“You don’t need to emphasize; I know Doflamingo!”
Hermes, fearless as ever, wasn’t intimidated by a mere Warlord of the Sea. As the most daring man on the sea, a Warlord was hardly a threat to him. Given the current situation, Doflamingo seemed like a suitable mid-game boss, perfect for gaining some experience.
When it came to the world of pirates, if there was someone Hermes could respect, it was Doflamingo. Like Hermes, Doflamingo was ruthless, but the main difference was that Hermes lacked any feelings. It was a shame that the protagonist’s plot armor ultimately defeated such a formidable character.
Sigh. Everyone has their own story!
“Doflamingo?”
Jora didn’t understand Hermes’s inner monologue and only heard him referring to her young master as “Doflamingo.” It took her a few seconds to realize he was talking about her young master.
She was furious.
“You dare disrespect the young master? I’ll kill you for this.”
“Art of Life.”
Jora was enraged, unleashing a surge of colorful, smog-like shockwaves from her hands. The attack was much faster than before, and if it hit, Hermes would be distorted into a piece of artistic wall art.
In Hermes’s view, the Art-Art Fruit was incredibly powerful. It was a versatile ability to turn living beings and the surrounding environment into art pieces. If developed further, it could even nullify enemy attacks. Unfortunately, Jora was already in her seventies—a waste of such potential.
Swish!!!
Hermes vanished again, reappearing behind Jora. The Soru technique was always unbeatable in close combat. Jora sensed him but it was too late.
With a scream, Jora’s body shook as a finger bullet pierced through her back and out of her chest, continuing its trajectory and causing massive destruction to the ship’s railing before disappearing into the sea.
The stench of blood filled the air.
Jora’s hands stopped emitting the colorful smog, her wrinkled face turning pale instantly. Her heart had been pierced, and her strength was rapidly draining away.
“Who are you?” she gasped as she collapsed to the ground, blood trickling from her mouth. Her eyes were filled with anger and fear. Anger that this man wasn’t afraid of her young master and had defeated her so easily. Fear because she was dying, feeling her life slipping away.
“The Hunter King, Hermes Jormungandr!”
“I’m quite interested in Donquixote Doflamingo. His head should fetch a good price.”
Hermes openly declared his identity. Unlike those who did good deeds without leaving their names, he was proud of his name. Currently, his fame was spreading around the Prodence Kingdom. To make a global impact, he needed to take down a significant figure.
That’s how his reputation would spread faster and wider.
Doflamingo just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Just out of the starting area and already challenging a Warlord of the Sea, Hermes couldn’t help but feel excited.
It was bold, social, and incredibly reckless!
Leaving his name behind, Hermes ascended into the sky, not bothering to finish off Jora. There were still a few pirates alive on the ship—left intentionally by Hermes to inform Doflamingo.
In pursuit of thrill, he wanted to experience being hunted.
In typical protagonist fashion, the story is often about being hunted or on the run, enduring various hardships and battles, and eventually achieving greatness.
Ever since his reincarnation, Hermes believed he was the protagonist. Although the initial years were tough, this belief had wavered. But now, he was back on track.
“Quick, save Lady Jora!”
Seeing Hermes leave, the surviving pirates rushed to Jora, frantically trying to treat her. As seasoned pirates, they were familiar with basic first aid, a necessary skill in their line of work. Those who didn’t possess it were not real pirates.
“Inform Trebol. Tell the young master to avenge me,” Jora said, clutching one pirate’s arm. After speaking, she fainted, her breathing weak and shallow.
Her survival depended on divine intervention.
Meanwhile, in Dressrosa…
In a manor close to the Royal Plateau, Trebol, busy with preparations for the Dressrosa takeover, received the call about Jora.
“What did you say?”
“Jora isn’t dead yet?”
After hanging up, Trebol’s expression turned serious. He took a pink Den Den Mushi from a drawer, which was adorned with a feather coat and sunglasses.
Buru Buru!
The snail rang for about thirty seconds before being answered.
“Fuffuffuffu~”
“Trebol, what’s up?”
The voice on the other end, though gentle, carried an underlying arrogance and domineering attitude, with occasional screams in the background.
There were even noises indicating it was a Warlord of the Sea speaking.
Clearly, the person on the other end was either in a battle or killing someone.
It was none other than the ruthless Doflamingo.
“Young master, Jora was attacked on the way and is now in critical condition.”
After Trebol finished speaking, Doflamingo was silent for three seconds.
“Fuffuffu, who did it?”
“A man who calls himself the Hunter King, Hermes Jormungandr.”
“Investigate him. Send Buffalo to assist, and have Diamante capture Princess Mansherry from the Tontatta Kingdom. If our previous intel is correct, she ate the Heal-Heal Fruit and should be able to save Jora.”
A true villain, Doflamingo’s intelligence was unmatched.
He immediately formulated the perfect plan, displaying both ruthless and calculated intelligence. Success seemed inevitable.
“I’ll handle it right away.”
“Move up the plan. We’ll take Dressrosa in three days. I’ve lost interest in King Riku.”
“Yes, young master.”
The Den Den Mushi call ended.
Far off in the first half of the Grand Line, on an island engulfed in smoke and flames, Doflamingo sat on a wooden crate. Kneeling before him were ten or more individuals, likely from a powerful pirate crew.
“Piica, Gladius, Baby 5, stop playing around. It’s time to return to Dressrosa. That’s our kingdom.”
With sunglasses reflecting the flames, Doflamingo stood, his pink feather coat billowing in the wind.
“Young master, are we finally taking action?”
“Ahahaha.”
“Kill them all, leave no survivors.”
“Please, spare us.”
“Aaaaaah!”
“Doflamingo, you government dog, you’re not worthy of being a pirate.”
“…”
The insults and curses were abruptly silenced amidst screams. When Doflamingo and his men left, they left behind chaos and a mountain of corpses.
The next day…
News spread worldwide.
The fourth Warlord of the Sea, Heavenly Yaksha Donquixote Doflamingo, had destroyed a pirate crew with a total bounty exceeding 800 million berries on the Grand Line.
The news caused quite a stir.
Since the implementation of the Warlord system, the Marines have faced much ridicule. After all, which pirate would be foolish enough to become a government dog?
Such pirates would be mocked by their peers for a lifetime.
Anyone with any pride wouldn’t become a Warlord.
But when the world’s hottest and supposedly greatest swordsman, Dracule Mihawk, the purported most beautiful woman, Boa Hancock, and the tyrant Bartholomew Kuma became Warlords and started ruthlessly hunting pirate crews, everything changed.
Because they were too powerful.
No pirate crew targeted by them could escape. They were either annihilated or imprisoned in the world’s largest prison, Impel Down.
That was terrifying.
Compared to the first three Warlords, Doflamingo was no slouch either. In recent months, many pirate crews, each with bounties starting at three billion, had fallen to him.
Given the authority the Marines granted the Warlords, many pirates began reconsidering their stance.
From initially scoffing at the idea, now many wanted to become Warlords. However, the Marine’s selection criteria for Warlords went beyond just strength, considering various influences and connections.
So, even after Doflamingo became a Warlord, the fifth, sixth, and seventh Warlords had yet to be confirmed.
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