"Bastard!"
Hancock's eyes blazed with molten fury, each word dripping with lethal intent. She lunged forward, desperate to reach Doflamingo, but Zephyr's weathered form intercepted her path like an immovable mountain.
The veteran's mechanical arm gleamed with deadly purpose, its Seastone components humming with suppressive energy that made her skin crawl. Every clash sent vibrations through her bones, the metal limb's unnatural strength matching her Haki-enhanced strikes blow for blow.
Hancock possessed the rare trifecta of advanced Haki mastery, amplified by her Love-Love Fruit's devastating abilities. But Zephyr's decades of combat experience created an impenetrable wall of technique and timing. Though he lacked Conqueror's Haki infusion, that cursed mechanical appendage compensated with its Devil Fruit nullifying properties.
The mere proximity of Seastone made her feel drained, as if invisible chains were sapping her strength. She had to maintain constant Haki reinforcement on any body part that might make contact, turning every exchange into a battle of endurance as much as skill.
Sweat beaded on her forehead as the prolonged combat began taking its toll. Unlike Naruto's seemingly bottomless stamina, even her enhanced capabilities had limits.
Suddenly, her Observation Haki pinged with opportunity. Her gaze darted to a specific position on the chaotic battlefield, and a cold smile curved her lips.
"Slave Arrow!"
Pink projectiles materialized from thin air, arcing toward Zephyr with deadly precision. The veteran's mechanical arm swept up, intercepting each arrow with methodical efficiency. The moment they touched the Seastone coating, the Love-Love Fruit's petrification effect dissolved like morning mist.
"It's useless, this kind of move..."
Zephyr's confident declaration died in his throat as his Observation Haki screamed warnings. His weathered face paled as he realized the true target. Without hesitation, he vanished in a blur of Soru, reappearing beside his disciples Ain and Binz just as several arrows whistled toward their unprotected forms.
The mechanical arm rose again, creating a shield of metal and Seastone that deflected the deadly projectiles. But in that crucial moment of distraction, Hancock had already pivoted away from their battle.
"Doflamingo!"
The name rolled off her tongue like a death sentence, each syllable heavy with promised retribution. Doflamingo's confident smirk faltered as her voice reached him, his body instinctively stiffening in response to the killing intent washing over him.
Without hesitation, he activated his awakening. Countless strings erupted from the fractured ground, weaving together into a massive defensive barrier that rose between them like a spider's web made of steel.
Bang!
Hancock's heel struck the barrier with the force of a cannon blast. For several heartbeats, the two forces remained locked in a deadly stalemate, neither giving ground. Then, with the sound of breaking crystal, the entire defensive structure began transforming to stone before crumbling into worthless debris.
"Overheat!"
White-hot strings gathered like ocean waves before Doflamingo, their superheated edges glowing with dangerous energy as they surged toward the Empress. No matter how she twisted and weaved through the air, the automatically tracking threads followed her every movement with relentless precision.
Since evasion proved futile, she would meet the challenge head-on.
Hancock's eyes flashed with dangerous light as she prepared to unveil her ultimate technique for the first time in actual combat.
"Gorgon!"
The moment that word left her lips, every Kuja Pirate on the battlefield reacted with trained precision. Regardless of injuries or ongoing battles with the Pacifistas, they immediately moved to shield their companions while slamming their eyes shut.
A massive pink light ring erupted outward with Hancock at its epicenter, expanding like ripples on a pond made of pure energy. Above her head, a gigantic pink eye materialized, its otherworldly gaze sweeping across the battlefield with the weight of ancient myth.
The spectacular display drew every combatant's attention like moths to a flame. Most people on the battlefield instinctively turned to witness the phenomenon, their curiosity overriding caution.
Katakuri's Observation Haki had already shown him the horrific future. His voice boomed across the chaos with desperate urgency:
"Close your eyes! Now!"
Those quick enough to heed his warning survived. Those who reacted too slowly became victims of living legend.
In an instant, anyone whose gaze met that colossal pink eye transformed into stone statues, their faces frozen in expressions of shock and terror.
Among Doflamingo's crew, Diamante showed his cunning by diving behind the protective cover of his steel cloak. But Señor Pink, true to his tough-guy philosophy, made no attempt to dodge or defend himself. He stood firm, Baby-5 cradled protectively in his arms.
The petrification wave struck him without mercy, turning his body to solid stone. Yet even transformed, his protective embrace never wavered, keeping Baby-5 safe from harm within his crystallized shield.
Even facing death, Señor Pink had dutifully completed his mission to protect his companion.
The sight was enough to bring tears to anyone's eyes.
Despite his preparation, Doflamingo barely escaped the technique's effect by forcing his gaze elsewhere at the critical moment. The momentary distraction shattered his concentration, causing the Overheat attack to lose its tracking ability. Hancock seized the opportunity, her Perfume Femur petrifying and destroying the remaining strings before they could reach her.
Without pausing to catch her breath, the Empress launched herself toward Doflamingo with predatory grace.
"Aromatic Heavenly Kick Warning!"
Doflamingo attempted to dodge, but the massive eye still floating above Hancock's head continued sending out wave after wave of pink light rings. The technique had transformed the entire battlefield into a deadly maze where a single careless glance meant instant petrification.
At that moment, everyone finally understood the true horror of the Empress's awakening.
As long as the eye remained active, anyone caught in its light rings would be turned to stone the moment they made visual contact. The effect showed no discrimination between living beings and inanimate objects. Even concepts requiring "vision" fell victim to its power.
The pile of petrified Pacifistas in the distance served as expensive proof of the technique's indiscriminate nature.
Each of those war machines carried a price tag of approximately 300 million berries. Regardless of markup, Hancock's single attack had just cost the Navy tens of billions in losses.
Hopefully, the Five Elders wouldn't scrutinize the expense reports too carefully.
Several thin strings shot out from Doflamingo's position, but their target wasn't Hancock. Instead, they latched onto the clouds above.
"Sky Path!"
This was Doflamingo's aerial movement technique, transforming him into a pirate version of a malfunctioning Spider-Man as he soared upward by stepping on his own string constructs.
He knew his limitations. If that monstrous woman managed to close the distance, his chances of survival dropped to virtually zero.
Though they shared the title of Seven Warlord, the gulf between their combat capabilities was an unbridgeable chasm.
Just from witnessing her kick send Katakuri flying, he estimated he couldn't survive even a glancing blow at full power.
Once airborne, the light rings couldn't reach him, making direct eye contact with Hancock relatively safe again.
It was a sound tactical decision.
And it would have worked, if not for the oversight of failing to check what lurked above.
Whether by coincidence or design, Naruto chose that exact moment to copy Garp's signature move, grabbing the ascending Doflamingo and hurling him earthward like a missile.
"Submarine Fall!"
Not only copying the technique but executing it directly in front of its creator. Too bad the pirate world lacked copyright protection.
Garp's considerable mass struck Doflamingo with devastating precision, carrying both men toward the ground before the Heavenly Yaksha could process what had happened.
In Doflamingo's vision, that terrifying woman's expression grew clearer and more menacing with each passing second. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, only to be instantly dried by the rushing air of their descent.
Conqueror's Haki wrapped around Hancock like visible armor as she spun in mid-air, building momentum for her finishing move.
"Aromatic Heavenly Kick!"
"Spider's Web!"
Doflamingo barely managed to weave a massive web of strings beneath him, hoping to cushion the inevitable impact. But such desperate defensive measures proved woefully inadequate against an enraged Hancock operating at full power.
Caught between "Submarine Fall" pressure from above and "Aromatic Heavenly Kick" force from below, Doflamingo didn't even have time to deliver a memorable final line before consciousness fled his battered body.
Donquixote Doflamingo: combat ability neutralized!
Meanwhile, Garp acted as if nothing unusual had occurred, using the collision's momentum to propel himself back to his aerial position with practiced ease.
"Hiss... you really don't hold back, you brat," he grimaced, rubbing his shoulder where it had connected with what felt like an unidentified flying object.
Still, that unexpected cushioning had allowed him to readjust his position perfectly. Sometimes, accidents worked in one's favor.