North Blue — Dias Island.
This island was "famous" for its chaotic garbage processing and recycling industry.The environment was harsh, and the air was perpetually steeped in a faint yet persistent acidic, rotting stench.
Deep within mountains of discarded materials and sprawling junkyards, there was a modified structure—barely solid enough to be called a building.This was the Donquixote Family's current temporary gathering point in the North Blue.
Inside the main hall, the lighting was dim. The air was thick with a strange blend of tobacco, alcohol, and the junkyard's unique, unpleasant odor.
A young Donquixote Doflamingo stood before a rough map of the North Blue, using a long rod to indicate several marked locations.His face already carried hints of the wild, unrestrained arrogance he would one day be known for—though it was still tinged with youthful immaturity.
"Fuffuffuffuffu…"His trademark laugh echoed through the hall, his tone brimming with ambition."Our trade networks and sphere of influence can't stay trapped in some backwater like the North Blue forever."
He tapped the map again, his voice growing sharper.
"The next step is to move—slowly, steadily—toward the entrance of the Grand Line: Reverse Mountain.That is where the future lies!"
Gathered around him were the first-generation family executives: the sticky, oozing Trebol; the short, stocky Diamante; Jora, Pica, Vergo, and others.Each of them listened intently to their young master's grand vision.
Meanwhile, in the shadows of a corner—
Rosinante, who had only just gone through "countless hardships" to find his brother and "successfully" join the family,the man who would later be known as Corazon, was fumbling nervously with a cup of coffee, trying desperately to hide his anxiety and the fact that he was eavesdropping.
Unfortunately, his mind was elsewhere.
He failed to notice that this particular cup of coffee had already been maliciously seasoned by someone with a cruel sense of humor—with an excessive amount of salt and pepper.
"Pff—!! Cough! Cough, cough!!"
Corazon spat it out violently the moment it hit his mouth. His face flushed red as tears streamed from his eyes, wracked by violent coughing, looking utterly miserable.
All eyes in the hall instantly turned toward him.
The executives burst into laughter.
Doflamingo looked at his clumsy younger brother—forever messing things up, always in some kind of trouble—and shook his head helplessly.Yet despite himself, a genuine curve formed at the corner of his lips.
Deep down, he was truly happy—and deeply cherishing—Rosinante's return.This reunion, this bond reclaimed after being lost, made him willing to tolerate every one of his brother's "stupidities" and "accidents."
He even felt that having such a clownish little brother around softened the otherwise cold, ruthless atmosphere of the family.
"Careful, Corazon," Doflamingo said, his voice carrying a trace of indulgent affection that was hard to notice.
Just then—
The sticky Trebol suddenly wriggled closer, lowering his signature shrill voice.
"Doffy~ hee-hee~ there's a real big shot outside~He specifically asked to see you~"
The smile on Doflamingo's face faded slightly as he frowned.
A big shot?In the North Blue, who would dare to use such a title—and even manage to track down his hidden base?
Seeing this, Doflamingo immediately paused the meeting and waved dismissively at the still-laughing executives.
"Go on. Talk among yourselves for now."
He then straightened his clothes and his upward-swept blond hair.Putting on his signature sunglasses, he adjusted the pink feather coat he had long grown accustomed to wearing, along with his cropped trousers.
With pointed shoes clicking against the floor, he strode arrogantly toward the makeshift reception room at the back.
"Fuffuffuffuffu…""Let me see which honored guest has decided to grace me with their presence…"
With his distinctive laugh, he pushed open the door.
Inside the room, a figure stood with his back to him, examining the crude decorations on the wall.
The man wore an expensive black fur coat. Even in the dim lighting, he radiated an imposing presence—like an Italian mafia boss straight out of a legend.
Hearing the door open and the laughter behind him, the man slowly turned around.
A long, horizontal scar ran across his face. A thick cigar was clenched between his teeth, smoke curling through the air as a wild, domineering smile emerged.
"Long time no see, 'Joker'…Or should I call you Donquixote Doflamingo?"
The visitor was none other than—
Sir Crocodile.
...
Reception Room
Doflamingo's brows knit tighter beneath his sunglasses as he stared at the uninvited Crocodile.
He showed not a hint of fear. Instead, he swaggered straight to the room's only battered sofa, dropped into it arrogantly, crossed his legs, and lightly tapped the tip of his pointed shoe in the air.
"Fuffuffuffuffu…"He let out a low laugh."The famous Warlord of the Sea, 'Sir' Crocodile—abandoning your casino business on the Grand Line to come crawling into a garbage heap in the North Blue just to see me…"
He tilted his head, his tone playful yet probing.
"That's rare. Don't tell me the old geezers of the World Government finally gave you orders to come arrest me?I'm a very well-behaved businessman these days, you know."
Crocodile responded with a cold snort, exhaling a dense cloud of cigar smoke that nearly washed over Doflamingo's face.
"Cut the act, Doffy," Crocodile said, his hoarse voice heavy with pressure. He didn't bother with pleasantries."The North Blue underworld—from drugs and human trafficking to illegal weapons and assassinations…"
"These dirty businesses—you've pretty much milked them dry over the past few years.You've hit the ceiling. Haven't you?"
His sharp gaze swept across the shabby reception room, his tone dripping with undisguised mockery.
"You, Donquixote Doflamingo—are you really content to rot forever in some garbage-stinking slum like this, playing king of the hill?Your ambition doesn't end here. It can't."
"The North Blue is a pond too small for a shark that wants to devour everything."
Crocodile's words were like a precisely aimed dagger, stabbing straight into the deepest part of Doflamingo's heart.
The laughter stopped.
Behind his sunglasses, Doflamingo's eyes were hidden—but the slight tightening of his lips and his brief silence were a clear admission.
Yes.
The North Blue's business had already reached its limit.Its resources and structure could no longer satisfy his ever-expanding ambition.
He had long been planning to shift the family's center of gravity toward the broader, more chaotic—and far more opportunity-rich—Grand Line, and even beyond, into the New World.
Seeing Doflamingo fall silent, Crocodile knew he had struck home.
He took two steps forward, the hem of his black fur coat brushing the floor. His voice dropped lower, more forceful, leaving no room for doubt.
"Don't stay quiet, Doffy.The reality is—you might not have a choice even if you want to stay."
He paused, then dropped the bomb.
"The Vinsmoke Family… no longer has room for you."
"They think you've crossed the line in the North Blue—blocked their path.From what I know, they've already started preparing to clean you up… eliminate you as an unstable factor."
"Fuff—!"A suppressed sound escaped Doflamingo's throat.
The Vinsmokes!The true uncrowned kings of the North Blue—masters of top-tier cloning technology and overwhelming military power, war specialists beyond comparison!
If Germa 66 truly decided to move against him, then even with the Donquixote Family's current strength, it would be nothing short of total annihilation.
Watching Doflamingo's body tense in an instant, Crocodile knew the moment was ripe.
With his cigar clenched between his teeth, he flashed a smile full of control and certainty.
"So?Stay in the North Blue and wait to be crushed by the Vinsmokes…"
"Or—work with me?"
"Relax. I know exactly what you want.""And I just so happen to know… a shortcut that leads straight to the 'Beasts.'"
The smoke curled lazily between them as fate quietly shifted course.