Lower levels of Egghead.
What had once been a neat and orderly research facility...
Was now a chaotic mess. Researchers huddled in the corners, trying to avoid being crushed by the massive collapsing equipment.
Even the CP1 agents guarding the place had grouped up, tense and on edge.
Gerunika, the team leader, held a silent Den Den Mushi in his hands, face frozen in a daze.
Egghead had become an isolated island. What were they supposed to do now?
Thud thud thud!
Hearing the approaching footsteps of Maha, Joseph, and Gismonda, Gerunika was the first to speak up.
"Well? Were you able to contact Vegapunk?!"
"No! There's no response from beyond the doors."
"We can't break through the dome's defense systems."
"..."
As he listened to their report, Gerunika's expression grew even darker.
Their clearance level was below Vegapunk's. If Vegapunk had locked them out like this...
Did that mean he had already betrayed the World Government?
And that chaos outside—was that someone trying to rescue him?
Crack!
With a crisp snapping sound, the rumbling from beneath the facility suddenly came to an abrupt halt.
"...? It stopped."
"Is it over?"
"Is it safe now? What the hell just happened?"
A trembling researcher, previously hiding behind a console, slowly stood up.
Gerunika looked at the floor, which had stopped shaking, then to the eerily still walls around them. His brows furrowed.
"What's going to happen next?"
He didn't believe for a second that this mysterious force was done.
Boom!
A powerful sensation of weightlessness sent several unsuspecting researchers sprawling across the floor, followed by cries of panic.
"Captain, what is this?!"
Joseph and the others stabilized themselves and turned to their leader.
"The island... is rising."
Gerunika's face was grim. He had a pretty good idea who was behind this.
The Heavenly Yaksha—Doflamingo.
...
Outside.
"That's enough, Smoothie. Stop right here."
Looking up at Egghead, now towering nearly a thousand meters above sea level, Doflamingo waved for Smoothie to stop.
At this height, most small fries wouldn't even realize something had happened. Time to check what they'd gained from this raid.
"Robin, take her."
He casually tossed the cocooned Bonney over to Robin, then flew toward the upper levels of Egghead.
Suspended in mid-air by his wings, Doflamingo looked toward the lab perched on top of the artificial cloud island—a half-dome structure, sleek and futuristic.
"Definitely got a high-tech vibe. This world must've been thriving once upon a time."
Hovering above, Doflamingo stared at the translucent red grid ahead of him and the egg-shaped lab behind it, visibly impressed.
"Feels like I just stepped into some sci-fi movie from a past life. Wouldn't be surprised if they had spaceships eight hundred years ago. But under that fossil Imu's rule... Not only did humanity stop progressing, some islands are practically regressing back to the Stone Age."
"Unauthorized visitors prohibited!"
"Unauthorized visitors prohibited!"
"Unauthorized—"
Without proper ID verification, a piercing alarm blared alongside flashing red lights embedded in the grid, radiating hostility.
"Fufufufufu~"
Doflamingo turned toward the direction of the surveillance system and smirked.
"Vegapunk... should I wait for an invitation, or would you rather I break in and sink your dream—and this island—into the sea?"
He could easily barge in by force.
But thinking that all of this would soon belong to him...
He couldn't help but soften his tone.
Beep beep beep beep! Identity confirmed!
The automated alarm quieted down as the dome's defense systems shut off.
Vegapunk's anxious voice came through immediately after.
"Please come in, Doflamingo-sama."
Inside, Vegapunk clutched his apple-shaped antenna and let out a long sigh of relief.
The sudden launch of the island had nearly wrecked his gear.
"Good. At least you're cooperative."
Doflamingo nodded with satisfaction, using Observation Haki to scan the surroundings one more time before stepping onto the artificial cloud platform.
As he glanced down at the island-cloud generators, a thought struck him—something from a game in his previous life.
"Island clouds work just fine at sea level—how much better would they perform in the upper atmosphere?"
Reaching the lab's main entrance, the sealed doors opened just in time, revealing a staircase beyond.
Doflamingo walked into the research facility.
Seeing Vegapunk waiting inside, he twitched slightly at the sight and thought to himself,
"If that guy's not related to Einstein, I'll eat my coat."
"Doflamingo-sama, what happened to Kuma and Bonney?"
Vegapunk asked nervously, tongue lolling out in worry.
The battle between Kuma and Enel had gone off the surveillance grid.
Right at that moment, a notification popped into Doflamingo's mind—Mission Complete: Beat Down Your Peers.
Looks like Enel had taken care of Kuma.
"Relax. I'm not some bloodthirsty maniac. But you know your worth, don't you? Their lives depend entirely on your cooperation."
Doflamingo brushed past Vegapunk.
His air was anything but that of a guest—in fact, he carried himself more like the new owner of the place.
"Come, Vegapunk. Show me your greatest creation."
At those words, Vegapunk sighed in relief and scurried to keep up with his new boss.
...
Aboard the Numancia Flamingo.
Thud!
Enel dropped a charred, unconscious Kuma onto the deck.
"Father! Uuuuuuhhhh!"
Bonney cried out, struggling to break free from the hands binding her.
Robin looked pained, but she didn't ease up for a second.
The Boss had already shown mercy by letting the girl live. Anyone who resisted him, anyone who tried to interfere with his revenge—deserved to die.
Hearing his daughter's cries, Kuma's body trembled. He tried to reach out, dragging his hand toward her.
"B...Bon...ney— cough!"
Blood gushed from his mouth as pain wracked his chest and stomach, sending him into spasms.
"Such tenacious will... too bad it's not suited for battle."
Enel almost sounded impressed.
Even though the Boss had told him to hold back...
He'd pretty much fried Kuma. His consciousness was long gone, and he couldn't even muster the strength to resist.
Yet somehow, he still responded to his daughter's voice.
It was like she had been imprinted onto his very instincts.
With a final swing, Enel tapped his golden staff against Kuma's neck, putting him into deep sleep.
Then he turned to Bonney, who was sobbing uncontrollably, and smiled comfortingly.
"Quit bawling, kid. Your dad's not dead yet. What are you wailing for?"
"Aaaahhh! Father! Uuuuhhh!"
Watching her father brutally beaten—then seeing the culprit grin at her—Bonney cried even harder.
Morgans, trembling slightly, kept documenting everything while trying to steady his twitching eyebrows.
He had been right all along. This lightning guy was a maniac.
"Morgans."
Smoothie's voice came calmly from behind.
"If you don't delete everything you've recorded here, I'm sure Doffy won't mind plucking every last one of your feathers for his next coat."
She leaned over him with a tone as cold as ice.
"And maybe even broadcast your bald, plucked self to the entire world."
"GYAAAH!!!"
Startled by the sudden voice behind him, Morgans jumped three feet in the air.
He immediately tore the papers to shreds.
Then turned with a flattering smile.
"Just my diary, nothing serious! Don't worry, don't worry. I've already forgotten it all."
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg