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Chapter 52: I Want To Talk
Doflamingo narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses as he assessed the unexpected visitor.
The black-haired young man stood amidst the smoky ruins of the building, clapping his hands. He was tall and upright, his short black hair and large white cloak distinguishing him from ordinary folk, the cloak billowing in the wind that carried the scent of gunpowder. Despite his lowly status, the young man had an aura of a fierce, handsome beast, exhibiting an aristocratic air akin to that of the elite Celestial Dragons. He bore the unyielding visage of a warrior, the type who would laugh heartily in the face of pain—strong, yet graceful, wild but dignified, and brutal without forsaking intelligence. His gaze was ever fixed upon the distant horizon, with an amused smile gracing his face.
Doflamingo was all too familiar with that smile; he had worn it himself many times before, directed at his own prey. The smirk of a hunter, the cat toying with a cornered mouse. The very thought ignited an overpowering urge within Doflamingo's heart—an uncontrollable fury and longing to obliterate this man before him. How dare he look upon Doflamingo with such contempt!
"Doflamingo," the young man began.
"Marine!?" Trebol immediately recognized the uniform on Darren and understood his identity.
Suddenly, Darren sensed the killing intent surging towards him from every direction. The Donquixote Family members scattered around, readied their weapons, fixing their sights on the Marine with multiple guns aimed at him instantly. They were the Don Quixote Pirates, who held no regard for any Marine.
"Hey, hey, do you always draw your guns when you disagree?" The Marine colonel raised his hands in what seemed to be surrender, smiling as he spoke.
Trebol and the others were taken aback by Darren's gesture, disbelief etched on their faces. However, they were soon gripped by an icy chill that shot up from their feet to their heads when an invisible force emanated from the Marine before them. Their weapons were enveloped in an irresistible power and moved against their will, floating in the air, and aiming at their own foreheads.
What kind of power was this? They had never encountered such an odd ability before, and as the guns pointed at their heads, they instinctively surrendered.
Click. The safeties of the floating guns were released as if by their own accord, and the triggers began to tighten slowly. It was a terrifying sight, so close they could smell the powder in their barrels. Time seemed to freeze, the only sound was the faint clicks of triggers being pulled—each subtle click prolonging the pirates' dread of impending death.
Swallowing hard, someone struggled visibly with their fear. Darren watched as the formidable pirates turned pale, their guns turned on them, hands raised in surrender. He couldn't resist a jibe, "Well, at least everyone has their hands up. Borsolino would probably like this scene."
Turning to the blond kid, Darren made his intentions clear, "Hey, Doflamingo, I want to talk to you."
Originally, Darren just wanted to confront Doflamingo and give the pitiful blond a thrashing, whether by beating him senseless or outright killing him depending on his mood. Whatever the case, Darren was confident in his ability to annihilate the Donquixote Family on his own, secure in the knowledge that the world, including the World Government, would remain oblivious.
Regarding the bloodline of the so-called Celestial Dragons that Doflamingo descends from, Darren was initially indifferent. However, the incident on Shields St. showed him the value in the lives of Celestial Dragons. Doflamingo's words prompted Darren to reconsider.
Although Doflamingo is a maniac with a taste for destruction, he is shrewd, cunning, and more methodical than the average lunatic. He stands apart from the pirates who only seek to destroy and plunder, as he can control his desires for the sake of his ambitions. Such a person, even as an adversary, commands Darren's respect.
Most importantly, Doflamingo's status as a "former Celestial Dragon," combined with his means and abilities, could be highly valuable if harnessed correctly. Control over him could facilitate Darren's future endeavors, with even the world government hesitant to cause him trouble, not to mention their headquarters.
"Talk about it?" Doflamingo seemed to have heard a ridiculous joke, laughing sinisterly, "Eh, oh, oh, oh... Pirates and Marines have nothing to talk about."
"That's not necessarily the case; I'm not just any Marine," Darren said nonchalantly, clearly interested. "—but I don't want to talk to you at all!" Doflamingo's smile contorted into something fierce and twisted, as a cold light flashed across his sunglasses. He raised his hand abruptly and struck at Darren through the air, laughing ferociously, "...I just want to kill you!"
The air tore with a sharp explosion, and an invisible blade seemed to pass through, slicing everything in its path. A slender cut appeared on the walls of two nearby buildings, leading to the collapse of their upper halves along the smooth incision.
With a crisp sound, Doflamingo's eyes narrowed. The black-haired Marine's uniform had been sliced open, revealing a sharp thread "cut" into his chest skin that sparked with metal friction, unable to break the skin.
"Impossible!" Trebol and the other executives exclaimed, shocked at the sight. Despite his youth, Doflamingo had honed his String-String Fruit ability to perfection, a talent capable of cutting through flesh, buildings, and rocks with ease. To see it fail against the Marine's body was unfathomable.
"String-String Fruit? Too bad you haven't mastered Haki..." Darren commented, looking at the thread caught in his muscles and smiling. With his current physical condition, only a sword imbued with Armament Haki could potentially damage him.
Amidst the stunned Donquixote Family members, Darren casually hooked his finger around the thread on his chest and tugged. Doflamingo's face tightened as he felt an unstoppable force through the thread, pulling him toward Darren.
"If you're willing to draw your weapon, be prepared to face the consequences," Darren said with a smile.
With a snap of his fingers, gunfire echoed through the street as the triggers of hovering rifles were pulled. Blood blossomed on the heads of the Donquixote Family members, who fell one after another. And now, Doflamingo was merely three meters away from Darren. In his sunglasses, the Marine's grim smile was reflected, growing ever closer.