"Too naive. Not every scientist is a superhuman like Dr. Vegapunk."
Doflamingo flashed a bright smile as he watched the tense and anxious Vinsmoke Judge.
Unlike himself, Judge didn't have the luxury of a powerful father. And unlike his children, who had been genetically modified to possess superhuman abilities, Judge relied heavily on his technology for combat. But a thirty-year technological gap was simply too vast.
Right now, Vinsmoke Judge was far from ready. His equipment was just as immature as he was.
Ignoring the crackling energy surging from Judge's spear, Doflamingo strolled forward through the air using Geppo, his voice calm.
"Relax, Vinsmoke Judge. I come in the spirit of friendship…"
Judge suddenly realized just how unnervingly quiet the battlefield had become.
Looking around, he saw his soldiers—his hopes for Germa's revival—standing frozen in place like puppets.
Gone. Just like that?!
Hearing Doflamingo's so-called 'friendship,' rage surged through Judge.
He raised his spear, his voice seething with fury. "Friendship? This is what you call friendship? Die, Doflamingo! Electromagnetic Lance! Jet-Kick Barrage!"
The advanced boots on Judge's feet roared to life, propelling him forward at blinding speed. His spear, charged with high-voltage electricity, shot toward Doflamingo like a thunderbolt.
Doflamingo's expression darkened. There was always someone too foolish to know their place.
He calmly put away his camera.
"Spider Web."
Countless razor-sharp threads erupted from his body, weaving together into a massive web-like wall, blocking the incoming attack.
BOOM!
The impact was absorbed, but the high temperature from the electrical current began to degrade the threads.
Seeing this, Judge's initial sense of doom vanished, replaced by elation.
A weakness!
"Calm down. Your soldiers are perfectly fine—"
He didn't even need Observation Haki to notice the shift in Judge's emotions. His arrogance was written all over his face.
Doflamingo's temper flared. His brow twitched, and his voice turned cold.
"Vinsmoke Judge. It seems you still don't understand what my friendship entails. String-String Fruit: Arm Enhancement."
From his right arm, countless thin yet powerful strings surged outward, layering over each other to form dense, sinewy muscles. His arm grew larger, exuding raw power and lethal grace.
'Damn it. I tried to be nice, but you just had to be stubborn. Looks like you need to be taught a lesson.'
Doflamingo smirked cruelly. His mastery of advanced combat allowed his muscles to contract and expand with terrifying precision.
His colossal fist shot toward Judge's head at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.
Judge's pupils contracted. His heart pounded.
The wind pressure alone stung his face. He barely had time to raise his spear in defense.
BOOM!
Doflamingo's fist smashed into the spear.
Instantly, the spear snapped. Judge's arm twisted grotesquely under the impact, bones shattering.
The iron-clad fist didn't slow down in the slightest.
It slammed into Judge's helmet with brutal force.
"AAAHHHH!"
Judge's body rocketed backward like a cannonball, crashing through the reinforced shell of a giant battle snail before embedding deep into the palace walls.
TAP... TAP...
The sound of approaching footsteps sent a chill down Judge's spine. He wanted to fight back, but his combat suit was completely fried from that single blow.
Doflamingo grabbed Judge by the head, yanking him up. With a casual pop, he ripped off the damaged helmet.
Judge's face was a mess of red and white, his arms hanging limp at his sides.
Seeing his pitiful state, Doflamingo's smile widened.
"Fuffuffuffuffu… Do you understand the value of my friendship now, Judge?"
Judge, battered and bloodied, forced himself to remain calm. His voice was weak, but his words were clear.
"Doflamingo… What do you want?
Germa 66 is affiliated with the World Government. Attacking us like this—have you no regard for the World Government's 800 years of rule?"
'Still not getting it. He really doesn't grasp his own predicament.'
Doflamingo sneered at Judge's desperate bluff.
"Oh? You're still trying to hide behind the World Government?"
He chuckled, his voice dripping with mockery.
"Let me give you a free lesson. The Donquixote family isn't just any family. I am Donquixote Doflamingo.
The World Government? It's nothing more than a guard lackey that bites its own masters.
And you, a former MADS scientist, leading a kingdom with no real land to its name—just how much do you think Germa 66 is worth to them?"
Doflamingo tightened his grip on Judge's head, his fingers digging into the bruised skin.
"You're still too inexperienced as a king, Judge. Let me teach you the first lesson of rulership—humility."
His right hand flexed, strings weaving together into a massive, reinforced fist.
'Doflamingo… is a Celestial Dragon?!'
The revelation sent a shock through Judge. The sheer arrogance, the way he carried himself—it all made sense now.
But before he could process it fully, Doflamingo's next words sent another jolt of panic through him.
"Wait—!"
Judge's voice trembled. His helmet was gone. If that fist connected…
"Wait?"
Doflamingo's grin turned feral. His fist pulled back, poised to strike.
"Vinsmoke Judge, let me teach you the proper way to respect a strong man's friendship!"
BOOM!
"AAAAHHH!!"
...
A silk cloth fluttered through the air, morphing into a figure behind Doflamingo—Diamante.
Doflamingo halted his movements but didn't turn around.
"Diamante. Long time no see. Are there any surviving heirs of the Four Kingdoms of Beaudice? How did the family recruitment go?"
"Doffy, it's been a while. Only the grandchildren of Viarat V are left alive. I arrived too late, so we only managed to recruit about 300 suitable 'family' members. Who's this? The king of Germa 66?!"
Diamante's eyes widened at Judge's mangled form.
"Fuffuffuffuffu… Don't worry, Diamante. Bring those heirs over, and check with Trebol on the treasure collection. Then, take the new family members and head back. As for dear Judge here… He still has some lessons to learn."
"Wait, that's a lot of responsibility—"
"Diamante. I'm in a very bad mood."
"...Understood, Doffy."
Noticing the faint crackling of black and red lightning around Doflamingo, Diamante swallowed his complaints and turned to leave.
Four years of brutal war hadn't just scarred Trebol. He, too, had learned to avoid Doflamingo's wrath whenever possible.
As Judge's barely conscious body twitched beneath his foot, Doflamingo smirked and pressed his sharp-toed shoe against the battered man's skull.
"Tell me, Vinsmoke Judge… Should the world hear that 'Germa 66 was wiped out by the noble forces of Beaudice'… Or would you prefer the headline, 'The new king of Germa executes four monarchs in a single day, sending shockwaves through Beaudice'?"
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+100 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg