After Lloyd's week‑long Devil Fruit and Haki training, Doflamingo and Vergo could only be considered as having just begun their Haki journey.
Doflamingo was now capable of activating Armament Haki to cover his hands, a milestone that most fighters struggled to achieve. From here on, further progress would depend entirely on his own cultivation and will.
For Vergo, Lloyd had not only shown him how to cultivate Haki, but also offered advanced conceptual developments for the Line‑Line Fruit, including ideas like the "Skyway," a technique that used threads to pull clouds and enable aerial movement.
The moment Lloyd introduced the Skyway concept, even Doflamingo — the original Line‑Line Fruit user — was stunned. He thought to himself that only someone like Saint Lloyd could conceive such a technique. Had he had to think of it himself, he doubted he ever would.
As for Lloyd's only comment on the matter, he simply said that Doflamingo was still too young to understand such concepts fully.
On this particular day, Doflamingo brought all the Family members to the shore; they had gathered to see Lloyd off.
Lloyd produced his custom speedboat and tossed it into the sea. Then he turned back to face Doflamingo, whose expression was tinged with reluctance.
"Alright, you will see me again eventually. Focus on managing your Family well," Lloyd said with a faint smile.
Doflamingo nodded silently.
Noticing his downcast expression, Lloyd tilted his head, then took out a gold necklace and placed it in Doflamingo's hand.
Doflamingo stared at it for a moment before asking, "Saint Lloyd, what is this?"
Lloyd pointed to the pendant hanging from the chain, a miniature blade. Though described as small, it was nearly the size of a dagger.
Doflamingo opened the golden sheath and saw an exquisite blade — a black body with purple patterns etched into it.
Then Lloyd raised his right hand, and the Demon Blade Muramasa appeared with a quiet whoosh. Only then did Doflamingo realize the pendant had been crafted from Lloyd's own sword. The material was from Kuromatsu, a famed blade originally seized from the Golden Lion Shiki.
When Dr. Vegapunk had researched ways to make inanimate objects absorb Devil Fruit properties, he had asked Lloyd to provide weapons of superior material for testing. Lloyd had generously handed over Kuromatsu, and this pendant had been forged from the scraps.
The material was legendary, and the gold chain was trivial compared to the blade itself.
With casual ease Lloyd flicked his wrist, and the Demon Blade Muramasa vanished from view.
Lloyd stepped forward, picked up the necklace from Doflamingo's hand, and hung it around his neck himself.
The flamboyant pink feathered coat paired with the golden blade pendant dramatically elevated Doflamingo's appearance.
Lloyd said with a small smile,
"Not bad, it suits you."
Doflamingo opened his mouth to speak, but the words caught in his throat.
Lloyd smiled again, without another word, and stepped into his speedboat.
Flames erupted from the rear of the vessel like tongues of fire, the engine roaring to life.
Just as Lloyd was preparing to depart, there was a sudden thud behind him.
He turned and saw Doflamingo kneeling on the ground, bowing deeply in kowtow.
The rest of the Family members dropped to their knees as well, bowing in unison.
Lloyd was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly,
"Work hard. Someone from the World Government might come looking for you soon. If you face any difficulties, speak to her first, and if you still cannot solve them, reach out to me through her."
With that, the speedboat surged forward and shot across the sea like a bullet.
Only when Lloyd's figure disappeared over the horizon did Doflamingo rise, lifting a hand to gently touch the blade pendant resting against his chest.
...
Meanwhile, on the open sea, a ship with black sails drifted slowly through the waters.
On deck, a middle‑aged man with a rough face tore into a piece of roasted meat with ravenous ferocity.
The meat appeared undercooked, red juices still visible as he shredded it like a starving wolf.
Surrounding him were a group of equally unrefined lackeys. A man with a pointed mouth and monkey‑like cheeks shuffled up and said in a gloomy voice,
"Captain Jebit, we haven't found any business yet, we need to hurry…"
Slap!
Jebit hurled the half‑eaten piece of meat onto the other man's face and snarled,
"Shut up! Laji, when is it your turn to teach this old man how to do things?"
Laji wiped grease from his cheeks, panic in his eyes.
"I'm really sorry! I talked too much!"
"Slap your own face!"
Laji immediately began smacking his own face, while the other lackeys watched with glee.
Jebit spat on the deck in frustration.
"Damn it. This is ridiculous. We haven't even seen the shadow of another ship. Are we going to starve out here?"
He was known in the underground world as a ruthless slave trader. His favorite pastime was raiding fleets and pirate crews, capturing both people and women, then selling them on at the Shambles slave auction.
But this voyage had lasted a month, and they had found nothing.
Just as his irritation peaked, a lookout shouted from above,
"Captain Jebit! A ship! A ship is approaching!"
Jebit instantly perked up, snatching his single‑barrel telescope and peering through it.
Not far off, a small, simple boat was adrift on the waves.
At first Jebit's face fell in disappointment. But when he spotted someone lying in the cabin of the small craft, a look of vile excitement spread across his face.
It was a burly male Fish‑Man, with a robust physique and reddish skin.
If such a Fish‑Man were brought to the auction houses, he could fetch a staggering price — Fish‑Men were rarely seen and highly sought after in certain markets.
Jebit's body trembled with greed.
Someone slapped his back in an attempt to revive him from his stupor, but Jebit turned and bellowed,
"Enough slapping! It's time to work!"
The wicked smile never left his face as he shouted to his crew,
"We are going to get rich this time. I told you, bad luck can only last so long. Hasn't the big catch finally come to our doorstep?"
Upon hearing this, the lackeys brightened and steered the ship toward the drifting small boat.
On that modest vessel, the Fish‑Man had noticed the large ship bearing down on him. He rose to his feet, seeing no flag, and assumed it was an ordinary passenger ship, so he waved toward them.
Jebit waved back with a grin but cautioned his men,
"First, lure this Fish‑Man onto our ship. Do not be hasty in striking. These Fish‑Men have great strength, don't damage the ship."
===
Look up "_Zeph" on Patreon to get access to chapters in advance.