Chapter 11: So This Is a 50 Million Berry Strongman?

The pirate ship sailed smoothly across the sea under a clear, bright sky. Seagulls soared and played in the air; it was a beautiful day.

On the deck of the large ship, a slender, blond man was engaged in weight training. He was shirtless, each hand wielding a barbell weighing over a thousand jin (a traditional Chinese unit of weight, roughly equivalent to half a kilogram), his movements creating a powerful wind that rippled the calm sea surface. Sunglasses shielded his eyes from the blazing sun, obscuring his expression. The sunlight glinted off his bronze skin, beads of sweat gathering and flowing like rivers through the valleys of his sculpted abs.

"The Young Master is working so hard," Kapac Usman, the new recruit, said respectfully.

"No one achieves anything without effort. When you see someone succeed, you only envy their success but subconsciously ignore the hardships they've endured and the sacrifices they've made behind the scenes," Doflamingo said to Usman, taking a towel from an underling and wiping away his sweat. "I'm still weak."

Usman fell into deep thought upon hearing this.

"Usman, do you know why I brought you to sea?" Doflamingo continued, not waiting for a response. "Only by witnessing the vastness of the world can you truly understand your own insignificance. Weakness itself isn't frightening; what's frightening is lacking the will to become stronger. My family has no need for dead weight. If you want a place in the family, you'll have to earn it through your own efforts." Doflamingo's words weren't directed solely at Usman, but at everyone in the family. If his family members were to be as disappointing and useless as those in the original story, living off his name and throwing their weight around, then there would be no need for them to exist. The pirate world was never short of people clawing their way to the top. Give them an inch, and they'd devour you like hungry wolves.

The path of a king was bound to be arduous. Doflamingo didn't want to be burdened by a group of stragglers. When the time came to cut ties, he wouldn't hesitate. Doflamingo was destined to be this kind of person: I'd rather wrong the world than let the world wrong me. He was never stingy with what he was willing to give: power, wealth, beautiful women – as long as you had the ability, you could obtain them from Doflamingo.

In fact, even when Doflamingo's family members in the original story were incompetent or failed in battle, he never blamed them. For example, when Baby 5 and Buffalo were captured on Punk Hazard, when Trebol let Sugar faint, or when Diamante lost the Flame-Flame Fruit, Doflamingo simply brushed it off with a casual remark (which, in a way, was also a sign of his kingly demeanor). Towards his own people, the original Doflamingo was truly admirable. This was probably why the members of the Donquixote Family had such unwavering faith in him.

Of course, this was also one of the reasons for Doflamingo's downfall. Unconditional forgiveness towards his subordinates, while demonstrating a kingly bearing, lacked the necessary discipline. Otherwise, they wouldn't learn from their mistakes, and Baby 5's betrayal was a painful lesson. When family members became a hindrance, indecisiveness would inevitably lead to chaos. Doflamingo took these lessons to heart. A king could be merciful, but ruthless methods were essential.

Doflamingo, ignoring the crew around, did not desire to converse with the brutes. Better to go train in that beautiful weather, than to lose time with this conversation. It's not like they were fragrant, soft young women with whom he could engage in some "spiritual therapy" and discuss life… and, ahem, he'd gotten off track. Straightening himself, Doflamingo asked, "Where are we now? Are we close to Reverse Mountain?"

A subordinate of Usman, a navigator, immediately ran over and replied respectfully to his boss's boss, "Young Master, we're still some distance from Reverse Mountain. It'll be a few more days before we arrive."

Doflamingo waved his hand dismissively, no longer paying attention, and said to Trebol, "Trebol, I'm leaving the rest to you." Without waiting for a reply, he headed towards his cabin. Even training needed a balance of work and rest.

After several days of smooth sailing, the vastness of the ocean began to take its toll. The endless expanse of water could easily induce fatigue. This was still before the Great Pirate Era had fully begun, so the number of pirates was far less rampant than in later years. Of course, the pirate crews they encountered weren't as weak as those of later times. Even so, the chances of two pirate ships meeting were still relatively low. The truly brave had already passed through Reverse Mountain and entered the Grand Line, the proving ground for the strong.

"BOOM!" A cannonball exploded in the sea near the ship, causing Doflamingo's vessel to lurch violently. The helmsman immediately steered the ship in a swaying motion to evade further attacks. It was a truly thought-provoking question: could the cannonballs in the pirate world actually hit anything?

The loud noise reached Doflamingo, who was already bored with the long voyage. Constant training was nothing compared to the thrill of battle. Only through real combat could he truly grow stronger; only on the brink of life and death could he achieve significant improvement.

Doflamingo immediately rushed out of his cabin, shouting to his crew, "Get us close to their ship! My hands are itching for some action. It's time for some fun!"

"Nene, Doffy, are you going to fight yourself? Looks like we're in for a show," Trebol said, looking at Doflamingo at the bow of the ship.

"Fuffuffuffu… It's time to see the gap between myself and these so-called strongmen. Slaughter is in our human nature. Let us be reborn in the midst of carnage!" Doflamingo laughed, his gaze fixed on the approaching pirate ship.

"Vergo, you don't need to fight before we reach Skypiea. You have a more important task. Diamante, want to play a game? Dare to charge into that pirate ship with me and see who can kill more?" Doflamingo turned to look at Diamante.

"Hahaha, Doffy, that's exactly what I was thinking!" Diamante replied with a grin.

The opposing pirate ship drew closer, and the two vessels came alongside each other.

The numerous pirates on the other ship, seeing Doflamingo and Diamante charging towards them, showed no fear. Instead, they laughed at Doflamingo. "Hahaha! Even snot-nosed brats are becoming pirates now? Show us what you've got, kid! See if you can even scratch me!"

Doflamingo completely ignored their taunts. Diamante, however, couldn't hold back. As Doflamingo's number one follower, he absolutely wouldn't tolerate anyone looking down on his Young Master. He immediately retorted, "You're about to die, and you're still running your mouth? What big talk!"

Doflamingo charged straight towards the opposing captain, his fist, the size of a sandbag, aimed directly at the one-eyed captain's face. If this powerful blow connected, the one-eyed captain would be either dead or crippled. But there were no "ifs." Two strong arms crossed to block the powerful fist. A booming sound echoed through the air, but the one-eyed captain didn't budge.

"Hey, hey, hey, that's pretty strong! I, One-Eyed Robinson, am a pirate with a 50 million berry bounty, after all. I'm not going to be taken down so easily, brat! Don't underestimate me!" Robinson, not one to be outdone verbally, followed up with a powerful knee aimed at Doflamingo.

Seeing this, Doflamingo immediately pushed off the ground with both legs, launching a Luffy-style Gomu Gomu no Axe from the air, slamming it down on Robinson with tremendous force. The impact drove Robinson down into the lower decks of the ship. The surrounding pirates immediately charged at Doflamingo, brandishing their swords and knives.

However, strangely enough, no matter how they slashed, they couldn't even graze Doflamingo. He was as slippery as an eel. With his Observation Haki activated, Doflamingo dodged the incoming blades effortlessly.

"What's going on? Why can't we hit him? Weren't you being all tough, kid? Why are you just dodging?" The members of the One-Eyed Pirate crew shouted at Doflamingo, charging at him again with their blades, relentless.

"Fuffuffuffu… Ignorant and pathetic weaklings. Since you're so eager to die, I'll be merciful and grant your wish," Doflamingo laughed wildly, meeting them head-on. One punch, one kick – no wasted movements. Wherever Doflamingo went, someone fell. To their credit, these pirates were fearless. After all, pirates of the Four Blues had no knowledge of Haki. Compared to Doflamingo, who had mastered Observation Haki, the difference in strength was like a chasm.

Diamante, meanwhile, had finished off the last remaining pirate. Apart from their captain, the One-Eyed Pirates were completely wiped out.

A loud crash came from the hole in the ship's bottom. Robinson, who had been smashed down earlier, leaped out of the wreckage.

Doflamingo looked at Robinson, who had jumped out of the hole, and said in a tone mimicking Kizaru, "How scary. So this is a 50 million berry strongman? Truly terrifying." Hearing this, Robinson's already unpleasant expression darkened further. Seeing his once-formidable crew wiped out in an instant, he realized he had run into a tough opponent.

Robinson didn't retreat. He took a deep breath, and a large, black wolf's head suddenly sprouted from his grim face. In an instant, his transformation was complete, and he lunged at Doflamingo.

Sharp claws glinted with a chilling light. A single swipe would rip open flesh and gut the victim. But Doflamingo, with his maxed-out dodging skills, couldn't possibly be hit. He easily evaded the claws and closed in, unleashing hundreds of punches on the one-eyed wolf, pummeling him until he couldn't even stand. Robinson shielded his head with his arms, taking the brunt of the hundreds of blows.

Although Doflamingo's attacks were fierce and his momentum overwhelming, Zoan-types were known for their durability. Without Armament Haki, Doflamingo couldn't inflict significant damage on Robinson.

"He truly lives up to the reputation of a 50 million berry strongman. He's really tough," Doflamingo said.

"Nine-tenths! Nine-tenths! Did you not eat? Use more strength, kid!" Robinson, seeing Doflamingo stop attacking, shouted fiercely.

"As expected, Zoan-types are just asking for a beating. In that case, if one punch isn't enough, then I'll just punch you again and again, until you kneel! Kneel before me, One-Eye!"

Doflamingo rallied his strength and punched the One-eyed Wolf again. Using his Observation Haki to evade the wolf's claws, he repeatedly struck at Robinson's vulnerable points.

Robinson cried out in pain, "Ah! You little bastard, die!"

The werewolf's attacks became even more frenzied, but they lacked any semblance of technique. In Doflamingo's eyes, with his Observation Haki, Robinson was already a sitting duck, not far from death.

"The weak should know their place! Die, One-Eye!"

Doflamingo unleashed a full-powered punch aimed at the one-eyed wolf's heart. The immense force ripped through his heart. Robinson's eyes gradually glazed over, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. The victor was Doflamingo.

Slowly withdrawing his fist from One-Eye's chest, Doflamingo watched as the pirate slumped to the ground. He glanced at the blood on his hand with a look of disdain, then said expressionlessly, "Let's go back. I hope the next one is a bit stronger."