After a long while, their laughter gradually subsided.
Doflamingo pulled Enel up from the ground and said, "My family welcomes you."
Enel, now standing, was visibly moved. He said, somewhat choked up, "I… I have a family again."
"Hey, hey, hey, Enel, you're not going to cry, are you? That's not very manly, fuffuffuffu," Doflamingo teased, seeing the moisture welling up in Enel's eyes.
"What?! There's no way I'd cry! You must be seeing things. Those sunglasses of yours must be messing with your vision," Enel retorted, averting his gaze with a hint of embarrassment and tsundere pride.
"Alright, alright, I saw wrong. My mistake," Doflamingo conceded, not wanting to push Enel further. He decided to give him some face.
"Um… that… I still don't know what to call you," Enel said, having composed himself, a slight blush still on his cheeks.
"Oh my god, is this really the same 'God' Enel I remember? He actually has such a cute side!" Doflamingo thought to himself. It was understandable, though. Enel had only just broken free from his weak past and accepted a new family. He was still unfamiliar and uncomfortable with Doflamingo, so this reaction was perfectly normal.
"My name is Doflamingo, Donquixote Doflamingo. I come from the Blue Sea, below the sky islands – what you sky islanders call the 'Blue Sea.' And I'm a pirate. You can call me Doffy," Doflamingo quickly regained his composure and introduced himself.
Enel, after listening to Doflamingo's self-introduction, thoughtfully said, "A Blue-Sea dweller?! So… what's a pirate?"
Enel seized the opportunity to ask his question.
Doflamingo showed no sign of impatience and explained patiently.
"Pirates, huh? There are many ways to describe them. It's more about what kind of pirate you want to be. Some believe pirates are the freest beings, while others consider them to be utterly evil and unforgivable."
"Actually, none of that matters. What matters is what you want. You're a pirate now, too. What kind of pirate you want to be is something you have to discover for yourself. Everyone's answer is different."
After listening to Doflamingo's explanation, Enel pondered for a moment. Although he didn't fully understand, he grasped the gist of it. A pirate was someone who did what they wanted, unbound by others, acting on their own whims. Simply put, it meant following your own nature.
Seeing Enel lost in thought, Doflamingo didn't interrupt.
"A pirate, huh? Doesn't sound too bad," Enel replied, not rejecting the idea at all, but rather responding with a hint of excitement.
"Fuffuffuffu, then congratulations on becoming a pirate, too."
"Yahahahaha!"
Their laughter seemed to celebrate their shared status as pirates. At that moment, the four bird-men lying on the ground regained consciousness. They struggled to get up and, just in time, heard Enel and Doflamingo's laughter.
Seeing their own miserable state and Enel's joyful laughter, the four were consumed by rage. They shouted, "Enel, you traitor! You're colluding with an outsider! Are you even a sky islander anymore?!"
Hearing the shouts, Enel and Doflamingo stopped laughing and turned to look at the four bird-men struggling to their feet.
"Traitor? Sky islander? I don't know anything about being a sky islander! Did you ever treat me as one of your own? I don't recall having any connection with you sky islanders. Oh, if I had to say something, it would be hatred. All those years of bullying, insults, and beatings… did you think it meant nothing? Now, seeing how things are, you're talking about betrayal? Tell me, who exactly betrayed whom?"
Enel walked towards the four men, his expression cold, as if he were looking at four corpses.
Enel's calm and indifferent words pierced the four bird-men's hearts like knives. However, it didn't cause much damage, as they had never considered Enel one of their own. How could they be shaken by a few words from him?
"Insolent, Enel! You lowly, despicable monster! Who gave you the courage to defy us? Is it that person behind you? Heh! Don't forget, the only reason you're still alive is because of our mercy. You really are rebelling!" The four bird-men, enraged, rebuked Enel.
"Yahahahaha, a joke! This is the best joke I've ever heard! No one gave me the courage. I've wanted to do this for a long time. I will no longer grovel before you. Everything you've done to me, I will return a hundredfold. I, Enel, have come for revenge, you scum!" Enel laughed wildly, almost maniacally.
"You… Enel! Who do you think you are, you lowly creature, daring to speak to us like that? God will not forgive you! Wait for your excruciating punishment!" The four bird-men, putting on a brave face, retorted weakly.
"God… I…"
"Fuffuffuffu, God? How terrifying! I'd like to meet him. I wonder if you could introduce me?" Doflamingo interrupted Enel.
The four bird-men finally turned their attention to Doflamingo and arrogantly said, "You're scared now, aren't you, you lowly creatures! You want to meet our God? What a joke! Do you think just anyone can meet God?"
Doflamingo couldn't help but admire their courage. Sometimes, ignorance really was bliss. But Doflamingo wasn't known for his good temper, especially after being mocked by these four arrogant fools. Even a clay figure has a temper! One could only imagine how angry Doflamingo was now.
"Fuffuffuffu…"
Doflamingo's forehead veins bulged as he laughed loudly, walking towards the four bird-men.
"Since you can't meet God, let me take you to meet this so-called God. You just need to cooperate with my performance. After all, you are the main characters in this play."
The four bird-men saw Doflamingo approaching them. His steps were slow, but each step seemed to land on their hearts, like the grim reaper's harvesting song.
"Don't come any closer!" the four shouted simultaneously. The memory of their recent beating filled them with dread.
"What do you want? God won't forgive you!"
"Enel, you traitor, stop him!"
"If you leave now, we can pretend nothing happened."
"Yeah, yeah!"
The four babbled, creating a chaotic scene. Doflamingo remained unmoved. He stopped next to Enel and patted him on the shoulder, simply looking at him.
Enel seemed to understand. He nodded at Doflamingo.
The four bird-men, seeing this, breathed a sigh of relief and continued their foolishness.
"I thought he was someone impressive."
"He's still afraid of our God."
"After all, God is the most powerful. It's normal for you to be afraid."
"That's right, that's right."
Enel and Doflamingo were too lazy to waste any more words. They had their own business to attend to and no time to waste on these fools. Enel moved away from Doflamingo and walked towards the four.
"Let me collect some interest first."
"Enel, you dare…?"
"Do you have a death wish?"
"God won't forgive you!"
"Help!"
Before the four could finish their sentences, Enel attacked, knocking them down one by one.
"Trash."
Enel spat at the four with disdain.
"Fuffuffuffu, let's go. The show's about to begin."
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