"Doffy! This is great! This is great~" Smoothie, finally receiving the order to return, couldn't suppress her tears as she rushed towards Doflamingo, filled with a mix of joy and terror from having narrowly escaped disaster...
Not long after leading the Sea Slug Fleet away, Smoothie had heard and seen Doflamingo and "Kaido of the Beasts" clashing on the shore, understanding exactly what had happened.
Doflamingo patted Smoothie's back, chuckling, "I'm not that easy to kill, fufufufu~"
"Wiihahaha! As expected of Boss, even an Emperor was repelled!" Burgess, like a bodybuilder, raised his brawny arms, his movements and voice equally boisterous.
Doflamingo shook his head, correcting him. "I lost, Burgess! I lost completely. If I hadn't contacted Golden Lion for help beforehand, you'd be seeing my obituary and funeral photo in the newspapers."
"Uh..." Burgess's smile stiffened.
Doflamingo lifted his chin, saying, "I can afford to lose! This isn't self-consolation. I'm only twenty-one; I have plenty of time to get stronger. More importantly, I learned what I wanted to learn from this defeat, fufufufu~ Everyone walks this path, whether it's 'Kaido of the Beasts,' Big Mom, Golden Lion, Whitebeard, or the Pirate King. Who can claim victory without ever suffering a defeat?"
"Wiiihahahaha, true, 'Kaido of the Beasts' has countless defeats, yet he's still one of the Emperors," Burgess said.
Doflamingo changed the subject. "Once. Once is enough. I hate the word 'defeat.'"
"Oh, right, Doffy, the Gorosei called. You weren't here, so they told me to have you contact them," Smoothie rummaged in her pocket and pulled out a Den Den Mushi.
Doflamingo casually dialed the Den Den Mushi.
Pere pere pere~
Click.
"This is the Gorosei, Doflamingo?"
The Gorosei's tone was as calm as ever, yet Doflamingo still detected a hint of tension in their voices.
"Fufufufu~ It's me. What's the matter?" Doflamingo asked.
The Gorosei paused briefly, then said, "Stop feigning ignorance, 'Kaido of the Beasts'! Why did 'Kaido of the Beasts' contact you?"
"Why did he contact me? This island has Cipher Pol spies; didn't they take some photos and send them to you?" Doflamingo said with veiled sarcasm.
The Gorosei were clearly choked by his words, then immediately asked, "What about Golden Lion?"
"Do you want me dead that badly? Fufufufu~ If it weren't for Golden Lion, you probably wouldn't have to worry about me anymore. What could I do? Was I supposed to call for your help? By the time you arrived to save me, my corpse would have rotted." Doflamingo sneered repeatedly. "This matter isn't as complicated as you imagine. It was an unprovoked disaster. You're not unaware that madman 'Kaido of the Beasts' loves seeking thrills all over the world."
In just a few words, Doflamingo thoroughly rebuked the Gorosei.
"The swordsman and fighting tournament businesses also involve the World Government's interests. Now that the losses are so massive, what do you think should be done?" Doflamingo countered. "And, if a similar situation happens next time, what then?"
Gorosei: "..."
"The World Government's share of the profits for this quarter is gone. Mine too. All of it must be used for facility repairs," Doflamingo said grimly. "As for a similar situation happening next time, you don't need to worry about it! But! Please use your brains and stop asking such boring questions!"
"Impudent!"
"You scoundrel!"
"'Sea Scourge'! Mind your mouth!"
"..."
The Gorosei were instantly provoked into a furious rage.
"Fufufufu~ Am I wrong? You're worried about me colluding with 'Kaido of the Beasts,' which is why you called. Have you considered that with a madman like 'Kaido of the Beasts,' who would want to cooperate with him?" Doflamingo lied without batting an eye.
Click!
The Den Den Mushi hung up.
"Hmph," Doflamingo put away the Den Den Mushi, scoffing, "Five control freaks. I can't imagine how they manage to control the world together. Don't they fight each other first?"
"Doffy, aren't you going to gather everyone?" Smoothie asked carefully.
Doflamingo shook his head. "Gather everyone for what? To see my pathetic state? Or to comfort me? Fufufufu~ Please! Smoothie, I'm not that fragile!" He pointed at Smoothie's forehead, saying seriously, even sternly, "What you should be considering is changing your lazy personality! Work hard to improve your strength! If you hadn't been completely helpless, utterly crushed by 'Kaido of the Beasts' with no room to resist, I wouldn't have rushed back in such a hurry, challenging 'Kaido of the Beasts' head-on to buy you time to escape."
"I..." Smoothie opened her mouth. "I'm sorry."
Doflamingo embraced Smoothie to comfort her, speaking to Smoothie, and also to Burgess, Baccarat, and everyone else in the family who wasn't present: "I don't need only loyal dogs. Never forget that."
"Wiiihahaha," Burgess grinned, his smile forced.
Doflamingo regained his composure. "Notify Diamante. Have him deal with this pile of garbage! Baccarat, we're set."
"Doffy..." Smoothie said wistfully, "When will you be back?"
"I'm not sure. Remember to accompany Reiju to the World Conference. Everything as usual. If you really can't make a decision, just connect via Den Den Mushi," Doflamingo instructed one last time, then picked up Baccarat and soared into the clouds.
Burgess scratched his head. "Young Master, is he very disappointed?"
"More so at himself," Smoothie closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face. She could foresee it: "Doffy will definitely torture himself madly, punishing himself for losing to 'Kaido of the Beasts'..."
"Wiiihahahaha! We can't fall behind either!" Burgess was true to form, an eternal optimist.
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