In the vast and boundless ocean, a solitary pirate ship sailed. It seemed about to be silently swallowed by the waters at any moment.
A pirate flag, featuring a smiling face framed by a prohibition symbol, fluttered in the wind. It was a flag that defied conventions. Without the classic skull, the design didn't inspire fear, but rather a certain strangeness, almost comical.
Nevertheless, it was the symbol of the Donquixote Pirates, soon to become world-famous. It was also the emblem of Doflamingo, the future fearsome lord of North Blue, emperor of the underworld, and one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, known as "Heavenly Demon" (Ten-Yasha) in the original work.
At that moment, the pirate group consisted of Doflamingo and his crew, who had just set off towards Jaya Island.
The past month hadn't been in vain. Doflamingo dedicated every day to training, without a hint of laziness.
Precisely because he knew he was still weak, he didn't dare to relax. There were many monsters in the sea, not to mention the future Pirate King, Luffy, and others like Alexander. Any carelessness could lead to his ruin, something Doflamingo would never allow.
While training intensely, Doflamingo ignored what was happening around him, leaving all matters to Trebol. His sole priority was to continue strengthening himself.
Only the truly strong relentlessly seek power. The weak always give up halfway, justifying themselves with the difficulties of the journey, comforting their fragile hearts, and trying to rely on the stronger to survive.
In Doflamingo's view, the truly strong were not those with extraordinary power by birth, but rather those who, even in misery, recognized their weakness and yet did not give up. They incessantly absorbed the nutrients of pain and, finally, achieved success.
Because only these people understood how luxurious it was to be alive. What did pain matter? If there was no hope, then he would create it for himself. Stealing, robbing, losing dignity, being despicable or hypocritical... In this rotten world, anything was possible. Only by gaining strength would he have the chance for a successful turnaround, to live like a human being and gain that pathetic dignity. Otherwise, everything would be an empty shell, easily trampled.
Yes, strength was everything, for weakness was the original sin.
His efforts would not betray him. Pain was only temporary. It didn't matter how offended he felt now. All of it was nourishment for growth and would be rewarded in the future. The improvement of his strength was worth it.
Doflamingo didn't relax at all during his four years of training. In that last month, he was "whipped" by Pica every day, ending up covered in bruises.
Not a single cry of pain was uttered during the process. Doflamingo gritted his teeth and persevered, enduring every blow. As the saying goes, if you want to learn to fight, you first need to take a beating. Trebol and the others found it cruel and advised Doflamingo not to torment himself that way, as it wasn't the only way to get stronger.
However, he rejected everyone, for he deeply understood that his body was the foundation of everything. Especially because his body was too small and hadn't been strong enough in previous years to awaken Armament Haki. He needed even more of this type of physical training. Thus, he felt no pain at all; in fact, he quite enjoyed this "abusive" process, constantly training his body.
It was necessary to know that the future Four Emperors, Kaido and Big Mom, were both monsters. With such impressive physical talents—whether it was Big Mom's "iron balloon" or Kaido taking Luffy's Gear Fourth full-force attack and being unharmed—Doflamingo was envious.
The body was the capital of revolution. This was a harsh truth. Over the years, Doflamingo showed great interest in physical exercise, but his body was not yet fully developed.
Although he didn't possess a Zoan-type Devil Fruit like Kaido, which granted "perverted" immortality, Doflamingo understood that he had his own advantages. The human body was a treasure. As long as he continued to explore it, he wouldn't be disappointed. Furthermore, the Marine's "return to life" was simply prepared for Doflamingo. Since the day he understood the purpose of his "power," Doflamingo had his eyes on the Marine's affairs.
Who didn't want good things? Doflamingo had already abandoned the idea of Vergo infiltrating the Marine as in the original story. After all, his younger brother already knew about Vergo's existence and had already enlisted in the Marine. If he sent Vergo there, he could end up in Impel Down, spending over 20 years in prison. Doflamingo couldn't accept such a result. He would wait until he founded the Donquixote Pirates and then await his younger brother's actions.
But it was essential to send enough secret agents to the Marine and, as a bonus, "find some fun" for them!
There was no rush now. That novice who hadn't even awakened his Armament Haki was jealous of his "return to life," but he hadn't lost his reason. Anyway, he would get what he wanted, sooner or later. Doflamingo was as firm as an old sea wolf and had far-reaching ambitions.
During this month, Doflamingo welcomed the gang boss Jagger "The Cruel" and asked him to take care of the needs of going to sea. Although his strength was very weak, his will was indeed active, and the future was promising.
To be honest, Doflamingo didn't have a very good opinion of himself in the original work. The "King of North Blue" seemed cool, but it was just a meeting point for the weak. It was ironic that he had wasted many years in North Blue, playing the "pirate game" with a group of people who were just pretending.
Poor Doflamingo, in the original work, must have deeply understood the gap between him and those sea monsters, so he had to protect himself and became an evil leader who mingled between the two sides, with an official past and underground forces. Relying on his power and status, he could coexist with both the criminal world and the official side. He had a privileged origin and dark forces. Although he seemed to be in a glorious position, he was, in fact, a limited subject.
Because his destiny was not in his hands, he was just a pawn on both sides. It was sad.
Ridiculous, Doflamingo in the original work didn't want to strangle destiny, didn't want to seek change? He wanted to, he dreamed of destroying the World Nobles, destroying Kaido, whom he feared, and destroying everything that dared to go against him.
But he knew he didn't have that strength. Doflamingo, who was protected as king by a group of minions, was arrogant but undisciplined. He didn't have an inherently powerful Devil Fruit and developed the "simple" String-String Fruit to its awakening. He had talent, but he had lost the qualifications to become a supreme powerhouse.
It wasn't because of the Devil Fruit, but more because of his childhood experiences that made Doflamingo afraid of losing, afraid of losing everything he had. He feared reliving his childhood experiences.
Although he was the king, his heart was not firm. He was more inclined to rely on others to fight against the government, which meant he was just getting by.
It seemed that Doflamingo was more of a schemer than a strong man.
This was Doflamingo's guess about himself in the original work. In fact, he was quite helpless and hurt. He felt despair but couldn't glimpse any hope. Relying on himself to fight against the world, step by step, was, ultimately, too insignificant.
Although North Blue was also known as the best among the Four Seas, Doflamingo truly despised the trash that roamed there and dared not take a single step forward. They kept their heads down and acted like local tyrants. They preferred to be the "tail of a phoenix" than the "head of a chicken." They didn't even have the courage to enter the Grand Line, so it was better for them to go home and suckle.
Proper tolerance was necessary, but if you extended it for too long, you might lose your passion, be satisfied with the status quo and not want to change it, forget your dreams, and just live a life of idleness and laziness. There were many such examples.
"No matter what happens, I'm going to turn this world upside down. The passion in my heart cannot be extinguished. What I couldn't do in the original work, let's contribute and work together," Doflamingo secretly thought.
The time had come; Doflamingo's calm heart finally warmed, and the day of the journey finally dawned.
The Donquixote Pirates were finally about to take their first step.
"Fufufufu, everyone, today the Donquixote Pirates officially set sail!"