Chapter 252: Volume 2 – Chapter 154: Almost

"Justice as I please..."

Watching their young master burst into near-maniacal laughter, his entire body trembling, Trebol and the other officers turned pale, muttering under their breath, frozen stiff.

They weighed the arrogance, the wildness, and the overwhelming determination hidden in those words, and it sent a storm through their hearts. No one dared speak.

Doflamingo raised a hand to his face, the corners of his mouth twisting into a savage grin beneath his palm.

"Fufufufufu... So you're the same kind of person as me!"

After a pause,

He slowly let his smile fade. His fingers curled unconsciously into claw-like shapes, and behind his sunglasses, a cold, unstable glint flickered in his eyes.

"You're a complete madman, Godfather..."

"In that case, I'll be counting on your guidance from now on."

He murmured softly.

Running both hands through his messy golden hair, he loosened the collar of his wine-red shirt, then stepped forward into the cold and silent hall, his footsteps echoing as he made his way toward the corridor.

"Nobody is to speak a word about that man's 'justice.' Is that clear?"

The corridor lights cast shifting shadows across Doflamingo's figure, his pink feather coat billowing behind him as his cold, domineering voice reverberated through the hall.

Trebol and the others immediately dropped to one knee, lowering their proud heads in respect.

"Yes, young master."

Doflamingo walked the length of the corridor without expression, the sharp heels of his shoes tapping crisply against the marble floor.

As the banquet hall door came into view, the clinking of glasses and lively voices of guests from across the North Blue grew louder.

Standing just beyond the doorway, shadows masked Doflamingo's youthful face.

Bang!

He suddenly pushed the doors wide open.

The blinding lights and explosive noise of the banquet hall roared to life, swallowing his figure whole.

Wearing a fake smile, he stepped into the guests' eager gazes and walked toward them.

He entered the light.

...

Donquixote Doflamingo's birthday party—an event thrown by the king of the North Blue underworld—came to a close in the midst of the guests' raucous celebration.

One month later...

North Blue.

A desolate, uninhabited island.

"10 Million Volts: Thunderbird!!"

A massive thunderbird, several meters tall, suddenly roared into the sky from the dense jungle.

Its wings, formed entirely of blazing blue lightning, tore through everything in their path. Towering trees collapsed one after another as a wave of dust and debris erupted into the air.

The intense heat of the lightning set the forest ablaze, red flames spreading rapidly across the ground while thick black smoke rose high into the sky.

Amidst the blast, a tall figure was hurled backwards from the fire, military boots carving a long trench in the dirt.

Daren, shirtless, had wisps of black smoke curling off his body. Several parts of his skin showed signs of burns from the lightning.

But his eyes were ablaze with fervor, burning with wild excitement. A nearly spent cigar clenched between his teeth, he burst out laughing.

"Is that all you've got, Momonga!?"

"Come on, can you even keep up!?"

From the distance came an enraged shout.

"Daren, you bastard! Don't you dare underestimate me!!"

The moment the words rang out—

From the center of the smoke and flames, a faint streak of lightning suddenly shot skyward at astonishing speed.

Daren's eyes narrowed sharply.

That feeling...

He could clearly sense the magnetic field within a hundred meters of him suddenly go haywire—chaotic and violent!

This technique... could it be—

Something clicked in Daren's mind, and he abruptly looked up, eyes gleaming.

The sky had gone pitch-black. At some point, massive thunderclouds had gathered above.

The dark sea of clouds churned like a giant black vortex, endlessly swirling and brewing immense power.

"30 Million Volts: Heaven's Judgment!!"

The next instant, a pillar of blue lightning crashed down from the heavens like a beam of divine wrath, slamming into Daren's position!

Boom!!

The ground within ten meters was instantly shattered, torn apart, and vaporized. A searing shockwave blasted outward like an inferno, devouring everything in its path.

Blinding lightning filled every corner of sight. Roaring winds surged outward, bending trees across the jungle. The closest ones were completely uprooted.

Scalding plasma burst from the point of impact.

And beneath the force of the lightning pillar, the figure of the Marine Commodore stood tall and unyielding, arms spread wide.

A wild, fearless grin stretched across his face.

It was as if he stood bathed in a magnificent galaxy.

...

After a full thirty seconds, the island finally began to settle down.

The ground was devastated, the forest left with massive "bald patches," and embers still smoldered in many places, sending thick black smoke into the air.

At the center of it all—

A massive charred crater lay sprawled across the earth, strikingly grotesque.

Everything around it had been reduced to ash by the thunderstrike. Some of the broken stones on the ground had even crystallized under the intense heat and voltage, glowing with a red-black sheen. Faint arcs of electricity occasionally danced across the scorched surface.

Bruised and battered, Momonga staggered out of the forest. The moment he saw the devastation before him, his heart clenched, and he instinctively picked up the pace.

"Daren..."

He rushed toward the center of the crater, only to see the charred figure of the Marine Commodore standing motionless, like a blackened statue. A sudden wave of panic surged through his chest.

Don't tell me...

"Hey, Daren! You alright?!"

Momonga's eyelid twitched uncontrollably.

The power of the Goro Goro no Mi had far exceeded his expectations. Did he... actually kill Daren?

"Cough, cough, cough!!"

Just then, the figure in front of him suddenly burst into a fit of coughing. Black smoke puffed out of his nostrils as burnt cigar ash spilled from his mouth.

"...Damn, that was a close one."

Momonga: "..."

Daren shook the ash off his head, pulled out a pack of cigarettes like nothing happened, and said with a click of his tongue,

"You've really got something going on, Momonga. Looks like giving you the Goro Goro no Mi was the right call—you picked that move up fast."

As he spoke, he bit down on a cigarette, then casually picked up a still-hot crystal shard from the ground and lit it.

Hearing Daren's words, Momonga couldn't help puffing out his chest.

Daren was known as a "monster" praised by Zephyr, Garp, and Sengoku alike. Getting acknowledged by someone like him stirred a surge of pride unlike anything he'd ever felt.

"I can tell—you and the Goro Goro no Mi are a perfect match."

Daren clapped him on the shoulder, nodding in approval.

"...I almost had to use Armament Haki to defend myself."

The proud grin on Momonga's face froze instantly.