Yuno lunged forward, his speed suddenly soaring to a whole new level!
Even he noticed the change—one glance at his interface showed his [Shunpo] proficiency had reached 80.
Doflamingo's pupils contracted sharply. This guy's been holding back?!
"Damn it! You've been toying with me all along?!" he roared, fury surging.
Yuno didn't respond. Instead, he closed the distance in a blur, now only a breath away.
Doflamingo's veteran instincts took over. He forced down his rage—losing his composure would dull his Observation Haki, and that would be fatal. Locking onto Yuno's movements, he realized the man was already preparing a decisive strike.
The momentum rolling off Yuno was so oppressive, even he felt a shiver in his chest.
Doflamingo's eyes turned glacial. Fine threads uncoiled from his back, weaving together into several thick, white tendrils. Their tips glistened black with Armament Haki, honed to deadly points.
"Holy Bullet: Divine Slaying!"
With a flick of his hand, the tentacles shot forward like spears, lunging for Yuno.
"Using this without even awakening?" Yuno's expression hardened.
He zigzagged with his newly enhanced Shunpo, evading several strikes. When one thrust proved unavoidable, he gathered a searing column of lightning in his palm and blasted it aside.
Now less than five meters separated them—a meaningless gap at their level.
Doflamingo tried to retreat.
But Yuno's eyes gleamed coldly. "Hainawa!"
Two fingers swept the air, and three thin beams of light materialized, snapping shut on Doflamingo like invisible jaws. His body froze for a heartbeat.
Light!? Doflamingo's mind reeled. Yuno had been saving this for the kill.
Yuno stepped forward, shattering the ground beneath his right foot.
"Lightning: Double Bones!"
He drew both fists to his waist, his aura condensing into lethal focus, then unleashed a devastating blow straight into Doflamingo's abdomen.
There was no time for Armament Haki.
BOOM!
The impact blasted through Doflamingo's torso, lightning flooding his body in a violent surge. Blood burst from his mouth as the shockwave hurled him backward in a wide arc, slamming him into the very mountain Yuno had stood on moments ago.
The mountain crumbled in an instant, boulders crashing down and choking the air with dust. Nothing stirred from within.
Yuno steadied his breath, his senses spreading out. Doflamingo lay buried, feather coat in tatters, sunglasses shattered, aura faint and fading.
The system chimed in Yuno's mind.
Up above, Diamante—still suspended—watched in shock. When he saw Yuno approaching instead of his young master, his face turned ashen.
The meaning was clear.
Donquixote Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, ruler of the underworld, had fallen—here, in the North Blue.
Yuno strode to the rubble, hauled Doflamingo up like a ragdoll, and tossed him at Diamante's feet.
Deactivating his Shunpo, Yuno stopped ten meters away, smirking.
"So this is the man you placed all your hopes on? He can't even beat me." His tone dripped with scorn. "And this ungrateful fool actually had the nerve to reject my offer—an offer no one's ever dared to refuse."
Seeing Diamante's horrified expression, Yuno smiled with his usual brazen arrogance.
"Relax. I'm not here to harm the Donquixote Family. As my chosen partner, I want you to help me deal with that old man—Umit."
This wasn't an offhand remark; it was a pretext Yuno had prepared well in advance.
Despite the unhinged persona he'd cultivated, Yuno always kept a clear objective in mind.
Overthrow the Dark World. Eliminate one of its leaders.
That aim could neatly tie all his previous actions together.
Why hijack the Shipping King's cargo?
Why target the Donquixote Family?
Because he was going to attack the Dark World.
Because his true target was the Shipping King, Umit.
Of course, not everything lined up perfectly—but who cared?
In the eyes of others, Yuno was a madman—unpredictable yet calculating.
And such people were often the most feared.
After Doflamingo's downfall, Diamante had been crushed, unable to recover his former spirit. But Yuno's words shocked him deeply—this lunatic wanted to ally with them?
Before he could process it, he noticed Yuno's gaze shift toward the harbor.
Warships had landed. A strong Marine force was charging toward them.
At the head—Vice Admiral Ghost Spider, his sharp eyes already locked on their position.
"The Navy? Now of all times…?" Diamante muttered.
Yuno's eyes narrowed. His first suspicion—that someone from the Donquixote Family had called them—was quickly dismissed.
Sure, both the Marines and the Seven Warlords served under the World Government, but their relationship was far from friendly. And with Doflamingo's pride, he would never ask the Navy for help.
That left only one explanation—
The Marines had tracked Doflamingo here.
This was the North Blue, after all. A notorious figure like him would be under constant surveillance the moment he showed up.
Diamante realized it too, and his face darkened for another reason.
To outsiders, the Shichibukai and Marines might seem like allies—but Yuno might mistake their appearance as proof they'd called in reinforcements.
If Yuno drew that conclusion, he could very well slaughter them on the spot.
And in their current state, with Doflamingo unconscious, Diamante had no way to stop him.
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