North Blue, Dias Island.
The island was "renowned" for its chaotic waste disposal and recycling industry. Its environment was abysmal, and a faint sour, rotten smell lingered in the air year-round.
Deep among mountains of discarded materials and garbage dumps stood a converted building that barely qualified as sturdy. This was the Donquixote Family's current temporary gathering place in the North Blue.
Inside the main hall, the light was dim, and the air carried a mixture of tobacco, alcohol, and the peculiar odor of the garbage dump.
A young Donquixote Doflamingo stood before a crude map of the North Blue, pointing out several marked locations with a long stick.
His face already showed the beginnings of the wild, unrestrained confidence he would later possess, though it still held a touch of immaturity.
"Fufufufufu... our trading network and territory can't stay trapped in a backwater like the North Blue forever."
Doflamingo gave his signature laugh, but his voice brimmed with ambition. "Next, we'll slowly and steadily move toward Reverse Mountain-the entrance to the Grand Line! That's where our future lies!"
The family's original officers gathered around him: the sticky Trebol, the short, stout Diamante, Jora, Pica, and the others.
They all listened intently to their young master's grand plan.
Meanwhile, in the shadows of a corner stood Rosinante, who had only just endured "countless hardships" to find his brother and "successfully" join the family.
Now known as Corazon, he was fumbling to pick up a cup of coffee to hide his nervousness and eavesdropping.
But he was so distracted that he never noticed a certain mischievous Luo had already added far too much salt and pepper to it.
"Pfft-!! Cough, cough, cough!" Corazon abruptly spat it out, choking until his face turned crimson and tears streamed from his eyes. He coughed