"Boss, the project in the lab has been halted."
"Good. Caesar, make sure to record the battle data."
After issuing his orders, Caesar led the scientific division, while Doflamingo turned his gaze to the ruler of the sky—Nola.
As for Judge? He was, of course, on vacation.
"Nola, use Armament Haki to withstand this attack."
"Hisss…!" (Come at me!)
A dark, hardened sheen spread across Nola's massive head—Armament Haki, visible to the naked eye.
That's right. Under Lao G's tutelage, Nola had successfully learned how to wield Haki.
In this strange world, Armament Haki wasn't exclusive to humans. Creatures with intelligence—sea bulls, gorillas, baboons—could also master it.
And Nola, a four-hundred-year-old sky ruler, was far from a mindless beast. After half a year of rigorous training, it had finally grasped the power of Haki.
"String-String Fruit: Artificial Muscles—Arm Enhancement, 50% Output."
Countless ultra-thin strands of nylon thread poured from Doflamingo's body, intertwining like springs and coils, forming a dense, thick layer of external muscle.
These synthetic muscle fibers were 85 times stronger than natural skeletal muscles. But, of course, with each increment in strength came an increasing burden on his own bones and muscles.
Yet now, even with his reinforced skeletal structure, Doflamingo felt no trembling or instability.
Only the tendons in his right arm were pushed to their absolute limit.
Locking eyes with Nola, he no longer restrained the surging, explosive power in his fist.
With his legs bent low, he suddenly kicked off, leaving deep craters in the solid cloud ground beneath him as his body shot forward.
His colossal, reinforced fist smashed into Nola's equally massive head.
"BANG!"
"AAH-OOOH—!"
Nola's enormous head crashed into the ground, carving a deep impact crater. Its huge jaws clamped shut mid-scream, abruptly cutting off its cry of pain.
"BOOM!!!"
The sheer force of the impact sent shockwaves rippling through the entire land of Upper Yard. The animals in the forest scattered in a frenzy.
The scientific division members, recording the battle from a nearby vine using a Den Den Mushi, paled as the vibrations beneath them intensified. Sweat poured down their faces.
Caesar's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, his tongue sticking straight out.
"Gehhh!!! We're gonna die, we're gonna die, we're gonna die—!!!"
"The vine… it won't collapse, right?!"
"This is insane… he just knocked that thing down in one hit… like a monster."
"Is the Sky Island… gonna come crashing down to the Blue Sea?!"
"Hisss…!" (That hurt! Now I'm mad!)
A massive lump swelled on Nola's head. Its yellow eyes, now bloodshot, burned with rage.
Its gigantic body coiled inward, compressing like a spring. Then, in the blink of an eye, it launched itself forward.
"Fufufufu! You still have fight left in you, Nola? Good! Then let's keep going!"
Watching the furious charge, Doflamingo's grin widened. This was the perfect opportunity to test his strength!
Clenching his fists, he activated his Devil Fruit powers once more.
The synthetic muscle fibers spread further, enveloping his chest, arms, legs, back, and core—an exoskeletal armor of pure power.
The energy within him raged, eager to be unleashed.
"String-String Fruit: Artificial Muscles—Full-Body Enhancement! Nola, here I come!"
"Soru!"
"Hisss?!" (Where'd he go?!)
Nola's massive eyes widened, desperately trying to track Doflamingo's sudden disappearance.
But in the next instant—
Doflamingo's towering figure reappeared right before its eyes.
And his massive fist came crashing down—right onto the swollen lump on Nola's head.
Round two.
"BANG!"
"CRACK."
"BOOOOM!!!"
A sickening crunch echoed through the air as Nola's massive eyes lost focus.
Its enormous body collapsed with an earth-shaking thud, leaving yet another deep crater in the land of Upper Yard.
"Fufufufu! Absolutely magnificent! Such overwhelming power!"
Looking down at the unconscious Nola, Doflamingo threw back his head and laughed. The suffocating pressure brought by men like Roger and the other top-tier monsters—gone in an instant.
For the past year, ever since developing the Artificial Muscle enhancement, the only things holding him back were the limits of his own bones, muscles, and stamina.
As for wear and tear on his synthetic muscles? As long as he had stamina, the threads were limitless.
And now, with his newly acquired skeletal reinforcement, one of his biggest weaknesses had been erased.
In the original timeline, it took Enel's "Judgment of God" to knock Nola out of the fight.
And Enel? Oda himself had confirmed that his strength rivaled a 500-million-belly bounty pirate like Ace.
Yet here Doflamingo was, achieving the same result with only 50% output.
And once he entered "Demon Form," he would truly have the power to carve out his place in this world.
The sense of security that came with that realization was intoxicating.
Turning his gaze toward the scientific division members, he found them all frozen in shock. Caesar, in particular, had put on quite the dramatic display.
Doflamingo smirked, grabbing a Den Den Mushi and snapping a picture of their terrified faces.
Then, finally, he spoke.
"Caesar, once we're done here, distribute the battle footage to the family."
Seeing Doflamingo return to his normal state, Caesar's urge to flee subsided significantly.
"Y-Yes, Boss… um… next time, could you hold these battles somewhere else? The shockwaves… they're disrupting our experiments."
"Fine."
Noting the shift in Caesar's attitude, Doflamingo nodded in satisfaction before dismissing the scientists back to their work.
Then, reclining in his palace, he allowed himself to enjoy the comforts of Angel Island's finest courtesans.
His gaze fell upon the Den Den Mushi on his desk.
"Gurururu."
"Doffy, I say, I say—what's up?" The Den Den Mushi morphed into Trebol's sniveling, greasy face.
"Pass this along to the Donquixote Family's civilian division—construct a small artificial island between Upper Yard and Angel Island. It'll be our designated training ground, separate from the rest. We'll call it… Grinding Island.
Oh, and has Gladius arrived at Sky Island yet? How's his training going?"
"Got it, Doffy. I'll send word right after this meeting.
As for Gladius, aside from intelligence work, he's been training alongside the other family candidates, just as you ordered.
That kid… he's got this crazy self-destructive streak. Spends all his time alone, experimenting with explosives and clockwork mechanisms."
Hearing that, Doflamingo chuckled in satisfaction.
"Fufufufu… perfect. Some Devil Fruits only need a little polish to become truly exquisite.
Once the island is ready, send Gladius up here. And you—come too. It's been a while since your last 'training session,' hasn't it?"
At the mention of "training," Trebol visibly flinched.
"D-Doffy, I say, I say, how about we just—"
Useless.
Doflamingo's brow twitched in irritation.
"Just what? Just next time? Quit your whining. Drop everything and get up here—now."
Trebol could only gulp.
And so, the "training" would begin.
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+100 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg