol. If Dover's fighting seriously, we stay out of it."
It wasn't respect—it was survival instinct. They knew exactly how dangerous Amano was.
Even if they all attacked together, none of them were certain they could kill her. And if she escaped… she could easily become another monster like Kaido.
Up in the air, Buffalo trembled. "We have to move—now!"
But before he could change direction, Diamante and Trebol's expressions shifted.
"Don't come any closer!" they shouted in unison.
It was too late.
A blinding explosion of force erupted below, colliding and expanding outward.
Buffalo, Baby 5, and Dellinger were caught in the shockwave, their eyes rolling back as foam bubbled from their mouths. The trio plummeted from the sky like dolls dropped by careless hands.
Bellamy and his men, frozen in awe, were next—slammed into the ground by the sheer pressure of the blast.
As the dust finally settled, Trebol reemerged, dragging a trembling subordinate by the collar. His face—slick with snot and disbelief—was twisted in shock.
"I—I say! What kind of joke is this?!" he stammered. "Why does she have the will of a king?!"