Chapter 265: The End
RUMMMBLE!
Without the CP operative to restrain him, Doflamingo found himself completely suppressed by Rhodes' overwhelming assault.
Within moments, several fresh sword wounds appeared across his body, his entire form stained crimson with blood as he panted heavily with mounting desperation.
Rhodes, conversely, remained in relatively excellent condition. Apart from moderate stamina depletion, he was virtually unharmed.
His physique had undergone further evolution. Although it hadn't yet reached twenty percent of its former potential, it was gradually manifesting extraordinary qualities. Both his recovery capabilities and stamina reserves had improved dramatically.
"Let's finish this quickly."
Rhodes smiled faintly, gripped his sword firmly, and casually unleashed a devastating slash.
WHOOOOSH!
A terrifying lightning-infused sword energy sliced through the void itself, carrying apocalyptic cutting force as it hurtled toward Doflamingo.
"Tate Shirasu—Shield White Line!"
Doflamingo took a deep, steadying breath, swept both hands forward to unleash Shield White Line, then immediately deployed Kumo no Su—Spider's Web as a secondary defense to block Rhodes' incoming attack.
He no longer concerned himself with stamina conservation—he only wanted to survive Rhodes' relentless assault.
CRACKLE-CRACKLE!
The sword energy proved beyond imagination. Without CP0 assistance, it almost effortlessly tore through the white shield's protection, then severed most of the Spider's Web before gradually dissipating.
But in that precise instant—
A gleaming silver lightning spear pierced through the void with incredible velocity, instantly shattering the remaining Spider's Web fragments and shooting directly toward Doflamingo.
The lightning spear moved too fast.
Doflamingo had no time to evade and could only cross both arms defensively before him, coating his entire body with Armament Haki as his final defense.
BOOOOM!
The lightning spear—formed from compressed electrical energy—possessed immense destructive power, easily capable of obliterating a multi-story building.
Doflamingo's physical defense wasn't particularly high, and he was directly blasted backward by the lightning spear's impact, his skin torn open and flesh ripped apart. The white bones of his defensive arms became visible through charred tissue, and his internal organs shook violently from the trauma.
"Cough... cough...!"
Doflamingo's signature sunglasses shattered completely as he coughed up blood repeatedly while convulsing, clearly suffering from severe internal shock.
This catastrophic injury made Doflamingo realize with sinking certainty—
Without CP assistance, he simply didn't possess the capability to confront Rhodes directly in combat.
Jinbe's impressive performance against Kalos stemmed from his exceptionally resilient Fish-Man physique and Kalos' relative weakness in offensive power.
But Rhodes was fundamentally different. His attacks carried incredible destructive force, and Doflamingo's defense proved vastly inferior to Jinbe's natural durability.
If he forced a direct confrontation, he'd be killed within minutes.
Witnessing Rhodes charging forward once again, Doflamingo took a desperate breath, grabbed the air with his fingers to create thread anchors, and fled at maximum speed toward the distance.
He soared through the air like a flamingo in flight, his velocity reaching its absolute limit.
"Starting to run away?"
Rhodes smiled lightly, following closely behind without the slightest concern that his prey could escape.
While the Ito Ito no Mi granted Doflamingo aerial mobility, it remained far less agile and swift than Shiki's legendary Fuwa Fuwa no Mi.
Moreover—
This chase was occurring inside the Birdcage itself. Where could this flamingo possibly run?
The two combatants—one pursuing, one fleeing—gradually moved away from the main battlefield toward the vicinity of the civilian evacuation zone.
"It's Doflamingo!"
"That one behind him is the Thunder God Swordsman!"
Under everyone's watchful gazes, Doflamingo desperately fled while manipulating his threads to attack Rhodes, only to have them effortlessly severed with casual sword strokes.
"Defeat Doflamingo, please!"
At this moment, everyone finally knew the horrifying truth about Dressrosa and couldn't wait for Rhodes to defeat the tyrant.
The terrifying Birdcage drew ever closer, its threads cutting through buildings and earth alike.
The residents of Dressrosa clasped their hands together in fervent prayer, hoping desperately for salvation.
As the Birdcage's walls approached, the main battlefield was also dramatically affected.
First were the mercenaries hastily recruited by the Donquixote Family. Witnessing the Birdcage's threads cutting through solid earth like butter, they immediately lost all will to fight—it clearly intended to annihilate all life on the island indiscriminately.
Unable to continue fighting with any motivation, the mercenaries began fleeing the battlefield en masse.
"Damn it, get back here!"
Lao G roared in absolute fury, only to be blasted away by a devastating lightning bolt.
Enel materialized from his lightning form, panting heavily, his expression grave with exhaustion.
The battle's intensity had been extraordinarily high, and as a priority target of the Donquixote Family, his stamina had depleted rapidly while his injuries accumulated seriously.
Law and Robin found themselves in similar dire circumstances.
If Rhodes hadn't used Conqueror's Haki to incapacitate large numbers of enemies, and if the Birdcage hadn't deterred numerous mercenaries, they probably wouldn't have lasted until this point in the war.
However, this high-intensity combat had also dramatically improved Robin and the others' battle experience, their Devil Fruit mastery, and their command of both Haki types. If they survived, their strength should advance significantly.
CRASH!
A violent collision erupted.
Doflamingo's figure smashed through two buildings in succession, slamming into the ground with a sickening thud as he spat out multiple mouthfuls of blood.
But he dared not stop, using his thread manipulation to continue his desperate escape.
"You can't escape,"
Rhodes declared, closing the distance relentlessly.
The awakened Doflamingo remained only marginally weaker than Rhodes in raw power. If he continued this evasive strategy, Rhodes wouldn't be able to defeat him immediately.
"Huff... huff..."
Doflamingo gasped for breath, his face deathly pale from blood loss and oxygen deprivation.
Glancing at the rapidly approaching Rhodes from the corner of his eye, Doflamingo gritted his teeth with desperate determination.
He hadn't anticipated the war escalating to this catastrophic point, but he still perceived hope for survival.
He was a former Celestial Dragon, a representative Shichibukai, involved in matters affecting every facet of the world's underground—he refused to believe the World Government would abandon him completely.
If he could just hold out until Admiral Kizaru arrived—in half an hour, perhaps even less—everything would be reversed decisively.
He'd weathered countless storms throughout his life, and this time would prove no exception!
"How could I possibly fall in a place like this!"
Doflamingo thought fiercely.
The Ito Ito no Mi proved incredibly effective throughout the urban environment, allowing him to move with spider-like agility, constantly changing direction. Buildings served as temporary cover, and his thread webs provided additional defensive layers.
However, Rhodes remained simply too overwhelmingly powerful.
The two were already fundamentally mismatched, and Doflamingo was rapidly approaching his absolute limit, his condition deteriorating severely, surviving purely on willpower alone. How could he possibly create any meaningful distance?
SLASH!
A sword energy tore through his defensive web, striking Doflamingo squarely in the back.
Splurt!
Doflamingo coughed up a massive mouthful of blood, feeling as though he'd been nearly sliced completely in two, countless bones fracturing from the impact.
Yanked forward by his emergency threads, he swayed through the air like a wounded flamingo struggling to maintain flight.
Finally, with a heavy thud, he crashed to the ground, spitting out another torrent of blood.
"Am I... going to die here...?"
His injuries proved too severe. Doflamingo's vision blurred dramatically. He shook his head desperately, attempting to stand, but found himself utterly powerless.
His body had finally reached its absolute limit. After all, he wasn't a true monster like the Four Emperors.
"You killed me... aren't you worried about the World Government holding you accountable?"
Doflamingo struggled to turn over, looking up at Rhodes while coughing up blood as he spoke, appearing genuinely pathetic.
"Turn around and look outside,"
Rhodes replied with a gentle, knowing smile.
During their pursuit, the two had reached the very edge of the Birdcage's perimeter.
Doflamingo followed Rhodes' indication and looked outward—
What he witnessed instantly stunned him into complete silence.
(End of Chapter)
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