Chapter 121 – Fierce Fight
"Then go to hell, brat!"
Donquixote Doflamingo curled his fingers like claws. From each fingertip, five razor‑thin threads shot forth—his Five Color Strings, each coated in Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki). He slashed them toward Portgas D. Ace with murderous intent.
Ace's refusal to ally with him had ignited Doflamingo's killing intent. His attacks now came with ruthless precision.
Bang!
Ace's own arms glimmered black as he coated them in Armament Haki, meeting Doflamingo head‑on. Their blows sparked like clashing blades, a storm of invisible pressure crackling between them.
---
"Athlete (Athlete Thread)!"
Doflamingo's foot lashed out in a powerful kick. From his leg, eight near‑invisible threads extended, each sharp enough to cut steel, all driven by the momentum of his strike.
"Busoshoku!"
Ace's fist hardened with Haki as he met the kick directly. The collision rang out like screeching metal, shockwaves rippling across the plateau.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
They traded rapid blows, sparks scattering, before both leapt back to reset their stances.
---
"Off White (Overheat)!"
Doflamingo flexed his fingers, and from each hand five more lethal threads lashed outward—his Five Color Threads coated with Haki, slicing down toward Ace like a fan of steel blades.
For a Logia user, close combat against a master of all three Haki was a nightmare. Ace's flames offered little protection here. He could only meet Doflamingo's relentless strikes with his own Haki, forced step by step backward.
A vicious punch shot toward Ace's temple. Ace ducked, and the blow smashed open the air behind him—
"Spider Web!"
Doflamingo spread both palms. A thick lattice of strings shot out, weaving into a massive web behind Ace, cutting off his escape. Doflamingo swung his leg in a rising arc, aiming to smash his heel into Ace's chin.
Ace bent back, barely dodging, his shoulders brushing the Spider Web behind him. Sparks flew where his Haki‑coated back scraped against the razor wires.
Those threads… if I hadn't hardened my back, they'd have cut me apart.
"Fufufu… kid, you have nowhere to run!" Doflamingo laughed. Threads burst from his foot in another slash, aiming for Ace's neck.
Doflamingo knew well the danger of Ace's Mera Mera no Mi. Instead of giving him room to unleash flames, he smothered him in close quarters, pressing every advantage.
Ace's right hand flared with Haki. He thrust his palm forward.
"Busoshoku… Shingan! (Armament God Strike!)"
Boom!
The compressed Haki blast hammered Doflamingo's chest, sending him skidding back meters, his feet carving deep grooves into the stone.
---
"Kōka Busoshoku!"
Doflamingo's scowl darkened. In a blink, he blurred forward, arms crossing. His Five Color Strings screeched against Ace's body, sparks flying, before a vicious kick hurled Ace backward—straight toward the Spider Web.
"Hiken!" (Fire Fist!)
Ace's arm blazed as he swung, but Doflamingo's hand clamped around his wrist, cutting the attack short. Ace lashed out with his other fist, but Doflamingo caught that too, locking them in a stalemate.
"Ito Saw (Jigsaw)!"
A thin, high‑tensile wire uncoiled from Doflamingo's leg, forming a spinning wire‑saw. It bit into Ace's right arm, grinding against his Haki, cutting deeper with every twist.
Krrrrrk—!
The saw's teeth screeched as they tore through Haki and began to slice into flesh.
Ace's eyes blazed with fury. Flames welled in his chest, his body swelling with heat.
"Ryū no Iki – Dai Kaen no Kokyū! (Dragon's Breath – Great Fire Spit!)"
BOOM!
A torrent of searing red flames erupted from Ace's mouth. The blast slammed into Doflamingo, hurling him backward, the fire charring his coat, burning his feathers black, and even singing his hair and eyebrows.
Doflamingo glanced down at the scorched remnants of his signature flamingo feathers—and his face contorted in rage.
"You little bastard!"
---
He thrust both arms out. Countless threads unspooled, twisting together into two thick, deadly whips—a variant of his God Thread Whip technique, smaller than his Overheat, but faster and viciously flexible.
"Tamon no Tsuru! (Multi‑Thread Whip!)"
The whips lashed out like twin serpents, weaving an airtight net of attacks around Ace.
Ace's pupils contracted. Sparks of light danced in his eyes—his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) sharpened to the extreme.
The world slowed. Every whip arc, every thread's curve, unfolded in his vision.
"Perfect… I can see it all," Ace whispered, lips curving into a grin.
He twisted, swayed, bent low—moving in ways that seemed impossible. The threads sliced only afterimages as Ace slipped through the gaps. In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance.
Bang!
Ace's fist slammed square into Doflamingo's jaw. The Warlord rocketed backward, crashing into the palace wall with a thunderous crack.
---
"Damn brat…" Doflamingo rose from the rubble, sunglasses cracked, blood dripping from his lip. His mind raced.
He predicted every strike… that was Kenbunshoku—Observation Haki at an advanced level!
"Fufufufu… Busoshoku, Kenbunshoku, even Haoshoku you can weaponize… To refine the three Colors of Haki to this level at your age—truly worthy of the Pirate King's blood."
His grin stretched, manic.
"But you're too impatient. With your talent, you could one day stand at the top of this sea. But you've stepped onto the world stage far too early."
"Let me show you…" Doflamingo's threads coiled tighter, his aura darkening.
"…the true power that rules these seas!"
---