A monotonous journey can easily make one restless, especially adrift on the vast, boundless sea.
Doflamingo, Vergo, and Pica were somewhat better off; their daily physical training left them too exhausted to be restless.
Trebol and Diamante, however, seemed to adhere to the philosophy of "if talented people work hard, what's the point of untalented people trying?" Aside from using their accumulated experience from traversing the Grand Line to steer the ship and navigate, they spent their days idle and grew immensely restless, desperate to find some amusement to vent their frustration.
"As you please," Doflamingo said, sensing Trebol and Diamante's restlessness. He didn't stop them, allowing the unfortunate merchant ship that entered their sight to suffer.
He despised such unprepared, unorganized, unplanned, random, and casual acts of piracy—too low-class!
"Awwoo~" Diamante shouted excitedly, launching into an inexplicable dance as he swaggered to the helm. "Yo-ho! Look forward to my performance!"
"Behehehe~" Trebol immediately took up the cannonner's position, conjuring a torch as if by magic, and deftly adjusted the cannon's angle.
Pica and Vergo followed, providing support, looking like seasoned accomplices.
Doflamingo observed everything with a cold eye.
It ended quickly.
The merchant ship wasn't large, its firepower weak, its guards few, and its speed, laden with cargo, was no match for the World Government standard medium cruiser that Diamante was manipulating to board.
What followed was a one-sided battle... the Devil Fruit abilities' deterrent and destructive power completely overwhelmed ordinary people.
"Bang! Bang!" Trebol, short gun in hand, looked around triumphantly. "Behehehe~ Nyeh, nyehh, hand over all your valuables!"
Hearing Trebol's words, Doflamingo couldn't remain calm. He looked up at the sky, speechless. "That technique is so damn crude!"
"Hm?" Vergo, standing nearby, didn't understand.
Roughly pushing Trebol aside, Doflamingo snatched the short gun from his hand. "Move aside! Pay attention and learn." He walked towards the kneeling crowd. "Who's the captain? One more question, one more death. There are plenty of you here anyway."
Before his words finished, a burly middle-aged man trembled and raised his hand.
"Excellent, fufufufu~" Doflamingo smiled, pulling the trigger...
Bang!
The gun fired, blood splattering.
Without warning, chillingly swift and precise.
"Aaahhh!!!"
Panic erupted, screams mingling with wails.
Doflamingo tossed the gun back to Trebol, signaling Pica to bring a crate. Once he was seated, the people before him had mostly stifled their cries, now silent with terror. He then spoke, "I'm not interested in knowing what cargo is on this ship, nor am I interested in how you dispose of it, fufufufu~ Yes! That's right, it's still yours." His tone then turned cold. "But! Your lives are mine now. Please name a suitable price to buy them back."
Silence. Stillness.
"Where's the first mate? The boatswain?" Doflamingo stretched his neck, his gaze fixed on the side. "Most importantly, where's the boss who consigned this cargo? Are they all dead? Don't tell me the one I just killed was the boss consigning this cargo, fufufufu~ Not going to admit it yourself? You're like a firefly in the dark, so bright and dazzling, you can't hide."
Clang.
From the crowd, a heavily bejeweled and portly elder trembled with fright and collapsed.
"Please name a suitable price for your lives. Whether it's valuable or cheap, it's up to you to decide," Doflamingo said, clasping his hands together unhurriedly. "The life of the one who just died was quite cheap, the price of a target. So I awarded him a lead bullet."
"Th-three million Berries, and the minerals loaded on this ship will, will..." The elder stammered incoherently. "This old man... this old man..."
Doflamingo nodded, smiling. "I understand, no one can carry all their assets on them, can they!" One moment he was understanding, the next he became ruthless. "Three million Berries is cheap. How can you value your lives so little? Four million Berries. If it's less than four million, I might as well treat you all as targets."
Ten minutes later.
The Donquixote Family continued sailing.
Clink, clank, clatter~
"Four million Berries!!!"
"Behehehe~ We're rich! We're rich!"
"..."
Trebol and Diamante tossed around gold coins and banknotes, cheering wildly.
Doflamingo, meanwhile, continued his physical training, completely unimpressed.
"You're not happy, Doffy? Nyeh, nyehh," Trebol awkwardly leaned in close to Doflamingo's face.
"You're too close, disgusting," Doflamingo pushed away Trebol's aged face, speaking calmly. "It's only four million Berries. What's there to be happy about? Furthermore, did you learn anything?"
Trebol, as usual, interjected, "Nyeh, nyehh, it's the trick to making your victims willingly hand over money during a robbery, behehehe~ Truly admirable, Doffy, easily controlling the whole scene."
Doflamingo looked at Diamante, Pica, and Vergo. All three seemed to agree with Trebol's point of view.
"It's about remembering the sorrow of the weak! Idiots!" Doflamingo cursed in disappointment.
His Observation Haki, recently awakened, still needed stabilization. While training, Doflamingo also kept his Observation Haki active. His still erratic perception range suddenly expanded as his anger flared...
"Someone's at the stern!"