"What a captivating speech."
Shirogai clapped lightly, his lips curling into a faint smile. "If I didn't already know your true nature, I might have been fooled by your nonsense."
"Fufufufu… Shirogai," Doflamingo's laugh echoed oddly, "do you really think I'm trying to deceive you?"
Shirogai picked up the Transponder Snail, stepped out of the dimly lit chamber, and settled onto a stone stool beneath the moonlight.
"Aren't you?" he asked casually, his gaze fixed on the silver moon. "In the end, you just want a Four Emperors-level enforcer to stand before you. You speak of cooperation with Kaido, but would you dare to call it an alliance?"
His eyes narrowed on the bespectacled Transponder Snail. "Joker, let's make something perfectly clear. You've underestimated me from the start. You and I… are not on the same level. You're unworthy of joining forces with me. At best, you're fit to be my subordinate."
…
"You're unworthy of joining forces with me, only fit to be my subordinate…"
Doflamingo's grin didn't falter as he listened to the Transponder Snail's words. Instead of rage, his amusement only deepened.
It was clear he had expected this.
"Fufufufu…"
Standing by the palace window, Doflamingo looked toward the rippling sea and let out a hearty laugh. "Shirogai, I must admit, I underestimated you before."
Indeed.
This monster, whom the World Government itself considered troublesome, was no fool. From the very start, Doflamingo had been testing him—probing his nature, his arrogance, his sense of worth.
Too many people with strength failed to understand their own value. But this one was different.
"Fufufufu… Plunderer, you're not as hot-blooded and naïve as other young men," Doflamingo sneered. "But you must realize, while you possess God-level combat power, you lack something critical—an Emperor's force. A crew willing to die for you. That's your greatest weakness."
Shirogai tilted his head slightly, as if entertained. "Oh? Go on."
"You should know," Doflamingo said, stepping out onto the sill, his coat whipping in the sea breeze, "the World Government doesn't fear the Emperors only for their strength. They fear their armies, their loyal subordinates, their absolute reach!"
With a soft whoosh, threads lifted him skyward until he stood at the very pinnacle of Dressrosa's palace, looking down on the kingdom below.
…
Meanwhile, in the royal chamber, the pale, naked figure on the bed stirred.
Her eyes opened slowly, filled with torment and fury.
She rose, her hair cascading down her bare shoulders as she approached the open window.
Plunderer Shirogai… she thought bitterly. Doffy values him. Even the World Government fears him. He holds power at a God-level… Could I use him to take my revenge?
Her gaze swept over the kingdom—her kingdom—now twisted beneath Doflamingo's control.
A storm of love and hatred churned in her eyes. "I'll never forgive you, Doffy."
…
At the palace summit, Doflamingo laughed into the night.
"Fufufufu… Shirogai, the power you wield—the Devil Fruit you command—it makes even the World Government tremble. But strength alone is meaningless without influence. No matter how mighty, one man cannot stand forever against the world. Unlike the Emperors, you have no commanders, no loyal family. Without them, how will you expand in the New World?"
He spread his arms wide, threads dancing at his fingertips.
"The Donquixote Family is vast. My influence runs deep across every industry—legal and otherwise. Join me, and you gain a force equal to an Emperor's."
Shirogai chuckled softly, his tone sharp as steel. "Are you offering to hand me the empire you've spent years building, Joker? How generous. Truly, you're a benevolent man."
"Fufufufu. There are no benevolent men among pirates!"
The sound of threads grinding against stone echoed as Doflamingo's fingers twisted.
"This is no charity. It's an exchange of interests." His grin stretched, dark and venomous. "I can give you everything—wealth, power, industries, manpower. And in return… what do I get?"
Shirogai smirked, amused. "You're even willing to surrender your entire foundation. So tell me, Joker, what do you want from me?"
"It's simple." Doflamingo's voice sharpened, his laugh spilling into the starry night. "I only want you. Not your body. Your trust. I will serve you, as I once served Kaido. I care little for who my master is—only that he has the strength to seize the throne of the world."
His ambition crackled like lightning in the air.
"I wish to ascend with you, Shirogai Yamikuro. When you rise as a god above all, I will be the one at your side, your shadow. Second only to one… above ten thousand."
"Hahahaha…" Shirogai leaned back, laughing heartily. "You truly have some misplaced confidence in me. Do you really see such potential in me, Joker? Enough to cast aside Kaido—the man you've invested in for years—just to gamble on me, a so-called rookie?"
"Fufufufu…" Doflamingo's laugh was laced with malice. "A rookie? A rookie who fought Aokiji and Kizaru together, and nearly killed Kizaru? I'm an opportunist, Shirogai. And I won't miss the chance to bet on the man who can overturn the world."
____
Milestone,
100 Power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter