THUNG!
The two figures in mid-air were locked in a stalemate for a moment before they both landed on the ground simultaneously.
"You're..."
Redfield looked at the young man with the golden earrings in front of him. "Golden Ring Aeridar?" he said with a hint of uncertainty.
"Yes, that's it. You're Golden Ring Aeridar, one of the so-called Seven Warlords of the Sea," Redfield said, his eyes narrowing as he confirmed Aeridar's identity. He tapped the ground with his bat-handled umbrella and continued, "I've heard of you. An interesting kid."
The first time he'd heard of Aeridar was when the young man had just debuted and defeated Syrons. The more recent news about the neutral zone had brought the name up again.
Aeridar grinned. "It's an honor to be recognized by the famous 'Aloof Red'!"
"Do you intend to stop me as well?" Redfield asked sternly.
"This is an auction hosted by the three of us, so... my apologies, Redfield-sama," Aeridar said, feigning a look of helplessness. If he were alone, he would have turned and run, having recently been beaten by Kaido, he knew just how terrifying a Yonko-level pirate was. But with Doflamingo and Tesoro here, it would be too humiliating to run.
"I see..." Redfield nodded, saying nothing more.
Seconds later, Redfield took a step forward, and his umbrella burst into a scarlet glow, striking at Aeridar like a swordsman's slash.
"This red attack... no wonder they call him 'The Aloof Red'!"
Aeridar didn't dodge. From that distance, he simply met the blow with a punch.
BOOM!
The immense power of the clash instantly shattered the entire auction stage, and the Golden Emperor Hotel itself shook violently.
"Run! Run for your lives!"
"They're insane! To start a fight here!"
"We'll be killed if we get caught in that!"
"Damn it! Are they trying to sink the ship by fighting like monsters?!"
The sight of Redfield and Aeridar fighting terrified countless people in the hall, who scrambled to escape through the main entrance.
Within the smoky dust, a flash of red light streaked by, and the crimson-shrouded umbrella met Aeridar's crossed arms with a dull thud. The immense force made Aeridar's arms go numb, and his body slid backward without being able to stop.
"Get lost, kid... Hmm?"
Just as Redfield was about to follow up on the attack, he sensed movement behind him. He immediately gave up the chase and spun around, blocking with his umbrella.
Doflamingo, in his pink feather coat, had his hand poised like a claw, and five nearly transparent, thin strings shot from his fingertips, entangling Redfield's umbrella.
"Fuffuffuffuffu! As expected of a legend, your reflexes are quick!" Doflamingo laughed maniacally when his attack was blocked. "It's an absolute honor to cross paths with a great man like you!"
"The String-String Fruit, is it? What a dishonest brat!"
Redfield used force to push Doflamingo back, then thrust his umbrella forward, unleashing a sword-like crimson blast. The attack narrowly missed Doflamingo but pierced through several golden walls, flying out of the hotel.
"Oh, I wouldn't say that about me, not when you..." Doflamingo hovered in the air, briefly looking at the small corner of his pink feather coat that had been sliced off.
"I said, don't talk so much during a fight. Didn't you know that?" a familiar voice suddenly rang out from behind Doflamingo.
"What?!" Doflamingo gasped, his eyes widening in shock as he realized there was no one in front of him.
THWACK!
In the next moment, just as he was about to turn and defend himself, Doflamingo was struck by a kick from Redfield on his waist, sending him flying like a bullet. He crashed through several golden walls in a row, a trail of dust in his wake, before disappearing from sight.
Whoosh!
At that moment, the air distorted, and a visible shockwave suddenly rushed towards Redfield in mid-air.
"This is... Sengoku's shockwave?" Redfield was momentarily stunned. By the time he realized it and tried to dodge, it was already too late. The shockwave, which covered a third of the hall, slammed directly into Redfield, sending him flying in the same direction as Doflamingo, out of the auction hall.
"Damn it, that felt a lot better this time!" Aeridar spat, not even taking a moment to catch his breath. Using his Observation Haki to sense Redfield's location, he took off running towards him.
ZZZT! ZZZT! ZZZT!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
At the edge of the large hole on that floor, Doflamingo, his hands shaped into claws, was now locked in a fierce battle with Redfield, using his nearly transparent strings.
Slice!
Doflamingo's claw-like hand descended, and five deep slashes appeared on a wall several meters away. This was his "Invisible Thread" technique!
"Get out of my way!" Redfield advanced in a flash, and with his umbrella as a sword, he thrust it straight forward.
Crimson Solitude!
Instantly, a sword-like blast of crimson light erupted.
"So fast!"
Doflamingo, with blood dripping from his mouth, was startled. He immediately covered his arms in Armament Haki and crossed them to block the attack.
CLANG!
The crimson blast slammed into Doflamingo's arms, and he was sent flying backward as if struck by a giant axe, crashing through the side of the building.
"Sky Path!"
Landing in mid-air, Doflamingo exerted force with his arms to shake off the red blast. He then quickly created countless strings, some attached to the building, some to the clouds in the sky, and others to distant buildings.
"That was too close..."
Standing on the strings invisible to the naked eye, Doflamingo, who seemed to be hovering in the air, wiped the blood from his mouth and the sweat from his forehead.
"What?! You can fly?!" Redfield, standing at the edge of the hole, looked at Doflamingo and was a little surprised. "I guess that's where your title 'Heavenly Yaksha' comes from."
Whoosh!
BANG!
At that moment, Redfield suddenly spun around, using his umbrella to block a black-colored right foot. A fierce shockwave erupted in waves from the point of impact.
"Tch, it didn't work after all." Aeridar clicked his tongue in annoyance, seeing that his kick didn't connect.
Suddenly, the golden wall next to them seemed to liquify, and a giant golden arm holding an axe emerged from it, swinging down at Redfield.
"First one, then another. This is getting annoying." Redfield looked impatient as he shook off Aeridar with a single hand, then used his umbrella to point directly at the center of the giant golden axe, stopping it cold.
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