Doflamingo restrained the smirk stretching to its limit and looked meaningfully at the four men before him.
"As family, you've all witnessed my struggles firsthand. Now, tell me about your past. Tell me why you're so devoted to following a man with Conqueror's Haki."
Although the original course of events proved their loyalty, it was still necessary to understand their backgrounds. After all, stepping on a hidden landmine and watching his ambitions crumble halfway would be quite the joke.
At his question, Diamante and Trebol's previously excited expressions gradually darkened, replaced by sorrow and despair. Their bodies instinctively assumed defensive postures, veins bulging as uncontrollable tremors took over. Cold sweat poured like rain.
Seeing their involuntary reactions, Doflamingo was reminded of a psychological condition from his past life—Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD.
Sure enough, Trebol's trembling voice confirmed his suspicions.
"Because... Diamante and I are failures of the Grand Line! Just last year, we formed a pirate crew, gathered subordinates one after another, and charged forward. We defeated countless foes, evaded the Navy's pursuit multiple times, and finally made it to the Pirate's Paradise—the New World. But then..."
In this world, pirates who enter the New World generally have two choices:
One, establish themselves and compete with the reigning pirate powerhouses for territory, aiming to become a dominant force—like the headstrong brutes Moria and Crocodile.
Two, submit to an existing powerhouse, swear allegiance, and become either a subordinate or an errand boy.
Watching Trebol's increasingly agitated state, Doflamingo grew curious. Just what kind of scene had left them so terrified? With some suspicion, he asked:
"And then? Who did you challenge, brave as you were? Was it the rising force, Charlotte Linlin? The Beast, Kaido? Or did you aim for the peak of the New World—Roger, Whitebeard, and Golden Lion? Judging by your shaking, I'd guess the Golden Lion? Tell me, how did you survive against such a monster?"
The Golden Lion of this era was no washed-up relic with a rooster-shaped head. In his prime, his only worthy adversaries were Whitebeard Newgate and Roger.
Trebol removed his ridiculous green hat, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his oversized robe. After taking a deep breath to steady himself, he finally spoke again.
"No, we didn't challenge anyone. Not long after entering the New World, we were caught in a three-day storm that blew us off our intended course."
"Then... we stumbled right into the battlefield of Whitebeard and the Golden Lion. The sky split apart from the sheer force of their clash, and the sea churned in their hands like a mere plaything."
"The Golden Lion merely glanced at us from afar. Just that—just a single look—and the overwhelming, dominant, invincible aura crushed whatever ambitions we once had... In the end, the storm swept us away, and by some miracle, we drifted through the Calm Belt and washed up in the North Blue. But only the two of us made it."
"As for Pica and Vergo... we found them in the North Blue."
Inside the only intact room among the ruins.
After hearing Trebol and the others recount their tragic past, Doflamingo fed them a few dreams of grandeur and sent them off to gather recruits.
Then, he sat down on the ground, lost in thoughts of the future.
...
"Hey, hey, don't you think Doffy's changed? He never used to think this much."
Trebol, snot dangling from his nose, tiptoed excitedly toward Diamante, one of the few he considered a close friend.
Diamante wrapped an arm around Trebol's shoulders, still riding the high of excitement. He didn't even bother with his usual sarcastic remarks.
"Maybe this is what it means to be born a king. He doesn't need our guidance—just in this short time, his Conqueror's Haki has already reached such a level..."
At this moment, Vergo was not yet the man who would one day cover his entire body with Haki and pledge unwavering loyalty to Doflamingo as Vice Admiral. He was merely a young boy of the same age, expressionless as always. He touched his checkered shirt, damp with sweat from the pressure of Conqueror's Haki, and asked in a low voice:
"So this is Conqueror's Haki? Even without being directly targeted, it's still this terrifying... unbelievable."
Pica, at nine years old, was already unnaturally tall and muscular. His eyes burned with fervor as he kept glancing back toward the room where Doflamingo sat.
The voices of the four gradually faded as they walked away.
With memories of his past life, Doflamingo understood better than anyone—the importance of power in this dangerous world.
'The family has finally begun to take shape. This island, being outside the World Government's control, has no Marines stationed here. It should be a good testing ground.
The "Donquixote Family"—this achievement is as good as mine.
With my Grand Line progression buff, my own strength isn't a concern. But I'll need to put in effort to strengthen my family members as well.
In the original timeline, Trebol's performance thirty years later was nothing impressive. His Sticky-Sticky Fruit, a Special Paramecia capable of creating and manipulating adhesive mucus—similar to the Mochi-Mochi Fruit in avoiding physical attacks—still got him one-shotted by Law. Utterly pathetic.
The so-called weakness of his mucus exploding? If it's coated in Armament Haki, that so-called weakness becomes an enemy's worst nightmare.
But judging by his frail and gaunt figure in the future, his stamina deteriorated far too quickly. He needs rigorous training—physical endurance, Haki, and Devil Fruit development all require major improvement.
If he can't be molded into a fighter, I'll have to kick him out of the combat unit early and let him focus solely on scheming, making money, and developing sticky explosives.
As for Diamante... his flashy, overly dramatic swordplay against Kyros is worth examining. Battle is about crushing the weak, using every advantage possible. There's no room for nonsense about fair fights.
He's not a protagonist—there's no need for some comeback-from-the-brink strategy. Just steamroll through the enemy in one go.
But in his final fight, aside from speed and power, Kyros showed an actual level of swordsmanship. Meanwhile, Diamante? That ridiculous iron caltrop rain? Not even worth commenting on. What kind of moron thinks that's a good idea? Any weakling who could be hurt by it would've already collapsed from a single wave of Conqueror's Haki.
If you're going to drop something, why not bombs? Fold them up, turn yourself into a mobile airstrike.
And don't even get me started on that uncontrolled steel flower rain—it doesn't distinguish between friend and foe. Zero combat intelligence.
Based on its abilities, the Flutter-Flutter Fruit is likely an inferior version of the Float-Float Fruit.
At its peak, it should be able to fold up an entire island and drop it from the sky. A discount version of Golden Lion. A discount version of Fujitora.
Or, have Pica go all out, apply the floating properties, leap into the sky with Geppo, and slam down like a meteor. Instant nation-wiping attack.
If he can't achieve that, he might as well handle logistics. Fold up iron caltrops into shipping containers—congratulations, top-tier freight handler.
These two really are the definition of a "foolish duo."
Damn it all.'
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+140 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg