Chapter 33: Capturing the Perfect Moment

"Let me down! No one has ever dared to treat me like this!" The little boy flailed his arms wildly, trying to break free from the grip on his collar. His face twisted in anger, looking both furious and terrifying.

Renji, ever the accommodating one, immediately let go of the boy's collar. "If you keep talking to me like that, I might really have to teach you a lesson."

"Ah!!! My butt!!!" The boy clutched his now sore backside, rolling around on the ground in exaggerated pain.

Seeing Doflamingo writhing on the floor as if his life depended on it, Renji squatted down leisurely and pulled out a Den Den Mushi. The kid was overreacting, wasn't he?

Suddenly, a mischievous glint flashed in Renji's eyes. If the kid wasn't afraid of making a fool of himself, then Renji might as well capture this moment for posterity. Who knows? It might come in handy for some future entertainment.

The truth was, Renji wasn't exactly thrilled about having Doflamingo as his disciple.

Doflamingo was the kind of kid who, at the age of 8, already had no regard for human life. By 10, he was capable of killing his own father. Taking on such a disciple made Renji worry about getting stabbed in the back someday...

"What are you doing?!" Doflamingo stopped rolling when he saw the Den Den Mushi in Renji's hand. He struggled to his feet, still clutching his backside.

Renji tucked the Den Den Mushi into his pocket. "Capturing the perfect moment."

Doflamingo glared at Renji with fury. On the surface, Renji seemed harmless and easygoing, but once you got to know him, it was clear he wasn't exactly a good guy.

All Doflamingo had done was curse a few times, and now he was being punished in every possible way. Just moments ago, he had been dragged by his collar in front of a crowd. The thought alone made his face burn with humiliation.

He had his pride, after all...

And for some reason, Renji seemed to have a problem with his sunglasses. He kept staring at them, even though Doflamingo thought they made him look cool.

Thinking about this, the wariness in Doflamingo's eyes deepened, as if Renji were some kind of mortal enemy. "Why did you bring me here? What's your plan? And why didn't you bring my brother?"

Hearing Doflamingo's repeated questions, Renji, who had been idly observing, finally snapped back to attention. He looked at the furious boy.

Growing up under the influence of the Celestial Dragons, even children like Doflamingo had developed a superiority complex, looking down on everyone else.

If this mindset were stripped away too quickly, it could further distort an already warped worldview. It might lead to positive change, but more likely, it would make things worse.

Much worse. To the point where the darkness within would grow uncontrollably, consuming everything in its path, including innocent lives.

From what Renji knew, Doflamingo was definitely the latter type. The reason he wore those sunglasses was to hide the desire and cruelty lurking within.

At this point, Doflamingo hadn't yet experienced the suffering that came with being exposed as a former Celestial Dragon. His attitude toward commoners was one of disdain, but it hadn't yet escalated into a desire to destroy everything.

With this in mind, Renji looked at Doflamingo again, his face breaking into a warm smile. "From now on, you'll be following me. When I say east, you don't go west. Your task is to learn how to follow orders."

Seeing Renji's smiling face, Doflamingo felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine. But he wasn't ready to back down just yet. Behind his sunglasses, his eyes bore into Renji. "A mere captain like you isn't worthy of giving me orders. Back in Mary Geoise, even a rear admiral wouldn't dare speak to me like this."

"My status and position aren't something you can just boss around. Even though my father took us away from Mary Geoise, we're still noble Celestial Dragons!"

He had an unshakable confidence, one that had been with him for eight years and still remained intact.

"Celestial Dragons? So what?"

Renji smirked, leaning closer to Doflamingo's ear and whispering like a demon:

"They're just pigs raised in Mary Geoise. Eat, sleep, repeat. The only thing that grows is their weight. They live off the achievements of their ancestors while committing atrocities."

"Do you really think that title makes you special? There are plenty of people in this world who can make someone disappear without a trace."

"And who's to say that someone can't be a Celestial Dragon?"

For centuries, the Celestial Dragons had prided themselves as the "descendants of the creators." Many of them even refused to breathe the same air as commoners, having ruled the world for 800 years.

But just because something has always been done a certain way doesn't make it right. Renji thought it was all nonsense.

Practice is the only criterion for testing truth, and strength is the key to proving it.

"So, kid, don't overestimate yourself. Take a good look at who you really are."

Doflamingo was stunned by Renji's words. He couldn't believe someone could view the Celestial Dragons this way. He couldn't believe the identity he had always been so proud of meant nothing to Renji. He couldn't believe there wasn't a trace of emotion in Renji's eyes.

He was serious...!

"Alright, I'll stop scaring you," Renji said, his expression softening.

"But there's one thing you need to know."

"The Celestial Dragons no longer recognize you as one of them. From the moment you left Mary Geoise, you lost that status."

As Doflamingo stared at him in horror, Renji continued, "Even if you kill your father for putting you in this situation, it won't change anything."

"All you'll get is the ridicule of those high-and-mighty Celestial Dragons."

Renji looked at the stunned Doflamingo and added, "Get up. From now on, you'll follow me. I'll give you things the Celestial Dragons never could—power, freedom, strength. Whatever you want, it's within reach."

"And let me give you some advice: your family is the most precious thing you have. If you lose them, you'll regret it forever."

As he said this, a hint of sadness flashed in Renji's eyes. He had lost his own family the moment he arrived in this world.

"..."

Just as Renji finished speaking, a hurried voice called out from behind.

"Boss, you're finally back! The guests have been waiting for you for a while!" The receptionist shouted as soon as he saw Renji outside the door.

Renji smacked his forehead. He had been so focused on teaching the kid that he had completely forgotten about Dragon and the others. This was going to make him look rude.

"It's better to meet in person than to hear about you." Inside the naval base, Dragon slowly stepped forward.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Monkey D. Dragon." Dragon was a towering figure, standing at around 200 centimeters tall. Next to him, Renji looked like a child who hadn't fully grown.

But in terms of presence, Renji had the upper hand...

"Nice to meet you..."

...