"What, chickening out already?" Takero floated in mid-air with dark-red flames swirling around him, looking down at the disheveled Doflamingo with a smirk.
Those words were like a thorn piercing directly into Doflamingo's strained nerves, making his eyelids twitch violently. A surge of humiliated anger almost overwhelmed him again. He was, after all, the Heavenly Yaksha, Donquixote Doflamingo, a man who dominated the New World and controlled the Underworld. Even in defeat, when had he ever been disrespected like this?
He took a deep breath, the bloody sea breeze filling his lungs as he forcefully suppressed the humiliation. He painstakingly squeezed out the twisted, fawning smile once more. "Your Excellency possesses world-shaking power. I am utterly convinced of my defeat! Just now… I was blind and foolishly offended you. I am truly sorry!"
A true man knows when to bend and when to stand tall! Doflamingo frantically told himself. This isn't chickening out! It's showing proper reverence for absolute power! It's a strategic retreat! It's not shameful!
However, the image of himself being beaten like a sandbag flashed uncontrollably in his mind. That feeling of powerlessness, like an ant being trampled by a giant elephant, made his mouth twitch. He felt as if all his bones were groaning. This monster… where in the world did he crawl out from?
Takero looked at the man's stubborn expression, clearly furious but still trying to feign respect, and couldn't help but be amused. This guy was a little interesting. He didn't despise someone for admitting defeat when they were outmatched. Survival, after all, wasn't shameful.
"Alright, cut the act," Takero said, waving his hand. He got straight to the point, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Tell me, why were you so worked up about that little incident on Ambri Island?"
"It's like this, Your Excellency," Doflamingo said, forcing himself to sound energetic. He tried to make his voice as submissive as possible. "To be honest, Ambri Island is one of the important strongholds within the Donquixote Family's… sphere of influence. I received a report that some audacious individual dared to…"
Takero suddenly interrupted him, his eyes lighting up. "Wait! Ambri Island is your territory? You're that 'Donquixote' guy?" He remembered now. Shanks had mentioned that Ambri Island was the territory of a Warlord named Donquixote, and had even said he was "quite strong." But looking at him now, he wasn't all that impressive. That bastard Shanks lied to me again! I'm definitely going to have a good spar with him when I get back!
…
Aboard the Red Force, miles away from Ambri Island…
"Achoo—!" Shanks suddenly sneezed. A strange chill shot up his spine, making him instinctively shrink his neck.
"Beckman!" he said, rubbing the goosebumps on his arms. There was a hint of panic in his voice. "Tell everyone to speed up! I… I feel a chill! That kid Takero must be talking about me!"
The Red Hair Pirates had already sailed far from the island, but their captain's internal "crisis radar" was blaring. First Mate Benn Beckman took a deep drag from his cigar, the curling smoke blurring his gaze. He glanced at his somewhat neurotic captain and slowly asked, "Is it really okay for us to just leave Takero behind like this?"
"I don't know if it's okay!" Shanks ran a hand through his red hair, his tense expression finally collapsing into one of lingering fear. "I only know that if he continues to sail with us, I'll be completely ruined!" Although he wasn't sure what conspiracy Borsalino had imagined, the Admiral's desperate expression as he fled made Shanks's ominous premonition grow larger and larger. "Don't worry!" he said, trying to sound confident. "With that kid's current strength, even I wouldn't be sure I could win! There aren't many people in this world who can threaten him anymore."
Beckman flicked his cigar ash into the sea. "I'm not worried about his safety." He paused, blowing out a smoke ring. "I'm worried… aren't you afraid that he'll hold a grudge against you for abandoning him?"
"Uh…" Shanks instantly froze, his expression turning uglier than if he'd just swallowed a Sea King whole. Cold sweat poured down his face. Damn it! I was so busy running away from the World Government and the Celestial Dragons, how could I forget about that?! Being targeted by the government was one thing, but being targeted by Takero, that single-minded, stubborn, and unbelievably vengeful battle maniac… the thought was too terrifying to even imagine. It would be ten thousand times worse than being ganged up on by ten Admirals.
"He… he probably won't, right?" Shanks's voice trembled with a guilt he couldn't hide.
Beckman gave him a look that said, "you're on your own," and leisurely continued, "Anyway, you're the captain. You invited him onto the ship, and you're the one who left him behind. If Takero really comes looking for trouble… you can clean up your own mess."
"Hey, hey, hey! Beckman! You can't be so disloyal!" Shanks panicked, grabbing his First Mate's arm.
"Eek~" In the cabin, an innocent Uta blinked her big eyes, completely unaware of what her father and uncle were discussing.
…
Back in the skies near Ambri Island, under Doflamingo's cautious narration, Takero finally understood the whole story.
"Oh—!" Takero clapped his hands in sudden realization. "So, you came to Ambri Island to deal with the guy who beat up a Celestial Dragon, and then you saw me flying from that direction, so you suspected it was me?"
"Precisely, Your Excellency! Your insight is unparalleled!" Doflamingo's fawning smile was almost overflowing as he endured the pain racking his body. "However! How could a wise and mighty being such as yourself do something as trivial as beating up a Celestial Dragon? I must have been mistaken! The scoundrel who dared to offend them must be some fool who doesn't know his place!" He unhesitatingly cursed the "perpetrator," trying to flatter Takero.
"Hmm, that makes sense," Takero nodded, satisfied. He then changed the subject, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather. "However, you said one thing wrong."
"Oh?" A bad feeling arose in Doflamingo's heart, but he still forced a smile. "Please enlighten me, Your Excellency!"
Takero stated, completely deadpan, "You mentioned that scoundrel who beat up a Celestial Dragon. Yeah, that was me."
Doflamingo's world froze. The fawning smile on his face stiffened like a cheap mask. His eyes widened in shock. What the hell?! It really was you?! How could it be such a coincidence? The deadly foe he randomly encountered on the sea turned out to be the very person he was looking for? His mouth twitched, but in just a second, his powerful will to survive took over. He forcefully swallowed his shock and a smile uglier than a cry reappeared on his face. "I-It was you, sir! Then that Celestial Dragon must have gotten what he deserved! He must have done something truly terrible to provoke you into teaching him a lesson! Well done, sir! Well done!"
In the face of absolute power, integrity was worthless.
Takero seemed satisfied with his reaction. "You're right, I didn't hit him for no reason."
Doflamingo's heart settled slightly. "I knew it! You would never cause trouble for no reason! It must have been that…"
"I beat him up," Takero said with a relaxed tone, "because it seemed fun. And as a bonus… I wanted to lure an Admiral over for a fight, but unfortunately, only a Vice Admiral showed up."
Doflamingo's expression completely shattered. Beat up a Celestial Dragon for fun? To lure an Admiral? Are those even human words? Is that something a human would do?! He felt like his entire worldview was being trampled on. He even wondered if he was hallucinating from the beating he'd just received. Then, he remembered. Right! At the beginning, this kid was asking about a guy glowing with golden light. Could he be talking about Vice Admiral Borsalino? Could it be that Borsalino couldn't beat him either and ran away? If that was true, the world was about to be turned upside down.
Takero completely ignored Doflamingo's rapidly changing expression and stroked his chin, thinking. "That flashy bastard ran too fast, and I didn't get enough of a fight… Hmm, how about I find another Celestial Dragon to beat up next time? Might lure out a different Marine." His eyes gleamed with a pure desire for battle, as if he were deciding what to have for breakfast.
"Uh… S-sir…" Doflamingo felt his voice wavering. "Your hobbies… are truly unique…" His heart was screaming at him: Cherish life, stay away from Takero! From now on, if he ever heard that kid's name, he would run in the other direction. Doing business with Kaido seemed peaceful in comparison.
"Alright," Takero said, his thoughts jumping to a new topic. He crossed his arms and looked down at Doflamingo. "Since Ambri Island is your territory, we should discuss compensation."
Doflamingo waved his hands frantically. "Not at all! Such a small matter isn't worth mentioning! How could I let you pay…"
Takero cut him off. "So, how do you plan to compensate me?"
Doflamingo froze. He wanted to point at Takero's nose and scream, You want ME to compensate YOU?!
"That's right!" Takero floated in the air, his expression one of complete sincerity. "I was having a nice time on Ambri Island, but that Celestial Dragon had to come over and be an eyesore. It made my hands itch, and I couldn't resist beating him up! You'll have to pay for this emotional distress, won't you?"
Emotional distress?! Doflamingo was almost made to laugh by the sheer shamelessness of it all. You beat me to a pulp, wrecked my territory, and now you want me to apologize and pay you?! He had always prided himself on being one of the most cunning overlords on the seas, but this kid's level of shamelessness was off the charts. "Oh, right," Takero added, "I think Ambri Island is quite nice, how about…"
You even dare to covet the island?! Doflamingo roared internally, his teeth grinding. He suppressed the urge to kill and spoke through clenched teeth. "Heh… Sir… you really are making an exorbitant demand. I've been patient with you, yet you keep pushing your luck… Do you really think Donquixote Doflamingo is someone you can just push around?!" He couldn't take it anymore. The pride of an overlord had been trampled, and this was his limit.
"Buzz—!!!" A violent dark red aura erupted from Doflamingo's scarred body. Conqueror's Haki! This was the proof of his kingship, his roar of defiance!
However, just as his proud Haki was about to reach its peak, Takero raised an eyebrow, looking slightly amused. He didn't even do anything. He simply frowned, and an even more overbearing, crude, and terrifying aura—like that of an ancient beast awakening—erupted from him like an invisible tsunami.
Boom—!
The two waves of Conqueror's Haki clashed. Doflamingo's Haki, born of arrogance and ambition, was instantly crushed by Takero's, which was born of pure, primal power. After barely half a second, it was torn apart like a piece of cheap cloth.
Doflamingo grunted as if struck by a heavy blow, his face instantly turning ashen. His will to resist and the last shred of his dignity melted away like ice in the sun. Compared to his dignity and his territory, his own life was far more important.
Endure… I must endure! To live is to have a future! Endless humiliation surged in his chest, almost tearing him apart. But on his face, he forced a smile uglier than a cry. "Fuffuffu… Since you've asked for the island, I will gladly offer it with both hands."
Seeing this, Takero's face brightened, and he patted Doflamingo's shoulder. "Good, good! I forgive you!"
"…Thank you for your understanding," Doflamingo managed to say. The hand behind his back trembled uncontrollably.
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion