The North Sea, within a bustling town.
People bustled through the streets as usual, minds fixed on their errands and errands alone.
That peace was abruptly interrupted when a group of well‑dressed men in suits emerged from one end of the street. From the opposite direction, another group in striking, flamboyant attire appeared.
At the center of the suited men stood a pot‑bellied, middle‑aged man surrounded by his subordinates, glaring forward with an expression that begged for someone to intervene.
Across from him, the leader of the strange group was a tall young man draped in a flamboyant pink feather coat, his entire presence radiating arrogance.
The young man wore large, exaggerated red sunglasses and let out a strange, throaty laugh.
"Hehehehe," he said with amusement.
The middle‑aged man's anger flared at the sound of the mocking laughter, and he bellowed,
"Doflamingo, this is not territory that belongs to your Darkside Family, withdraw this instant!"
Doflamingo reached up and scratched his ear, then laughed back toward Torrepol, who stood beside him.
"Torrepol, what did that guy just say?"
Torrepol flicked a large glop of snot from his face and let out a sinister laugh,
"Hehehe, he said he wants to hand over his territory to us!"
Doflamingo grinned wickedly,
"So that's it, well then, we definitely cannot let his kind intentions go to waste."
Before the fat man could react, Doflamingo turned his head impatiently and addressed him directly,
"Hey, listen up, this is my territory, so get lost."
The middle‑aged man snapped.
Unable to tolerate Doflamingo's arrogance any longer, he raised a hand thick with gold rings and roared,
"You want death? Subordinates, kill him!"
The suited men immediately drew their guns, unleashing a barrage of bullets toward Doflamingo.
But Doflamingo stood calmly, hands in his pockets, his arrogant grin never faltering. Torrepol stood in front of him as the bullets struck, passing through his body like mist without leaving a mark.
Torrepol erupted into his trademark laugh, and Doflamingo placed a hand on his shoulder, pulling him aside before stepping forward with a casual flick of his fingers.
"Bullet String!"
Translucent strings shot from his fingertips in an instant, impaling the middle‑aged man and his bodyguards mercilessly.
The suited men fell to their knees clutching their wounds, panic spreading among the remaining subordinates.
Doflamingo was about to advance when a voice from behind spoke in a low calm tone,
"Doflamingo, leave the rest to me."
Doflamingo paused mid‑stride and laughed.
"Alright, Vergo, be thorough."
Vergo nodded, tightening his grip on the bamboo stick in his hand and charging into the terrified crowd.
Like a wolf striking a flock of sheep, in mere breaths he cut down every subordinate the middle‑aged man had brought, until only the wounded man himself remained writhing on the ground.
Vergo approached him coldly, and without hesitation inserted the bamboo stick into the man's mouth, applying cruel pressure.
The man's eyes widened in terror, streams of tears and mucus running down his face as he choked.
Just as Vergo readied the killing blow, Doflamingo stepped forward, placing a hand on Vergo's shoulder and giving a light laugh,
"Hold on a moment, let me have a word with him."
Vergo withdrew the bamboo stick and stepped back stiffly beside Doflamingo.
Doflamingo crouched down and looked at the middle‑aged man with a smirk on his face.
But to the terrified man, that smile was more terrifying than Vergo's blank expression.
He stammered in terror,
"Please don't kill me, I can hand over all my territory, just spare my life!"
Doflamingo reached out and squeezed his fat cheek with force while laughing,
"What are you talking about, I owned this territory already!"
The middle‑aged man rapidly agreed,
"Yes, yes, yes, it's your territory, all yours!"
Doflamingo smiled and flicked his finger.
Pop!
The middle‑aged man's head flew off, still frozen in a pleading expression.
Doflamingo stood upright, clapped his hands once, and said casually,
"I thought this guy had a backbone, what a letdown."
He glanced at the civilians peeking from behind doorways and windows, then smiled wickedly.
"Why are you all hiding? Am I really that scary?"
Silence answered him, the townspeople too frightened to move after witnessing the brutal display.
Doflamingo lifted an eyebrow and raised his chin.
"I'll count to three. If nobody comes out by then, I'll get annoyed."
He held up one finger and began,
"One."
Still no one answered.
"Two."
The people behind the houses trembled in fear, but did not emerge.
Doflamingo sneered, raising his third finger, about to say "three".
At that moment a hand rested on his shoulder.
An indifferent voice echoed from behind.
"Quite the display, aren't you?"
Doflamingo's expression flickered, and he turned abruptly.
When he saw the face of the person behind him, his eyes widened in surprise.
"Doflamingo!"
Lloyd stood there wearing a black casual outfit, one hand in his pocket. Around him, Vergo and the others were lying on the ground with their eyes rolled back, unconscious.
Doflamingo had not even noticed as they collapsed.
Lloyd walked toward the nearest of them, the massive Pica, and simply sat down on his back, spreading his legs and regarding Doflamingo with cold scrutiny.
Doflamingo swallowed hard, his arrogance wiped clean from his face. There was only fear — the kind of fear that only someone with overwhelming authority could provoke.
If there was one person in the world Doflamingo both revered and feared above all others, it was Lloyd.
He abandoned his previous swagger and stood formally before Lloyd, then unexpectedly dropped to one knee, crying out,
"I am truly sorry, Saint Lloyd, I got carried away just now!"
The civilians watching from their hiding spots had their jaws drop at the scene.
The turn of events was simply too fast; the man who had just seemed like a devil in their eyes now knelt humbly.
Who exactly was this young man who had suddenly appeared?
Lloyd rested his chin on his hand, looking down at Doflamingo kneeling before him, and spoke in his indifferent, cold voice,
"Is this everything?"
Beads of sweat appeared on Doflamingo's forehead as he stammered,
"Saint Lloyd, I, I don't understand what you mean."
Lloyd glanced around at the scene and said,
"It has been three years since I last saw you, hasn't it? After all this time, you are still causing trouble in a place like this. I am very disappointed in you."
Doflamingo's expression froze as if struck by lightning. He raised his head urgently,
"Saint Lloyd, I have been working hard to expand! Please give me a little more time, I will achieve something great and prove myself!"
His voice trembled as he stared at Lloyd, truly afraid of being abandoned by him.
Lloyd looked at the red sunglasses perched on Doflamingo's face, seeing the nervous fear behind the lenses.
Slowly rising from Pica's back, Lloyd stepped past Doflamingo and spoke over his shoulder,
"Wake up these people on the ground."
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