It wasn't without reason that Orochimaru was so cautious, as a voice deep within kept warning him not to let his guard down again.
It was as if he had suffered some great loss because of it before.
The venom quickly entered the bloodstream of the three still-breathing members of the Donquixote Family through the syringe.
As expected, the first to react was the weakest, Baby-5. She let out a cry of pain, then curled up on the ground, veins bulging on her temples.
Diamante wasn't much better off. He also felt the pain, grunted, and involuntarily tensed his muscles.
It could be said that the Seastone Shackles binding them actually helped, otherwise they might have injured themselves in their agony.
Doflamingo had the mildest and shortest reaction.
He didn't even stop smiling throughout the entire process.
'Not a fatal poison.'
Doflamingo confirmed this.
In fact, he had already decided when Orochimaru entered that this guy definitely hadn't gone through all this trouble just to kill him.
After all, if Big Mom wanted to kill him, a prisoner, it would only take a word.
As for Orochimaru, he witnessed the adaptation process of these three to the venom firsthand.
He didn't realize that because people in this world inherently lacked Chakra and their physical constitutions differed significantly from the 'squishy humans' of the Ninja World, their bodies would exhibit extremely strong rejection reactions after being implanted with the [Cursed Seal]… though he hadn't thought of that name yet.
The Chakra and Natural Energy residing in the venom would autonomously seek other types of energy to fuse and match with.
During this process, two things within the recipient's body would react with the Cursed Seal.
First was Haki. As a power related to spirit, Haki shared similarities with Yin Attribute Chakra in nature, leading to a higher success rate when fusing with the Cursed Seal.
The second...
Looking at the temporary patterns of different types appearing on the bodies of Doflamingo and the other two after the injection, Orochimaru had a general idea.
The pattern on Doflamingo was spiderweb-like, Diamante's resembled waves and flags, and Baby-5's, unsurprisingly, was a special pattern similar to swords and weapons.
The patterns they currently displayed were related to the Devil Fruits they had consumed.
This was a new discovery.
Among the experimental subjects he had secretly captured earlier, there were actually no Devil Fruit Users.
Well, those who fell unconscious on that battlefield and went unnoticed were inherently unlikely to have much special value.
Under the suppression of the Seastone Shackles, the further 'mutation' that should have occurred in Doflamingo and the others' bodies stabilized.
"Phew... Can you release us now? Orochimaru."
Even Doflamingo couldn't help but let out a long sigh. The other two were in worse condition, and Baby-5 simply didn't have the strength to speak.
"Of course."
Feeling the 'link' with the three before him in his mind, a slightly more genuine smile appeared on Orochimaru's face. Without any hesitation, he removed the shackles from the three.
Orochimaru knew that these three should also be able to feel that sense of connection.
Diamante and Baby-5 weren't important, but Doflamingo likely had the ability to forcefully attack him despite his 'control command'.
However, if that happened, he wouldn't hesitate to push the other party into the mutated state of a completely energy 'rampant'.
At that point, no Seastone Shackles could suppress it.
Doflamingo wouldn't die, but he would become a monster completely devoid of reason, knowing only killing.
A dangerous balance was achieved.
Doflamingo could also sense this from the strange feeling in his neck.
He just gave Orochimaru a deep look, then took the initiative to shoulder the still-petrified Senor Pink.
This surprised Orochimaru.
"You're taking him too?"
Orochimaru was genuinely curious this time because, in his view, someone like Doflamingo, similar to himself, shouldn't value his subordinates so highly, especially since they hadn't even escaped yet.
"Senor Pink is a member of our Donquixote Family. He is my family."
Facing Orochimaru's half-teasing, half-probing words, Doflamingo just said this expressionlessly, then walked out first.
This wasn't a lie.
Doflamingo had killed his father and brother with his own hands, but at the same time, he cared deeply about the concepts of 'family' and 'loved ones'.
The current Donquixote Family was a group of 'family' members without blood ties, united around Doflamingo as the core to achieve his ambitions and the expectations of his family.
Most people in this family weren't good people.
They committed murder, arson, robbery, and every crime imaginable.
But at the same time, they truly did 'cherish' their own family members.
After walking some distance, Diamante, who had勉强barely recovered, used his Hira Hira no Mi's ability to turn the petrified Senor Pink into a gray cloak wrapped around himself. (T/N: Ripple-Ripple Fruit.)
This freed up Doflamingo's hands.
Devil Fruits... no matter how many times he saw them, he had to marvel. Truly miraculous abilities.
Orochimaru's eyes still held the curiosity of a researcher. It seemed it wouldn't be long before he personally consumed a Devil Fruit.
The prison they left was on Whole Cake Island itself. Even though Orochimaru had controlled certain people through the venom, they still needed to carefully leave the castle grounds.
According to the patterns Orochimaru had figured out, Big Mom should already be asleep at this time.
And although Whole Cake Island was the capital of Totto Land, its defensive forces weren't particularly strong.
-This was understandable, as an Emperor resided here. The strongest ministers usually had their own islands to manage and wouldn't come to Whole Cake Island unless for a tea party or to deliver tribute.
The group made their way to the docks, where not many ships were moored.
Doflamingo's flagship wasn't among them.
"My part of the work ends here. The rest is up to you..."
Orochimaru actually laughed in this tense environment.
Doflamingo glanced at him, a sinister smile also appearing on his face.
"Let's consider it collecting some interest... Big Mom."
So, he walked boldly towards one of the ships.
The dock guards soon spotted the group.
Upon seeing Orochimaru's highly recognizable face, the guards didn't pay much attention initially.
After all, everyone knew this new fiancé of Big Mom's had no combat power, and it wasn't his first time wandering around.
Since gaining free access to Whole Cake Island, Orochimaru had explored almost every part of the island except Big Mom's bedroom.
But then, Doflamingo's figure emerged from the nighttime shadows.
Even without his signature pink feather coat, that arrogant walking posture was hard to find a second match for on the entire sea.
"It's Donqui-"
'Parasite!'
Several thin strings silently captured the guards before them, turning them into puppets under Doflamingo's control.
With their help, Doflamingo and the others successfully commandeered a ship.
After doing this, Doflamingo looked at Orochimaru with a gaze full of threat and probing.
Unexpectedly, this guy with no combat power remained unfazed even after seeing such a method.
'Interesting, really interesting... Orochimaru, is it?'
Doflamingo thought to himself. Then, Diamante's expression suddenly changed.
"Young Master, there's something approaching underwater ahead!"
It was the underwater unit of the Big Mom Pirates, composed of Fish-men, also one of Whole Cake Island's defenses.
Doflamingo knew this too.
A smile appeared on his face as countless thin strings quickly wrapped around his fingertips, forming a destructive whip.
"No matter. Let them come."
After saying that, he swung his arm without hesitation.
"Overheat!"