The power of the Float-Float Fruit had long been spoken of throughout the pirate world because of its previous owner, the Golden Lion. After the Golden Lion's death, countless individuals fantasized about becoming the next wielder of that legendary Devil Fruit. They spoke of destiny and fate, dreaming of becoming the so-called chosen one.
But fate had nothing to do with it.
Who became the next user of the Float-Float Fruit was not decided by fortune, it was decided by Saint Lloyd's whim alone.
Saint Lloyd held the Float-Float Fruit in his hand, letting it hang there as the gazes of Doflamingo and the others followed its gentle sway through the air.
Seeing their reactions, Saint Lloyd's lips curved into an unsettlingly playful smile, one that seemed almost seductive despite his emotionless tone.
"Doflamingo, do you wish to become the next user of the Float-Float Fruit?" he asked.
Doflamingo's eyes shook as he stared at Saint Lloyd in disbelief.
"Saint Lloyd, you mean to give me the Float-Float Fruit?"
"Otherwise, why else would I have taken it out? I believe you are worthy of owning this Devil Fruit."
The words struck Doflamingo like a fist squeezing his chest. An unfamiliar, overwhelming emotion surged through his heart.
Thanks to his reckless father, Homing — a man whose misguided decisions had led the family to ruin — Doflamingo had experienced the bitterest fall from grace a child could endure.
His mother's death, his father's abandonment, and the cold cruelty of the Celestial Dragons had shattered him utterly. In desperation he had done the unthinkable, slaying his own father in a futile bid to earn back what he had lost.
A ten-year-old child, carrying his father's severed head, had believed that would restore him to favor among the Celestial Dragons, only to be met with mockery and disgust. The sting of rejection had driven him into darkness, swallowing every last shred of hope in his young heart.
But at the darkest turning point of his life, Saint Lloyd had appeared.
Though a stranger to him then, Saint Lloyd had told him he admired him, saying, "My Figarland Family can accept you."
Those words had changed everything for Doflamingo.
That acceptance was different from anything Torrepol or the others had ever given him. They had called themselves his family, but they were never true family. Doflamingo's own bloodline, the Celestial Dragons, had pierced his bones with a sense of superiority and entitlement he could never fully escape. His place among them had always been tenuous and fragile.
Saint Lloyd's recognition had been the first time someone of great stature had ever genuinely acknowledged him.
That moment had defined Doflamingo's struggle, and it was why the disappointed expression on Saint Lloyd's face earlier had terrified him.
But now Saint Lloyd was offering him the Float-Float Fruit, a top-tier Devil Fruit, saying he believed Doflamingo was worthy of it.
Doflamingo stared at Saint Lloyd blankly, the light from the fruit reflecting faintly off his sunglasses.
His gaze then shifted to the Float-Float Fruit in Saint Lloyd's hand, his expression tormented.
With both the Float-Float Fruit and the String String Fruit before him, any rational person would know what choice to make.
But Doflamingo no longer had that right.
"I am already a Devil Fruit user. I'm truly sorry, Saint Lloyd… I have failed you…" he stammered with regret.
"Yes, I know," Saint Lloyd replied in his calm, cold tone.
Doflamingo assumed that Saint Lloyd did not know he had already eaten the String String Fruit, and had expected Saint Lloyd to be disappointed. He hesitated briefly, thinking perhaps Saint Lloyd had believed he could somehow circumvent the Devil Fruit rules and allow someone to wield two fruits.
But that was an impossible thought.
Saint Lloyd walked toward Doflamingo and spoke gently, his voice soft yet chilling.
"I can offer you another chance to select a Devil Fruit," Saint Lloyd said, "but it will cost you something. Are you willing?"
Doflamingo did not pause or ask what the cost would be. Without hesitation, he replied,
"Yes, I am willing."
"Even if the price is your life?"
For a moment Doflamingo's eyes flickered with hesitation, but then he nodded firmly.
Saint Lloyd reached out and patted his shoulder.
"Very good. I did not misjudge you. Now, show your resolve. Hurt yourself, the more seriously the better."
Saint Lloyd watched intently as Doflamingo prepared to prove his commitment.
Vergo and the others trembled with anxiety. Vergo shook violently, and Torrepol slumped back to the ground with a dull thud.
Vergo didn't have time to help him. He knew what Saint Lloyd meant to Doflamingo, and he shouted desperately,
"Doflamingo, don't…"
Poof!
Vergo's voice cut off instantly. His eyes widened in horror as Doflamingo unleashed a powerful Bullet String attack at his own chest.
The force of the Bullet String far exceeded that of a normal bullet. With Doflamingo's body completely relaxed, the impact sent him flying backward, landing in a spread-eagle slide across the ground.
Blood erupted from the wound in his chest, pooling heavily beneath him.
"Doflamingo!!!" Vergo screamed, rushing forward. Diamante and Pica followed immediately behind him. In the chaos, Pica inadvertently stomped on Torrepol's face, knocking him unconscious again.
But before any of them could reach Doflamingo, Saint Lloyd appeared instantly beside him, stepping in before Vergo and the others could close the distance.
Saint Lloyd knelt, placing his crimson-tinted right hand over the wound in Doflamingo's chest. Red light shimmered, and the flow of blood ceased instantly.
Vergo and the others froze at the sight, breathing as quietly as possible so as not to disturb Saint Lloyd.
Saint Lloyd saw that the Bullet String had pierced incredibly close to Doflamingo's heart. The severity of the strike showed just how utterly Doflamingo trusted Saint Lloyd without question.
Doflamingo lay on the ground, face pale and strained, and whispered weakly,
"Saint Lloyd, is this sufficient?"
Saint Lloyd nodded slowly. Then the hand that had pressed on Doflamingo's chest turned completely pitch black. After a moment, Saint Lloyd rose.
Under Doflamingo's stunned gaze, he revealed another fruit — a white, pear-shaped Devil Fruit.
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