Even after receiving word that Tsuru had left, Doflamingo still took all the family's senior members and drifted at sea for a month, just to make sure it wasn't a trap.
A month later, once they had confirmed that Tsuru had truly left the North Blue, they finally went ashore and settled into one of the family's secret bases.
"Nothing beats having your feet on solid ground~!" For the first time in ages, Gray got up from his wheelchair and started walking.
They had spent four months rocking about at sea. The feeling~ was simply impossible to describe.
Gray felt~ he probably wouldn't miss life aboard a ship. Unfortunately~ this world was almost entirely ocean, so he was destined to deal with the sea again in the future.
"Then~ if I can't get used to the sea, I'll make the sea get used to me!" To avoid all that rocking, Gray felt~ that his future ride had to be like Moria's: an entire island turned into a ship.
"Everyone, it's time to party!" Doflamingo knew the family had been under a lot of pressure lately. With this incident behind them, he wanted to throw a party and bring everyone together.
More importantly~ he wanted to reward Gray.
After this incident, Doflamingo felt that someone as talented as Gray had potential~ that might even surpass Vergo's. He was absolutely the best candidate to become his right-hand man on the road to success.
Among the family members, aside from Vergo, who had plenty of potential, only Pica seemed promising. As for the rest~ if they hadn't been following him "since childhood," he might not even have invited them.
But it couldn't be helped. Since he considered them family, he wouldn't break his word. He would absolutely take them all to see the view from the heights.
"Oh~ it's party time!"
"Heh heh! This time, I'm definitely going to outdrink you, Trebol!"
"Ha! Brat, you need to learn your lesson. Have you forgotten how you went down the last few times?"
The moment they mentioned a party, Gray mentally opened his little book and added Trebol's name.
"This time~ I won't lose!"
"Come on, come on! Anyone can talk big."
"Bottoms up!"
"Bottoms up!"
Watching Gray and Trebol enthusiastically compete to see who could drink more, Doflamingo remembered that he had an important announcement to make to win Gray over. But at this rate~ Gray would once again end up being carried out.
There was nothing for it. He had to keep the announcement to himself and wait until tomorrow's meeting.
"My head!" The next day, Gray woke up in bed with another complete blackout. He clutched his aching head and added another mark beside Trebol's name in his little book.
"Gray-sama, here's your hangover soup!" Baby-5 had come prepared, arriving right on schedule after one of Gray's drinking sessions.
"Heh heh! You're the best!" The little girl fussed over him like a devoted wife, and Gray's mood immediately lifted.
"Ah~ Gray-sama praised me again!" Delighted by his compliment, Baby-5 started imagining their future together once more. If there had been enough time, she might already have picked out names for their children.
Though the shadow left by being abandoned had healed, she had devoted all her affections to Gray. Her situation~ was now almost the same as the Empress's.
For Gray, having someone whose admiration was directed at him~ was naturally a welcome feeling.
After drinking the hangover soup, Gray washed up in the bathroom, then picked up the little girl and settled her on his lap as usual before heading to the family dining hall.
By the time he arrived, everyone else in the family was already there.
"Let's eat first!"
As always, they would eat before holding the meeting.
"Dig in!"
A little over half an hour later, everyone had finished eating. Buffalo, Law, and Baby-5—the three little ones—helped Jora quickly clear the table. Then, with the family gathered together, Doflamingo took the opportunity to call a meeting and go over the important matters.
"Fufufufu... There are two things to discuss today."
"First: everyone saw Gray's contribution during the family's retreat last time. He not only saved me at a critical moment, but also bought us a lot of time to get our supplies out."
"So, Gray is being promoted to a senior officer in the family. He'll receive the same benefits as the rest of you."
The senior officers had nothing to say about that. Gray's strength and contributions more than qualified him for the position.
"Congratulations, Gray!"
"Zehahaha. No big deal, no big deal!" The smile on Gray's face showed just how pleased he was.
"Second: after what happened, I'm sure everyone understands that we're still far too weak."
"From now on, the family's businesses will continue as usual. All senior officers~ will enter full-time training."
The people who had been talking excitedly fell silent. Honestly~ if they hadn't been dealt such a blow by Tsuru, the Donquixote Family would still be basking in the illusion that they were invincible in the North Blue. After this battle~ just how laughable their supposed invincibility had been.
"Don't worry, Doffy. We won't lose again!" Pica's childish voice rang out with a firm promise.
Unfortunately~ his voice and his words were so at odds with his build that they almost made people laugh.
Still, it was fine. Everyone here was family and knew that this was a sore spot for him, so no one would make fun of him.
"That's right, Doffy. We won't lose again!"
"G!"
"Starting today, we're doubling our training!"
Everyone was fired up to train, and their rallying cries were loud and clear.
Meanwhile, Gray wore the same expression as a subway grandpa staring at his phone.
"Listen to yourselves. Do you even hear what you're saying? Do you think you're Liu Zoro, promising you won't lose again?" Gray was roasting them in his mind. He was so embarrassed that he could've dug out a three-bedroom apartment with his toes.
"Fufufufu... Very good!"
"I believe in you all!"
No wonder Doflamingo was so charismatic.
He encouraged these misfits with complete sincerity. You couldn't see even a trace of disdain on his face.
Gray couldn't help wondering whether Doflamingo wore sunglasses to keep them from seeing the disdain in his eyes.
"Then~ let's go. We're off to train!" Seeing how fired up everyone was, Doflamingo decided to lead by example and head to the training ground.
Unfortunately, Corazon stopped him the very next second.
"What is it, Corazon?" Doflamingo asked, looking in confusion at Corazon as he held out a hand to stop him.
"Law's illness can't wait any longer. I'm going to take him to look for a doctor!" Corazon took out his little notebook and wrote down the words.
"I see. You have my permission!" Law was someone Doflamingo wanted to cultivate as one of his right-hand men. The family still hadn't found a suitable Devil Fruit, and since Corazon could take Law to look for a doctor, Doflamingo had no intention of stopping them.
"The family will arrange a ship for you. We'll also provide information on famous doctors on each island!"
"Thank you!" Those two words in Corazon's notebook were the most heartfelt he had ever written.
"You're my family!"
"Go on! Set off now. Get treated as soon as possible, then come back and train."
"Law! Don't stop training while you're at sea. You're a man who's going to destroy the world. You won't be able to do that unless you get stronger."
"You're so annoying. I know what to do without you telling me!" The prickly Trafalgar Law muttered under his breath, then turned his head away.
He didn't have much time left to live. Having someone care about him made his heart feel warm~ and left him at a loss.
He had always believed that ever since the night Flevance burned, he no longer had a heart.
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