One Piece: Crown of Darkness

Doflamingo wasn't naive enough to trust Shiki's character. His decision to trade everything he knew with Shiki, without reservation or greed, was the most correct choice.

He thus received Shiki's gifts and a proper send-off, rather than being deemed worthless and summarily dealt with—not only would he get nothing, but he'd also be crushed for Shiki's amusement. Shiki had both the power and the malicious personality for it.

Riding a small boat controlled by Shiki's Devil Fruit ability, slowly descending from high altitude, Doflamingo sat amidst a hoard of gold and jewels, holding a Devil Fruit in one hand.

He was in a rather good mood... He wisely refrained from asking for weapons, as weapons were crucial to Shiki, who was clearly planning a war with the Roger Pirates. At the same time, he regretted that there were only two Devil Fruits.

Doflamingo's regret was a fleeting thought, quickly dissipating. Though there were only two Devil Fruits, both were rare and excellent specimens.

One was a grey, pear-shaped fruit with intricate patterns, similar to the String-String Fruit he had eaten, but darker in color. Shiki had already identified it and labeled it the "Stone-Stone Fruit."

The other Devil Fruit was quite interesting. It resembled a golden apple, its skin sparsely coiled with patterns forming coin-sized spirals. It was very ornate. Shiki hadn't identified it, but Doflamingo had a strong suspicion: the "Gold-Gold Fruit." It had to be.

Glancing down, Doflamingo swiftly concealed the two Devil Fruits beneath his cloak. He was nearing the singing ship.

Soon after.

"Next up—"

"Ladies and gentlemen! The main event of today!"

"Big Mom Pirates Captain! The great pirate 'Big Mom'! Charlotte Linlin-sama, and the poor country bumpkin from who-knows-where! Lucky Uunu-san's~~~Royal Wedding!!!"

"It's grandly beginning!"

"The union of these two shall surely bloom yet another wild, wicked flower in this world!!!"

"Please offer your cheers and shouts! For this wonderfully dazzling day!"

"..."

"Whoa whoa whoa!!!"

"Mama! Mama! Mama!"

"..."

On the deck, a bizarre-looking master of ceremonies passionately officiated, livening the atmosphere.

The Big Mom Pirates members gathered, surrounding a rather demure Charlotte Linlin in a wedding dress and Uunu in a suit, celebrating with joyful enthusiasm.

Presumably, these were a new batch of anthropomorphic creatures created by Charlotte Linlin, playing music, weaving through the tables, serving fine wine and delicious dishes...

What a lively wedding scene!

Witnessing the situation, Doflamingo didn't know how to describe Charlotte Linlin. Even though she didn't worry about his safety or whether he could persuade Shiki not to trouble her, the terrifying Golden Lion Grand Fleet still hovered overhead, obscuring the sky, and the formidable 'Golden Lion' still overlooked them with predatory eyes.

Yet, she was holding a wedding? Was she heartless? Or simply open-minded? Even if it was open-minded, it was open-minded to the point of being almost heartless!

Of course, only Charlotte Linlin was open-minded to the point of being heartless. The members of the Big Mom Pirates were still extremely worried about the threat of the Golden Lion Grand Fleet, fearing a sudden attack. They were largely disengaged, frequently gazing up at the sky in distraction.

"That guy's back!"

"The Golden Lion Grand Fleet is gone! Doflamingo really handled the 'Golden Lion'?!"

"We can finally eat and drink without worry!"

"..."

"Hey! Doffy! Nice job!"

"Smoothie was so worried about you just now, she even cried, you know! I'm only telling you, not anyone else!"

"Thank you, you bastard who wants to take away the most beautiful flower of our Charlotte Family!"

"..."

When Doflamingo's figure descended, everyone finally let out a sigh of relief, bringing the scene to a climax. In a way, he had gained the true acceptance of the Big Mom Pirates.

"Fufufufu~ Better to be lucky than early," Doflamingo met Smoothie's surprised and delighted gaze, pointing to his gold and jewels. He generously announced, "Might as well offer another wedding blessing!"

Charlotte Linlin paid no mind to any of this. She impatiently shouted, "Cake! Wedding cake!!!"

Everyone: "..."

"There's been~~~ painful love/affairs, and also~~~ bitter love/affairs~ falling in love, losing one's mind, getting hurt by love~~~"

"Finally embarking on the path of marriage~~~"

"Even if it rains, even if it rains bullets, I'll never let go of your hand again~~~"

"Come out! The wedding cake overflowing with blessings!!!"

A team of chefs, led by a short, stout middle-aged head chef with a clock hanging from his waist and a carving knife in hand, sang a strange tune and moved with peculiar steps as they presented their masterpiece.

Grumble grumble~

In the intentionally cleared center of the deck, a pagoda-like cream cake rose from underground... It was highly pirate-themed, decorated with frosting shaped like skulls and the like.

"Ah~~~ It looks so delicious, it's fantastic! Streusen!" Charlotte Linlin's tongue lolled out, long and trailing, her drool steaming on the floor. "Mamamama~"

Streusen, the head chef, bowed humbly. "You are too kind."

"Quick! Priest! Quick!" Charlotte Linlin roughly grabbed a crew member acting as the priest, but before the priest could say anything, she threw the crew member aside, snatched off her veil, and kissed Uunu. "Alright, vows complete, vow kiss complete, that's it! Time to eat the wedding cake, mamamama~"

Everyone: "..."

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