A few days later.
Donquixote Family Meeting Hall, Sabaody Archipelago.
"Doffy! I'm here!"
Even before the person arrived, his voice had already echoed through the hall. Diamante swaggered in, full of confidence.
But someone was even faster than him.
A flash of lightning illuminated the room as if it were broad daylight.
Enel's figure materialized.
"Young Master, I'm here too! There's a letter for you—it was faxed from the Totto Land."
He felt the hard object inside the extra packaging and, recalling his crash course on the customs of the Blue Sea, added, "There's a Log Pose inside. The seagull from the news agency gave it to me."
Behind them, four junior family members carried a Seastone coffin containing Aramaki.
Diamante didn't need to say a word.
Doflamingo had already sensed the deep hatred emanating from within the coffin.
So.
Things needed to be handled more thoroughly.
After giving a slight nod to the two, Doflamingo turned his gaze to the other family members and spoke in a calm yet chilling tone.
"Open the coffin. Let's deepen our relationship with Aramaki a little more."
"Yes, Boss!"
BANG!
Aramaki struggled to breathe the outside air. Though it did nothing to alleviate his weakness, it was a rare taste of freedom.
'This feels familiar, like the incisions I saw in the North Blue dissections…
'Did Caesar and the others get too creative, or did I scream too loudly?
'Why is my mouth sewn shut?
'But this proves one thing—no matter how much someone is tortured, without talent, they'll never awaken Conqueror's Haki.'
Doflamingo glanced at Aramaki's mutilated body, his mind musing over the thought.
At that moment, Aramaki's mouth was sewn tightly shut with surgical sutures, crisscrossing like stitched-up fabric. His face was relatively intact compared to the rest of his body, which was covered in scars, old and new alike.
RIP—GRRK!
The sound made even hardened men grit their teeth in discomfort. As Aramaki struggled, the sutures ripped through his lips, tearing flesh and shattering teeth, sending fragments down his throat.
Blood trickled steadily into his windpipe, then his lungs.
"Cough—mmph—mmmhh!"
Wracked by pain and suffocation, Aramaki whimpered in agony, his hatred and fear surging uncontrollably.
Damn you, Doflamingo!
Your family! Your kingdom!
Everything you have will be utterly destroyed by the World Government!!!
The more Aramaki cursed, the more entertained Doflamingo became.
Deciding to give him some good news, Doflamingo chuckled.
"Fufufufufu… Looks like you still hold some value to the World Government. CP0 is waiting outside. You're about to be free—excited, aren't you, Aramaki?"
Free? Freedom!
I knew the World Government wouldn't abandon me!
Like a drowning man grasping at a lifeline, Aramaki struggled desperately to make a sound, trying to draw CP0's attention from outside.
"Mmmhhh! Mmmhh!! (Let me out! They came to get me!)"
...
Outside the Hall
In the reception area, a CP0 squad member, Agent A, eyed the group that had entered the hall earlier and felt uneasy.
He turned to his squad leader, who was sipping coffee leisurely.
"Captain, it's been a while. What if Doflamingo refuses to return Aramaki?"
"Then we wait. Would you rather be sent on a mission to the New World? Isn't this better?"
"But—"
"Do you even care if Aramaki lives or dies? We don't know him personally. Besides, Doflamingo is a Celestial Dragon, even if he's a former one. You want to take him on? You think you can win?"
The squad leader took another slow sip of his coffee.
"Shhh… Ahhh… Just relax and enjoy the tea, kid."
A paid vacation was a paid vacation. As long as there was no direct conflict, he was in no rush. He wasn't young and hot-blooded anymore.
"Huh? Is that so?" Agent A mumbled, dazed, staring back at the hall's entrance.
...
Inside the Hall
"I know, I know! You must be thrilled, right?"
Doflamingo's smile grew ever more radiant.
"But just to make sure you don't forget my hospitality, I have a farewell gift for you. How does that sound?"
As he spoke, thin strings formed into a U-shaped construct between his fingers.
"Mmmhh! Mmmhh!! (Stay away from me!!!)"
Aramaki's survival instincts flared. He pressed his back against the stone wall, trying to escape.
BZZZZZZ—GRRRR—
The sharp whir of spinning threads filled the room.
CRUNCH!
"AARGHHHHH!!!"
The sound of bones being crushed echoed through the hall.
Doflamingo tilted his head, laughing.
"Fufufufu… Limbs can be shredded, but what about the spine? How about I personally crush it for you, Aramaki-kun?"
...
Hearing the agonizing screams from inside, Agent A wiped his forehead nervously and turned to his captain again.
"Is this… really okay?"
Even the CP0 squad leader hesitated, sweat forming on his temple.
"I mean… probably?"
...
Inside the Hall
Enel's jaw hung open. Something in his stomach churned at the sheer brutality.
Diamante, though, braced himself and stepped forward.
"D-Don't… Don't you think he's about to die, Doffy?"
THUMP!
Doflamingo paused, his fingers twitching as he resisted the urge to pluck out a piece of Aramaki's exposed brain.
Instead, he stopped his assault.
"That'll do. Pack him up with the coffin and send him off."
With the indifference of a man discarding an empty bottle, Doflamingo returned to his seat, barely sparing the unconscious Aramaki a glance.
He then turned his attention to the letter in Enel's hands.
"Open it."
"Understood, Young Master." For once, Enel was unusually obedient.
...
At the Port
Diamante accepted six chests containing Devil Fruits, a smug grin on his face.
"Pleasure doing business. This coffin is a gift. Here's the key to unlock Aramaki."
"Pleasure doing business. Send my regards to Donquixote-sama."
CP0 Captain Fuzzman accepted the payment, but there was no joy in his heart.
Blood seeped through the Seastone coffin, and a faint presence flickered inside.
Exchanging glances, the CP0 members felt unease creeping in.
"Hurry! Get him onto the ship. Prepare soil, fresh water, and food."
As the coffin was loaded onto the deck…
BANG!
Fuzzman gritted his teeth and opened it.
The sight inside made even the most hardened CP0 members recoil.
"Can he even be saved?" Agent A whispered, his scalp tingling.
"Yes. The Mori Mori no Mi's greatest trait is its regenerative ability. Quick, seal him up."
After a flurry of action, Aramaki, now reduced to a near-lifeless husk, was submerged in a barrel filled with blood-soaked soil and water.
As nutrients flooded his body, his survival instincts kicked in.
A single sunflower sprouted from the hole in his skull, greedily reaching toward the sun.
...
Pangaea Castle, Room of Authority
"That reckless fool… What's Aramaki's status?"
Hearing the report, the bald Gorosei gripping the transponder snail seethed with anger.
"He hasn't regained consciousness, but his vitals are stable."
Fuzzman's voice was respectful, though internally, he was already dreading the consequences.
A sudden thought struck him—a way to defuse the situation.
"But… Doflamingo did send us a massive block of Seastone as an apology."
"How big?"
"Five meters long, six meters wide, and two meters high."
"..."
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+145 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg