"Godfather!!! I'm starving!!!"
"Waaahhh!!!"
On the screen, Weevil wailed uncontrollably.
"Fufufufufu, quite the constitution he has."
Lying in a VIP suite of a casino, the underworld overlord, Donquixote Doflamingo, adjusted his sunglasses with a smirk.
He hadn't provided Weevil with any medical treatment.
Yet from the brink of death, he had clawed his way back. And the Four Seas Gambling Tournament wasn't even over yet.
A prime research specimen.
Turning to the ever-respectful Kuro beside him, Doflamingo's lips curled mischievously.
"Kuro, seeing your dear son like this—does it pain you?"
"..." Kuro suppressed the wave of irritation rising within him and replied stiffly, "Not at all, Doflamingo-sama."
"Fufufufufu~"
Satisfied, Doflamingo gestured for Enel, whose body crackled with lightning, to stop.
"Take a break, Enel."
"Let's give our little neglected friend some warmth."
...
Execution Platform, Loguetown
The execution stand, once sliced apart by Weevil, had been restored to its former glory.
A constant stream of people came and went—pirates, merchants, all eager to witness the legendary site where an era had ended.
Yamato and Buffalo, ice creams in hand, strolled into the historical landmark.
"Mmm, so sweet."
"I think it's just right. Slurp~"
Buffalo licked his cone with bliss. This was the taste of pure sugar-fueled joy.
Yamato, scrunching his nose at the overwhelming sweetness, glanced at the freshly reconstructed execution stand.
"What kind of man was Roger, for so many people to come see him?"
"The world calls him the Pirate King. But my family's teachings say he was a fool, and I agree."
"Why?"
The unexpected question didn't come from Yamato. Instead, it was from a hooded man standing beside them, appearing out of nowhere.
Yamato instinctively pulled Buffalo back, her gut screaming that this man was dangerous.
"Fufufufufu, because he truly was a fool," Doflamingo's voice rang out as he stepped forward, his figure casting a long shadow over the execution stand.
His definition was absolute.
"Something wrong with that, Monkey D. Dragon?"
Standing precisely where Roger once had, Doflamingo hadn't expected to run into the Revolutionary leader himself.
Was there some sort of buff on this place that kept summoning Dragon?
"No, I'm simply curious."
Dragon's pupils narrowed. He was well aware of Doflamingo's infamy and had no desire to entangle himself with such a dangerous individual.
Besides, why would Doflamingo even recognize him?
"Then let me be merciful and enlighten you."
Doflamingo descended slowly, his air of dominance growing heavier with every step.
"As a strong man, if you put your faith in fate rather than yourself, that is the first foolish mistake."
"To attempt to overthrow the World Government and herald a so-called new era—that is the second."
"Tell me, aside from causing more civilian deaths, more war, more famine—has his grand gesture truly shaken the World Government's rule?"
"..."
Dragon, a traveler of many lands, was forced to acknowledge the brutal truth in Doflamingo's words.
"But is pursuing freedom a crime?"
"Nonono, chasing freedom isn't wrong. But blindly pursuing it? That's a death wish. The strong surpass the weak by thousands of times."
Thinking back on the countless failed uprisings he had witnessed, Dragon fell silent once more.
Most ordinary people couldn't even dig through a single mountain in their lifetime.
Some monsters could split an island in half with a single blow.
The gap was immeasurable.
Doflamingo tossed out a thought he had once entertained.
"Fufufufufu, he had a better option. If he had used his terminal illness as leverage and joined forces with Golden Lion to storm the World Government, imagine how much more vibrant the seas would be today."
"Even a flawed order is better than the rotting corpse that is the Red Line."
"But alas, he was just a pirate. A fool."
"Ah! Doffy!"
Yamato and Buffalo were suddenly flung into the distance by razor-sharp strings.
Doflamingo made no move to stop them. He had never been one to target children.
Dragon, however, asked sincerely, "Then what do you believe is the future of the people?"
"The future? That's a tough one. After all, some folks can even classify an entire race as a different species."
He was, of course, referring to Big Mom—perhaps the most human of all humans.
As the sky darkened overhead, Doflamingo's gaze sharpened.
"Tell me, where is Vegapunk?"
When he had met his demise, the world's script had only reached Wano. Vegapunk was nothing more than a whispered legend.
But Dragon—Dragon had ties to him.
"I don't know!"
Didn't know?
Doflamingo frowned. Dragon wasn't lying.
Had Kuma undergone that transformation just to establish a connection with Vegapunk?
Where the hell was that old scientist hiding?
Whoosh!
Dragon vanished from sight.
Doflamingo didn't give chase. There was no direct conflict between them.
Dragon was already in his prime—dragging things out would be pointless.
Besides, there was a more pressing matter.
...
"Waaahh! So hungry!"
"Mom, I think I'm going to starve to death..."
"Save me, Mom..."
"..."
Weevil lay sprawled on the floor, his cries growing weaker.
As he edged closer to death, his mind—once fogged by hunger—began to clear.
He understood now.
His mother was useless in this moment.
Another word echoed in his mind.
"Godfather! Please, give me something to eat!"
"Godfather!!! Waaahhh~"
Boom!
The cage above creaked open.
Light trickled in, illuminating Weevil's trembling form.
"Weevil, do you want to eat?"
Like a drowning man grasping at straws, Weevil's hoarse voice rang out.
"Godfather, save me."
"Save you?"
Pulled up by invisible threads, Weevil's gaze met the raised fist looming before him.
That fist—
It had shattered the invincible body his mother always boasted about.
It was a fear unlike anything he had ever known.
"So, what will you do?"
"Whatever... whatever you say, Godfather."
Weevil shivered as he spoke.
"Fufufufufu, looks like you're finally learning."
Doflamingo patted Weevil's face approvingly, unconcerned by the stench of his sweat.
Words could lie, but emotions were harder to fake.
Right now, Weevil feared him more than he was loyal to him.
Like a bear cub that had just left its mother's embrace, only to be shot in the head by a hunter before it could claim the forest as its own.
No matter. This was simple.
Doflamingo was an expert at this game.
"From today onward, Edward Weevil, you are my godson."
"Your mother will reappear with each step you take toward growth."
"Food, strength, glory—all of it will be yours."
"So tell me, what should you do?"
As consciousness began to fade, Weevil sniffled and nodded weakly.
"Obey my Godfather."
"Good. Then enjoy yourself."
Doflamingo waved a hand.
Food flooded the dimly lit room.
Weevil's eyes shone, but the strings binding his limbs held firm.
His hunger won over.
"Thank you, Godfather!!!"
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