One Piece: Crown of Darkness

"Weevil! That's snow, not sugar, oh~ hohoho~ Even if it were sugar, you shouldn't eat such big mouthfuls, your teeth will really hurt," Giolla, ever the diligent mother, patiently corrected Weevil's many common sense errors, caring for him meticulously. "Come, put on something warm. This is a winter island."

Weevil foolishly dropped the snow from the deck, then innocently said, "Oh, that's right! I was wondering why it wasn't sweet, it's snow! Snow, snow... Hehehe, Momma Giolla is amazing."

"Why aren't Young Master and the others done yet?" Giolla draped a fur coat over Weevil, then looked towards the shore.

To be honest, Giolla was still quite wary of being alone with Weevil, as the horror of his rampages was vivid in her memory.

Weevil, upon hearing the words "Young Master," shivered. Even under Giolla's meticulous care, he had almost forgotten Buckin, but he could never forget how Doflamingo had dealt with him—it had truly pierced his soul.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The wind grew fiercer, the snow heavier.

Faint, blurry figures finally began to emerge on the shore.

Not long after.

"Set sail," Doflamingo urged, displeased, as soon as he boarded the ship. "Hateful weather."

"Behehehe~ I say, I say, Doffy likes warm islands?" Trebol swayed his head cheekily. "But, nyeh, nyeh, Doffy? Aren't you going to stay a few days and recruit a good ship's doctor? I can tell that although this Drum Kingdom isn't famous, it's indeed a major medical nation, nyeh."

Doflamingo walked towards the ship's cabin. "Don't worry, it won't be long until I am the ship's doctor."

"Hey, stop babbling, Trebol! You know Doffy's temper, get to work!" Diamante pulled Trebol, who was about to continue persuading Doflamingo, then turned and said, "Pica, take Doffy's things, then come back quickly to help raise the sails. With such heavy wind and snow, I can't maneuver the Flamingo alone."

Pica, silent as a mute, laboriously carried the various medical books, equipment, and food supplies he had shouldered and held to their designated places.

In the lounge.

Doflamingo's mood seemed affected by the snowstorm, equally gloomy. Even though he had extorted a lot of what he wanted from Drum Kingdom, he was unhappy without warning.

Weevil, whose actions were entirely governed by instinct, keenly sensed Doflamingo's suppressed rage. He wouldn't even enter the room, preferring to brave the cold wind on deck.

In such circumstances, besides the tactless Trebol, only Giolla dared to speak. "Oh~ hohoho~ Young Master? Have a hot drink." After Doflamingo took the hot coffee, she chuckled, "Are you troubled by something, Young Master? Even if we can't help, it doesn't hurt to get it off your chest, hoho."

"It's about Devil Fruit development," Doflamingo said, gazing at the strings secreting from his fingertips. "My increase in power is lagging."

Giolla: "..."

"With my current strength in the New World, securing a place isn't a problem, but it can't keep up with my ambition! Far from it!" Doflamingo murmured, "Conqueror's Haki, Observation Haki, Armament Haki, physical techniques, swordsmanship, Devil Fruit abilities... There are only so many ways to get stronger. The three types of Haki are products of long accumulation. I've pretty much reached my current limit there. What's left are physical techniques, swordsmanship, and Devil Fruit abilities. I have no interest in swordsmanship, leaving physical techniques and Devil Fruit abilities..."

Giolla grimaced, unable to interject.

"Never mind, you wouldn't understand," Doflamingo exhaled.

Thump, thump.

Hurried footsteps.

"Doffy? We've got our bounties!" Diamante suddenly ran in, excited.

Doflamingo languidly said, "So quickly noticed by the Marines? Fufufufu~ 'Sea Scourge,' how do those guys come up with nicknames?!"

Looking at his own wanted poster, his languor vanished, replaced by a cold sneer. "140 million Berries, and 'Must be captured alive'? 140 million Berries... I'm truly cheap."

The "Must be captured alive" annotation on the bounty poster, Doflamingo didn't even need to think about it. It was definitely the work of the Celestial Dragons.

"Doffy's first bounty is 140 million Berries. If my memory serves me right... this is the highest bounty ever for a rookie pirate." Diamante subtly implied that Doflamingo was perhaps being too arrogant.

Doflamingo casually tossed his own wanted poster aside and flipped through his family members'. "Edward Weevil, 70 million Berries, dead or alive; Trebol, 50 million Berries, dead or alive; Diamante, 45 million Berries, dead or alive; Giolla, 23 million Berries... The whole crew, 328 million Berries, huh? Seems like enough to entice those fools blinded by greed into taking a reckless chance."

"Behehehehe~ If they dare to come, we'll make sure they don't come back! We'll make the Donquixote Family's name known!" Trebol shouted fanatically.

Doflamingo then looked at the other bounties: "'Desert King,' 'Hawk-Eyes,' 'Hero of the West Blue,' fufufufufu..."

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