The white, pear‑shaped Devil Fruit in Lloyd's hand struck Doflamingo and the others like a thunderbolt exploding in their minds.
Doflamingo's eyes widened, and he bolted upright as if he had just recovered from death's door, trembling as he cried out,
"This, this is my String-String Fruit!"
Vergo and the others were left speechless and stunned beyond words.
It was no wonder they reacted that way. In the world of pirates and devils, what Lloyd had just done was nothing short of unthinkable: removing a Devil Fruit from its user without killing them completely overturned every belief about how Devil Fruits worked.
Doflamingo unconsciously curled his fingers but could not produce a single thread. His ability with the Line‑Line Fruit was gone, completely and utterly lost.
Under Doflamingo's stunned gaze, Lloyd had placed both the Float‑Float Fruit and the String-String Fruit side by side, just as Doflamingo once faced Torrepol with his own Devil Fruit.
But the fruit that was once his pride and power now looked as insignificant as a mere handheld tool next to the sheer majesty of the Float‑Float Fruit.
In the sunlight, Lloyd appeared like a god to the thirteen‑year‑old Doflamingo.
Trembling, Doflamingo reached out and pressed his hand against the Float‑Float Fruit, his touch feeling surreal and unreal.
He brought the fruit close to his face and after a brief silence, he bit down.
At that moment, Torrepol slowly stirred awake and gasped as he saw Doflamingo devouring a Devil Fruit with large, unrestrained bites.
"Doflamingo! You… Mmm mmm mmm!" Torrepol cried in shock and horror.
In an instant, Vergo appeared before Torrepol, covering his mouth with one hand and making a shushing gesture with the other, whispering fiercely,
"Do not disturb Doflamingo."
His grip was so unyielding that Torrepol nearly choked again.
Meanwhile, Doflamingo had already eaten the Float‑Float Fruit down to its stem. His face was slightly pale green, but otherwise his expression remained calm and unchanged.
There was no hesitation, no fear. Simply ruthless resolve.
Despite his injuries, Doflamingo felt immediate power. He instinctively rose off the ground and hovered steadily in the air, testing the ability that the Float‑Float Fruit now granted him.
Excitement lit up his features. Now he truly understood the wonder of a top‑tier Devil Fruit.
The innate ability to fly was something most Devil Fruit users could only envy.
Even if Doflamingo had mastered his own "Kong Style" using lines to pull clouds for aerial movement, it could never compare to this direct levitation ability granted by the Float‑Float Fruit.
The Kong Style required strings and skill and was still restrictive. The Float‑Float Fruit was freedom itself.
With a thought, Doflamingo lifted a patch of ground beneath his feet and watched it float behind him like a mobile platform.
In that moment, he felt like a youthful incarnation of the Golden Lion himself.
Torepol stood slack‑jawed, Vergo frowned and looked down only to realize some of his snot had escaped between his fingers. Embarrassed, he quickly pulled his hand away and shook it vigorously.
But Doflamingo was too absorbed in his newfound ability to notice. After a moment, however, fatigue and pain began to catch up with him, and he drifted downward from the sky.
Before he hit the ground, Lloyd appeared in a blur. He caught Doflamingo steadily, steadying him with a gentle hold.
"It seems you are pleased with this power," Lloyd observed with a faint, unreadable expression.
Doflamingo, usually bold and arrogant, reddened slightly with embarrassment and replied quietly,
"Yes, I am very satisfied, Saint Lloyd."
Lloyd released him and glanced down at the lone String Fruit on the ground.
"Don't waste the String Fruit either, store it away," he said.
Doflamingo nodded and was about to move toward the fruit when Vergo spoke up, voice low but firm,
"Saint Lloyd, may I have the String Fruit?"
Lloyd had not expected Vergo to covet the discarded fruit, but his curiosity was piqued.
"Oh? If you want the String Fruit, you can have it. But are you sure you do not want to wait? Perhaps something better will come along," Lloyd asked, eyes calm and unyielding.
Vergo shook his head and looked toward Doflamingo, then said steadily,
"No, Saint Lloyd, I only want the String Fruit."
Among the executives of the Family, Vergo was by far the most loyal and capable. In the original tale, his transformation into the first Corazon served as proof of his devoted heart.
The String Fruit, once Doflamingo's pride, now held special meaning in Vergo's heart. His reasoning was simple: he did not want anyone else to claim it in the future.
Lloyd's gaze lingered on Vergo for a moment before shifting back to Doflamingo with a slight, inscrutable smile.
"Doflamingo, you have a very strong Family," Lloyd observed.
It was true. In the original story, Doflamingo's biological family, Rosinante, had betrayed him, while Vergo cared for him till the end. That emotion was real and sincere.
Doflamingo nodded deeply in agreement.
Lloyd flicked a finger, and the Line‑Line Fruit floated into his hand under the command of gravity.
Vergo approached slowly. Then, out of respect and devotion, he bowed on one knee.
Lloyd smiled faintly, bent down, and handed the Line‑Line Fruit to him.
Under Doflamingo's watchful eyes, Vergo consumed the Line‑Line Fruit in just two bites, swallowing not only its power but the legacy it carried.
Moments later, bright white lines began to form at Vergo's fingertips, twisting together into a sturdy, gleaming white bamboo staff.
Even after becoming a Devil Fruit user, Vergo's preferred weapon remained bamboo, an emblem of both his strength and his identity.
He set the bamboo aside, then knelt once more, this time on both knees, and offered a deep, respectful kowtow to Lloyd.
"Thank you for your grace, Saint Lloyd," Vergo said with heartfelt reverence.
Lloyd brushed it off with a slight wave of his hand,
"Rise, Vergo, you have done well."
No sooner had Lloyd finished speaking than Doflamingo's body swayed dangerously.
Lloyd reacted instantly, steadying him, his gaze assessing the deep wound Doflamingo now bled from.
This was no simple injury. It was a severe wound, one that would have felled any ordinary man long ago.
If Lloyd had not intervened to stop the bleeding earlier, Doflamingo would have already passed out despite his unusual constitution.
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