"Come on!"
Doflamingo beckoned at Perona with a smirk.
"Perona! Let's see it! Use your unbeatable ability!"
Moria gave Perona a pat on the head, subtly angling his body as if getting ready to bolt at a moment's notice—just in case the boss lost his temper and decided to turn that anger on him.
"Yes, Moria-sama!"
With a sweep of her hand, Perona unleashed her Devil Fruit power. A translucent Negative ghost floated straight toward Doflamingo.
Moria and Perona both watched with expectant grins, already imagining Doflamingo sprawled out flat on the floor.
Thunk!
The intangible ghost collided with Doflamingo with a surprisingly solid thud, then lazily floated back toward Perona, wobbling as if dazed.
Moria and Perona's grins faltered in unison. Disappointment replaced anticipation in their eyes.
What a letdown.
"How boring," they muttered to themselves at the same time.
"Do it again," Doflamingo said, one brow arching.
Armament Haki really was the ultimate defense—it even protected against ghost attacks. But this time, he let it down just a bit. He had something else he wanted to test.
"Yes!"
Perona's eyes lit up. She immediately summoned another Negative ghost.
Poof!
This time, the ghost phased cleanly through Doflamingo's body.
Moria and Perona grinned again.
Here we go—waves of negative emotions started surfacing: the frustration of childhood scavenging, the sting of beatings...
"Seems like... I can control it."
Doflamingo closed his eyes, tapping into his Emotion-based Observation Haki. One by one, the dark feelings were soothed and neutralized.
Moria and Perona froze, the smile dying on their lips again.
Is he even human?
Why won't he break down like everyone else?!
"Again! Push it to the max, Perona!"
Doflamingo shut his eyes once more, needing stronger, deeper negative emotions. Armament worked, Observation worked—then there was no reason Conqueror's Haki wouldn't work too.
Perona huffed in annoyance and slammed her palms together, as if she were trying to throttle Doflamingo by sheer frustration.
Dozens of Negative ghosts swarmed around him, descending all at once.
Poof, poof, poof, poof!
Doflamingo didn't resist—he let the flood of emotion wash over him.
The monotony of training... the helplessness at his mother's death... the despair of hanging from the city gates...
"Is that all?" he thought.
Then—
Memories from his past life began surfacing.
The collapse of his e-commerce startup. His girlfriend leaving him. His best friend's suicide.
A client he'd chased for two months ghosting him at the last minute.
Withheld paychecks. Foreclosure on his apartment.
Finally, just when things had started to look up, he'd been hit by a truck, the driver fled, and help came too late.
That was how his dull, miserable life had ended.
...
"Moria-sama... maybe we should go now."
Perona nudged him, anxiety creeping into her voice. She had never seen someone react like this to her ghosts.
Doflamingo sat slumped on the throne, eyes closed. If not for the slow rise and fall of his chest, he could have passed for a corpse.
"Relax. The Boss is fine."
Moria tried to reassure her, though even he wasn't fully convinced. The despair saturating the air was so intense it began dragging down his own mood.
He really hoped he wasn't going to get punched for this later...
"Fufufufufu..."
A deep, rising laugh broke the tension.
Doflamingo's eyes snapped open—scarlet lightning cracked from his pupils like solid beams.
His fists clenched, and the air itself groaned under the pressure.
"Yes... it's this kind of life—the life of a strong man—that's truly wonderful!"
The blast of Conqueror's Haki that burst from him hit Perona like a truck. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed unconscious.
Moria caught her just before she hit the ground, swallowing nervously as he stared into those blood-red eyes.
"Boss... are you okay?"
"Of course I'm okay. I feel great."
Doflamingo adjusted his sunglasses, concealing the last traces of crimson lightning. He could feel it—his Conqueror's Haki had evolved. It was more refined now. Purer.
"Head to Flevance in the North Blue. Assist Rosinante. Make sure the Beasts Pirates' crew stays in line."
That task had originally been under Vergo's management, but with the Sky Island reconstruction coming up, Vergo's talents would be better used accelerating that process.
"Oh—and the reward for finding Nico Robin. Go see Tesoro and collect it."
"Yes, Boss!"
Moria's tension vanished instantly. Hugging Perona, he spun on his heel and sprinted away, grinning from ear to ear.
Not only had he avoided a beating, he was getting paid too!
...
Donquixote Combat Division
The defeated trainees stood off to the side, watching the ongoing match unfold in the center of the training ground.
Zoffy and Ace had surrounded Law, attacking in rapid bursts from both sides.
But every punch they threw narrowly missed—just short enough to glance past Law's evasive movements, and just close enough to make them slam into each other instead.
"You're in the way! Get outta here!" Zoffy snapped, adjusting his bent glasses.
This brat was using the sparring match as an excuse to settle personal grudges!
"You're the one in my way, dumbass!" Ace shot back.
No way was he admitting he'd thrown that last punch on purpose!
Law finally opened his eyes, the dull look of a dead fish in his gaze. Watching the two of them bicker, he asked flatly:
"Are you two done yet?"
"None of your business, you show-off!" they yelled in unison.
They turned their focus back to Law and lunged.
"I'm gonna be top of the class, Zoffy/Ace! Stop dodging, you jerk!"
"Stop copying me, you stupid aniki/lousy moron!"
...
"Hahaha! Zoffy and Ace are hilarious. Don't you think so, Baby 5?"
Yamato beamed, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
"I... guess so?"
Baby 5 rubbed her sore eyes, still sniffling. Those idiot had each landed a punch on her the moment they jumped in—knocking her right out of the spar.
Law, at least, just scared her a little. He never hit her.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!
A thunderous roar ripped through the training grounds.
Yamato turned toward the sound—and her eyes widened in shock.
"Zoffy! Ace! Quick—look! Your house is gone!!!"
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg