Doflamingo was increasingly anxious as a week passed and yet Lakeman hadn't left.
Lakeman watched the binding progress increase daily with enthusiasm.
[Current progress: 36.87%...]
[Current progress: 60.54%...]
[Current progress: 82.91%...]
Every day, Lakeman did nothing but sit and watch Doflamingo work, leaving Doflamingo feeling unnerved. Lakeman's strength seemed to improve steadily, becoming terrifyingly powerful in just over half a month. He was now only a hair's breadth away from being at the level of an admiral.
"I've seen Sengoku from over ten years ago, and his aura was like this—terrifying, like a monster," Doflamingo thought, secretly observing Lakeman in shock. "Saint Lakeman is just a kid, yet he already has this kind of strength?"
Doflamingo grew increasingly anxious. Lakeman's apparent interest in him seemed excessive, and Doflamingo couldn't shake the feeling of unease. Normally, if Lakeman got bored, he would leave to do something else. But in Doflamingo's mind, it wasn't that simple.
"Will he resort to force?" Doflamingo wondered, his paranoia growing. "With Saint Lakeman's current strength, if he really wants to do something, I wouldn't be able to resist at all."
Doflamingo was someone who took what he wanted without regard for others' opinions. He assumed that someone like Saint Lakeman, whom he saw as a kindred spirit, would naturally be the same. If Lakeman wanted something, he'd just take it.
Doflamingo was fully immersed in his paranoid thoughts, increasingly convinced that his chastity was in jeopardy.
"The Young Master is getting more agitated," a member of the family whispered.
"Yeah, I don't know what's going on. He's even locking his door at night now," another replied.
"I stayed up one night and saw him wake up several times."
"Is he worried about something?"
"It's the first time I've seen the Young Master under so much pressure."
Members of the Donquixote Family buzzed with speculation. They all sensed Doflamingo's anxiety. Some even tried to persuade him to talk about what was going on. But Doflamingo had no words to respond with and could only send them away.
"Brother, is that guy, Lakeman, threatening you?" Rosinante wrote on paper, his eyes filled with righteous indignation, ready to fight Lakeman at a moment's notice.
"No, no, nothing's wrong." Doflamingo waved his hand repeatedly, awkwardly saying, "It hasn't come to that; he's an ally of our family."
"Then, if anything happens, notify me first, Brother," Rosinante wrote.
"Alright, alright," Doflamingo nodded repeatedly. After much persuasion, he finally sent his brother, Rosinante, away. He didn't want to fall out with Lakeman. Although Lakeman had hidden motives, his strength and resources made him a perfect partner. As long as things didn't escalate, Doflamingo didn't want to have a falling out.
Meanwhile, on Lakeman's side, the butlers and guards kept their expressions neutral.
"By now, the master should be getting tired of this, right?" one of the butlers whispered.
"Yes, it's been a month," another replied.
"To date, the only one who has held the master's interest for so long is Hancock."
"Even Rayleigh couldn't last more than a month."
They all nodded in tacit agreement.
Silently, they cleaned the living quarters that the Donquixote Family had arranged for Lakeman, waiting for him to move in.
Seeing all this activity, Hancock showed some regret.
"The good times are coming to an end," she sighed, nostalgic for this brief vacation. "I wish Doflamingo had a bit more allure to keep Master occupied longer so I could rest a bit more."
As she spoke, Hancock walked to the full-length mirror in the room. In the mirror, a beautiful young girl stood proudly, with a striking figure and graceful curves. Though only thirteen, she appeared to be seventeen or eighteen, with a hint of aloofness in her expression. She seemed as cold as ice, like snow on a mountain, untouched by any dust.
But at night, this pure and beautiful girl, like ice and snow, was pressed down, her head held, her snowy white legs spread, used as a tool by a certain Celestial Dragon.
Another day came. Doflamingo, his brows furrowed, finished his training and then walked expressionlessly into the office. As expected, Saint Lakeman was sitting there as usual.
"Good morning, Doflamingo."
Seeing Doflamingo enter, Lakeman greeted him with a bright, sunny smile, waving his hand.
"Good morning, Saint Lakeman," Doflamingo replied, nodding indifferently, his attitude turning cold and distant. After just over half a month, Doflamingo was on the verge of a breakdown from Lakeman's constant presence.
"Oh, you start working punctually every day. Doflamingo, you're really diligent," Lakeman said, trying to make conversation.
"Just alright," Doflamingo responded dismissively, having no desire to talk. Who wouldn't be disoriented with someone constantly watching them work every day? Doflamingo just wanted to stay silent.
On the other hand, Lakeman's mood improved daily.
[Current progress: 98.24%...]
[Current progress: 98.79%...]
[Current progress: 99.35%...]
Only a little bit left to complete the binding.
Lakeman's eyes glowed with even more intensity, as if looking at a rare treasure, filled with desire, staring at Doflamingo all day long.
'I can't take it anymore," Doflamingo thought, his mind racing. "Forget about alliances, auctions, or overthrowing the World Government. To hell with it all.'
By noon, Doflamingo couldn't take it anymore. His rationality evaporated, his anger reaching its peak, and he planned to flip the table and quit.
At that moment:
[Ding Dong.]
[Current progress: 100%.]
[You have successfully bound Donquixote Doflamingo.]
[You will share Doflamingo's daily training feedback.]
Lakeman's eyes lit up, his spirits lifted. The binding was finally complete. It wasn't in vain that he lingered by Doflamingo's side for over half a month.
'Damn it, if I have to look at Doflamingo's bushy leg hair any longer, I'm going to throw up,' Lakeman thought, almost tearing up.
'If I keep looking, my mind will be polluted. I need to spend some time enjoying my Hancock's snow-white legs tonight.'
With this thought, Lakeman suddenly stood up.
Doflamingo was startled, instinctively backing up against the office wall. 'Is this guy losing patience and going to do something?'
Doflamingo watched Lakeman with extreme caution. But Lakeman didn't even glance at him, walking straight out and saying as he went, "Doflamingo, I've basically understood how your family operates. You still lack professional talents and need to prepare for talent reserves."
"I've bothered you long enough, and I feel bad about it."
"From now on, I won't be coming here. Find someone to show me around other places."
With that, Lakeman left the office.
Bang—
The office door closed. Doflamingo was dumbfounded, taking a long time to recover. "He's gone?" He couldn't believe it, quickly calming himself and using Observation Haki to sense. He felt Lakeman's terrifyingly deep aura, like the sea, moving away without stopping.
Doflamingo maintained his Observation Haki until Lakeman was out of range, then he finally relaxed, slumping into his chair. "He's finally gone…" Doflamingo let out a long breath, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
But as he calmed down, he became puzzled. "He just left like that? Why? Wasn't he overly interested in me?" Doflamingo frowned deeply. He was sure he hadn't been wrong before; Lakeman had ulterior motives. But why didn't these motives come to fruition?
It wasn't that Doflamingo was overly suspicious; it just didn't make sense. If he wanted something, he would get it no matter what.
'Why didn't Lakeman forcefully take me?' At that thought, Doflamingo was immediately disgusted, shivering with chills. He quickly stopped himself from thinking further. To continue was a path to hell.
'Could it be that he really was observing the operations of the Donquixote Family?' Doflamingo recalled Lakeman's parting words: "You still lack professional talents and need to prepare for talent reserves."
Those words hit the nail on the head. The Donquixote Family indeed lacked professional talents. Their current core members were only good at fighting and killing but not at management and operations. It was a significant shortcoming.
'Fighting and killing can seize territory, but they can't hold onto it,' Doflamingo began to think seriously. 'Where can I find talents?'
He fell into deep thought.
That afternoon, Lakeman and Doflamingo, once inseparable, were in two entirely different states. One was leisurely and satisfied, strolling around the Donquixote Family's territory, seemingly having gotten what he wanted and in high spirits. The other was frowning, lost in thought, as if standing at a life crossroads, facing a significant life decision.
"What's wrong with the Young Master?" one family member whispered.
"Could it be that there's a significant disagreement with Saint Lakeman?" another suggested.
"No, it doesn't look like it…"
"Maybe in some way, Saint Lakeman has taken advantage of him."
"Damn it, how dare he let the Young Master suffer a setback. I want to teach him a lesson."
"Don't be foolish. If you dare to act rashly, I'll break your legs right now."
The Donquixote Family members exchanged whispers. Although worried about Doflamingo's state, they didn't act recklessly.
On the other side:
"Master, you're back." The butler greeted Lakeman calmly, "Shall I prepare dinner for you?"
"Yes, please." Lakeman nodded with a smile. Having completed the binding with Doflamingo, he was in a great mood and had a big appetite. At the same time, his appetite was rising along with his strength.
"Double the food for me," Lakeman said. After finishing her training, Hancock walked past the dining room and saw Lakeman devouring his meal. She turned and instructed the servant as well.
"Very well," the servant said, unsure of the reason behind the order, and went to the kitchen.
Hancock sighed with a sense of loss, feeling low-spirited. Like an elementary school student on a Sunday evening, she had enjoyed a weekend of fun but still wasn't satisfied.
"If I don't eat more, I won't have the strength to fight tonight," Hancock murmured, patting her flat stomach. "But I can't eat too much. I need to save some space for the master's...otherwise, I won't have room for his things."
"Even though there are three places to hold it, the master always likes to fill my stomach. It's annoying, and the amount is large. Every time it burns my body like fire," Hancock thought, frowning.
Just as she anticipated, after being away for several days, Lakeman got intimately close to her again that night, continuing until dawn. Naturally, the next day's training was neglected.
However, Lakeman remained energetic, as if a night of indulgence had no impact on him. With his current physique, he could go ten days without sleep and still be fine. Even if he did sleep, just an hour a day was enough to restore his energy and state.
"The stronger the body, the more terrifying the recovery," Lakeman thought, walking in the morning sunlight, bathing in the cool sea breeze. "If I go one step further, I might be like Blackbeard, not needing sleep at all."
The essence of rest is to reduce activity and repair various body damages. Exercise causes damage, and the essence of training is destruction and remodeling. Thus, rest is crucial.
Adequate rest showcases the results of training. However, if one's recovery is remarkable, they may not need sleep because, during activity, the body naturally repairs all damages without needing specific rest.
"Like the reverse curse technique in Jujutsu Kaisen, using it to heal the brain allows one to skip the post-domain expansion cooling period and instantly refresh to open the domain again," Lakeman murmured.
Suddenly, he stopped.
A system notification came through.
[You have received training feedback from Silvers Rayleigh.]
[You have received training feedback from Borsalino.]
[You have received training feedback from Donquixote Doflamingo.]
— Boom.
In an instant, Lakeman's mind roared. Deep within his body, it was as if a shackle broke open, and immense power surged forth, rushing to his limbs and every part of his body. A sense of mountainous weight emanated from Lakeman.
Thud, thud, thud—
All the guards following Lakeman rolled their eyes and collapsed.
"Admiral-level strength?"
Lakeman did not turn around but instead felt the power within his body, his eyes gleaming. Just now, with the help of three significant strength feedbacks, his strength finally broke through that invisible barrier, reaching the pinnacle level on the seas.
It was a level without weaknesses, with every aspect honed to perfection. Physical skills, swordsmanship, Haki—an integration of the three. his power began to transcend, the individual becoming extraordinary.
"Not bad at all."
Lakeman smirked at the sea before him. He felt that with a wave of his hand, he could part the sea, revealing the dry rock layers a thousand meters below. This wasn't an illusion; it was real power. In the original story, the battle between Aokiji and Akainu completely altered an island's environment, turning it into a mix of lava and ice, never-ending.
Lakeman's power level was on par with theirs. Even without a Devil Fruit, using Haki, he could tear the sea apart.
Whoosh…
Just then, the distant sea suddenly began to surge violently. Waves upon waves rose endlessly.
"Oh no, the sea is in turmoil."
"What's going on? There's no storm."
"Could there have been an earthquake far out at sea?"
"Forget it, let's get ashore."
On the nearby docks,
Many people panicked, abandoning their ships and running inland. Some merchant ships prepared to set sail were deserted. But how could people outrun the waves? The speed of the waves far exceeded human imagination. Even if they fled at the first sight, it was too late.
"Help."
"Oh my god, am I going to die today?"
"Boo hoo, I haven't even spent the money I earned."
"Won't someone save me?"
In their despair:
Boom…
A deafening roar sounded from afar. The air seemed to tremble. Everyone stared in shock. They saw invisible shockwaves, like heavenly light, pouring down and covering the surging sea.
Boom—
The sea let out a deep, resonant sound. Everyone felt their hearts sink, their eardrums aching.
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