Eight stone spikes erupted from the ground, attacking Hancock from all directions.
"Well done, Pica!"
Diamante was overjoyed inside.
As long as they could capture the Pirate Empress, the two of them working together might be able to stall Jinbe.
He believed other family executives were already rushing to the King's Plateau.
Once everyone joined forces, how could they not handle a mere Jinbe?
Pica was also extremely excited.
He had arrived slightly later than Diamante and spotted the two Warlords, Jinbe and Hancock. He immediately used his Devil Fruit ability to merge into the King's Plateau, waiting for an opportunity to ambush them.
To his surprise, the chance came so quickly.
"Fools!"
Facing the stone spikes attacking from all sides, Hancock sneered.
Her long legs swept out in a flash.
The eight stone spikes were instantly severed at the waist, and the deadly trap was effortlessly broken.
Hancock casually resolved the crisis and glanced impatiently at Jinbe.
"This old man can't fall behind either."
Jinbe had initially been worried about Hancock, but after her glance, he snapped to attention and charged at Diamante and his group.
Diamante gritted his teeth, drew his sword, and blocked Jinbe while shouting loudly, "You all go find the other family executives and tell them to come to the King's Plateau as soon as possible!"
Jinbe was here, the Pirate Empress was here, and he believed Reddy must have arrived too—and must have already met the Young Master.
The only plan he could think of was for all the family executives to join forces and defeat these two Warlords, then gamble on the slim chance of rescuing Doflamingo.
The underlings immediately turned and fled.
This battlefield was no longer a place for small fries like them.
Meanwhile, Pica used his Devil Fruit ability to "entangle" Hancock again.
"What an annoying ability."
Hancock kicked apart the incoming stone spikes, her face showing impatience.
The Ishi Ishi no Mi allowed the user to merge into rocks and move freely within them, making it hard to locate the real body.
"It seems this old man needs to focus more."
Seeing Hancock locked in a "fierce battle," Jinbe's expression turned serious.
"I won't let you succeed, Jinbe!"
Diamante wouldn't allow Jinbe to assist Hancock and used his Devil Fruit ability to stop him at all costs.
The ground began to ripple like a fluttering flag.
Jinbe lost his footing, his eyes showing surprise as he finally took Diamante's Devil Fruit ability seriously.
This move could destabilize a target's center of gravity, making it hard to counterattack while struggling to stay upright.
But for Jinbe, it was challenging but not impossible.
The fish-man race had grown accustomed to ocean waves since childhood.
The Hira Hira no Mi's ability was indeed troublesome, but for Jinbe, it was like playing in the sea with his friends as a child. He easily regained his balance.
"Fish-Man Karate... Gyokusui!"
Jinbe stood steadily on the undulating ground and flicked a single drop of water with full force.
The water droplet shot out like a bullet.
Boom!
A bloody gash appeared on Diamante's cheek, and a large crater formed in the ground behind him.
Cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he silently thanked the unstable ground for accidentally saving him from the attack.
"Interesting."
Jinbe wasn't bothered by his miss and reset his stance.
"Crescent Moon Burial!"
Diamante's pupils shrank. He couldn't let Jinbe use Gyokusui again and immediately slashed out a massive shockwave.
The shockwave split the earth in half and flew straight at Jinbe.
Clang!
Jinbe didn't dodge. His right arm, coated in Busoshoku Haki, blocked the powerful shockwave, his feet carving two meter-long trenches into the unstable ground.
"Ha!"
Jinbe quickly regained his balance and forcefully deflected the shockwave upward.
Almost simultaneously, the rapier twisted like a snake through the air, striking at an odd angle toward Jinbe's temple.
"This old man has pride too!"
Jinbe, repeatedly hindered by Diamante's Devil Fruit ability, felt his dignity as a warrior challenged.
His left hand, covered in Busoshoku Haki, grabbed the rapier and yanked hard.
Diamante couldn't let go in time and was pulled toward Jinbe like a bullet.
"Fish-Man Karate... 5,000 Brick Fist!"
Jinbe's right fist, coated in Busoshoku Haki, slammed into Diamante's abdomen as he flew toward him.
Diamante's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets before rolling back, leaving only the whites. He flew back even faster than before.
"Diamante!"
A shrill voice rang out again as the ground bulged, quickly forming a giant stone statue.
Pica was furious, glaring down at Jinbe and Hancock from above.
The King's Plateau had completely transformed.
Pica had used his Devil Fruit ability to merge with massive amounts of rock, becoming a stone giant.
His enormous palm slammed down toward Jinbe and Hancock.
"You all deserve to die!"
Pica's shrill voice nearly cracked with rage, filled with endless fury. He just wanted to crush these two Warlords with a single slap.
"We need to find his real body."
Hancock swiftly retreated, unwilling to clash head-on with Pica. Before leaving, she reminded Jinbe how to counter the opponent's Devil Fruit ability.
Jinbe smiled wryly but quickly composed himself.
"Fish-Man Karate Secret Technique... Oniwa Seiken!"
His right fist, covered in Busoshoku Haki, punched upward with full force at the descending stone palm.
Boom!
The massive stone palm shattered into pieces, rubble flying everywhere.
Jinbe broke through the stone palm head-on but didn't come out unscathed—his legs were buried in the ground up to his calves.
"What?!"
At that moment, other Donquixote Family executives arrived in a hurry and witnessed the scene, their faces paling in shock.
Pica had merged with most of the King's Plateau, hiding his real body inside the stone giant.
As long as his real body wasn't hit, any attack against the stone giant would be useless. It was practically invincible.
"I'll deal with them."
Hancock, unwilling to fight the troublesome Pica, turned her attention to Gladius and the others.
But before she could act, a loud explosion echoed as the castle split open. Two figures flew out from the gap.
Shadow gripped Doflamingo by the face and slammed him hard into the ground.
Boom!
Dust billowed, obscuring the scene.
"Young Master!"
Gladius and the other executives paled when they saw Doflamingo being smashed into the ground.
No one noticed the man standing at the castle's gap.
Reddy scanned the area and quickly counted the number of people present, his lips curling into a smile. "Good, all the Donquixote Family executives are here. Time to wrap things up."
As he spoke, Reddy snapped his fingers.
Five portals opened in different locations.
One of them appeared directly above the stone giant. A figure flew out and punched the stone giant's head.
Crack!
Cracks spread across the stone giant's body before it exploded into pieces.
"What?!"
Pica, his face filled with disbelief, fell amid the rubble.
Mon expressionlessly passed through the debris and punched Pica again, sending him crashing to the ground like a meteor.
Meanwhile, Secretary and the other six clones each targeted an executive.
In a single exchange, Gladius and the others were caught off guard and instantly defeated by the clones.
Only Senor Pink, the Sui Sui no Mi user, and Monet, the Yuki Yuki no Mi user, managed to escape the ambush by activating their abilities in time.
The two avoided the clones' sneak attacks and, as if sharing the same thought, used their Devil Fruit abilities to flee the King's Plateau.
"I'll come back to save you, Young Master!"