"Tesorro, it's so beautiful! Look at those clouds—they look just like you!"
"Too fast! I missed it! Hahaha! Stella, is that what they call a Sky Fish jumping out?"
The ship soared rapidly through the sky.
"Young Master, this is incredible!"
"Young Master, are we going to live in the sky from now on?"
"Young Master! Young Master!"
The children surrounded Doflamingo, their faces filled with excitement.
But at this moment, Doflamingo himself felt a little overwhelmed. If he had known things would turn out like this, he wouldn't have played the role of the kind and approachable leader. It just didn't suit him.
...
To outsiders, the scene looked warm and wholesome.
But not everyone had the luxury of enjoying the breathtaking view.
"Aaaahhhhhhh!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Spandine, tied up and dangling outside the ship, slammed repeatedly against the hull. But pain was the least of his concerns.
Because his last subordinate had just completed a free fall. And he was next.
Desperately, he looked at the silk thread binding him, praying in silence.
"Don't… don't break, please don't break…"
He watched in horror as the thread frayed.
Fear gripped him, his body betraying him as a foul-smelling liquid and solid seeped into his pants.
"Help! Help me! Somebody! PLEASE!"
...
Time passed.
As the floating islands of the White Sea grew closer, he finally let out a long breath.
"I'm… I'm alive… I survived…"
Damn that Doflamingo! Once I find some Seastone, you're all dead! Just you wait… hahaha!
But his dark thoughts summoned an even darker presence.
"Oh? You're still here?"
A devil's voice shattered his fantasies.
Spandine looked up in terror. That familiar, dreadful figure stood above him, watching.
A large hand rested on the thinning thread.
Sheer, practiced fear took over, and Spandine's body convulsed like a vibrating toy. He begged for his life.
"N-No! Please! I have value, Doflamingo! I can pass on information for you! Spare me!"
Doflamingo's smile turned crueler. Thin, razor-sharp strings emerged from his fingertips.
"But you have no value to me, Spandine. Congratulations on reaching Skypiea. Below is the White Sea. Since you're not a Devil Fruit user, if you survive… well, then you'll be valuable."
He tugged his fingers.
Snap!
"NOOO! AAAAAAAHHHHH!"
Splat!
Ah, yes. Nothing brings greater joy than watching someone else's suffering.
Doflamingo's grin widened as he watched Spandine's pathetic descent.
As for why he didn't bother keeping him alive to plant a mole within CP9?
He simply didn't need one anymore.
If he were still based on the sea, embedding a spy within the World Government would be beneficial.
But up here?
The World Government hadn't left a trace on Skypiea for four hundred years.
And they never would.
After dropping off the young ones and Tesorro on Angel Island under Trebol's care, Doflamingo stepped onto the Sky Road and flew toward Upper Yard.
...
At the edge of Upper Yard, the Donquixote Family's laboratory had been relocated.
Inside the new facility, numerous creatures—both from the Sky Islands and the Blue Sea—were sealed inside specialized glass enclosures, all in deep slumber.
A researcher wearing a badge labeled No. 69 held a blood-red pill, roughly the size of a fist.
Approaching a creature that was neither fully horse nor fully bird—its body packed with muscle—he tossed the pill into its enclosure.
Plop!
The hybrid beast, previously asleep, snapped its bloodshot eyes open.
A massive jaw, lined with serrated fangs, parted.
With a sickening scraping sound, it dragged its teeth across the ground and swallowed the pill whole.
"Oooooooh!"
A cry that was both a roar and a groan of discomfort erupted from its throat.
Its body swelled, its equine features becoming more distinct.
A second later, it spread its wings and launched itself toward the surrounding glass walls.
BOOM! BOOM!
This… this looks just like the Rumble Ball's effects. Tremendous potential… No wonder Chopper's original master was considered a genius.
Watching the scene unfold, Doflamingo clapped Caesar Clown on the shoulder, his voice full of praise.
"Fufufufufu! Not bad, Caesar. What's this thing called? Does it work on humans, or only on Zoan users?"
"Shurorororo! Oh, come on, Boss, I haven't named it yet! But for now, it only affects bloodline factors related to Zoans."
Hearing Doflamingo's praise, Caesar's grin widened like a fool who'd just been handed free money.
"For now"?
That means… it might eventually work on all bloodline factors?
Bloodline factors exist in every living organism in this world.
Caesar may have actually created something terrifying this time.
Doflamingo nodded thoughtfully, watching as the exhausted hybrid creature collapsed into unconsciousness.
He posed another question.
"Let's keep it simple, then. We'll call it Enhancement Drug No. 1. This is a valuable asset. Keep developing it. Besides the risk of losing control, what other side effects does it have?"
"Based on the data you provided, and the experiments we've run so far… Users experience a massive boost in strength and speed."
"The degree of enhancement depends on how close they are to Zoan awakening."
"Stronger wills retain more rationality."
"Weaker users will lose their minds, rampaging until they collapse from exhaustion—or worse, burn out their lifespans."
Ah… as expected, true power comes at a price.
Doflamingo smirked wickedly.
"Fufufufufu! Good stuff. Start mass production. Set up a factory for Zoan Enhancement Drugs. You'll get five percent of the profits.
As for lifespan? Hah! Pirates who live day-to-day don't give a damn about that. They won't even know.
They'll just crave more strength.
The ones who survive will become our loyal customers.
The ones who die? Trash like that wouldn't leave bad reviews anyway.
This will be a product with a 100% satisfaction rate."
As for why he wasn't throwing gold around this time? Well, every showman knows—timing is everything.
"Shurororororo! You're the most generous boss in the world!"
Caesar's face flushed, his thoughts already drifting toward his favorite indulgences in the pleasure district. He barely heard anything after "five percent profits."
Ignoring the scientist's perverted fantasies, Doflamingo turned toward another man silently logging data on a device that resembled a computer.
"That hybrid creature… you used the Uma Uma no Mi (Horse-Horse Fruit) for this, didn't you, Judge?"
Of course, things like computers and microscopes existed in this world.
After all, normal human eyes couldn't see bloodline factors, let alone manipulate cloning technology.
Judge nodded.
"Yes. This is an extension of my clone soldier program and an improved version of my earlier cyborg research."
He hesitated before continuing.
"I've designated it as Specimen No. 997. It's one of the 25 survivors… out of 3,000 test subjects from the Blue Sea."
"25 out of 3,000? A survival rate of 0.8%?"
Doflamingo frowned slightly. That was… disappointing.
He fell into thought.
If Judge's daughter, Reiju, was enhanced using bloodline factor modification as a child, while his sons underwent genetic alteration in the womb…
Then Judge's technology must have become viable between 1499 and 1500.
But back in the original timeline, Judge was still struggling as a fugitive in the North Blue.
Without his resources.
Perhaps…
I've given him a few too many research projects.
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+100 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg