Doflamingo

One day later, after stopping and starting along the way, Nangong Yan finally arrived at the place he had learned about.

In the original story, this was where the young Doflamingo had been hailed as king by Diamante, Trebol, Vergo, and Pica. For a long time afterward, Doflamingo treated this place as his base.

Nangong Yan greatly admired Doflamingo as a character. He was undoubtedly an evil man, but he was also extremely capable.

After being driven out of the Celestial Dragons and losing his status as one, he relied on the String-String Fruit and his own talent to lead his four subordinates, steadily expanding his power. From nothing to something, from obscurity to becoming a renowned force in the North Blue, he eventually became the world's largest arms dealer, thriving in both the underworld and the legitimate world.

Without question, Doflamingo was a formidable overlord, though this overlord was occasionally not quite right in the head and even dreamed of destroying the world.

Doflamingo had developed the ordinary String-String Fruit so comprehensively, combining attack, control, flight, and healing, even reaching the level of awakening. At the same time, his physical skills were exceptional, and he was highly proficient in all three types of Haki. He was truly a genius, a monster!

If Doflamingo had not eaten a Devil Fruit like the String-String Fruit, whose potential was somewhat lacking in the long run, then given a powerful fruit and enough time, he might have reached the level of the Four Emperors.

Bringing Doflamingo into the Demon Emperor Pirates would definitely be an enormous boon. With Doflamingo's abilities, the Demon Emperor Pirates would never have to worry about money again. As for loyalty, so long as Nangong Yan maintained an absolute advantage in strength, Doflamingo would not dare betray him, just as he did not dare betray Kaido.

Doflamingo was undoubtedly a smart man. Smart people liked to overthink things, and they had too many concerns. When facing someone stronger than themselves, they would never dare betray them lightly.

As for absolute loyalty, unless one used Devil Fruit abilities or special methods, loyalty was always relative. The only reason there was no betrayal was that the price had not been high enough.

Nangong Yan wore a black cloak that concealed his entire body, making it impossible to see what he looked like. A sweep of his Observation Haki revealed that Doflamingo did not seem to be in the base at the moment. There was only one person in the entire base who aroused even a little of Nangong Yan's interest.

The aura emitted by this person was also the strongest in the entire base. According to the feedback from his Observation Haki, that aura was rather ethereal and elusive.

The corners of Nangong Yan's lips curled into a faint smile. Judging from the aura, it should be Diamante, one of the future top officers of the Donquixote Family!

Nangong Yan released his Conqueror's Haki, sending wave after wave of invisible spiritual pressure toward Diamante, who was idly drinking red wine and reading the newspaper in the castle.

Diamante's indifferent expression changed. The wineglass in his hand fell to the floor with a crack, and scarlet wine spilled all over the ground.

Diamante frowned deeply, guarding his mind as he struggled with all his might against the intense impact of the Conqueror's Haki. At the same time, he secretly pondered who could be releasing such powerful Conqueror's Haki, but he had no clue at all.

"You're Diamante, right? I'm on the ruins outside. Come out and meet me!" Nangong Yan said in a deep voice. His booming voice reached Diamante's ears with perfect clarity, while the Conqueror's Haki vanished completely.

Diamante wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling that he had encountered a huge problem. If he handled this even slightly wrong, he might lose his life.

Diamante truly wanted to flee, but that was all it was—a thought. The distance between them was not great, and he would most likely be unable to escape.

Diamante looked out from the castle window and saw a figure in a black cloak standing atop the ruins. The aura around him was incredibly profound, making it impossible to discern even a trace of his true strength.

Diamante leaped from the castle window. Activating the Ripple-Ripple Fruit, his body floated down as lightly as a flag and landed safely. He bent slightly at the waist and said respectfully, without being fawning, "Greetings, senior. May I ask what instructions you have?"

"Where is your young master, Donquixote Doflamingo?"

Diamante's eyes shifted. Unsure whether this man was friend or foe, he did not dare reveal Doflamingo's whereabouts. Carefully, he said, "The young master took several officers out to handle some business a few days ago. I don't know his exact whereabouts. Usually, only the officers accompanying him know where he has gone."

A disdainful smile appeared on Nangong Yan's face beneath the black cloak. Diamante was one of Doflamingo's most trusted people, a future top officer and a core member among the core members. How could he possibly not know?

Did he really think Nangong Yan knew nothing? Who was he trying to fool?

Nangong Yan could not be bothered to beat around the bush any longer. He reached out and pulled off his black cloak, which flew into the air, revealing his true face. Looking at Diamante with a faint smile, he said, "Go call your young master back. Tell him I have business with him. My patience is not very good, so don't make me wait too long. Otherwise, I may not be able to control my temper."

"Gulp..." Diamante's eyes widened, and his face filled with shock. He had clearly recognized Nangong Yan. Stammering, he said, "D-Demon Emperor... sir, how... how are you here?"

It was no wonder Diamante was so confused. The two sides had never had any dealings whatsoever. One was a rising star famed throughout the New World, while the other was merely a pirate crew with some reputation in the North Blue. The gap between them was simply too vast!

Demon Emperor was the nickname the Marines had given Nangong Yan on his bounty poster. For convenience, they had simply taken the first two words from the Demon Emperor Pirates.

Nangong Yan had received this title only after his battle with Big Mom, and it had been thoroughly cemented after his fight against Golden Lion. Even the Marines acknowledged Nangong Yan's strength.

In the world of pirates, demons were hardly a positive symbol. Like ghosts, demons were synonymous with terror in the minds of ordinary people and often served as the protagonists of horror stories.

The words Demon Emperor magnified that terror countless times over. The moment ordinary civilians heard such a title, they would feel fear and dread. Thus, without a second thought, the Marines had chosen Demon Emperor as Nangong Yan's title.

Nangong Yan was quite happy with it. He liked the title very much; it was not only imposing and noble, but also closely suited his Devil Fruit.

According to their respective views, both sides were very satisfied with the title.

Ahem, ahem. Enough rambling. Back to the main point.

"Don't worry about why I'm here. Hurry up and call your young master. I've decided to speak with him personally." A trace of impatience appeared on Nangong Yan's face.

Diamante's heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly took out a Den Den Mushi and called Doflamingo, not daring to make Nangong Yan wait any longer.

If he angered Nangong Yan, their entire Donquixote Family might face utter destruction. A powerhouse with a bounty of one hundred million, who had fought Big Mom to a draw and battled Golden Lion for three days and three nights before retreating unharmed, was not someone they could afford to offend.

Purururu, purururu... A cute Den Den Mushi appeared in Diamante's hand. He dialed the number and called Doflamingo.

A moment later, Doflamingo's voice came through amid the sounds of gunfire. The Den Den Mushi wore orange sunglasses and bore a slight smile.

"Hello, Diamante. What do you need me for? I'm busy right now."

"Doffy, an important person has arrived at our base. He wants to see you."

"Oh... an important person? Who? For you to address someone as an important person, there shouldn't be anyone like that in the North Blue." A hint of curiosity appeared on the Den Den Mushi's face at the right moment.

Nangong Yan gestured for Diamante to hand him the Den Den Mushi. After taking it, Nangong Yan said with a smile, "It's me, Nangong Yan!"

The other end fell silent for a moment. Then the Den Den Mushi suddenly broke into a broad grin, and a hearty voice sounded.

"So it is the Demon Emperor of the Demon Emperor Pirates. Someone like you certainly deserves Diamante's respectful address. May I ask what business the Demon Emperor has with me?"

Doflamingo actually held Nangong Yan in rather high regard. He hated the Celestial Dragons to the bone and had once sworn to turn the Celestial Dragons' world upside down.

Naturally, he thought highly of Nangong Yan, who had dared to kidnap a Celestial Dragon and extort the World Government.

"You don't seem to be in a convenient position right now. Come back as soon as possible, and we can discuss this in detail. I'll be waiting at your base," Nangong Yan said, listening to the gunfire, sounds of fighting, and screams from the other end.

"Fufufufu... Fine. Please wait a moment, Demon Emperor. I'll deal with them immediately, then return and we can discuss this further over the dinner table!" With that, Doflamingo hung up. He tossed aside the flintlock pistol in his hand and unleashed his full strength. Sharp strings like piano wire sliced in every direction, cutting stones and human bodies in half.

At Marine Headquarters, a young Marine officer stood straight as he reported to Fleet Admiral Kong. "Report, Fleet Admiral. The Intelligence Department has just sent word that while monitoring Doflamingo, the North Blue's underworld broker, they overheard important information."

"What information?"

"Just a few minutes ago, Doflamingo of the North Blue spoke with Nangong Yan of the Demon Emperor Pirates in the New World. Nangong Yan seems to have some business with Doflamingo."

"Oh?" Fleet Admiral Kong raised his brows, then said coldly, "Just when we needed it, someone brought us a pillow. Adviser Tsuru's proposal to monitor famous pirates has proven quite useful."

"Go. Send this intelligence to Sengoku and the others immediately. Have them do their best to catch all of them in one sweep."

"Be careful not to kill Doflamingo. Capture him if possible. His identity is too sensitive. Show no mercy to the others."

"Yes, sir!"