Lance slowly got up from where he lay, his wounds—somehow—already fully healed. He stretched his limbs, then pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a long drag.
Blowing out a cloud of smoke, Lance coldly watched as the IBMs devoured Doflamingo's corpse.
"Is that all it amounted to?"
He spoke indifferently.
His revenge was complete.
Doflamingo, feared across the world, infamous and untouchable. A man known for his vile deeds who stood at the forefront of the New World—someone countless people trembled before and dared not provoke—was now just another soul beneath Lance's feet. Another offering… to fuel his power and might.
"Congratulations! You have successfully devoured and acquired the ability of the Ito Ito no Mi (String-String Fruit)!"
"Congratulations! You have successfully devoured and acquired the Ito Ito no Mi Awakening!"
"Congratulations! You have successfully acquired Haōshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki)!"
"Your life energy has reached its limit and broken through! Congratulations, you have obtained 1 additional IBM. Current IBM summon limit: 4!"
"Your life energy has reached its limit and broken through! Congratulations, you have obtained 1 additional IBM. Current IBM summon limit: 5!"
"Your life energy has reached its limit and broken through! Congratulations, you have obtained 1 additional IBM. Current IBM summon limit: 6!"
The system notifications echoed in Lance's mind the moment the three IBMs finished devouring Doflamingo completely.
Not only did he gain the power of the String-String Fruit, but also the fruit's awakened abilities, which Doflamingo had spent years cultivating.
Even the innate Haōshoku Haki that Doflamingo was born with—Lance absorbed that too.
Just these two rewards alone would drive most people in the world mad with envy.
Not to mention, all of Doflamingo's raw physical strength and Haki proficiency—his Busōshoku (Armament) and Kenbunshoku (Observation) Haki—now flowed through Lance's body, pushing it several levels higher.
And with his IBM count doubled from 3 to 6—each one nearly equal in power to himself—Lance's combat ability had reached an unprecedented peak!
"Doflamingo… I must thank you for your generous contribution, oh 'god'."
With the power he'd inherited from Doflamingo, his strength had evolved into something monstrous.
Haōshoku Haki could obliterate tens of thousands of fodder in an instant.
The awakened String-String Fruit could reduce an entire town to rubble with a single sweep.
And the addition of Doflamingo's mastery over both Busōshoku and Kenbunshoku—his physical strength now far exceeded what it had been.
Plus six IBMs… each a monster of nearly equal strength.
Altogether, Lance's power had risen to terrifying new heights.
Senor Pink muttered, stunned, his pacifier falling from his mouth again.
He couldn't believe it.
That someone as godlike and mighty as Doflamingo could be defeated by a so-called "man-eating monster."
And yet… this monster didn't even look wounded. Despite suffering near-fatal injuries earlier, Lance stood there calm and composed, as if the battle had never even happened. The sight sent chills down Senor's spine.
"Oh God, thank you for your light! Doflamingo is dead! The people of Dressrosa can finally see the dawn!"
Violet wept tears of joy, dropping to her knees and kowtowing toward Lance in gratitude.
Kyros, overwhelmed, hopped over on his single leg.
Lance gave him a sidelong glance, noting Kyros looked ready to cry and gush his thanks. Lance spoke coldly, "If you're about to thank me, don't bother. Meaningless gratitude is useless to me. Besides, this war had nothing to do with you or your people. I did it for my own revenge—nothing more."
Kyros froze, quickly wiping the emotion from his face.
"Even so, Benefactor… you're incredible. I never imagined you would actually kill Doflamingo!"
But even trying to remain composed, Kyros couldn't hide the joy in his heart.
From the moment the "Coup d'État" took place, he had dreamed every day of taking Dressrosa back from Doflamingo's clutches.
But he knew how powerful the man was—and that with his own meager strength, he couldn't even beat one of Doflamingo's top officers, let alone the man himself.
So the dream of freeing Dressrosa had long become a fantasy—distant, unreachable.
Yet now, a young man had appeared seemingly out of nowhere—an unremarkable stranger—and done the impossible. How could Kyros not be overjoyed?
"There's nothing worth celebrating. Even if Doflamingo didn't die today, he'd have fallen in a few years anyway… I just beat the clock."
Lance flicked his cigarette away and said indifferently.
By the current timeline, Monkey D. Luffy had already begun his adventure. Lance didn't yet know much about the Straw Hat Pirates, but he was certain that sooner or later, Doflamingo would've crossed paths with Luffy… and the ending wouldn't have been much better than this.
"Benefactor, then… will you be staying in Dressrosa now?"
Kyros asked hopefully.
Of course he wanted Lance to stay. His power was overwhelming, and having spent time with him, Kyros knew he wasn't the ruthless, mindless killer the world made him out to be. Every time Lance struck, it was against people who deserved death.
With Lance around, Dressrosa would never again fall prey to tyrants like Doflamingo.
"Yeah… with Doflamingo dead and my revenge complete… in this endless life, even I'm not sure what to do now."
Lance lit another cigarette.
As the two spoke, the people of Dressrosa—having heard the fighting stop—began to gather.
"That power… If I had that kind of strength, maybe my hometown wouldn't have been destroyed…"
Among them, a tall, gaunt man with sallow skin and plain clothes stepped forward. He looked shocked at the sight of the ruined battlefield.
Then his gaze landed on Lance.
He rubbed them, thinking he might be mistaken.
Once he was sure it really was Lance…
His expression turned wild with emotion.
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