"Ugh…" A trickle of blood escaped Doflamingo's mouth. He tried to struggle, but he couldn't move.
At this moment, he realized the massive gap in power between himself and Diarmuid. The difference was so great that he was completely powerless to resist.
After swallowing the cherry pie in his mouth, Diarmuid leisurely crouched in front of Doflamingo. He reached out and removed the orange sunglasses from his face.
All this time, Diarmuid had been curious about what Doflamingo looked like without his shades. Was it true that his eyes were as small as mung beans? He finally had the chance to see for himself.
But to his disappointment, Doflamingo was incredibly handsome. His eyes fit his face perfectly, with no hint of ugliness. Instead, he had a look of pure malice. Diarmuid had always found the phrase "devilish smirk" to be cringey, but now, paired with Doflamingo's face, it seemed to fit perfectly.
"Doflamingo," Diarmuid said, lightly patting his cheek. "You should know that you do have some privileges, and the people at the top are very 'lenient' with you. In normal circumstances, we Marines really don't want to get mixed up with someone as troublesome and special as you. But that is no reason for you to be arrogant in front of me and other Marines."
Doflamingo glared at Diarmuid, grinding his teeth. "According to my agreement with the World Government, you Marines can't arrest me…"
While Doflamingo had a bounty on his head, it was mostly a facade. The Marines were severely restricted when it came to capturing him.
"You're right. But no one said… we can't beat you up, did they?" Diarmuid said with a wicked smile.
Doflamingo was speechless.
Diarmuid had big plans for Doflamingo. He knew he would grow to be a major player in the underworld, and the Marines could use someone like him. Diarmuid himself could too.
For example, once his Calm Belt project was up and running, any extra goods could be sold through Doflamingo's underworld connections, and the World Government wouldn't be able to trace it.
The Marines wouldn't find this unacceptable, as in the original story, Doflamingo was already heavily involved in arms deals with the World Government and the Marines. It was why the World Government was so desperate to strike a deal with Kaido after Doflamingo's fall in Dressrosa.
However, Doflamingo was too arrogant and had too many of his own plans. It wouldn't be easy to make him listen. If Diarmuid were a pirate, he might have tried a more roundabout way to collaborate with him, maybe even become friends. But as a Marine, he couldn't use such methods.
So Diarmuid wanted a simpler approach. He needed to plant a seed of fear in Doflamingo's heart. He'd find a reason to humiliate him a few times so that later, if Doflamingo dared to play any games, he could put him back in his place.
He had to make Doflamingo fear him as much as he would come to fear Kaido. Then, he wouldn't dare to cause trouble.
Luckily, Diarmuid knew Doflamingo was self-aware enough to know when to bow his head and when to be tough. He wasn't a reckless head-on fool. A few lessons should be enough to get the point across.
Diarmuid hadn't originally intended to confront him so early. He had planned to wait until Doflamingo got a few beatings in the New World and wore down his arrogance before dealing with him. But since Doflamingo came looking for him, why should he hold back?
"Your so-called privileges and status are worthless to me, Doflamingo," Diarmuid said, pinching Doflamingo's cheek and making him make a comical face. "A man must rely on himself. Without strength as a guarantee, everything you have is an illusion. Once you meet someone stronger and more unreasonable than you, you'll find yourself just like this—at their complete mercy."
Doflamingo's eyes were filled with fury and humiliation as he stared at Diarmuid. But Diarmuid couldn't be bothered to waste any more time on him. He had finished his pie and given his lecture. He had other things to do and no time to mess with a small-timer like Doflamingo.
As for killing him, there was no need. It went against his own interests and would also bring trouble to the Marines.
So, with a final pat on Doflamingo's cheek, Diarmuid stood up, stepped on his back, and casually walked out of the tavern.
Only after Diarmuid's figure disappeared down the street did Doflamingo break free from the gravity. He stood up with a furious expression, wanting to chase after him, but he couldn't move his feet.
He had to admit he was scared. That bastard Marine was completely unreasonable. He had just wanted to make a statement and show his face, but he was put on the ground and humiliated before he could even finish his sentence. Was this still justice? Was there still law? Was there any justice left in the world?
He had no recourse. In that moment, he finally understood Diarmuid's words. Without strength as a guarantee, once you meet someone stronger and more unreasonable than you, you are completely at their mercy.
"Diarmuid…" Doflamingo growled under his breath. He had added this day to his list of grudges.
On the warship, Diarmuid was enjoying the sun when Gion finished getting their supplies and came aboard. She walked over to him. "Did you run into that troublesome guy on the island?" she asked.
"What troublesome guy?" Diarmuid asked with a raised eyebrow.
"That Donquixote Family guy," Gion clarified. Gion used to work under Chief of Staff Tsuru at Headquarters before Diarmuid became a Vice Admiral and tricked her into working for him.
When it came to Doflamingo and the Donquixote Family, the troubles had always been handled by the Chief of Staff. Even when Doflamingo was messing around in the North Blue, Tsuru had often investigated him. Gion naturally knew how difficult Doflamingo's status was.
"Yeah, I ran into him," Diarmuid nodded.
"Was he being arrogant? Tsuru-nee always said he was evil for such a young man and that we should get rid of him if we had a chance, but some higher-ups were protecting him…" Gion said with a hint of annoyance.
"He was okay. He seemed very polite to me. He greeted me with a laugh and prostrated himself on the ground in total reverence. He wouldn't get up, saying he admired me so much…" Diarmuid lied with a straight face.
Gion was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.
After she finished, she asked, "Aren't you afraid that since you humiliated him and didn't kill him, he'll get stronger and come back for revenge?"
"That's exactly where you're wrong. I'm planting a seed of hatred. I hope he does try to get revenge someday. Otherwise, how will I have a reason to beat him up again?" Diarmuid said with an evil grin.
The humiliation he gave Doflamingo this time was mostly a warning. He hadn't actually hurt him, only bruised his pride and dignity. With Doflamingo's personality, he would definitely try to get revenge when he got the chance.
And that was fine. Diarmuid was confident he could put Doflamingo in his place. If he dared to cross him, he would have another reason to beat him up. If he kept doing it, Doflamingo would get used to it and finally realize he could never win. That's when he would truly bow his head.
After a few more minutes of talking, Diarmuid saw that all the supplies were loaded. He stood up from his sun lounger and lightly stomped his foot on the deck.
A faint purple aura spread out from his feet, and soon it enveloped the entire warship. With the immense power of his fruit, the heavy warship broke free from the bonds of natural gravity and steadily rose into the sky.
The pirates on Jaya Island were all dumbfounded, watching the warship fly into the clouds.
Just then, countless white strings shot out from the tavern on Jaya Island, and in a flash, they enveloped the entire island. Doflamingo walked out of the tavern with a murderous look on his face, his fingers covered in blood. If you were to look inside the tavern, you would find no one left alive. Everyone on this island will die today!
The warship had already flown away, and Doflamingo could finally be tough again. If he couldn't beat that bastard Diarmuid, could he at least not handle these low-level pirates on the island?
Doflamingo killed everyone in the tavern so no one would know about his humiliation. The whole island would suffer the same fate. He needed to vent his impotent rage before he got sick.
In the Donquixote Family's territory, Diamante watched the white strings spread across the sky. His expression darkened. "It's Young Master's Birdcage… Let's go, we have to see what Young Master is doing!"
On the warship, Gion looked down at the white web covering the island. She clicked her tongue. "You don't mean to say that you deliberately humiliated Doflamingo in public so he would clean out all the scum on Jaya Island for you, right?"
A smile crept across Diarmuid's face. "Who knows… But isn't this a good thing? I hope to see Doflamingo contributing to justice, hahaha."
In reality, before Doflamingo appeared, Diarmuid had planned to drop a meteor on Jaya Island after lifting off. This island was full of nothing but bad people. Killing them would have given Diarmuid no psychological stress at all.
But then Doflamingo showed up, and he had to change his plans. Twenty years from now, Doflamingo would easily block Fujitora's meteor in Dressrosa. But right now, a meteor would probably kill him.
So, a meteor was out. It didn't align with Diarmuid's interests. He might as well see if he could use Doflamingo as a pawn.
The plan worked. That guy was truly ruthless, and he hadn't disappointed Diarmuid. This was for the best. By using Doflamingo to get rid of the scum on Jaya Island, he didn't have to deal with them, and his mind was at ease.
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