Chapter 236: Godfather's Feelings
Seeing this, Trebol and the others exchanged subtle glances, then immediately knelt on one knee and bowed their heads in unison.
"Greetings, Godfather Daren-sama."
They had no choice but to bow.
The man before them was a monster who had single-handedly wiped out the entire fleet under the legendary Great Pirate Shiki.
And right now, the terrifying aura faintly radiating from Daren was enough to make their hearts pound uncontrollably with fear.
No matter how proud they were, no matter their status in the North Blue's underworld, before absolute strength, they were nothing more than ants.
In the vast assembly hall, no one remained standing except for Daren.
A satisfied smile curved his lips.
"Very good. I like people who know their place."
Daren walked over slowly and extended his hand for Doflamingo to kiss the back of it.
"You all know I've been busy lately and haven't returned to the North Blue often... But judging by how things look now, you've done a great job. The underworld here is well-managed and orderly. I'm quite pleased."
The others stood up, still a little tense and uneasy.
Daren casually sank into a soft leather sofa, lit a gold-embossed cigar, and looked over at Doflamingo seated opposite him.
It had been more than half a year since they last met, and the kid had grown a lot.
Compared to the scrawny little brat who first arrived in the North Blue, Doflamingo had now matured into a young man.
His messy blond hair, like a crown, framed sharp, defined features. He stood nearly 1.8 meters tall, and in his expression was a faint trace of the spirit and brooding aura of a future Underworld Emperor.
Even through Observation Haki, Daren could sense how much stronger his aura had become.
He couldn't help feeling a little sentimental.
There was no denying it—Doflamingo truly was born gifted. In raw talent alone, he far surpassed Momonga.
If Daren hadn't entrusted the Goro Goro no Mi to Momonga, trying to suppress an ambitious Doflamingo in the North Blue would have been a nightmare.
After all, Momonga had his teachings and guidance.
And Doflamingo?
All he had were Trebol and those bootlicking misfits. Yet, through sheer trial and error, he'd managed to develop the Ito Ito no Mi to this level. That spoke volumes about his talent.
"Godfather... is the reason you returned to the North Blue this time..."
While Daren observed him, Doflamingo was also carefully trying to read his godfather's intent, speaking up cautiously.
Daren smiled.
"Can't I come back just to see my godson?"
He exhaled a smoke ring, sighing softly.
"To be honest, Doffy, I haven't been much of a godfather... I've barely taught you anything."
"This time, besides dealing with some affairs related to the North Blue fleet, I wanted to make up for that regret."
Everyone in the hall was stunned upon hearing that.
Doflamingo asked, still skeptical,
"Godfather, you mean... you're going to personally guide my training?"
Daren replied with a touch of helplessness,
"That's right. As my godson, if you're too weak, that would make me look bad, wouldn't it?"
...
Ten days passed in a flash.
That day, on a remote island in the North Blue...
Two figures shot through the sky in rapid succession.
"That's it! Use your threads to latch onto the clouds and pull yourself—this way you'll be able to fly through the sky!"
Riding a streamlined metal skateboard, Daren had both hands in his pockets, gliding backward as he casually coached Doflamingo.
"Try to maintain balance at all times. Otherwise, during thread switches, you'll leave yourself wide open!"
He wore a grin as he watched Doflamingo's slightly clumsy movements with amusement.
Compared to Daren's fluid and agile maneuvers in the sky, Doflamingo was clearly still stiff and wobbly, his figure unsteady and sweat dripping from his brow.
"Incredible talent... he's basically got the hang of Sora no Michi in less than an hour..."
Daren narrowed his eyes, observing carefully as Doflamingo's technique grew steadily more refined. When he judged the time was right, he flicked a finger.
Whoosh!
A streak of silver flashed through the air, whistling toward Doflamingo at high speed.
His pupils shrank instantly.
A sudden sense of danger surged through him, and he instinctively lashed out with a clawed hand.
Clang!
Several nearly invisible threads caught the silver-white longsword mid-flight, clashing against the blade and sending a shower of sparks flying.
"What is this..."
Daren smiled faintly.
"From here on, we're cranking up the difficulty."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Skillful Grade Blade Kariumi vanished, transforming into a storm of sword shadows that densely surrounded Doflamingo.
Doflamingo's face shifted dramatically as he moved faster to respond.
While flicking invisible threads from his fingers to anchor himself to the drifting clouds—swinging through the air like a pendulum—he also had to fend off sharp blades coming at him from bizarre angles. The pressure on him surged instantly.
But Daren's assault was relentless. Before long, deep gashes from the slicing blades appeared across Doflamingo's body. Blood gushed from the wounds, staining his white shirt and pink feathered coat crimson.
Down on the island, Trebol and the others watched in horror as their young master bled. They were frantic, but there was nothing they could do—only stand there and watch helplessly.
All they could do was pray that the "King of the North Blue" would hold back and not use training as an excuse to "accidentally" kill their young master.
"What's wrong, Doffy... Is this all you've got?"
Daren casually lit a cigar, his hands in his pockets as he watched the trapped blond youth, mocking him with a smirk.
"Taking hits passively isn't like you."
"I'm standing right here, not even moving... Don't tell me you can't even handle one of my swords?"
Behind his sunglasses, Doflamingo's eyes turned red. He clenched his teeth and roared,
"Damn it!! Shut up!!"
Dozens of threads spread from his fingers like a spiderweb, catching the incoming swords and binding them tight.
The next moment—
With a sudden tug, Doflamingo launched himself upward, his feather coat billowing as he soared above Daren in an instant.
"I'm Doflamingo!!"
He slashed downward with his claws.
"Goshikito!!"
Hiss!!
Five razor-sharp threads pierced Daren's skin, digging deep into his steel-like muscles.
Blood splattered, spraying across Daren's face.
At last, he smiled.
"Good. You've finally managed to break through my physical defenses."
A thick cloud of white smoke escaped his mouth, and in the next instant, the Commodore's figure vanished like a ghost.
Doflamingo was stunned.
Before he could react, a black military boot suddenly filled his vision.
Boom!!
Doflamingo was sent crashing into the island like a cannonball, blasting out a massive crater.
"Doffy!!"
"Are you alright!?"
"Young Master!?"
Trebol and the others ran over, faces pale with fright. They tried to help the bloodied Doflamingo, but he shoved them away.
Gasping for air, the battered Celestial Dragon knelt at the bottom of the crater, raising his head to glare at the tall figure descending from the sky, blood dripping from his body.
The man walked toward him step by step.
That towering, imposing frame seemed to block out the sun itself, casting a massive shadow over Doflamingo.
He slowly extended his hand.
Seeing the hand reaching toward him, a flicker of fear crossed Doflamingo's eyes behind his sunglasses.
But the hand simply ruffled his hair gently.
Doflamingo froze.
"You've grown fast. I'm proud of you, Doffy—my godson."
The man smiled.
"Keep growing. Get even stronger."
"Because only when you're strong enough... can you kill me, right?"
Before Doflamingo could respond, Daren stepped onto his skateboard and shot into the sky, vanishing into the distant clouds in the blink of an eye.
The island fell silent.
"D-Doffy?"
Trebol looked cautiously at the kneeling Doflamingo, who remained frozen in place, and spoke hesitantly.
Doflamingo's eyes wavered for a moment before he snapped out of it.
He slowly pushed off the ground and stood.
Blood trickled from his forehead, dripping down to his chin.
But he continued to stare blankly in the direction where Daren had disappeared.
"Tell me... why would someone like that go out of his way to teach me so patiently, help me grow stronger?"
Doflamingo unconsciously clenched his fists.
In just ten days, Daren's training had done more for him than six months of his own efforts.
And he was certain—Daren had held nothing back.
He had gone all out, helping him develop his Devil Fruit, enhance his close-combat ability, and even passed on secret training methods from the Marine training camp, all without hesitation.
"He... doesn't he know I've always wanted to kill him?"
Doflamingo's voice was filled with confusion and doubt.
Trebol and the others fell silent. They'd clearly seen their young master's improvement over the past few days.
To be honest, they didn't understand either—why that man had done all of this.
"Forget it. Let's head back."
Doflamingo shook his head and regained his usual cold arrogance.
But somewhere deep in his heart—even if he refused to admit it—
When that man messed up his hair just now...
He felt a warmth and sense of support he had never received from his own cowardly, worthless father.