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Chapter 76: The King of the Underworld?
Finally, I was discharged from the hospital.
Rubeck Island. Donquixote Family Station.
In the magnificent residence hall, a cool breeze caused the curtains on the windowsill to ripple. The windows creaked in the wind, and dust danced in the sunlight. On a spacious and soft leather sofa, Doflamingo, dressed in a white shirt, leaned back with a book covering his face.
"No...no...no!" Doflamingo, sleeping soundly, suddenly started to tremble. His eyes shot open, he gasped for breath, and a thin layer of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. He breathed heavily, his eyes bloodshot behind his sunglasses. Suddenly, he grabbed the red wine from the coffee table and gulped it down.
The wine, as red as blood, slid down his neck, staining his white shirt, but he didn't care.
"Joker..." Trebol and the others had entered at some point, looking at Doflamingo, who was shakily lighting a cigar, with worry in their eyes.
"I'm fine," Doflamingo managed to say after taking a few puffs of the cigar, calming down and waving his hands.
The same dream kept haunting him: the burning city wall, the scorn of the commoners, his father's cries, and a burning pain.
"How is our business lately?" asked Doflamingo. He had grown more mature and sinister than when he first arrived in the North Blue. Now taller by ten centimeters, he had a stern face, and his golden hair was combed back neatly. His demeanor was now that of the cold and arrogant King of the Dark World.
Speaking of business, Trebol enthusiastically swung his cane, with mucus trailing from his nostrils, and danced with excitement, "I said... I said... After a period of consolidation, our Donquixote Family has seized most of the underground industry in the North Blue! We are now the undisputed kings of the underground world here!"
Diamante added excitedly, "Everything has come so easily! No one can stop our rise! At this rate, we'll reach the Grand Line in less than a year!"
Pica laughed in his high-pitched voice, "The proud kings and nobles of the North Blue are like lapdogs begging for mercy. Joker, you should see their faces, you would definitely enjoy that."
Seeing the smiles on the faces of his core executives, who he considered family, and their confidence in the future, Doflamingo's spirits lifted. He licked his chapped lips and said with an evil grin, "North Blue is just our first step towards conquering the sea. When we have enough resources, we'll move on. I have a feeling a new era is approaching."
As he spoke, Doflamingo clenched his fists and a strange, cold light flashed behind his sunglasses. A majestic aura emanated from him, causing his pink feather coat to flutter as if in a breeze.
Trebol and the others gazed at Doflamingo with undisguised admiration and excitement. They had been worried that their young master's aura would fade after his submission to the Marine, but it appeared stronger than ever.
"But young master, isn't the tax imposed by the North Blue Marine excessive?" Vergo suddenly asked in a deep voice.
"We support so many people in North Blue and run such a vast industry, but in the end, we have to hand over more than 50% of the profits to the North Blue Marines," he said. Before he could finish, Doflamingo gave him a cold glance and interrupted, "We wouldn't be making any money without the Marines' protection. Without them, our business wouldn't operate so smoothly." The smoke from his cigar shrouded his face, giving him a very gloomy appearance.
"Wait a minute, that guy Darren can't stay in North Blue forever..." Doflamingo's mouth curled into a rebellious sneer. "He thinks he can control me completely, but even the most careful people slip up sometimes." The others, including Trebol, responded to their young master's words with treacherous smiles. Their young master was wise and invincible, never surrendering to anyone.
Suddenly, disaster struck. Boom! The family meeting hall seemed to be hit by a meteorite. There was a deafening noise, and the solid walls crumbled and collapsed. A storm of dust and broken stone was thrown up. The blast of air sent Trebol and the others flying into the ruins, coughing up blood.
"Thief, hahahaha! Where's that brat Doflamingo!? Come out and face me!" A rough laugh bellowed through the chaos. Trebol and the others looked in disbelief at the burly figure with a horned helmet emerging from the smoke. Their eyes shook with fear.
"Who are you!?" "How dare you invade the Donquixote Family's home!" "You're seeking death!" The enraged shouts filled the air as they leaped up to attack the intruder with their various techniques.
But in an instant, they were sent flying, unable to even see the man's moves. They felt like they'd been hit by a high-speed train, and their bodies were flung back violently, crashing through more walls, which created a huge cloud of dust.
Suddenly, a sharp explosion tore through the air. Doflamingo's extremely sharp thread shot from his hand, slicing through rock and dirt, aimed at the burly figure. It was Doflamingo's attack.
However, the thread clashed against the man's chest with a clang as if striking metal, and sparks flew. Doflamingo's pupils contracted; the man had a layer of black, glossy, invisible armor, which glinted with a faint, cold light. "Armament Haki!" he thought but had no time to speak before the man vanished from his sight.
Boom! A heavy fist landed squarely in Doflamingo's gut, doubling him over as his eyes bulged and his mouth gaped open. A large hand yanked him by the blond hair, tilting his head back, and a rough, cruel face came into view.
"You're Doflamingo, aren't you?" Byrnndi Waldo sneered down at the blond youth with a bloodied mouth. "I've heard that you control all the arms smuggling in North Blue?"