"Heh-heh-heh... you disgusting slug still have time to worry about others? Get on your knees before me!"
When Souta Kiryuu arrived, Gecko Moria immediately unleashed his full power. He didn't dare slack off — not in front of Souta. If Souta thought he was holding back, he'd never hear the end of it.
Under the shadowy might of a former Warlord of the Sea, Trebol, the sticky Devil Fruit user, didn't stand a chance. Within moments, the battlefield echoed with his miserable screams.
"Doffy! Help me!!"
Terrified, Trebol cried out for Donquixote Doflamingo, his voice breaking with fear.
But Doflamingo was in no condition to help. He was already cornered — tangled in Enel's crackling lightning while Bartholomew Kuma loomed nearby, his presence alone a silent death threat.
"Souta Kiryuu!! Do you really intend to wipe us out completely?! What will it take for you to stop?! Whatever you want — it's yours!"
Doflamingo had fully awakened his String-String Fruit, transforming the ground itself into threads. Countless whips of hardened Haki lashed out, barely holding back Enel's raging storm.
But even as he fought, panic crept in. Sweat rolled down his forehead. The longer the battle went on, the clearer it became — there was no escape.
Above them, the ceiling trembled under thunderous impacts. A powerful aura was descending — the unmistakable presence of a monster.
That terrifying power could only belong to Douglas Bullet, the Heir of the Devil.
Souta Kiryuu, the Godslayer. Douglas Bullet, the Devil's Heir. Bartholomew Kuma, the Tyrant. Enel, the Thunder God. Boa Hancock, the Pirate Empress.
The lineup before Doflamingo was so overwhelming that even two Marine Admirals wouldn't dare charge in.
He was just a single former Warlord. Did Souta's entire crew really need to come after him?
Damn it...
Doflamingo's teeth ground together in rage. Souta's team was strong enough to crush an Emperor's fleet — and yet they all came for him.
"Don't waste time."
Souta's calm voice cut through the chaos like a blade. He didn't even bother to look at Doflamingo. It was unclear whether he was speaking to Enel or Moria — perhaps both.
"Yahaha! Doflamingo! Once you're gone, everything you own becomes ours anyway! What are you even screaming for?!"
Enel's laughter crackled like thunder. Though he lacked the Conqueror's Haki and his Armament was weaker than Doflamingo's, the might of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and his powerful Observation Haki made him a devastating match.
Lightning clashed with awakened threads — and still, Enel began to gain the upper hand. Such was the terror of a top-tier Logia user.
Meanwhile, Moria had already battered Trebol half to death and finally captured him.
If he, a former Warlord equal to Doflamingo, had taken any longer to defeat one of Doffy's subordinates, even Souta wouldn't need to call him useless — Moria himself would've felt ashamed.
"Heh... heh..."
Dragging Trebol by the neck, Moria returned to Souta with an awkward grin. Seeing no anger in Souta's expression, he hurried off again, hauling his prisoner to Capone Bege, who was organizing the loot. Trebol was quickly shackled with Seastone cuffs and thrown into Bege's fortress prison.
He couldn't risk that disgusting blob interfering while Monet was persuading Sugar to surrender.
Under Souta's intimidating presence and Monet's heartfelt pleading, Sugar finally bit her lip and agreed to leave — though her eyes lingered on Doflamingo one last time.
Following Souta's orders, Monet and Sugar were sent through a Void Gate back to the Ark Maxim. This battle wasn't something a child should witness.
Watching helplessly as Trebol was captured and Sugar vanished, Doflamingo's fury boiled over.
And just then —
BOOM!
The ceiling exploded, sending debris raining down as a massive figure descended.
"So this is where you've been hiding!"
Douglas Bullet crashed into the ground, creating a crater veined with cracks. His eyes flicked toward Souta, mildly surprised.
He could've sworn Souta had still been high above the clouds moments ago, watching the giants' battle — but somehow, the Godslayer had arrived first.
Bullet didn't dwell on it. His attention shifted to the clash between Enel and Doflamingo.
The ground had become a sea of white threads. Bullet's eyes gleamed with interest.
"So this is the power of an awakened Devil Fruit..."
He cracked his knuckles, a grin spreading across his face.
"Oi, Enel — you holding your own, or do I need to step in?"
"Hmph! Don't interfere! Two hundred million volts — Raijin!"
With a thunderous roar, Enel transformed into a towering Lightning Giant, tearing through Doflamingo's thread-covered domain.
"Souta Kiryuu! Don't you want to know the secret of the Celestial Dragons?! Let me go, and I'll tell you everything about the World Nobles' national treasure!"
Doflamingo's voice cracked — this was desperation. If Bullet joined the fight, he'd be finished.
After all, Bullet was an awakened Devil Fruit user, master of all three Haki, and — worst of all — capable of Conqueror's Haki infusion.
It wasn't even a contest.
Doflamingo had spent years trying to master that power and failed. Those who could wield it stood at the level of Emperors.
Had he mastered it, he would've been the Fifth Emperor already, not a man trapped between the World Government and the Yonko.
"Then surrender. Put on the Seastone cuffs... and maybe I'll have time to chat."
Souta crossed his arms, smiling coldly.
Beside him, Boa Hancock stood tall and regal, her gaze dripping with disdain as she looked at her former fellow Warlord.
"You...!!"
Doflamingo's face twisted with fury. Was Souta mocking him? The great Underground Emperor of the New World, reduced to a fool's game?
"You think you can mock me? You underestimate the power of the World Government — and the secret of the Celestial Dragons! You'll end up just like Rocks!"
He roared, veins bulging, unable to comprehend how Souta could throw away an alliance worth billions — all for Trafalgar Law.
Did Souta really believe crushing the Donquixote Family was worth more than that?
Their connections spanned rare materials, black-market routes, Devil Fruit trades — endless value!
But Souta's calm reply came, cold and sharp:
"Doflamingo... you were once a Celestial Dragon. No matter how much you hate them — deep down, you've always wanted to crawl back to that throne."
His expression hardened, voice low.
"If the Five Elders offered you your status back, you'd run to them in an instant. That's why I can't keep you alive. You and I... were never meant to coexist."
Doflamingo froze. Souta's words pierced deeper than any blade.
He hated the Celestial Dragons — yes. But that same hatred was built upon obsession. He did want to be one again.
"A Celestial Dragon...?!"
Hancock and Kuma's eyes widened, their expressions darkening with cold rage.
Until now, they had treated this as a simple mission — eliminating a Warlord. But knowing the truth changed everything.
They couldn't allow this fallen Celestial Dragon to walk away alive.
...
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