"Damn it! Can't that guy understand human language? Young Master already made himself perfectly clear, so why does he have to make things so difficult?"
Wrapped in a thick coat and iron chains, Buffalo complained angrily. If he weren't worried about causing trouble for Young Master, he would have stormed in and shouted at that annoying bastard for being so unreasonable.
"What's that guy's deal anyway? Why does it seem like Young Master is actually afraid of him?"
The gaudily dressed Jora adjusted her sunglasses. After eating the Art-Art Fruit, her appearance had also become quite… 'artistic.' Just one glance at her was enough to make someone never want to see her a second time.
"You two better not do anything rash. That guy is Katakuri of the Big Mom Pirates' Sweet Commanders—a far more troublesome opponent than even Kaido's Calamities!"
Nearby, Diamante quickly issued a warning. He was so nervous that he even forgot to use his trademark quirky speech pattern.
Even though Dressrosa was the territory of the Donquixote Family, the only one qualified to deal with Katakuri was Doflamingo himself.
Even Diamante—one of the four most trusted by Doflamingo—could only stand outside the room, watching helplessly as Doflamingo was nearly driven insane by Katakuri.
"How many times do I have to say it?! I don't have it! No matter how much you pressure me…"
Doflamingo felt like he was about to lose his mind. Katakuri wasn't violent like Jack the Drought, whom he frequently dealt with in the past.
But Katakuri's stubbornness made Doflamingo want to cry.
"Your next words will be… 'Listen, I need more time…'"
Katakuri said expressionlessly. While his ability to see the future was heavily suppressed in front of Boros, there was only one Boros in the world. Against anyone else, Katakuri's foresight was unrivaled.
"Listen, I need more time…"
Doflamingo blurted it out unconsciously. Only after finishing did he realize what had just happened.
No one could avoid being shaken when they first witnessed Katakuri's ability firsthand. Doflamingo was no exception.
"…Truly worthy of being the top Sweet Commander. So the rumors were actually true…"
"…Truly worthy of being the top Sweet Commander. So the rumors were actually true…"
Their voices overlapped almost perfectly before fading out at the same time.
If at first Doflamingo had been skeptical, now—faced with Katakuri's unbelievable ability—even the defiant Joker had to acknowledge reality.
"The amount you're asking for is far too much. There's no way I can make delivery on time… Unless you're willing to extend the deadline, it's impossible. Even if you kill me, you won't get that much stock."
Knowing full well he wasn't Katakuri's match, Doflamingo closed his eyes and presented himself as if ready to be disposed of.
Backed into a corner, this was his only way of resisting—resigned passivity.
Against a monster who could even read what he was about to think, even Doflamingo was powerless.
"…Fine. But our ships will remain docked in the harbor. Every single weapon you produce will be handed directly over to us."
Katakuri's gaze bore into him, making the underworld broker's scalp prickle. Finally, when Doflamingo was about to break, Katakuri gave a small nod.
Katakuri had no interest in Doflamingo's head. What he wanted was simply the weapons and ammunition manufactured in Dressrosa.
Unless killing Doflamingo meant seizing Dressrosa and boosting production, there was no point in wasting effort.
"Fuffuffuffuffu… Don't worry, I'm the best business partner you could ask for. But forgive me for asking—are you really planning to go to war with the World Government, is that why you're buying so much?"
Doflamingo's lips curled into an exaggerated grin, one that perfectly suited his underworld alias—"Joker."
"…Do you have a problem with that?"
Katakuri gave Doflamingo a blank stare. His tone, tinged with both coldness and faint surprise, made the corners of Doflamingo's eyes twitch violently.
Although he had endured humiliating times in the past, Doflamingo had quickly returned to a life above others with the support of Trebol and the others.
Even if he wasn't accepted by his "kin" in Mariejois, Doflamingo still considered himself a noble Celestial Dragon. Later, he even leveraged that identity to blackmail his way into the position of Warlord of the Sea.
Even having once been trampled by Kaido could be brushed off as self-consolation—after all, Kaido was a great pirate of the previous era. Not being able to defeat him was perfectly normal.
But facing Katakuri now, someone who was of the same era as himself in every sense, all of Doflamingo's former pride had become a laughingstock.
"Fuffuffuffuffu… The tide of a new era is coming. Those who fail to board the victor's ship are destined to be swallowed by the waves…"
Covering his forehead, Doflamingo laughed quietly. He admitted he wasn't Katakuri's match.
But as a Warlord of the Sea, he still had the privilege of choosing which side to stand on.
"Whether you get on board depends on your performance."
Katakuri said flatly. Unlike most of his younger siblings who blindly worshipped their mother and naïvely assumed that Lord Boros—having defeated Big Mom—was invincible, Katakuri saw things differently.
As the former face of the Big Mom Pirates, Katakuri had dealt with the Navy and the World Government countless times.
He acknowledged that Boros, together with Kaido and Big Mom, was indeed a terrifying force.
But to think that alone would be enough to defeat the Navy and the World Government—that, in Katakuri's eyes, was a bit self-delusional.
Therefore, Katakuri wasn't opposed to Doflamingo joining their side, especially with a great war looming. Any additional strength meant a higher chance of victory.
After all, Doflamingo wasn't weak. Even within today's Dark Matter Pirates, he would be worthy of the title of senior combatant.
"Fuffuffuffuffu… The time isn't right yet. If I can't board the victor's ship, then I'll just be swallowed by the tide."
Doflamingo grinned and laughed arrogantly. Normally, even if he intended to play both sides, he wouldn't show it so openly.
But just now, under Katakuri's provocation, his arrogant nature had instinctively sought to disgust him.
Boom!
Doflamingo's body crashed through the great doors and slammed heavily into the wall of the Dressrosa palace, leaving a web of cracks spreading across the stone.
In the next instant, Katakuri's figure shot from the doorway like lightning, his trident pressing hard against Doflamingo's throat.
In the blink of an eye, the outcome was decided. No one had expected Katakuri to suddenly turn hostile, and even fewer could have imagined that Doflamingo would be defeated so quickly.
Granted, Doflamingo hadn't been on his guard—but the fact that Katakuri could "instant kill" him proved just how terrifying his strength truly was!
"Young Master!"
"Doffy!"
"Bastard! Let him go!"
…
The Donquixote Family's officers finally snapped out of their shock. The hot-blooded Dellinger, the most impulsive of them all, charged forward without hesitation. With his high-heeled right foot, he lashed out at Katakuri in a sharp, deadly kick, desperate to rescue his Young Master.
Yet, at the very moment Dellinger lunged forward, Katakuri moved as though he had eyes on his back. With a casual flick of his hand, he hurled a massive clump of mochi that spread midair, instantly wrapping Dellinger inside.
The mochi's extreme toughness and stickiness bound him tight. No matter how the half-fishman, born of fighting fish blood, struggled, he could not break free from its grip.
"Wha—! What is this?! Damn it! Let me go right now!"
Dellinger thrashed and clawed desperately at the mochi, but instead of tearing it off, he only ended up entangling himself further until, at last, he was completely immobilized.
"Don't act rashly!"
Before the furious officers could all make their move, Doflamingo, his throat pinned by the trident, decisively barked out an order to stop them.
Though they had numbers on their side and Dressrosa was his home turf, if a fight really broke out, it wouldn't matter—never mind the massive force behind Katakuri, Katakuri alone could wipe out the Donquixote Family.
Against overwhelming foes like his own mother or Kaido, Katakuri's ability to foresee the future was merely the icing on the cake.
Truly powerful conquerors could shatter his Observation Haki foresight with sheer willpower alone. But for the Donquixote Family officers, Katakuri's ability to "see the future" left him practically unbeatable.
Unless Doflamingo was willing to stake his life and exert enough pressure to overwhelm Katakuri, even the four top executives at their level would be instantly defeated if they faced him.
"D-… Doffy, what the hell is happening?"
It was Trebol, the more steady-minded of them, who was the first to regain his wits, his voice anxious as he shouted.
Back then, he and the others had recognized Doflamingo's talent and gambled everything on him—even staking their very lives—in the hope that one day, following him would lead them to the peak of the world.
For that dream, it was no exaggeration to say Trebol had invested so much into Doflamingo that abandoning him was simply unthinkable.
°°°
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