Boom!
With a dull thud, Doflamingo was sent flying by Chiba's punch, landing hard on the ground several meters away.
"Hina, tie him up," Chiba ordered. Hina stepped forward, extending her arms to create an iron fence that wrapped tightly around Doflamingo, restraining him.
"Dover!" Vergo cried out in shock and rushed forward, intent on rescuing Doflamingo.
But Ace was quicker. He intercepted Vergo with a swift kick, knocking him back. In a matter of moments, Chiba had Doflamingo securely in custody.
Doflamingo sneered at Chiba, his face twisted with defiance. "Hahahahaha, Monkey D. Chiba, do you even know who you're dealing with? I am a Celestial Dragon. Do you really think you can do anything to me?"
"Celestial Dragon?" The expressions of everyone present, including Ace, changed drastically upon hearing his words.
"Are you kidding? You're a pirate. How could you be a Celestial Dragon?" Rebecca's face turned pale. If Doflamingo truly had Celestial Dragon status, it would make saving Dressrosa nearly impossible. Even if she had the power to defeat Doflamingo, any action against a Celestial Dragon would bring the wrath of the World Government and the Marines upon her and her kingdom.
Ace and the others grew serious. Vista looked skeptical and scoffed, "I didn't expect the infamous Doflamingo to be so afraid of death that he'd resort to a lie like this."
Doflamingo let out a dark laugh. "Doubt me if you want, but feel free to investigate. You'll find that I'm telling the truth."
His confidence only deepened the unease among the group. Hancock's face turned pale as old, painful memories of the Celestial Dragons surfaced in her mind.
A tense silence fell over them, but Chiba broke it with a smirk. "So what if you're a Celestial Dragon? Aren't they still human? And if they're human, they can die."
"Besides," he continued, "there are only so many Celestial Dragons. If everyone in the world turned against them, they'd be outnumbered a thousand times over."
"Doflamingo, I originally considered letting you go, but since you've claimed your Celestial Dragon lineage, I think you deserve a different fate."
Chiba's gaze hardened. "Many of us here have suffered at the hands of the Celestial Dragons. So, I think you should contribute to the cause."
With everyone watching, Chiba dragged Doflamingo onto the ship and took him into the laboratory. Soon after, the sound of Doflamingo's screams and curses echoed from within.
The screams lasted for three full days.
Inside the laboratory.
[You conducted an in-depth study on Doflamingo's body. You conducted an in-depth study on the awakened state of the String-String Fruit. You conducted an in-depth study on Doflamingo's bloodline factor and successfully created the artificial Devil Fruit: Awakened String-String Fruit.]
[Artificial Devil Fruit: Awakened String-String Fruit: Upon initial mastery, you can control silk threads. After further mastery, you can transform objects within a 100-meter radius into silk threads. At complete mastery, you can transform objects within a 1,000-meter radius into threads, significantly enhancing the strength of the silk threads…]
Chiba was satisfied with the results of his research.
He then began extracting the purest form of Doflamingo's bloodline factor, linked to his Devil Fruit's awakened state. This bloodline factor was a highly concentrated form of energy, similar to a natural life force, capable of transforming the human body and granting the power of the String-String Fruit.
Chiba extracted a large amount of this energy, leaving only a small fraction for Doflamingo—just enough to keep him alive. Chiba didn't care if Doflamingo lived or died, nor was he afraid of retribution from the Celestial Dragons. But he didn't want Doflamingo to die by his hand; he wanted Rebecca to have that honor, to help her awaken her true strength.
Just imagine—a relatively unknown swordswoman wielding a man-made Devil Fruit, killing the infamous king of the underworld, the Shichibukai Doflamingo. The impact of such a feat would be monumental.
The "Chiba brand" Devil Fruits would skyrocket in value.
Chiba imagined a future where a single Devil Fruit could fetch half a million Beli.
Eventually, Chiba tossed Doflamingo's weakened form out of the lab, where Vergo took him away. Having lost a substantial amount of his bloodline factor, Doflamingo's strength was severely diminished. It wouldn't be long before Rebecca's strength advanced enough to confront him on her own.
With Dressrosa behind them, Chiba's ship sailed onward as he focused on creating the artificial String-String Fruit in its awakened form.
After about five days, Chiba finally completed the fruit.
A blood-red Devil Fruit with white swirls was placed before the crew.
Everyone stared at the fruit, excitement in their eyes.
Ace asked, "Chiba, is this the Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Zoan model: Dragon form?"
He knew Chiba had acquired the information on the Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Zoan model: Yellow Dragon form, so he assumed this was it.
"What are you thinking? I haven't acquired Kaido's bloodline factor yet, so I can't make that fruit. This one is the Awakened String-String Fruit. Whoever eats it will gain the power of Doflamingo's awakened Devil Fruit. So, who wants it?"
Chiba looked around, and everyone's eyes lit up. The String-String Fruit might not be the strongest fruit, but they had seen Doflamingo's power when he used it in its awakened form—it was undeniably formidable.
Several crewmates looked longingly at the fruit, but none of them spoke. They knew it was up to Chiba to decide who would receive it.
"What's the matter? Don't you want it?" Chiba asked with a smile.
Ace responded, "Chiba, stop teasing them. They're too polite to ask. Set a requirement, and whoever meets it first gets the fruit."
Chiba nodded. "Alright. Our next goal is to acquire Kaido's bloodline factor. Whoever finds Kaido's location first will get this Devil Fruit."
The moment Chiba finished speaking, Vista was already sprinting away using Moonwalk, shouting, "This fruit is mine! I'm heading out!"
"Vista, you shameless cheat!" Bartolomeo yelled, activating his Barrier-Barrier Fruit to launch himself off the ship. Within seconds, he had vanished from sight.
[•———•——•———•]
𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧
✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟲𝟬+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.