One Piece: Crown of Darkness

"Captain! Captain Vise! That bird-ship ahead has stopped!"

"Are we really... challenging those strange guys? When they were at the Grand Line entrance..."

"Yeah, it was too terrifying."

"Let's find another target, please, Captain."

"..."

The pirate ship trailing the Flamingo saw it drop anchor, clearly waiting for them. The pirates on board were already intimidated before the fight began, given the significant commotion Doflamingo had caused at Twin Capes.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The deck vibrated violently. It was the ship's owner, full of fighting spirit, bouncing like a boxer.

He was an incredibly muscular middle-aged man, over two meters tall and nearly two meters wide, almost perfectly square! He wore a police cap and sunglasses, simply dressed in a one-piece bodysuit. His golden hair and beard, along with his thick body hair, gave him a savage aura.

"Change target, iin~ Don't be funny, iin!" The big man's voice was quite rough, but oddly, his ending syllable carried the feminine tone of "iin." Picking up a thick, heavy metal shield, he shouted, "I, Machvise, set sail to challenge the strong, iin! What's fun about crushing the weak, iin~ Charge forward, iin!"

"Captain Vise!"

"Everyone, calm down! Load the cannons, grab your weapons!"

"Let's go! Brace yourselves!"

"..."

Machvise's bold declaration infected his crew.

Soon.

Swish~

A dark shadow zipped past.

The prepared pirates seemed to sense something. They looked at each other, then felt nothing, suppressing their unease, bewildered.

Swish~

Swish, swish, swish~

"..."

"Where's George? Where's Johnson? And..."

"What's going on?"

"Could it be... a ghost?!!!"

"Up there!"

"..."

Their comrades vanishing one after another finally caused panic and chaos among the pirates. Then they witnessed a scene that made them tremble.

On the mast, the missing pirates were strung up in a line, their faces red, eyes bulging, tongues hanging out. They couldn't even groan in pain, desperately kicking their legs and clawing at their necks... In the eyes of others, there was nothing around their necks.

"Damn it, iin!"

Machvise, with an agility that belied his size, leaped lightly, no! He floated. He floated towards his suspended comrades, attempting to save them.

"Fufufufu~"

From behind the large canvas sail, a sinister laugh abruptly sounded. Doflamingo's fingers twitched.

Boom, boom, boom!

The faint hum of strings.

"Can't... can't move, iin?" Machvise immediately broke into a cold sweat. He realized he had probably made a grave mistake.

Doflamingo unhurriedly appeared, walking his woven string network to Machvise's side. "'Set sail to challenge the strong, what's fun about crushing the weak?' Do you think you're strong, or weak? Fufufufu~ You must understand, this sea has people stronger than you like clouds and rain. Some people, no matter how hard you try, you just can't beat them. Understanding that, that's 'true growth'."

Bang! Bang! Bang!!!

Gunshots.

In a flash, the Donquixote Family cleared out everyone on the ship.

"Bastards! You bastards, iin!" Seeing his crew slaughtered, Machvise's eyes were bloodshot. "Ton-Ton: 10-Ton Vise!"

"Aaahhh!!!"

The string network suddenly sagged as Machvise's weight abruptly doubled, but he didn't snap the strings. Instead, the sharp strings cut into his body, causing him to scream in pain and halt his movements.

"Behehehe~ This guy's a Devil Fruit user too, he can fly, nyeh?" Trebol tilted his head, swaying left and right. "Looks like he has some strength, nyeh. Doffy? Should we invite him to join us?"

Doflamingo licked his lips. An idea formed in his mind, and his attitude was one of tacit approval.

Thump!

Crack!!!

With a flick of his finger, the string-bound Machvise plummeted heavily, cracking the deck.

"Behehehe~ Nyeh, nyeh, we are the Donquixote Family! That's Doffy, a man destined to become king! Our king, nyeh!" Trebol enthusiastically recruited him. "Vise... Machvise? Don't be sad. This is the sea! This is a pirate's life! Your subordinates died, it's not your fault. They were too incompetent. You don't want to suffer such a tragedy again, do you?"

Machvise was clearly not a tough nut to crack.

"Just like Doffy said, 'some people, no matter how hard you try, you just can't beat them,' behehehehe~ What I want to say is, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, and then you can beat 'em, nyeh!" Trebol gesticulated wildly, his words jumbled and illogical. "Come, join us! Trust me, I've experienced what you're experiencing, that's why I've come to understand the logic of following an existence like Doffy."

Machvise was tempted but hadn't spoken yet.

"Your promise doesn't count, Trebol," Doflamingo said, looking down from above. "I have to test you, Machvise. Fufufufu~ My ship doesn't take deadbeats."

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