Evening.
"Let's go, Rosinante."
After spending half the day digging up and burying his father's corpse, Doflamingo, exhausted, led an equally weary Rosinante home, carrying a battered bucket filled with seawater.
Back in the room where patricide had taken place.
"String-String Fruit: Household Mode."
Threads sprouted from Doflamingo's body, forming six tentacle-like appendages behind him.
As he stripped off their last set of filthy, reeking clothes and tossed them into the bucket for a rudimentary wash, he also used the threads to clean up the bloodstains left behind by the corpse. At the same time, he threw out the rotting food that was starting to stink up the place.
A Devil Fruit ability?
Watching the tentacles flit about, Rosinante's grief-stricken expression gradually gave way to confusion.
Once everything was dealt with—
"Now this is a place fit for humans."
Surveying the slightly cleaner room, Doflamingo took a satisfied sniff, then retrieved their 'reserved food' and handed it to his younger brother.
"Rosinante, eat."
Without a word, Rosinante took the food and started eating.
Doflamingo paid no mind to his brother's continued silence. After all, their father was dead—grieving was only natural.
As for himself? He planned to rest up and then go find Trebol and the others as soon as possible.
Those four idiots had given him the String-String Fruit—an ability that was neither top-tier nor entirely useless.
Spare him the "there are no weak fruits, only weak users" nonsense. If he had to choose between the String-String Fruit and the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, even a cat would know which one to pick.
Of course, if you're into the whole 'underdog rises to power' thing, feel free to pretend he didn't say that.
But right now, he was just a ten-year-old with Conqueror's Haki and barely any real strength.
He needed bodyguards. Urgently.
The town was still paralyzed by the shock of his earlier Conqueror's Haki outburst, so no one would be foolish enough to come knocking just yet.
With his memories awakened and a day spent burying his father, exhaustion hit him hard.
He collapsed onto the pile of junk that barely qualified as a bed, pulling Rosinante down with him.
Doflamingo quickly drifted into a deep sleep.
He had no idea how much time had passed when his hazy consciousness stirred again.
He opened his eyes.
Darkness. A vast, abyssal void stretched endlessly around him, except for a faint light ahead.
The bizarre scene left him momentarily dazed.
A dream?
Or did I actually die?
No tutorial pop-up or system guide?
Whatever. I'm already here. Might as well see where this goes. Worst case, I die again.
Shaking off his hesitation, Doflamingo set his gaze on the light and strode forward.
As he got closer, he realized the source was a miniature lighthouse, standing at his current height. The top radiated a soft glow.
Behind it lay an impenetrable mist.
The light illuminated the ground beneath him, revealing a vast, lifeless sea stretching into the horizon.
Turning his attention to the lighthouse, he noticed an engraving on its side.
His expression twitched.
The artwork was crudely drawn, barely better than stick figures. But the scene was unmistakable:
A large stick figure kneeling, clutching a smaller one, while another figure stood behind them, gun raised, mid-shot.
His handiwork from earlier today.
As if responding to his gaze, a transparent panel of text emerged from the lighthouse, floating in the air.
He read the information displayed.
Donquixote Doflamingo [Slightly Notorious]
Era: 1491—
Birthplace: Red Line, Holy Land of Mary Geoise
Abilities: Conqueror's Haki [Beginner Level]
Devil Fruit: String-String Fruit [Beginner Level]
Achievements: Filial Son (Patricide) [Reward Available]
Doflamingo glanced at the [Slightly Notorious] title, watching a replay of his Conqueror's Haki outburst from earlier.
"Damn it. Two years on the run, scraping by as a scavenger, and I've barely even started wreaking havoc. I didn't kill or pillage back in Mary Geoise, just made people my ride—yet I'm already 'notorious'? The Celestial Dragons really are just villains in disguise."
His gaze shifted lower. Additional explanations appeared.
Conqueror's Haki [Beginner]:
As a reincarnated soul, you possess an unnaturally strong will, surpassing your age.
Hatred, anger, and bloodlust boil within you. Most weaklings aren't even worthy of lifting a blade against you.
However, you lack control. The stronger your emotions, the more explosive your outbursts. Learn to wield it—or be ruled by it.
String-String Fruit [Beginner]:
A fantastical ability that allows you to create strings by expending stamina.
You have the potential for creativity—but don't get ahead of yourself.
Before you learn to fly, you need to learn to walk.
"So, my reincarnation perk boosts my Conqueror's Haki… But what exactly counts as 'creative use' of the fruit? I just played octopus earlier, but I feel like I could copy some of Luffy's moves, too."
"A progress bar would be nice. Right now, these 'levels' feel so vague."
"Conqueror's Haki stuns, String-String Fruit shreds... I could probably wipe out this entire island."
Dismissing his stray thoughts, Doflamingo turned to the [Achievement Reward] awaiting him.
Filial Son (Patricide):
Your determination to seek power surpasses that of ordinary men. Anyone who stands in your way is your enemy—even if they share your blood.
Select one of the following rewards:
Enhanced Conqueror's Haki
Awakened Observation Haki
Innate Strength
Although a part of him felt a hint of sadness over his father's death, seeing the rewards made Doflamingo grin wide.
'Homing—ah, no, Father, you died well! Old man, you actually dropped loot!'
He glanced at Rosinante.
In the real world, Rosinante shivered in his sleep, curling up tighter. Subconsciously, he scooted closer to Doflamingo.
'That man and I were never the same. His death is just a small regret.'
'But Rosinante… He's still my real brother. There's potential in him.'
Shaking off more dangerous thoughts, Doflamingo analyzed his choices.
'All three options seem evenly matched.'
'Enhanced Conqueror's Haki is tempting, but with my malnourished ten-year-old body, I can't use it often.'
'Observation Haki is useful, but it's bound to awaken eventually.'
'Power. That's the key to everything.'
Without hesitation, he made his choice.
'Option three.'
As soon as he selected it, a mirror emerged from the lighthouse, reflecting his sleeping form beside Rosinante.
But in the mirror, his body was transparent.
'A soul?'
Before he could examine further, countless specks of light poured from the void, flooding into his body—most gathering in his bones, marrow, and heart.