Sweet, huh? Kaido has his three All-Stars, Big Mom has her Three Sweet Commanders, Whitebeard had Blackbeard and Marco, and Shanks has Ben Beckman, who is on equal footing with him.
And yet, under Doflamingo's banner, there were barely any noteworthy subordinates, let alone true top-tier combatants. Was he supposed to rule the world on his own?
Standing by the shore of Upper Yard, facing Angel Island, Doflamingo grew increasingly frustrated as he awaited Trebol's arrival. The excitement from his recent power growth had completely vanished.
"Sizzle."
"Young Master, look at this! That idiot son of the so-called 'God' dug this up from beneath the Pica Shrine!"
A flash of lightning heralded Enel's arrival before his voice followed. He appeared before Doflamingo, a thick stack of ancient blueprints in his hand, his expression one of exhilaration.
'Could it be... the future Ark Maxim?'
Doflamingo's dark expression softened slightly as he reached for the blueprints Enel handed him.
However, what he saw wasn't quite what he had expected.
The massive ship detailed in the blueprints bore a resemblance to the future Ark Maxim, but only as a scaled-down prototype. The annotations were written in the same cuneiform script as the Poneglyphs.
'As expected, this is lunar technology.'
Enel had managed to construct the Ark Maxim on his own, using only these blueprints and his Goro Goro no Mi's energy reserves to power it—enough to annihilate an entire island.
But what if Germa's Judge, Caesar Clown, and their scientific teams dissected and reproduced this technology?
No, it would be a waste to treat it that simply.
If they could decipher the flight mechanics and mass-produce airborne vessels, controlling the skies would become a reality.
Doflamingo's face shifted unpredictably as he contemplated, making Enel uneasy.
'Maybe... Maybe he won't punish me for acting on my own?'
Seeing Enel's nervous expression, Doflamingo found himself growing fonder of him. A wide grin stretched across his face as he clapped Enel on the shoulder and laughed.
"Fufufufu! Enel, you did well! Very well! I should reward you handsomely."
He pulled out a Den Den Mushi and dialed a number, connecting to Germa's leader, Judge.
"Gorogoro."
"What is it?"
"Judge, put your break on hold. Come to Upper Yard immediately."
Ending the call, Doflamingo turned to Enel, a sinister grin creeping onto his face.
"Enel, come here. Today, I'll teach you something new."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Two figures, one clad in blue lightning, the other in crimson threads, clashed at a speed imperceptible to the human eye.
Doflamingo's muscular arms, reinforced with Haki, pounded relentlessly against Enel's body, the dull impact of flesh and bone forming a steady rhythm of blows.
"Too slow, too slow! Enel, as a Lightning Logia user, don't let your physical instincts limit your speed. Use your Observation Haki! Use your Mantra! Move, evade, attack with your mind, not your body!"
Doflamingo drove a heavy punch into Enel's chest, sending him hurtling backward. Standing still, he watched as Enel struggled to recover.
'Before the Young Master arrived, I got beaten up. Now that he's here, I'm still getting beaten up. What's the difference?'
Sore and bruised, Enel reminisced about the beatings he endured on Birka before Doflamingo arrived. No—this was worse! This strange 'Haki' made it hurt so much more!
Frustrated, he instinctively retorted.
"You say not to rely on my physical reactions, but even with Observation, I still can't track your movements, Young Master!"
"Fufufufu! Don't worry, I'll help you. Sometimes, people need to be forced into growth. Think—what is the connection between your Observation and your Goro Goro no Mi?"
Doflamingo's wicked grin widened as he raised his fists, vanishing from Enel's sight.
"A connection?"
A sudden flash of inspiration struck Enel.
His natural mental abilities momentarily fused with the electromagnetic field generated by his Goro Goro no Mi. His mind absorbed an overwhelming amount of sensory information from his surroundings.
He could see it!
"Buzz."
His body dispersed into lightning, flashing away from Doflamingo's attack range.
Feeling triumphant, Enel couldn't resist boasting.
"Young Master! I mastered it! I can dodge everything now!"
'…Why does he sound just like Zoro when he learned Asura?'
Watching Enel gloat, Doflamingo decided to deliver a painful lesson instead of praise. His smirk turned devilish.
"Fufufufu! Impressive. As expected of my future right-hand man."
"Well then, if you're so confident—let's see if you can dodge this!"
String-String Fruit: Full-Body Muscle Reinforcement!
Thin threads erupted from every inch of Doflamingo's skin, weaving together into a dense muscle-like structure, forming a second layer of artificial muscles.
His body expanded, his already towering frame growing even more intimidating, overflowing with raw power.
Once the transformation was complete, his reinforced legs flickered in midair.
"Enel, a normal human's reaction time is 0.2 to 0.3 seconds."
"A proper Soru demands rapid ground kicks within 0.36 seconds for explosive movement."
"Now, guess how fast I am?"
"Let's test the limits of your reaction speed! Soru!"
Enel gulped involuntarily, his eyes widening. His newly enhanced Observation strained to lock onto Doflamingo.
Then—he disappeared.
"What do I do? I can't predict his next position at all!"
His danger instincts screamed. The veins on his temples throbbed. He couldn't see Doflamingo's movements, only sense fleeting pauses where he stopped momentarily.
BOOM!
Enel chose to disperse into lightning, zigzagging rapidly across the battlefield to avoid an incoming attack.
But—
In just 0.018 seconds, a massive blackened fist crashed into his path.
"No—"
He had no time to dodge. He could see every fiber of Doflamingo's Armament-coated fist before it slammed into his cheek.
THUD!
Enel's body was sent flying like an arrow, colliding with an unconscious Nola. With that final impact, he too passed out.
Doflamingo flexed his enhanced muscles before unraveling them into countless smaller threads, massaging his strained muscles.
Looking at the unconscious Enel and Nola stacked on top of each other, he grinned in satisfaction.
'Sharpening should be reserved for those with potential—like Enel, Vergo, Pica, Gladius, and the future Monet and Baby 5.'
'As for Diamante and Trebol, those two lack the drive. Let Nola toughen them up instead. They can just hold the fort, make explosives, and handle logistics.'
'Now… who else can I recruit?'
Tap… Tap… Tap…
Hearing footsteps, Doflamingo glanced back to see Trebol approaching, leading Gladius in a protective suit.
Trebol had arrived long ago but only dared approach after the fight ended.
Seeing Enel's battered form and the heavy gaze directed at him, Trebol's pupils shrank. He swallowed hard and instinctively stepped back.
'Doffy… he's becoming even more terrifying.'
Seeing Trebol's reaction, Doflamingo's eyes filled with disdain.
'Useless.'
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+100 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg