Lying back comfortably on his oversized cloud bed, Doflamingo basked in the attentive service of his attendants before dialing the Den Den Mushi to contact Rosinante.
"Gulu gulu..."
"Rosi, happy birthday. How's the situation in Flevance?"
"Thanks. The production of lead-white goods has already been funneled into the hands of nobles and royalty via the Sky Island shell trade. Some of the high-end products have been secured within the family, per your instructions. However, persuading the people of Flevance to leave is still proving difficult. Not only are some minor nobles petitioning the royal family to expel us, but even some of the ignorant citizens are turning against us."
Rosinante's voice carried a trace of frustration. The struggle to save Flevance confounded him—why would a king and his nobles abandon their own people?
The acquisition of lead-white products had, of course, been orchestrated by Doflamingo himself. And why?
Because it was an incredibly lucrative trade. The aristocracy had already begun circulating these items amongst themselves.
As for sealing them away?
That was a long-term investment. Once Flevance was completely wiped out, these goods would become rare collectibles, skyrocketing in value.
It was the same reason why a dead painter's works became priceless.
Doflamingo fully understood Rosinante's predicament. Cutting off a person's financial lifeline was akin to killing their parents.
Navigating the upper echelons of power meant either offering enough benefits to the nobles and royalty to divert their greedy gaze away from the commoners or eliminating them altogether and forcefully evacuating the populace.
But Rosinante couldn't do either.
"Fufufufufu. Don't be so discouraged, Rosinante," Doflamingo chuckled. "To the nobles and royalty of Flevance, you're simply ruining their money-printing machine. Of course, they're not happy about it."
"I had you interact with them so you'd understand how twisted this system is. If you want to save people, they must also be willing to save themselves. Blind goodwill won't get you far. Go seek out this country's doctors, Rosi."
...
Meanwhile, on Birka…
The once-beautiful island was now drenched in smoke and blood.
"Aaaaaah!"
"Enel! You..."
One by one, the islanders were reduced to charred husks, their bodies collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
"...997, 998, 999… I'm still missing one," Enel murmured, lounging on a cloud. He took a bite of an apple, his dead-fish eyes scanning the restrained survivors below.
"Hmm… I'll leave the last one up to you. Pick the person you hate the most, and I will execute them. In doing so, you'll save yourselves."
A shiver of fear rippled through the crowd at his tempting proposition. Expressions flickered between hesitation, panic, and despair.
Then, suddenly, a voice rang out from among them.
"God's Chosen, this is all your fault! Take responsibility for what you brought upon us!"
A brief silence followed before more voices joined in, full of fear and accusation.
"Yeah! Yeah! The God's Chosen should be the one to protect us!"
"Hurry up! If you don't, we'll all die!!!"
"....."
The so-called God's Chosen, who had previously resigned himself to death, looked at the frenzied mob and suddenly screamed.
"I don't want to die! Enel, I have something to trade…!"
...
Nightfall.
After Enel and Pica had finished pacifying the island, Doflamingo once again found himself in the dream space.
Gazing at the newly lit marker labeled King of Skypiea, he couldn't help but shake his head.
'And here I spent ten days frantically gathering information on the smaller Sky Islands. Turns out, I just needed to unify the natural islands. What a joke.'
He walked toward the lighthouse, now a meter taller than before, bringing its total height to over five meters. The engravings had evolved to simple pictograms, depicting his journey from arriving on Skypiea to conquering it.
After admiring the engravings for a while, Doflamingo turned his attention to the new panel that had appeared before him.
Donquixote Doflamingo [Renowned Across the Seas]
Donquixote Family [Rulers of Skypiea]
Sea Calendar: 1496—
Birthplace: Red Line, Holy Land Mary Geoise
Skills: Conqueror's Haki [Intermediate Mastery], Combat [Expert], Rokushiki [Expert], Navigation [Advanced], Armament Haki [Advanced], Observation Haki [Advanced] -
Advanced Skill [Forced Emotional Resonance]
Devil Fruit: String-String Fruit [Expert]
Talent: Innate Strength [Achievement Reward]
Achievements: Filial Son, King of the North Blue, Route Markers: [King of Skypiea] (Reward Available)
"Claim reward."
A magical mirror appeared before him, countless light particles emerging and engulfing his body. Every bone in his body seemed to ignite, radiating with an unearthly glow.
"AAAHHHHH! GAAAAAH!"
For the first time in the dream space, Doflamingo felt pain.
'Not even the botched muscle augmentation experiment that left me with a shattered right arm hurt this bad! Where the hell is my adrenaline?! Give me some damn pain relief!!!'
"GAAAAAAAAH!"
It felt like every bone in his body was being ground into dust, then reassembled piece by piece.
...
"Haaah… haaah..."
He exhaled sharply, wiping away nonexistent sweat from his forehead, forcing himself to focus on his updated abilities.
Bone Reinforcement: Ten times the bone density of an ordinary person. Crush your enemies. Pulverize them. Reduce this wretched world to rubble with your fists.
Doflamingo's eyes gleamed with excitement.
Ten times the bone density.
'Who the hell can stand against me now?!'
Suppressing his growing eagerness, he turned to examine the next route marker.
[Dressrosa] – Eight hundred years ago, this land belonged to your family. Under your rule, it was prosperous and thriving. Restore its former glory.
Reward: Physique Enhancement *1.
'So as long as my objectives remain, the corresponding quest markers won't disappear…'
His eyes drifted to another marker.
[Vegapunk] – A genius like him… wouldn't you want him in your grasp? Seek, discover, and seize the core productivity of the pirate world.
Reward: Bloodline Factor Application.
'As if I wouldn't want Vegapunk. But if I already have him, what's the point of this reward?'
His gaze then fell on the final marker.
[Clash of Titans] – You thirst for power, don't you? The path to the world's peak lies ahead. Hunt down Golden Lion Shiki, Whitebeard Newgate, and Gol D. Roger. Show the ignorant masses who the true Pirate King is.
Reward: Varies based on challenge level.
'Tempting... Shiki might be doable. But not just yet.'
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+100 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg