"For me?"
Issho was taken aback by that. With his usual calm demeanor, he was still left momentarily stunned.
But after a breath, he composed himself and asked:
"I dare say I'm but a nameless figure on the Grand Line. Perhaps I have a bit of a reputation in the South Blue, but why would someone as renowned as you keep me in mind?"
Doflamingo didn't answer directly. Instead, he sat cross-legged, basking in the warm sunlight. Lazily, he replied with a question of his own:
"Issho, are you familiar with the concept of seeing the future?"
That gave Issho pause, but he answered honestly.
"I've heard a little. It's said to be a profound application of Observation Haki. But I haven't mastered it."
From the way things looked, Doflamingo didn't seem to harbor any malice toward him.
"Correct... but not quite complete."
Doflamingo propped his chin up with one hand and began to speak with a sly smile.
"Seeing the future isn't limited to battle. Those with true mastery can catch glimpses of things tied to their own fate, almost effortlessly."
Issho caught on instantly. "So you saw me in your future?"
"Fufufufufufu... That's right. I admire you."
A grin spread across Doflamingo's face. He wasn't lying—Issho could feel that much.
"Whether it's the strength you'll display in the future or your approach to the world, I truly respect it."
"My approach to the world? But it's not aligned with yours in the slightest!"
Issho drew in a long breath, remembering why he came here in the first place.
"You've trafficked weapons and illegal substances across the four seas, spreading suffering and misery."
"And if I didn't sell them, would there be fewer weapons circulating through the seas?"
That question caught Issho off guard.
"At the very least, fewer people would die."
"Fufufufufu... Wrong. Completely wrong."
Doflamingo threw back his head and laughed.
"In fact, those so-called 'substances' have helped many small island towns avoid greater loss."
Issho was just about to refute him when a document came flying toward him, landing at his feet.
Reading the contents silenced him.
It turned out, the greatest damage to islanders across the seas didn't come from the great pirates—Whitebeard, Big Mom, or even Don Chinjao.
These major pirates were more like feudal lords who ruled over their territories. As long as their citizens paid tribute, they lived in peace.
The real devastation came from the countless small-time pirates that infested the seas.
Some islanders were fishermen by day, pirates by night, raiding nearby islands.
These pirates descended like locusts, wave after wave, stripping islanders of their last coins.
Islanders had grown accustomed to financial losses. But that wasn't the worst part.
Some twisted pirates engaged in horrific acts—random killings, assaults, and worse.
In contrast, Doflamingo's "special substances" had empowered civilians, shrinking the power gap between them and the average pirate.
Because of this, some villages experienced fewer losses, not more.
...
"There have been riots and wars in multiple nations with your fingerprints all over them."
"Fufufufufufu... Issho, you're just a gambler who carries the people's burden in your heart. But you've seen so little of the world."
Doflamingo stood up and stretched lazily.
"Weapons have no will of their own. They don't choose their targets—I don't point them anywhere."
"Wars between nations are born of kings' greed."
"Uprisings within nations are the people's desperate cry for salvation after being pushed to the brink."
"So tell me... what exactly have I done wrong?"
Issho was speechless.
Doflamingo had washed his hands so cleanly of responsibility that Issho couldn't immediately find a crack in his argument.
Seeing his silence, Doflamingo asked again:
"Issho, do you think the world is rich in resources?"
This world was 80 to 90 percent ocean, teeming with sea life.
Issho didn't have a world map, but the number of Sea Kings he'd seen, fought, and eaten told him everything he needed to know.
"Abundant," he replied simply.
"Exactly. Even if common folk can't hunt Sea Kings, regular fish are enough to feed entire islands."
Doflamingo nodded and continued.
"Then tell me—why are more and more member nations of the World Government growing poor?"
"And why are non-affiliated countries fading, even disappearing altogether?"
Issho knew the answer.
But he'd always believed that even an imperfect order was better than the lawless chaos of the seas. So again, he said nothing.
...
"Let me tell you a story, Issho."
Doflamingo went on, ignoring the silence.
"Once, there was a kind-hearted Celestial Dragon. He gave up his title and authority to live among regular people with his family."
"But... unfortunately, his identity was exposed. Can you guess what happened next?"
Celestial Dragon?
Issho recalled the non-affiliated nations he'd visited and already had a sinking feeling about how the story ended.
"His wife died of illness. He was betrayed and murdered by the people he trusted most."
Doflamingo's voice remained calm as it rang out.
"In the end, that family was left with two children. And one of them... was me."
Doflamingo was a Celestial Dragon?!
Issho's blind eyes widened sharply in disbelief.
...
"When I fell from the heavens into the mud, only to rise again above the clouds..."
Doflamingo looked toward the Red Line, the smile on his lips growing more twisted.
"I came to understand the root of most of the world's suffering."
"It's because the cake is cut the wrong way—too many lazy pigs getting fat for doing nothing."
"When people across the world are crushed under the weight of survival, someone out there is living in peace, indulging in luxury beyond imagination."
Issho's grip on his cane-sword tightened.
The sense of danger in his heart spiked—just like the time he fell into a beast's den as a child.
Right now, Doflamingo was incredibly dangerous.
Issho asked his final question.
"So... you intend to overthrow the World Government? And you harbor no resentment toward the people?"
"Do Sea Kings care about what goldfish think?"
Besides, I've already taken my revenge. I'm not the type to lash out at innocents.
Thinking back to that long-awaited moment of satisfaction, the smile on Doflamingo's face deepened.
Thin threads danced happily between his fingers.
"I just believe the world deserves a better order."
"So, Issho... will you help me?"
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