"But can anyone tell me where that old bastard is now?"
Doflamingo's lips curled into an excited smile.
What a stroke of luck—he had been searching for Golden Lion for so long, only to find him without any effort. It was finally time to test the worth of this washed-up legend.
He could barely wait to send Golden Lion to reunite with his dear friend, Roger.
An aged village chief, trembling from head to toe, hesitantly stepped forward from the crowd and responded,
"My lord, Golden Lion's fleet left three days ago. Every month, they head to the outside world to gather supplies. They should be returning soon."
"The next time this island will move again is just around the corner."
The chief had his own motives for revealing this information. The newcomers clearly bore great hostility toward Golden Lion. Things had already been bad enough since Golden Lion's arrival. If both sides clashed, perhaps they could use the chaos as an opportunity...
...
Deep in the jungle, Doflamingo sensed the presence of an autonomous, projection-based surveillance Den Den Mushi.
A large monitoring snail was sneakily observing the events unfolding in the village, faithfully transmitting every detail to Golden Lion's stronghold—
A colossal, ship-shaped island palace constructed entirely of rock.
...
Meanwhile, several smaller floating islands orbited the ship-shaped stronghold.
Inside a laboratory—
Fizz... Sizzle...
Indigo busied himself, mixing various strange, colorful solutions.
Golden Lion, who still had both of his legs, stood to the side overseeing the process. The long period of inactivity was making him restless. His awkward, unfamiliar steps only added to his frustration, causing his rooster-like hair to droop slightly.
"Dr. Indigo, how much longer until SIQ is complete?"
(T/N: SIQ is a drug developed by Indigo the doctor of the Golden Lion Pirates, to make animals "evolve" and develop special abilities)
Indigo turned around, shaking a beaker side to side in repeated cycles.
Golden Lion took a deep drag from his cigar, but even that failed to calm his nerves. He let out a frustrated roar.
"What the hell are you mumbling about?! Speak up properly!"
"Ah! I mean, it'll take a few more cycles! The current formula is still unstable."
"Captain Shiki!!!"
A panting surveillance crew member burst into the lab, clutching a freshly printed photograph.
"Intruders in the sanctuary! It's Doflamingo from the North Blue!"
Startled, Indigo's hand slipped, causing him to pour too much of a solution. The green liquid in his beaker suddenly emitted an ominous red glow.
"Huh?! Damn! A failure! My IQ formula won't be affected, right?!"
"Hah! Doflamingo? An intruder?"
Golden Lion flicked the ash from his cigar and snatched the photo. Upon seeing the face, he let out a scoffing laugh.
"So, it's that brat who fought Kaido? He actually dares to invade my turf."
Indigo, peering at the photo over his captain's shoulder, suddenly had an idea. His eyes lit up as he spoke.
"That brat's so-called miracle drug—it worked on evolved beasts too. Maybe it could enhance SIQ's effects."
"Hahahaha! So he's delivered himself right into my hands."
Golden Lion threw his head back in laughter.
This brat could fly too? That meant he was just the right kind of subordinate for him.
If he could hold his own against Kaido, perhaps he could bring some entertainment to an otherwise dull day.
"Time to show these little punks from the new era what a real pirate looks like!"
Golden Lion strode toward the exit with purpose.
Moments later, the floating archipelago roared to life like a vehicle revving at full throttle—
And charged at full speed toward the sanctuary.
...
South Blue.
A gambling ship deftly approached Reverse Mountain.
Even in the dead of night, the ship remained brightly lit, filled with bustling activity.
"Damn it! Another loss!"
"Hahaha! You're looking at one of the top ten gamblers in the South Blue! A tenth-level grandmaster! And you? You're just a third-rate loser! What made you think you belonged on this ship?!"
Back when he was just a dealer, he had been powerless, at the mercy of pirates. But here, skill in gambling was the only thing that mattered.
The insulted pirate, his face red with rage, gripped his sword hilt tightly.
"Well, I might be a lousy gambler, but I can still kill you!"
A cold flash of steel erupted from the pirate's scabbard—
Clang!
The blade was stopped by a blind man's walking cane, steady and unyielding.
A calm, resolute voice followed.
"Even a gambler must have honor."
"Damn blind bastard! Are you looking for death?! I'll—"
Swish!
A nearly imperceptible dart of tranquilizer struck the pirate.
Thud!
Before he could finish his threat, he collapsed.
A group of artificial workers swiftly emerged from a hidden passage, dragging the unconscious pirate away.
An announcement played over the ship's speakers:
"Esteemed guests, we sincerely apologize for the disruption caused by this unfortunate pirate. As a token of our regret..."
Without a word, Issho made his way to the deck.
Issho remained silent.
The Donquixote Family dabbled in arms trade, gambling, pharmaceuticals, entertainment... their influence stretched across every corner of the world. Behind many of the world's ongoing conflicts, their shadow loomed large.
Just what was Doflamingo planning?
...
Merveille.
Not long after eating his fill, Weevil wandered outside the dense jungle barrier, hunting another long-haired, horned T-Rex.
Annoyed, Enel casually zapped it, half-cooking it in the process.
Yet the raw, slightly bloody meat did nothing to diminish Weevil's enthusiasm.
His massive jaws devoured the flesh voraciously, the gruesome sight making the gathered native villagers tremble in fear.
Nearby, Buffalo of the Donquixote Family was taking notes on the local society.
"The indigenous people of this island face external threats from both wild beasts and Golden Lion. The former is a natural hardship, but the latter represents one of the world's greatest forces of violence—a weight beyond what these natives can bear, much like the Celestial Dragons looming over all ordinary people..."
"Hey! Are you guys from Skypiea too? Why do you have wings?" Yamato asked, staring at a little girl's feathers with an envious expression.
The girl shuddered, hastily hiding her arms behind her back and shrinking into her mother's embrace.
Her mother forced a pale smile and stammered,
"M-my lady... we don't know. After this island moved several times, we just... started growing feathers."
"Huh?! Then will I grow wings too?!" Yamato's eyes lit up with excitement at the thought of Skypiea.
Resting with his eyes half-closed, Doflamingo slowly opened them.
Time was an unfathomable force.
His memories of this so-called Merveille had already begun to blur. He barely recalled the details of this island—only that a certain plant could accelerate animal development, allowing them to evolve based on their environment and gain extraordinary abilities.
Hadn't Indigo, two decades later, created a duck—or was it a bird?—that could generate electricity?
Now it seemed SIQ didn't just work on animals.
If that was the case, could it help regulate bloodline factor rejection?
These native islanders, exposed to IQ, might be the perfect test subjects.
This island was far more valuable than he'd initially thought.
"Let's go. We have some guests arriving soon. Time to find a proper stage."
Moments later—
A sailboat carried them toward the island's edge.
Don't misunderstand—
He wasn't concerned about collateral damage.
He simply didn't want his personal property getting destroyed.
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