The next instant, Pika felt several icy, piercing gazes lock onto him—so cold they seemed to freeze his very soul.
Souta Kiryuu, the Tyrant Dragon himself, along with Bartholomew Kuma and the Pirate Empress, had all pinpointed his true body hidden within the massive stone walls.
"Bear Shock!"
"Petrifying Arrows!"
A barrage of transparent paw-shaped blasts and shimmering pink arrows tore through the air, hammering into the wall where Pika was hiding—and sealing off every escape route.
For a fleeting moment, Doflamingo thought he'd found a chance to flee. But he was wrong.
With Barrett and Enel blocking him on one side—and the Empress and Kuma cutting off his escape on the other—there was nowhere left to run.
Panicked, Pika desperately shifted positions within the stone, racing through the walls like a trapped rat.
"No one escapes with Doflamingo!"
The Pirate Empress' eyes flashed with fury. Her long legs blurred as she launched forward, lightning crackling and petals scattering behind her as she moved faster than sight could follow.
"Conqueror's Coating: Grand Perfume Kick!"
Her body became a streak of light—black and crimson lightning exploding in every direction. She raced along the wall, then leapt high into the air and came crashing down with a thunderous kick.
"BOOM!"
The impact shattered the wall, leaving behind a gaping crater. Pika, still hiding within the stone, was struck by the terrifying shockwave even through the layers of rock. The sheer force of her Conqueror's Haki had pierced through it.
"Ugh—ha!"
Blood spewed from Pika's mouth as his eyes rolled back. His true body, battered and broken, tumbled down along with the collapsing debris.
"Pika!!"
Doflamingo's scalp prickled at the sight. His jaw tightened. That—was Conqueror's Coating!
His final hope of slipping away was crushed.
How?! Even the Pirate Empress had mastered this level of power?!
He could understand Barrett, that monster, wielding it.
But Boa Hancock—a Warlord of the Sea—had this strength too?!
If she could use such a technique… what need did she have for that title?
"A Stone-Stone Fruit user, and you get turned to stone yourself? How ironic!"
"Petrifying Arrows!"
The Empress kicked Pika's body out from the rubble and unleashed a rain of pink arrows. The half-conscious stone man couldn't even defend himself. The enchanted arrows struck him one after another, and his body slowly hardened—turning completely into a statue.
"It seems my power far surpasses yours," she said coldly, flicking her hair as she glanced down at his petrified form.
Capone Bege hurried in from the side, taking the stone statue into custody to clean up the aftermath.
Elsewhere, Senior Pink—who was also hiding within the walls—was drenched in sweat. His throat went dry as he swallowed hard, too terrified to even breathe.
Then, in the next heartbeat, a blazing beam of light shot straight through the wall.
The laser punched through his chest.
The searing pain almost caused him to lose focus on his Devil Fruit power, forcing his body to emerge halfway from the wall. If he had lost consciousness inside the wall, his Swim-Swim Fruit would have become his tomb—forever sealing him within the stone.
As soon as his head appeared, a massive shadow loomed beside him. The entire wall around him was torn out—ripped clean from the foundation by Bartholomew Kuma's immense strength.
Senior Pink had no chance to resist. The Tyrant's paw-shaped shockwave gripped him effortlessly and slammed him to the ground, capturing him alive.
Souta Kiryuu merely gave the two fallen subordinates a calm, disinterested glance—like they were insects who thought the walls could protect them.
Doflamingo's heart sank. Watching his lieutenants fall one after another so effortlessly shattered his composure.
In that instant of distraction, he left an opening. Barrett grinned savagely—and his iron fist crashed into Doflamingo's chest, sending him flying back into the glowing sea of awakened strings.
Drops of blood scattered through the air.
"Barrett! Even without you, I, the God of Lightning, could have beaten him!" Enel snapped, electricity crackling across his body. He glared at Barrett with irritation—the brute had stolen his opponent yet again.
"If you're weak, train harder," Barrett sneered. "Find yourself someone smaller to play with."
Roaring with laughter, he charged again, fists blazing with Conqueror's aura.
Souta Kiryuu watched the battle below. By now, Pika and Senior Pink were both down, and Doflamingo was barely hanging on. Trafalgar Law arrived just in time to witness it all—his heart pounding with anticipation.
Today, Doflamingo wouldn't escape. Not again.
"Souta Kiryuu! Don't you want the Celestial Dragons' national treasure?"
Doflamingo's voice was raw, his tone desperate. Blood dripped from his mouth as he narrowly avoided another devastating blow from Barrett.
He couldn't believe it—he was losing to the Tyrant Dragon's crew.
Damn Trafalgar Law! Damn Souta Kiryuu!
"The secrets I need…" Souta said flatly, his eyes cold, "…I can find them inside your skull."
He stepped closer, calm and composed. He probably knew more about the Celestial Dragons than Doflamingo ever would.
When Shiryu of the Rain descended into the underground arena, Doflamingo's despair deepened.
Before Shiryu could even draw his blade, Barrett's Conqueror-Coated punch smashed into Doflamingo's chest, sending him flying and vomiting blood.
Lightning cracked. Enel appeared behind him in a flash of light, driving a spear of thunder through his back.
"Too bad," Shiryu muttered as he sheathed his half-drawn blade. "I didn't get to cut down a Warlord myself." He took a drag from his cigar, disappointment lacing his tone.
But Trafalgar Law was not one for restraint.
He flashed forward, his cursed blade Kikoku gleaming under the underground lights. Without hesitation, he swung.
Doflamingo's arm and head were sliced clean off.
"Doflamingo… you finally got what you deserve!"
Law grabbed the severed head by its pink-feathered hair and laughed maniacally, punching it again and again. His blows shattered the trademark sunglasses, revealing the dark, furious eyes beneath.
"Loot the underground factory and the Donquixote family's fortune!" Souta commanded calmly. "Prepare for our next destination."
He turned without another glance. Doflamingo had never been worth his concern. Crushing the Donquixote Family was only another step on the path.
But then—Souta, Barrett, Enel, and the others suddenly looked upward, their expressions sharpening.
"Another powerful presence…" Barrett grinned wildly, excitement surging through his veins. Without hesitation, he charged up the tunnel toward the surface.
Souta's eyes narrowed. "Strong… and unfamiliar. That's not a Marine or a Gorosei I recognize."
Could it be Admiral Ryokugyu, the newly appointed Green Bull? Or someone the World Government had kept hidden?
"No good—everyone, move!" Souta barked, his expression turning grim. He could feel his crew's life forces flickering—some vanishing entirely.
Whoever this stranger was, they were slaughtering the Arlong Pirates without mercy.
Enel and Kuma vanished instantly, rushing upward. The Pirate Empress followed close behind, her beauty replaced by deadly focus. Shiryu grinned, his bloodlust igniting, and soared up as well.
Meanwhile, Law, Moria, and Capone Bege stayed behind in the underground facility, handling Doflamingo's corpse and securing the factory's vast stores of contraband.
At the Dressrosa harbor, a strange warship docked—its sails emblazoned with a single chilling word: PRISON.
A towering man stepped off the ship—Isaac, a Marine enforcer.
The moment his boots touched the island, he was surrounded by Souta Kiryuu's forces. But it didn't matter.
Veterans from Impel Down and high-ranking members of the Tyrant Dragon Pirates fell like paper soldiers.
Even the blazing-hot Admiral Akino, his body radiating ten thousand degrees of heat, was grabbed, gutted, and tossed aside like a broken doll.
Only then did the survivors understand—this was no ordinary Marine.
He didn't even flinch before Akino's searing heat. He hadn't used Armament Haki once. His body alone withstood it—an unimaginable feat of endurance and power.
When even Bartolomeo's supposedly invincible barrier began to crack under his punches, everyone watching could only stare in horror.
A new monster had arrived.
And for the first time, the Tyrant Dragon Pirates—the mightiest crew in the New World—felt the cold edge of fear.