One Piece: Crown of Darkness

"Behehehe~ Nyeh, nyeh, the air on Sky Island is too thin, nyeh. It's hard to breathe..." Trebol wasn't one to appreciate beauty, so he felt no admiration or awe for the magnificent sight of an endless sea made of white clouds that greeted them upon arrival. He merely complained incessantly about the difficulty of breathing.

Doflamingo, annoyed by the noise, frowned and chastised him, "Just bear with it! After all, it's an altitude of seven to ten thousand meters!," then shifted his tone, mocking, "Blame your own laziness! If you usually trained more, why would you struggle with such a small hardship? Trebol, remember your place. You're a pirate, not some noble lord!"

"Behehehe~" Trebol was embarrassed by the reprimand.

Doflamingo scoffed, but didn't continue, giving Trebol some face.

By this point, many things were unspoken understandings...

As Doflamingo grew stronger, completely dominating the entire family, the so-called elder status of Trebol and Diamante steadily declined. But Trebol and Diamante dared not show any dissatisfaction, nor dared they act with an "benefactor" attitude towards Doflamingo. They knew the cold-hearted Yaksha wouldn't care about such things. Their only remaining reason for being in the family was their years of loyal obedience. If even that disappeared, their fate was predictable.

And Doflamingo's growing aversion to Trebol and Diamante stemmed from their excessive laziness. They simply couldn't keep up with him. Even though he had warned them more than once, "My rise will be incredibly swift; you must keep up with me. If you can't, I won't wait," they remained as unmotivated as ever. How could that make him happy?

The atmosphere grew silent.

After a while.

"Cotton candy~ So much cotton candy, Momma Giolla, I, I want to eat!" Weevil, who didn't understand much, broke the silence.

Giolla secretly exhaled, then cheerfully said, "Good boy, those are clouds, oh~ hohoho~~~ They're just the clouds we usually see in the sky. We're on top of the clouds now."

"Ah? On the clouds?" Weevil had completely forgotten the Flamingo's ascent through the surging sea current into the sky, his surprise utterly sluggish.

The gloomy Doflamingo suddenly turned, fixing his gaze on Weevil.

"Eh?!"

Weevil was very alert this time. With a leap that belied his massive size, he squatted behind Giolla, attempting to hide behind her...

To call him foolish, he certainly was, but sometimes he was also quite astute. He chose to hide behind Giolla and not anyone else, because he understood that Giolla was probably the only person Doflamingo held some respect for.

"Young Master? He didn't mean any harm," Giolla explained, feeling awkward.

Doflamingo waved his hand, saying, "I'm not targeting him. Stop the ship, Diamante!" He walked along the ship's railing, licking his lips. "There are a few little mice spying on us, fufufufu~~ Come out!"

...

The vast cloud sea.

"Monk? We... seem to have been spotted!"

"Those Blue Sea pirates don't look like good news. Should I really provoke them?"

"Monk!"

"..."

Whispering voices echoed.

"Monk? Fufufufu~~~ A bunch of unruly monks who don't follow precepts?" Doflamingo twitched his finger. "Come out! This is the second time. If there's a third, it'll be too late even if you chant scriptures and pray for blessings."

Rustle, rustle~

The clouds shifted.

A group of grey-robed monks appeared, all possessing the wings characteristic of Sky Islanders.

The leader was tall and robust, at least 3.8 meters in height, with a thick, curly beard on his chin. He carried a huge hexagonal weapon. What was incongruous was that despite his fierce demeanor and imposing physique, his mouth was stretched wide in a smile.

"Fufufufu~ Interesting," Doflamingo's sunglasses glinted. He flicked his wrist, and strings blossomed and intertwined from his fingertips. "Overheat!"

Swish!

Rumble, rumble, rumble!!!

"..."

With just one swing, Doflamingo cut past one side of the monk, carving a path several kilometers long through the White Sea...

Gasp~

The monks, witnessing this scene, were terrified into silence, unconsciously emitting trembling sounds.

The monk, drenched in cold sweat, was shrouded in the lingering fear of near-death. He rigidly glanced at the chasm created beneath his feet, and the world below that chasm...

"My Observation Haki tells me you still have a bit of strength, and that's why you're still alive," Doflamingo raised his head, domineeringly. "Want to go down and take a look, mad monk? Agree to follow me, and I'll take you down! Refuse to follow me, and I'll send you down, fufufufu~~ Come, let me know your choice."

The monk was still smiling, but his tone was filled with lament. "Can... can I pretend I was never here?"

"That would be rather pathetic," Doflamingo said gently. "That option isn't on my list! You wanted to rob us. I believe you're quite skilled at that sort of work; the people you've robbed and killed must not be few! I'm not accusing you of anything. If they were robbed and killed by you, it's because they were too weak. That's how this world is: weakness is the original sin. They bore the consequences they deserved, fufufufu~ But this time, you picked the wrong target. You are the weak one now, and you must bear the consequences you deserve."

The monk struggled to breathe, opening his mouth. "I..."

"You better not talk about ambition or dreams or anything like that," Doflamingo said impatiently. "The gap between you and me cannot be closed by a few hot-headed shouts of slogans! Life or death, that's the question I've posed. You have no other answer besides one of those choices."

The monk mumbled for a long time, finally, compelled by Doflamingo's increasingly clear killing intent, he bowed his head and said, "I am willing to follow you."

"..."

"State your name! Get on board," Doflamingo asked, knowing the answer. "Fufufufu~~"

"Urouge."

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