"Stop!"
The tiny girl's face instantly turned pale, but she gritted her teeth and jumped forward, spreading her arms to shield Kuma.
Unfortunately, the size difference was too great. Standing only 20 centimeters tall, she couldn't even block Kuma's face.
"Mr. Bear is a good person, Doffy! Let him go! As long as you promise not to hurt him anymore, I'll go back with you obediently and won't run away again!"
"Fufufufufu... let him go?"
Doflamingo tilted his head, looking down at the tiny figure from above:
"What nonsense are you spouting, Mansherry? You and him are both trophies I must take back."
With a flick of his finger, invisible strings instantly wrapped around Mansherry's limbs, lifting her into the air.
"This man is a rare Bacania Clan specimen. Though he's been disobedient and refuses to follow my orders, even his corpse holds value—perfect as a bargaining chip with the World Government."
"Besides, this guy is terrifyingly strong. I set so many traps just to finally capture him. How could I possibly let him go because of your words and waste all that effort...?"
"Ugh!"
Mansherry struggled, tears welling up in her eyes but stubbornly refusing to fall. "You... you monster!"
"Monster? Fufufufufu!"
Doflamingo laughed even more wildly. "Call me whatever you like, little thing. Either way, today—"
"Let her go."
A cold voice abruptly cut him off.
Then—a flash of steel!
Whoosh!
A sword aura sliced through the air, severing several strings at once. Mansherry's body fell from midair, only to be caught securely by a rough, large hand.
"You okay?" Jack asked, looking down with a simple smile.
"Th-thank you! I'm fine!" Mansherry gasped, still shaken, then urgently added, "That guy is really, really strong—you have to be careful!"
"Don't worry."
Jack laughed heartily and glanced up at the figure steadily stepping forward. "With Vice Captain Kuina here, there's no way this guy can lay a finger on you."
"Hey..."
Doflamingo frowned, displeased as he turned his attention to the newcomer.
The one who had struck was a young black-haired girl, now expressionlessly sheathing her sword.
Her face looked familiar—he'd definitely seen her somewhere before.
"A wanted criminal, huh? If I can vaguely recall you, you must be a Supernova with a bounty over a hundred million Berries."
Doflamingo suddenly adjusted his sunglasses, his interest piqued.
"Using a sword... Wait a minute... Now I remember. You're that little brat—the Vice Captain of the Falling Stars Adventure Pirates, the Rain-Cutting Swordsman Kuina, with a 200 million Berry bounty!"
"It's an adventure crew. Don't lump me together with you, pirate."
Kuina said coldly.
"What's the difference?!"
Doflamingo's gaze swept over the others. "So the rest of you are all officers of the Falling Stars, huh? I see... After that man died, you didn't scatter like rats but instead hid out in a place like this..."
"Fufufufufu!"
He spread his arms wide, his lips curling into an exaggerated grin. "Interesting, interesting! What an unexpected windfall. If I recall correctly, your bounties aren't exactly low, are they? Now that you've lost your leader, why not consider joining my—"
"This damn drag queen just keeps spouting nonsense. Really asking for a beating."
His words were cut off again as Nami crossed her arms in annoyance and turned to ask, "Who the hell is this guy anyway?"
"One of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea—Doflamingo."
Robin smiled faintly, calmly adding, "A rather infamous man. A user of the Paramecia-type String-String Fruit, with a former bounty as high as 340 million Berry."
"Paramecia? Only a little over 300 million? That's nothing special!"
Nami scoffed, shooting him a disdainful glance. "And here he is trying to recruit us. I thought he'd be some big shot, but at his age, with such a pathetic bounty? How embarrassing."
That was his former bounty!
From years ago!
What kind of country bumpkin doesn't know Warlords don't get bounty increases?!
Doflamingo's face darkened, a vein visibly pulsing at his temple. Just as he was about to retort, Nami interrupted again: "Then, Robin, what about the guy lying on the ground?"
"That's Kuma."
Robin replied softly. "We crossed paths once on Drum Island. The Captain had a good impression of him. You could say he's an old acquaintance."
"So, on one side we've got a nagging drag queen, and on the other, an old friend of our Captain's."
Nami smacked her fist into her palm as if everything suddenly made sense. "Seems pretty obvious who we should side with, huh?"
"Kuina!"
She cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone. "We'll leave this to you! Take him down—no holding back! Over!"
"Fufufufufu…"
Doflamingo was practically laughing in fury. "What the hell do you take me for…? A bunch of brats who don't know their place!"
If that Xiano were still alive.
These people might have had the right to talk like this in front of him. Out of respect for Xiano's reputation and strength, he might've tolerated it.
But Xiano was dead! Caught between the Four Emperors and the Navy Admirals, dead beyond any doubt!
Without their Captain's protection, they still dared to act so arrogantly in front of a powerhouse like him from the New World?
Whoosh—!
A sharp Sword Aura suddenly slashed in from the side. Doflamingo barely dodged, but a corner of his Feather Coat was sheared off.
Kuina gripped Wado Ichimonji, her voice icy:
"Enough talk. Fight or flee—your choice. But these two are under my protection."
"Fine… Fine!"
Doflamingo's laughter was laced with rage. "Since you're so eager to die, I'll oblige you! Xiano's remnants!"
Five-Color String!
His right hand splayed open, and five razor-sharp Strings shot forth like venomous snakes, slicing through the air.
Kuina narrowed her eyes, instantly activating her full Observation Haki.
In her perception, time seemed to slow. The lethal trajectories of each String became crystal clear.
Forward Slash!
Her figure blurred, dodging in near-teleportation speed—even faster than Shave.
By the time she reappeared, she had evaded every String and, unnoticed, positioned herself behind Doflamingo. Her gaze was frigid as she swung her sword downward.
Shit!
Doflamingo's pupils contracted as he swiftly dodged to the side, yet a bloody gash still appeared on his cheek and shoulder.
He could break through my defense?
So he's mastered Armament Haki too...
Wiping the blood from his cheek, Doflamingo narrowed his eyes slightly. To have already mastered Two-Color Haki while still in Paradise, coupled with such formidable swordsmanship...
It seemed he had somewhat underestimated this young Master Swordsman's strength.
However...
This level still wasn't enough to challenge him!
With a flick of his fingers, Doflamingo shot out Strings that latched onto clouds in the sky, his body suddenly lifting off the ground and soaring upward.
"Hey!" Nami, who had been watching with great interest, stomped her foot in frustration. "What's this? Trying to run away already?"
"Run away?"
High above, Doflamingo snorted coldly.
What nonsense was this foolish girl spouting? There was no way he'd flee voluntarily today.
It was simply that from this altitude, he wouldn't need to worry about the swordsman closing in, allowing his Devil Fruit abilities to be unleashed without restraint!
"Now, let me show you my true power!"
Doflamingo's sinister voice suddenly rang out as he raised his right arm high, fingers pressing down violently.
"Descent Rake String!"
Five thick Strings intertwined with each other, descending toward Kuina's head with a piercing shriek through the air.
Ssssh—
At the faint sound of splitting air, Kuina's pupils contracted slightly. Abandoning the idea of blocking head-on, she quickly retreated, avoiding this terrifying strike.
BOOM!
The missed Strings still embedded deeply into the ground, plowing a horrifying trench over ten meters deep.
Amid the swirling dust, Kuina steadied herself in time. The sword in her hand reflected the cold gleam in her eyes as it traced a snow-white arc.
"Steel Tempest!"
A violent tornado abruptly erupted from the ground, charging toward the sky with overwhelming force, directly targeting Doflamingo.
A swordsmanship that commands wind? Unheard of. Or perhaps... is she also a Devil Fruit Ability User?
Facing this fierce assault, Doflamingo raised an eyebrow.
He hadn't expected his opponent to possess such bizarre swordsmanship that could threaten him even at this altitude.
Yet he remained relatively calm. Tilting his fingers forward, he tapped lightly in midair, causing countless transparent Strings to gush forth, weaving into an enormous net-like barrier before him.
"Spider Web Wall!"
The Strings rapidly expanded, forming a defensive web hundreds of meters in diameter within moments—dense enough to blot out the sky.
The seemingly majestic tornado appeared minuscule before this colossal wall.
BOOM!
The two collided. After mere seconds of stalemate, the supposedly indestructible web of Strings split apart, its threads disintegrating one after another!
Though slightly weakened, the tornado continued its unstoppable advance, bearing down upon Doflamingo behind the net.
How?!
Doflamingo's pupils dilated abruptly.
He knew full well the resilience of his Spider Web Wall. Once fully deployed, it should have been nearly impervious to such wide-range attacks.
Yet... it was broken so easily?
Can't take this head-on!
The tornado's power was evidently far more terrifying than he'd anticipated. Taking it head-on would undoubtedly leave him vomiting blood with severe injuries!
In that split second, Doflamingo made a decisive move.
Fingers flicked out strings, latching onto the clouds above as his figure abruptly soared hundreds of meters into the air, narrowly avoiding the lingering tornado's aftermath.
On the ground, Kuina frowned slightly.
Her Wind Control Swordsmanship had already reached mastery, and by integrating her prior swordsmanship expertise, she had refined its techniques. The tornado unleashed alongside Steel Tempest was now infused with Haki, drastically amplifying its destructive power.
However, while this move easily dealt devastating damage to large ground targets, its flaw… was equally obvious.
It struggled to threaten agile opponents like Doflamingo, who could move freely at high altitudes.
In the blink of an eye, her gaze locked onto the pink figure in the sky.
By now, Doflamingo had already adjusted his posture, diving toward her at breakneck speed. His right palm tensed before spreading open, unleashing countless strings that swiftly coalesced into an enormous white tendril, thick as a giant's arm.
"Super Beatdown Whip!"
The colossal string descended with thunderous force from a hundred meters above, as if intending to cleave Kuina, the ancient castle behind her, and all her crewmates clean in half!
"Perfect timing!"
Facing the overwhelming barrage of transparent strings, Kuina's eyes gleamed coldly. Her blade flashed, unleashing over a dozen razor-sharp Sword Auras that poured forth like a storm.
Ssssh! Ssssh! Ssssh!
Amidst the dense sound of slicing air, the massive string capable of splitting an entire town instantly shattered, scattering into countless fragments that dissipated midair.
If a tornado couldn't touch him, then she'd just close the distance herself!
Moon Walk!
In the next instant, Kuina's toes lightly tapped the ground, propelling her skyward like an arrow loosed from a bow!
Once she had halved the distance, she abruptly activated Dash, her figure flickering to appear above Doflamingo. Wado Ichimonji shifted from a slash to a thrust, aiming straight for his heart.
Again?!
This technique also seemed to be part of her swordsmanship—far more elusive than Shave. Even his Observation Haki couldn't provide timely warning or lock onto her presence.
Doflamingo's expression darkened as he twisted aside, but the swordlight had already arrived, carving a deep, bone-grazing wound into his shoulder.
A torrent of blood gushed out, staining his iconic pink Feather Coat crimson. Intense pain followed immediately.
Pierced to the bone?
Doflamingo stared down at the wound, his gaze turning icy. It had been so, so long since anyone had inflicted this level of injury on him…
"Fufufufufu…"
A chilling laugh echoed through the air as his lips curled, twisting his face into a grotesque mask.
Enough.
He was thoroughly enraged.
This girl's swordsmanship was indeed far beyond expectations, forcing him to take her seriously. But… she was just a measly rookie with a 200-million bounty. And yet, she had wounded him first?
Who was he?
A member of the Donquixote Family, a true Celestial Dragon, the King of Dressrosa, and the infamous Heavenly Yaksha who shook the seas!!!
"You're the first rookie to make me go all out!"
As Doflamingo's low voice rang out, an overwhelming, suffocating aura erupted violently—
Conqueror's Haki!
The sky suddenly darkened, the clouds churned by violent energy, forming a massive vortex from which terrifying flashes of lightning and thunder occasionally erupted.
Doflamingo, like a deity, looked down from above, his golden hair wildly dancing in the wind, his eyes behind the sunglasses emitting a terrifying red glow.
"Fufufufu!! Are you ready... to face the wrath of the Heavenly Yaksha, little girl?"
"..."
So, he's finally going all out? Kuina tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword, her expression turning grave while a flicker of excitement flashed in her eyes.
Then let's continue!
From their earlier exchange, she was certain that after over two months of grueling training, she could now hold her own against an enemy of Warlord of the Sea caliber.
If both sides reveal their trump cards, who wins and who loses is still anyone's guess!
But... just then.
Crack!
A thick black-red lightning bolt suddenly erupted from the edge of the island, shooting into the sky and illuminating the entire world!
"Fu..."
Doflamingo's laughter abruptly ceased.
He sharply raised his head, his eyes behind the sunglasses filled with confusion—
The sky, which had been enveloped by his Conqueror's Haki, was now being forcibly torn apart by another, even more violent presence!
The black-red lightning bolt that had just shot into the sky split into countless tendrils, writhing through the clouds like frenzied serpents.
The entire sea seemed to be pressed down by an invisible giant hand, a suffocating atmosphere spreading everywhere. The Conqueror's Haki Doflamingo had released now recoiled in terror as if encountering some dreadful natural enemy, retreating like a tide and shrinking back into his body in fear.
Who is this?
The sheer terror of this presence could rival those old monsters standing at the pinnacle of the world!
A sense of foreboding rose in Doflamingo's heart as he grimly turned his gaze toward the ocean depths.
There, a pitch-black vortex of Haki was spinning wildly, like a monstrous beast awakening from the abyss, opening its bloody maw.
BOOM—!!!
The next instant, the sea surface exploded with a kilometer-high water column as a figure wreathed in black-red lightning burst through the waves, hovering mid-air, wet black hair clinging to his forehead.
The figure lifted his head, as if he hadn't seen the sun in a long time, first taking a deep, satisfied breath of fresh air before leisurely turning to look.
What met his eyes was the strikingly familiar, handsome face of a young man.
Doflamingo's pupils constricted violently, his body freezing as cold sweat poured down his temples.
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