"Diamante!!!"
Seeing this scene, Doflamingo's expression instantly hardened, the smile at the corner of his lips vanishing as he shouted his officer's name.
The meaning was obvious—he was telling him to behave.
Even if it was just a pet,
it was still raised by Orin-sama.
In Doffy's eyes, picking a fight over pride and risking Orin's displeasure was a supremely foolish move.
But Orin didn't really care, because he could tell that Doffy's actions weren't out of respect for the Seagull King, but for him.
Not just Doffy—his officers felt the same.
They saw the Seagull King as nothing more than Orin's pet, and deep down, they looked down on it, dismissing it as nothing but a bird.
"Looks like… you've really been underestimated, Seagull King."
Orin propped his head on one hand and teased the Seagull King.
The Seagull King, with human-like awareness, immediately understood Orin's meaning. Its eyes flared with anger.
"GAH!!!"
With a furious cry, a black gleam suddenly spread across its beak.
Clang—
With one sudden lunge, the iron fork in Diamante's hand snapped in two as if it were made of paper.
"This…"
"You've got to be kidding!! Was that Armament Haki??!!"
Diamante stared at the broken half of the fork in his hand, his mouth wide open, his eyes full of dread.
If that peck had struck his hand instead, there would've been a gaping hole!
But the Seagull King ignored him, devouring the dessert in just a few bites. Its arrogant demeanor showed it didn't even acknowledge Diamante, looking every bit like it deserved a beating.
Instantly, this drew a wave of fury from the officers.
Doffy said nothing, while Orin watched with great interest, finding it all quite amusing.
"Doffy, I just thought of a fun little game. Want to play?"
Orin suddenly had an idea. Naturally, Doffy wasn't about to dampen his mood and showed eager interest.
And when he heard Orin's next words, his eyes truly lit up.
"I can see it—you all really think of the Seagull King as just my pet. But in truth, it's a monster among seagulls… If you can defeat it, I'll agree, Doffy: everything that happened before will be wiped clean, and I'll publicly declare my support for the Donquixote Family's legitimate rule over Dressrosa at sea. What do you say?"
This condition was nothing short of irresistible. Hearing it, Doffy's grin stretched nearly to his ears.
If they won, not only would past tensions with Orin-sama vanish, but Dressrosa's foundation would be secure for good!!!
Orin's clear declaration of support was far from just a tacit approval.
The latter meant that if Dressrosa were ever seized by another power, Doffy would simply have to accept his bad luck, with Orin likely unwilling to bother helping, even despising him as useless.
But a public endorsement?
That was a completely different matter!
Dressrosa would become the next Duramos Kingdom, holding an unquestionable position in the world. The Dotor royal family reigned as absolute monarchs there—just as Doffy would in Dressrosa.
Even if a Yonko tried to snatch Dressrosa from him, it would be seen as a provocation against Orin, and the consequences would be severe.
And this incredible opportunity came at the price of defeating a seagull?
Doffy thought this was the best deal he'd ever been offered since stepping into the underworld.
"Fufufufu… since Orin-sama wishes to see it, how could we possibly refuse?"
...
Royal Plateau.
Here stretched a vast and level field of sunflowers.
A reclining chair, a sunshade, juice, snacks…
Orin lounged there with ease, a proper spectator's seat.
At his side, perched proudly on the armrest, stood the Seagull King. Facing the many enemies of the Donquixote Family, its expression was grim but free of fear.
"Good work, Seagull King."
Orin stroked its head in praise, then whispered softly into its ear:
"Relax. I'll help you."
He wouldn't step into the fight himself, but a little outside assistance? No one would notice.
On the other side, the Donquixote officers were limbering up, grins plastered on their faces as if victory was already guaranteed.
"It's just a seagull. Even if it knows Haki, so what?"
"Beh-hee-hee… Dressrosa will be our Donquixote Family's strongest foundation from here on~"
"That's right, that's right…"
In their minds, even a Haki-using seagull was still just a seagull. No matter how exaggerated, it couldn't possibly take on the entire Donquixote Family.
Doffy himself thought the same.
"Even if it flies up into the sky, this seagull can't be my match."
Behind his crimson shades, his eyes brimmed with confidence. With a crook of his finger, countless threads wove together in his hand.
The Seagull King wasn't cowed. It flapped its wings furiously, locking its gaze on them.
At Orin's signal, countless bullets and cannonballs rained into the sky.
"GAH!!!" (Useless!!!)
With dazzling speed, the Seagull King's evasive maneuvers maxed out, weaving through the air, dodging left and right.
Even when a bullet couldn't be avoided, its jet-black body rendered the impact meaningless.
"What a troublesome flying ability…"
But none noticed Orin's fingers twitching, as if manipulating a puppet.
Yes.
The Seagull King was, in fact, being piloted by Orin himself.
Like playing a true 3D game—the officers were elite mobs, while Doflamingo was the boss monster.
"Interesting…"
Orin's long eyes narrowed slightly, a fleeting crimson gleam flashing across his pupils.
The next instant, the Seagull King dove in a sharp glide, its beak wrapped in Armament Haki, slicing through the storm of gunfire and then—
Shhk—
Its hardened beak pierced straight through Diamante's abdomen. Blood gushed like a fountain, staining the ground red.
One strike, and Diamante collapsed to the ground, losing all combat strength.
Clutching his stomach in horror, he stared at the blood-soaked Seagull King, terror filling his eyes.
What a joke!!!
A mere seagull… was this strong?!!
"Diamante!!!"
Doffy's face darkened, his threads now coated in Armament Haki, lashing out at the Seagull King with lightning speed.
"Overheat!!!"
Boom—
Ssshhk—
Covered in Armament Haki, the Seagull King's wings and feathers just barely held on.
Though it had learned both forms of Haki, in raw strength and mastery, it was still far inferior to Doflamingo.
Even with Orin's control, the sheer difference in power was hard to bridge.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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