Everyone who witnessed Doflamingo unleashing his divine might, appearing like a god, couldn't help but feel awestruck. Was this truly power that a human could possess? Doflamingo casually waved a hand, sending a bolt of lightning towards the fleeing Red Hair. Shanks, alerted by his crew, countered by unleashing several sharp sword slashes. The two attacks exploded violently in mid-air, and Shanks used the force of the blast to quickly return to his pirate ship.
At the same time, aboard the Red Force, Yasopp and Benn Beckman broke free from Enel and Pica's entanglement and rapidly fired at Doflamingo, attempting to halt his advance and prepare for their escape. Once Red Hair was back on his ship, those still engaged in combat quickly disengaged. The members of the Donquixote Pirates looked at Red Hair with grave expressions, their guard exceptionally high. This was a man who could fight their Young Master back and forth; he wasn't someone they could handle. It was best to wait for Doflamingo to deal with him!
"Alright, men, prepare to leave!" Red Hair paid no mind to the Donquixote Pirates still on his ship, directly issuing orders to his crew.
The Red Hair Pirates, seeing their captain had returned, quickly prepared to carry out his command.
"You lot, are you leaving on your own, or do I have to 'invite' you off?" Red Hair looked at Enel, Pica, and the others still on his ship, holding his sword in one hand, and declared dominantly. Simultaneously, the Red Force began to rapidly distance itself from the Ark Maxim.
"Yahahaha! Pica, Robin, you all head back first. I'll hold them off here. Doffy will be here soon," Enel declared, ignoring Red Hair's domineering statement and making his own decision.
Hearing Enel's words, the others didn't overthink it. After all, they were on the open sea. If Devil Fruit users like them fell into the water, there was no way they could survive, unless they could fly or were Fishmen. Otherwise, the weakness to seawater was unavoidable.
"Big-Eared Thief, be careful yourself," Pica quietly reminded him as he turned to leave.
"Rest assured, I won't die!" Enel pursed his lips, confident and flamboyant.
The others also used their respective means to return to the Ark, looking worriedly at Enel, who remained on the Red Force.
"Since you don't want to leave, then I'll see you off myself!" Red Hair responded to Enel.
"Then bring it on!" Enel retorted, equally unyielding and dominant.
Red Hair didn't want to waste any more time and unleashed his full power, directly attacking Enel with his "Godslayer." Enel didn't dare to be careless either, also unleashing his full strength. Countless clouds rapidly condensed around him, the initially white clouds turning a fiery crimson as they all surged towards Red Hair.
"Flame Cloud Strike!" Enel's eyes widened as he faced Red Hair, letting out a furious roar under the pressure of Shanks's aura.
Meanwhile, Doflamingo, though constantly sniped at by Yasopp and Benn Beckman, hadn't sustained any significant injuries. He quickly teleported, reappearing above the Red Force in moments, and began to unleash powerful lightning upon the Red Hair Pirates.
"Not good! Quickly block his attacks! He's trying to destroy our ship!" Benn Beckman and Yasopp shouted.
Understanding, the crew looked up at Doflamingo above the Red Force. They saw him looking down at them with a solemn expression, his eyes filled with cold indifference, viewing them as if they were ants.
"Let me!" Lucky Roux once again stepped to the front, protecting his ship from destruction.
"God's Judgment!" A cold voice echoed in everyone's ears. A massive pillar of lightning rained down upon the Red Force. Lucky Roux didn't dare to delay, immediately activating his Armament Haki and meeting it head-on with his body.
In the eyes of the Red Hair Pirates, Lucky Roux was completely engulfed by the pillar of lightning. The lightning didn't strike the Red Force; it was all blocked by Lucky Roux. They couldn't see clearly how he was faring.
"Lucky Roux!" Red Hair shouted anxiously. Just moments ago, his clash with Enel had ended with Red Hair's victory. His full-powered slash was not so easily taken; it had directly sent Enel flying, leaving him heavily injured.
Doflamingo's casual attacks now carried two hundred million volts, not to mention the intense heat of the lightning! Lucky Roux, though not dead after being engulfed by the lightning, was definitely not in good shape. Red Hair didn't dare to delay either, rushing into the lightning to rescue Lucky Roux, who was blocking the path. The crew below supported Roux, while Red Hair himself now had to bear Doflamingo's pressure from above.
The rescued Lucky Roux was charred black all over, and even his massive frame had slimmed down considerably, as if his fat reserves had been consumed by energy. He had now become a "slender fatty." Yasopp quickly checked Lucky Roux's vital signs. Hearing his heartbeat, he finally felt relieved.
"Quick, take Lucky Roux below for treatment! I'll go help the Captain later! You all leave immediately! Don't worry about me and the Captain; we have our own ways to escape!" Benn Beckman quickly issued orders.
"This… how can we?" Yasopp said indignantly.
"Yasopp, obey orders!" Benn Beckman said sternly to Yasopp.
"Yes, sir!"
"Donquixote Doflamingo, are you determined to fight to the death?!" Red Hair, holding his sword against Doflamingo's lightning, was furious at the thought of his executive being injured to such an extent.
"Aren't pirates all about you die or I die? Red Hair, is this your first day at sea? So naive?" Doflamingo scoffed at Red Hair's attitude. So, only you can kill people, but he can't kill people? What kind of logic is that? Enemies should simply be eliminated! Whoever has the bigger fist holds the truth! Doflamingo had always believed in the supremacy of strength! He wouldn't let them off just because of Red Hair's couple of threats. Since he had started, he would naturally see it through to the bitter end.
"Naive?" It was the first time Red Hair had heard someone say that about him. He had been a pirate for so many years and had personally killed countless enemies. For Doflamingo to call him naive – this also angered Red Hair somewhat.
"Captain, I'll help you!" Benn Beckman, seeing the deadlocked situation, knew that to escape smoothly now, they had to repel Doflamingo.
"You think you're the only one with backup?" Doflamingo said, looking at Benn Beckman and Red Hair, who were using Moon Walk.
"Yahahaha! Let Doffy and me see you off then!" Enel, who had been sent flying by Red Hair, quickly reappeared in the sky, scattered clouds rapidly reforming into his body.
"Haha, Beckman, looks like it's going to be a tough fight today!" Red Hair said to Beckman with a laugh.
"We can only fight," Benn Beckman said gravely.
The battle between the four was about to erupt. This time, however, for Doflamingo and Enel, the situation was in their favor; after all, the sky was their home turf. Below, the two pirate crews were engaged in a chase. Pica, knowing Doflamingo's disposition well, pursued the Red Hair Pirates relentlessly without hesitation. As for the Red Hair Pirates, due to Benn Beckman's orders, they were now trying their best to avoid combat, wanting to leave quickly. For Red Hair and Benn Beckman, they could only pray their hardest that they could escape.
In the sky, the sharp-eyed Enel noticed the Red Hair Pirates trying to flee and alerted Doflamingo.
"Doffy, they're trying to hold us off so their subordinates can escape," Enel said.
"Rest assured, they won't escape," Doflamingo replied with absolute confidence.
"Oh?" Enel was puzzled, not knowing where Doflamingo's confidence came from. After all, there were still two formidable enemies before them!
Doflamingo, seeing Enel's confusion, quickly enlightened him. "Enel, let's give this sea a thunderstorm together!"
Enel understood and grinned. At the same time, his hands didn't stop moving. The pure white clouds quickly turned into dark, ominous thunderclouds, beginning to spread across the entire sky. Red Hair and Benn Beckman noticed this. Just as they were about to make a move, Doflamingo blocked them, unleashing a torrent of free-for-all lightning towards the two of them.
"Damn it!" A dangerous premonition enveloped Red Hair's heart. The sword in his hand grew even sharper, its blade glinting coldly, as if vowing to pierce several holes through Doflamingo.
Benn Beckman wordlessly dealt with Doflamingo's lightning. In the air, they had no advantage whatsoever, completely being led by the nose by Doflamingo. The two of them could only watch helplessly as Enel rapidly created a vast formation of thunderclouds. The sky was densely covered with dark clouds. The originally clear seawater also turned pitch-black, reflecting no light, like a pool of stagnant water, devoid of any signs of life. The members of the two pirate crews on the sea looked up in astonishment at what was happening in the sky. The oppressive atmosphere made everyone feel uncomfortable.
"Time for the show to begin, Doffy!" Enel, having finished his work, signaled to Doflamingo, indicating that everything was ready and the performance could start.
"Then let the storm rage even more fiercely!" Doflamingo's entire body crackled with lightning, forcing the approaching Red Hair and Benn Beckman to temporarily avoid his edge.
"Discharge!"
All the lightning around Doflamingo rapidly flew into those thunderclouds. Like the fuse of gunpowder, Doflamingo's slight stimulation caused an eager response. Within the dense thunderclouds, arcs of electricity entwined, constantly emitting crackling sounds. Doflamingo stood beneath these thunderclouds, his arms outstretched, embracing the entire world.
"Come and greet the funeral I have prepared for you!"