Dragon's eyes were wide, his mouth forming an "O" as he stared in disbelief.
He'd only come into the room to check on Daren's condition—just a quick look to see how the injuries were healing. But the conversation he overheard nearly made him fall flat on the floor.
Godfather?
Donquixote Doflamingo?
That unruly Shichibukai, the current Emperor of the Underworld... and most importantly, a Celestial Dragon who sees himself as a god—actually calling Daren "Godfather-sama" with genuine respect!?
If Dragon hadn't known for certain this was real, he would've thought he was hallucinating.
Was that even possible?
"Doflamingo... you're his godfather?"
Dragon asked, dumbfounded.
"Yeah, something like that," Daren said with a smile.
Hey, hey, hey—how are you so calm about this!?
Dragon was starting to lose it.
"No, seriously—Doflamingo is a Celestial Dragon! When the hell did you become a Celestial Dragon's godfather!?"
"Oh, that..." Daren lifted the Den Den Mushi in his hand and chuckled.
"It was back when we were in North Blue. Doflamingo was just a brat who'd ended up in my territory. He didn't know the rules around here yet, so he was running around recruiting people, trying to grow his power."
"So I took it upon myself to teach him a little lesson—and made a fun bet with him."
"I won, of course. And after that, I became his godfather."
"But as you can imagine, kids are rebellious. That brat Doffy was no exception. Most of the time, he doesn't even acknowledge me as his godfather... not that I can blame him, really. I haven't exactly been a great parental figure."
Daren shook his head, a bit wistful.
"Looking back, I guess I've been a pretty lousy godfather."
Dragon: "..."
Seriously? You're still committed to this bit?
The corner of Dragon's mouth twitched ever so slightly.
"So... those reports about you and Doflamingo constantly clashing, leveling towns, getting into brutal fights... That was all fake?"
"...You were just putting on a show?"
"No, no," Daren shook his head firmly. "That was all real."
"That brat really does want to kill me, and sometimes I can't stop myself from wanting to kill him."
Dragon: "???"
He stared at Daren, stunned, thinking he must have misheard.
"You're saying... he wants to kill you, and if he got the chance, he'd do it without hesitation?"
"Exactly."
"And you want to kill him too?"
"Yup."
"But you both want to kill each other and still managed to get along?"
"Yeah, that's about right."
"He even calls you 'godfather' and shows you top-tier mafia respect?"
"That's how it is."
"And you still guide him—teach him how to carry himself, how to deal with people?"
"I am his godfather, after all."
Dragon's expression grew increasingly odd as he looked at Daren.
He held back for a moment, then finally muttered,
"Is this... some kind of twisted game you two are playing?"
Daren rolled his eyes.
"It's not as ridiculous as it sounds. It's actually pretty straightforward."
"He couldn't kill me, and at the time, I couldn't kill him because of my position... So we just ended up working together, for the time being."
He shrugged, then let out a dry, amused laugh.
"But even I didn't expect things to turn out into such an interesting relationship."
"Wait a second!"
Dragon suddenly stiffened as something clicked in his mind. His whole body tensed, and he stared hard at Daren, asking each word with sharp precision:
"When the Shichibukai system was first proposed, Doflamingo was never even on the Marines' or government's candidate list. Don't tell me..."
"Yes."
Daren nodded openly, smiling faintly.
"I took care of every other name on that list until that brat Doffy showed up."
"Well... you know how it is. I'm his godfather, after all. Helping him out a little doesn't seem too overboard, right?"
"Besides, I was part of the Marine task force assigned to help recruit the Shichibukai back then... Think of it as a small indulgence of power."
Dragon: "..."
He had no words. He couldn't even refute it.
After all, as the son of "Marine Hero" Garp, he'd enjoyed privileges and advantages since childhood that most people—no, most Marines—could only dream of.
At an age when others hadn't even seen a rifle, he was already perched on Garp's shoulders, firing a cannon.
"A small indulgence of power" was something Dragon had lived with his whole life.
But hearing it come out of Daren's mouth—with Doflamingo being the one who benefitted—made the whole thing feel off.
"And besides," Daren added with a faint smirk, lighting a cigar, "I was just faithfully executing the tasks assigned to me by the military and the government."
"If those candidates couldn't even survive the trials I arranged, how could they be worthy of becoming Shichibukai?"
"I was doing the Marines and the government a favor—helping them filter the list properly."
Dragon: "..."
"But I'll admit, the kid didn't let me down. He's grown into something solid."
Daren took a puff of his cigar, satisfied.
"Look at him now—Vice Commander of the God's Knights."
Dragon: "..."
He really wanted to know if, when the Five Elders eventually found out the truth behind all this, they'd be so furious they'd cough up blood.
Oh, wait. They're immortal. Even if they do, it won't kill them.
"You really know how to keep things quiet..."
Dragon sighed.
"You just slipped your godson into the Shichibukai without making a sound. Why didn't you try turning the others into your people too?"
He muttered in frustration.
Daren smiled but didn't answer.
Dragon gave him a glance—and then his eyes suddenly widened.
"You... don't tell me..."
His heart began pounding like crazy, completely out of rhythm.
"'Crocodile...?"
Daren smiled and nodded.
"I took one of his hands. Told him I'd take the other too."
Dragon: "...What about 'Gecko' Moria?"
Daren: "Same thing."
Dragon: "...So 'Hawk Eyes' Mihawk and 'Demon Heir' Douglas Bullet too?"
"Not them!"
Daren shook his head seriously.
Dragon let out a breath of relief.
Only to hear Daren continue,
"Mihawk cut off his own arm. Said he wanted to catch up with my swordsmanship... Don't give me that look. I don't get it either. Swordsmen all have a few screws loose."
"As for Bullet—we go way back. He's strong enough that he didn't need my help to become a Shichibukai."
Dragon: "..."
He wasn't sure he'd ever felt this speechless in his entire life.
...
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