The initial probing between Doflamingo, Kizaru, and Aokiji had drawn to a close.
To the onlookers, it was hard to accept that Doflamingo's last slash was merely a test. Who would believe that?
But one look at the battlefield after their clash told the story. The ground was cracked and broken, dust filled the air, and within the radius of their battle, not a single blade of grass survived. No living thing could set foot there.
Doflamingo sheathed Gryphon, immensely satisfied with his "Divine Departure" attack.
Kizaru and Aokiji, however, were not. The threat Doflamingo had just posed to them was too great; for a moment, they had felt an unnerving sense of being completely outmatched.
"Let's end the warm-up, shall we?" Doflamingo said, looking at the two admirals with blatant arrogance.
"Hmph. Doflamingo, it's time you surrendered," Aokiji said, his body half-covered in ice, cold vapor misting from his mouth.
"Ooooh, how scary, Doflamingo."
Kizaru still wore his trademark lazy expression, but his posture had shifted from lax to serious. His words, too, were genuine. There was no doubt that Doflamingo was, at this moment, truly terrifying.
They had originally thought the World Government was overreacting. It turned out they were the fools. Who could have imagined that Doflamingo's strength would grow to such a degree?
Still, they weren't afraid. They had that much confidence, at least.
"Not as scary as two Marine admirals," Doflamingo said earnestly, looking at them both.
"Tch! That doesn't sound like something you would say, Doflamingo," Kizaru said, staring at him, trying to read him.
"I'm acknowledging your strength," Doflamingo said seriously.
"Ara, ara... We know we're strong. Doflamingo, your crimes are unforgivable. It's time you came with us," Aokiji said lazily.
"Unforgivable? I don't think so. What crimes have I committed?" Doflamingo retorted.
This stumped Aokiji. If he were to list Doflamingo's unforgivable deeds, it wasn't as if the acts themselves were so egregious. It was just that Doflamingo's actions had struck a nerve with the World Government; everything he did was something they could not tolerate.
As for Kizaru, he had no such troubles. He didn't care about justice or evil; he just wanted to punch his clock and go home. He wasn't about to ponder such profound questions. With that kind of effort, wouldn't it be better to be in his office drinking tea and trimming his nails? Thinking about these things was too taxing and utterly thankless.
If Akainu were here, he would have sneered. A pirate, spouting this nonsense to me? A pirate is a pirate. Stop pretending to be a good person. You must die.
"By order of the Marines and the World Government, Doflamingo. Don't think for a moment that what you've done has escaped our notice," Aokiji said after a moment's thought, giving a vague, standard answer.
"Is that so? It seems we can't reason with each other. Justice or evil... in the end, it is written by the victor. But the victor will be me," Doflamingo shot back.
"Don't get too arrogant, Doflamingo," Kizaru warned.
"Whether it's arrogance or not depends on my ability. If you have what it takes, then come and get me," Doflamingo said nonchalantly, spreading his hands in a gesture of extreme arrogance and dominance.
"Ara, ara..."
"Ooooh, how scary!"
In the blink of an eye, the three figures vanished from sight, instantly clashing once more.
BOOM!
The moment they collided, the sheer force of their battle captured everyone's attention. Compared to the three of them, the other fights looked like children playing house. There was simply no comparison.
"Is this the power of the admirals? It's truly terrifying."
"If we went in there, we'd be dead in an instant!"
The surviving Marines watched their idols unleash their might, feeling a sense of relief. However, they conveniently chose to ignore Doflamingo's terrifying power.
"As expected of the Young Master! He's not losing ground even against two admirals!"
"Of course! The Young Master is a man destined to be king!"
The pirates who had paused their fighting lavished praise on their young master. But they, too, were ignoring the fact that Doflamingo was fighting two-against-one. Though he was powerful, it was an incredibly strenuous fight. A single mistake, and it would all be over.
"Doflamingo, that bastard..." Crocodile watched the three of them, a sour feeling in his gut. Although he believed he could hold his own against an admiral, he knew he could never do it to the extent Doflamingo was. A strong sense of crisis washed over him.
I have to find 'it' as soon as possible, Crocodile muttered to himself. The others were too focused on the main battle to hear him.
Watching such a fierce fight made their own battles seem rather dull. In any case, Crocodile, Hancock, and the others had no intention of continuing to fight. This was a good opportunity to sit back and see just how far the Donquixote Pirates would go.
Gecko Moria didn't really want to fight either. He was a man of culture, interested only in corpses. With so many bodies lying around, weren't they a far more appealing prospect?
Bartholomew Kuma's expression was unreadable, but he also made no move. He hadn't yet undergone his final modifications, and he was happy to see the World Government suffer a setback.
As for the other battles, though the massive commotion from the main fight had drawn some of their attention, most of their focus remained on their immediate opponents.
How pathetic. This grand plan to take down Doflamingo was nothing more than a joke. The Warlords were useless; how could they be expected to fight with all their hearts? The Marines, aside from the admirals, were also useless—nothing but cannon fodder.
Thus, the situation on the battlefield was highly favorable for the Donquixote Pirates. For now, at least, there was no sign of them faltering.
As for whether the Marines had any other tricks up their sleeve, Doflamingo didn't know. Sengoku would have said he didn't know either. With such a luxurious lineup, they should have been able to take on Whitebeard himself. To say they couldn't handle Doflamingo? Who were they kidding?
The turn of events was baffling. Doflamingo couldn't understand the script, and neither could the Marines. Weren't the Warlords here to help them? Why were they all just watching the show now?
"Hey! You lot! Aren't you here to help us Marines? This is a golden opportunity, why aren't you taking it?"
There were still brave men, especially in a place of justice like the Marines. But the Warlords paid no mind to the man who stuck his neck out to question them. Not everyone had the right to question them. What they did was entirely up to their own whims.
"Annoying. Desert Spada," Crocodile said with extreme impatience, casually dismembering the man who dared to speak up.
"Aaargh!"
By making an example of one, the world became much quieter. Crocodile was very satisfied with his handiwork, and so were the others.
"Damn Warlords! A bunch of damn pirates!"
The Marines were filled with righteous indignation, but it was useless.
This was a world where strength spoke loudest. Not everyone had the right to speak, and if you died, you had no one to blame but yourself.
"What do we do? What should we do?"
"The admirals are tied up with Doflamingo, and the two Vice Admirals can't break away. Our numbers are dwindling!"
"Report to the Fleet Admiral! Ask for his instructions!"
"That's all we can do now!"
The helpless Marines, being slaughtered by the Donquixote Pirates, could only look to their Fleet Admiral for a glimmer of hope.
At Marine Headquarters in Marineford, Sengoku was handling official business, but a sense of unease kept distracting him, significantly slowing down his work.
"I wonder how Kuzan and the others are doing," Sengoku muttered.
Purupurupuru...
The ringing of the Den Den Mushi interrupted his thoughts.
"What?" The news from thousands of miles away shocked Sengoku. In his mind, two admirals should have been able to take down Doflamingo with ease. How was it that the Marines were the ones suffering heavy losses?
What the hell are they doing? Sengoku thought angrily.
He was even more furious when he heard that the Warlords were shirking their duties and just watching the show.
"Put the Warlords on the line," Sengoku said angrily.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!"
A moment later, a terrified Marine approached the Warlords and handed them the receiver.
"Well, if it isn't Fleet Admiral Sengoku. To what do we owe the pleasure?" Crocodile said lazily. He wanted to see Sengoku embarrassed; after all, he had taken a lot of grief from the World Government earlier. He wasn't about to let that go.
"Crocodile, you bastard! Have you forgotten what you said before? And you, Pirate Empress, does Amazon Lily no longer wish to exist? Gecko Moria, Bartholomew Kuma, remember your mission!" Sengoku threatened angrily.
"Kishishishi, Fleet Admiral, don't get so worked up. With so many good things here, of course I won't miss out," Gecko Moria said with a sinister chuckle.
"I will not forget my mission."
Hancock still loved Amazon Lily deeply. Though she was extremely dissatisfied with Sengoku's tone, if her actions truly angered the World Government, she would be a disgrace to her home.
"I remember," Kuma gave a definitive answer.
"Don't order me around! I said I'd do it, and I will," Crocodile said angrily before hanging up, taking his frustration out on the poor soldier.
He had to vent somewhere, right?
"Bastard! Damn you, Crocodile!"
Sengoku, having been hung up on, was furious, cursing Crocodile under his breath.
"I hope you all know what you're doing!"