You've Crossed the Line

North Blue.

Lubeck Island.

The sky was overcast and desolate.

Bang, bang, bang...

Rumble...

Gunfire and artillery roared incessantly throughout the town, while hundreds of figures engaged in a frenzied slaughter across the streets.

Civilians screamed in terror, scurrying about with their heads in their hands, their cries echoing endlessly.

Building after building ignited under the bombardment, collapsing with thunderous crashes.

The intense heat of the flames transformed into massive, fiery red wings, licking at the belly of the sky.

"Damn you, Donquixote Family!! Lubeck Island is the territory of the Fils Family!!"

"You have crossed the line!!"

A man wearing a newsboy cap, a black overcoat, and a suit slashed the throat of a pirate charging at him, roaring in fury.

His face was splattered with the pirate's blood, his white shirt stained crimson, his bloodshot eyes locked onto the blonde brat not far away.

The boy was about eleven or twelve years old, standing roughly 1.4 meters tall, with short blonde hair, sunglasses, a white shirt, and cropped trousers.

Despite being a mere child, his face wore a look of madness and a cruel smile that made even a gang leader like him feel a sense of dread.

Donquixote Doflamingo!

A brat who had appeared out of nowhere, ruthless and cold-blooded in his methods.

Relying on his formidable strength, he had led his Donquixote Family to stir up trouble the moment they arrived in the North Blue, brutally wiping out the prominent mafia families on nearby islands and seizing all their territories. By recruiting soldiers and horses, his influence had expanded at a terrifying, frenzied pace.

"Fufufufufu..."

Hearing Fils' words, Doflamingo acted as if he had heard an absurd joke, clutching his stomach and rocking back and forth with laughter.

The Donquixote Family executives beside him couldn't help but laugh as well.

Trebol, covered in sticky mucus, clutching his cane with two lines of snot hanging from his nostrils;

Pica, standing there like an iron tower with knotted muscles;

Diamante, dressed like an indigenous tribesman with colorful paint smeared across his face;

And Vergo, with a piece of steak still stuck to his face, his expression wooden.

"Crossed the line?"

Doflamingo sneered, looking entirely unbothered as he spoke with exaggerated flair:

"No, no, no, I haven't crossed any line."

Fils watched his family members wailing as they fell one after another, his anxiety growing.

After this period of recruitment, the Donquixote Family's strength—both in the individual prowess of its members and their armament—far exceeded that of the Fils Family.

If this continued, they would be completely wiped out by the Donquixote Family in less than ten minutes!

He gripped his blood-stained longsword tightly, gritting his teeth:

"Gang territories are clearly defined, and stability is maintained between us; one must never cross the line... that is the rule of the North Blue!"

Doflamingo sneered:

"No, you still don't understand what I mean."

"So-called rules are shackles defined by the strong for the weak; they are cages used to imprison the incompetent, the mediocre, the losers, and the trash!"

"I didn't cross the line..."

He flicked his tongue to lick his dry lips, spread his arms wide, and tilted his head back in a cruel laugh:

"Because... the entire North Blue is already in my pocket!!"

"The rules of this world are utterly meaningless to me, Doflamingo!!"

Following his laughter, hundreds of Donquixote Family members also began to sneer, brandishing rifles, cannons, battle-axes, and longswords like a pack of starving beasts, surging into the ranks of the Fils Family.

In an instant, blades clashed and blood sprayed.

A blinding, deep blood-red began to bloom slowly across the once bustling and noisy streets.

"You're courting death!!" Fils roared in fury, his eyes splitting.

He stomped on the ground, shattering the floorboards, and his figure crossed a dozen meters with incredible speed, appearing before the arrogant blonde brat in the blink of an eye.

He gripped his bloodied longsword with both hands, swinging it down heavily toward Doflamingo's face with immense force!

The explosive power was so great that the blade even left a white wake of air as it sliced through the atmosphere.

A flash of killing intent crossed Fils' eyes.

He could already foresee that the ignorant blonde brat before him... his skull would be split in two by this very strike!

Yet, at the exact moment the long blade was about to descend, the pupils of Fils suddenly constricted.

He saw a cold sneer.

On the face of Doflamingo, and on the faces of his subordinates... they all wore the mocking smiles of a cat playing with a mouse.

CLANG!!

A brilliant spark suddenly bloomed before his eyes, and the bloodshot pupils of Fils trembled violently, an expression of utter disbelief flooding his face.

His blade... had come to a dead stop three centimeters from Doflamingo's forehead, unable to descend a single inch further!

It was as if something invisible in the void was firmly blocking his long blade.

At the point of impact, there was even a sharp, piercing friction sound, like the clashing of swords.

"This... how is this possible..."

Fils swallowed hard, his voice sounding incredibly dry.

Looking at the half-smiling expression on the blonde brat's face, his heart suddenly began to pound wildly.

It felt as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand.

"Fufufufufu... how truly uninspiring..."

Doflamingo cackled strangely, his fingers suddenly twitching like talons.

The pupils of Fils shrank to the size of pinpricks.

The sound of a sharp blade slicing through the air erupted abruptly.

The moment the whistling sound arose, his chest felt as if it had been carved open by an invisible sword, and a massive spray of blood exploded outward.

SHING!!

Scalding blood gushed from the deep, bone-exposed wound on his chest, splashing onto Doflamingo's face, making his young and arrogant features appear as hideous and terrifying as a devil's.

The complexion of Fils turned deathly pale bit by bit as he slowly collapsed to the ground.

The blood gushing out pooled beneath him, forming a shocking, crimson puddle.

"You... crossed... the line... Darren... the Navy... will not... let you... go..."

The dim sunlight was blotted out by a violent and twisted face, and all Fils could see before him was shadow.

Cold, dark, bloody, and twisted shadows.

"The Navy?"

Doflamingo looked down condescendingly at the Mafia family boss of Lubeck Island, laughing mockingly:

"I am actually quite looking forward to it..."

As his voice trailed off, Doflamingo slowly raised his foot.

His pointed shoe... slammed down heavily toward the head of Fils!

BANG!

A dull thud echoed out, and the head of Fils burst open like a watermelon, red and white matter mixing together into a pulpy mess.

···

···

···

···

Seeking everything, I am eternally grateful.