A few days later.
"Hoo!"
Letting out a long breath, Smoothie wiped the sweat from her brow and exhaled in relief.
"Thanks for the hard work, Vergo-san!"
Moving an entire island wasn't exactly a stroll on the beach—especially when Doflamingo only let her rest once she'd pushed her limits.
"It's all for Doffy. No need to thank me."
Vergo gave a brief nod, dragging Green Bit skyward along a trail of clouds.
"Still, that lunatic Bullet didn't come out and cause any trouble this time?"
Smoothie couldn't help but ask, thinking back to that last brutal brawl between Doffy and Bullet. In her mind, Bullet was like a giant, raging gorilla.
Kind of like Big Mom during one of her hunger pangs.
The massive dragon head turned to the sky, answering with a low growl.
"A beast with a purpose… is more terrifying than a madman."
He was reminded of the scene ten years ago—Doflamingo submerged in water, Bullet chained with Seastone, both tearing themselves apart in a frenzy of madness.
The two of them… weren't so different after all.
...
Angel Island's coast.
Doflamingo had returned ahead of the others aboard the Numancia Flamingo, now already docked.
"Long time no see, Trebol."
Doflamingo smiled, casually greeting Trebol, who was still wrapped in bandages.
Trebol's efforts during the last battle may not have changed the tide, but he'd managed to buy some time—which was good enough. As long as expectations remained reasonable, Trebol was actually pretty reliable.
"Beh-hee-hee-hee! Doffy, my boy! Welcome home!"
Trebol spread his arms excitedly, craning his neck forward to get a closer look.
He'd been under a lot of pressure while Doffy was away.
Clap clap!
After a quick hug, Trebol got straight to business.
"The World Government hasn't backed off the Seastone trade, but the Navy's launched retaliatory strikes on family strongholds near the Sabaody Archipelago. Tesoro's up to his neck trying to sort it all out."
"Jora, Lao G, and Pica are with Zoffy and Ace on Picca Island. Given Bullet's recent activity, Tesoro and I agreed it'd be safer for them to stay put for now."
"As for Bullet..."
Doflamingo waved a hand, cutting him off with a grin.
"Fufufufufu… He's already here!"
The aura of a beast was closing in.
Clang clang!
Trebol froze. He felt it too—that deranged presence. He turned toward the resettlement zone.
A man with hair like a Super Saiyan stepped onto the scene, and time itself seemed to stall.
Wiping blood from his knuckles, Bullet locked eyes with the man in pink and grinned wildly.
A burst of Conqueror's Haki exploded outward.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Doflamingo! You're back!!"
"Looks like you've adjusted well."
Doflamingo was pleased. This was all part of the plan—to help Bullet confront the parts of himself he'd lost.
The way a Devil Fruit user's body responded to Seastone and seawater varied wildly.
Some collapsed the moment they touched Seastone. Others could still move like normal while shackled. Bullet, now? Not only could he move freely, he was unleashing bursts of Conqueror's Haki.
That level of progress was insane.
"Dammit, Bullet! I'm not down yet—bring it on!"
A bruised and battered Enel hobbled over, still nursing wounds from yet another humiliating loss to Aramaki. Lately, he'd been pestering Bullet for daily brawls.
Seeing the others, Enel's curses caught in his throat. He scratched his head, awkwardly.
"Boss!"
"Nice spirit. Let's see how long you last this time."
Doflamingo shot him a look and nodded in approval.
Bullet, good job. Beat him into the ground.
"I will, Boss!"
"Enough chit-chat, Doflamingo! Let's settle this once and for all!"
Bullet cut through the reunion with an impatient roar, starting to remove his Seastone shackles.
Doflamingo's brow twitched. With a flick, strings lashed out and rewrapped the half-freed Bullet.
Going full throttle against Bullet right now would level more than the battlefield—it would level the entire immigrant district.
They'd just started rebuilding Angel Island.
Even Doflamingo wasn't rich enough to keep rebuilding from scratch like this.
Bullet's brow furrowed, clearly unhappy.
"Don't be hasty. Let me help you feel just how far you've come!"
With a wave of his hand, Doflamingo pulled the Seastone shackles into his grip.
As the tension in the strings loosened, Bullet's scowl shifted into a gleeful grin.
"HAHAHAHA! Come on then! This time, I'm taking back my victory!"
As Doflamingo slipped on his gloves and prepped for battle, Bullet lunged with manic glee.
There was fire in his eyes—he'd found a new purpose.
Beat Doflamingo.
Then cut down the Emperors of the New World.
He would surpass Roger himself!
"DOFLAMINGO!!"
"Fufufufufufu... You're still too naive!"
Doflamingo charged in without hesitation.
Bullet might've improved, but in pure physical strength? Aside from his dear mother-in-law who the hell did Doflamingo ever fear?
They were like two road rage maniacs barreling down opposite lanes on a highway.
No dodging. No backing down. Just brute speed and impact.
BANG!
Their foreheads collided with a sickening crack.
Drip…
Blood splattered across the fluffy white clouds.
"Fufufufufufu… Bullet, let me awaken the woman inside you!!"
Thanks to his long-lived body and extended Seastone resistance, Doflamingo was the first to recover from the head-on clash.
Tendons in his right arm snapped taut. His fist slammed straight into Bullet's solar plexus.
WHAM!
The blow bent Bullet in half. Blood sprayed from his lips as pain jolted him back to awareness.
He staggered back, caught his balance, and countered with a Haki-infused punch right to Doflamingo's smug face.
"You call that a punch, Doflamingo?! That's all you've got?!"
And then—it was nothing but fists.
Fists, Haki, and raw fury.
Two men, still shackled in Seastone, slugging it out with nothing but pure muscle and unbreakable will.
...
"How long do you think this one'll last?" Trebol asked, glancing at Enel, who was using lightning to treat his wounds.
"Well, the last one lasted a full day. This time? Probably longer."
Enel's eyes sparkled as he watched the battle unfold.
If only he had Bullet's physical strength... then he could store enough energy to reshape the skies themselves—create a battlefield that belonged only to him.
-----------
Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg