Dressrosa, the ruined streets beneath the King's Plateau.
The dust had yet to settle, but the suffocating pressure in the air was already boiling like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
"Cough… cough cough…"
From within a pile of rubble, a hand suddenly shot out.
The fingers twitched violently, nearly invisible strings wrapped around the fingertips instantly slicing the surrounding stones into powder.
Donquixote Doflamingo slowly rose from the wreckage.
His signature pink feather coat was covered in dust.
The sunglasses he had never removed before were now completely shattered, revealing a bloodshot eye twitching from overwhelming fury.
"Fuff… fuffuffuff…"
A low laugh squeezed from the depths of his throat.
Gone was the calm confidence of a man in control.
In its place was humiliation-fueled madness and brutality.
"Straw Hat brat… Monkey D. Luffy!!"
Doflamingo raised his head, veins writhing across his forehead like worms.
"Do you have any idea… who you just hit?!"
"You didn't just hit me…"
"You hit G-5's pride! You hit that monster's pride!!"
"So what?!"
Luffy stood at the opposite end of the street, steam constantly pouring off his reddened skin as he maintained his Gear Second stance, his eyes unwavering.
"I don't care if it's G-5 or G-6! I don't care if it's an Admiral or an Emperor!"
"As long as you're still hurting people here, as long as Tra-guy still wants to beat you…"
"I'm gonna send you flying!!"
"Even if a god stands in my way, I'll punch him too!!"
"Who the hell do you think you are?! Quit joking around!!"
Doflamingo roared and clawed both hands through the air.
"Five Colored Strings!!"
Five razor-sharp threads coated in Armament Haki tore through the air like laser blades, screaming straight toward Luffy's throat!
"Too slow!!"
Luffy vanished in an instant using Soru, reappearing directly above Doflamingo the next second.
"Gum-Gum Red Hawk!!"
His hardened fist blasted downward like a bullet!
"Shield White Line!!"
Doflamingo reacted instantly.
Countless strings surged from the ground, weaving into a massive white shield before him.
BOOM!!
The punch slammed into the shield, the resulting shockwave collapsing all the nearby buildings!
"I'm not done yet, Straw Hat!!"
A cold gleam flashed in Doflamingo's eyes as his fingers twitched.
"Parasite String!!"
Countless nearly invisible strings rained from above, attempting to seize control of Luffy's body.
"That trick won't work on me!!"
Luffy shouted as Conqueror's Haki exploded from him without restraint!
BUZZZZ!!!
A dark crimson shockwave swept through the district with Luffy at its center.
The parasite strings shattered apart the instant they neared that tyrannical willpower!
"Conqueror's Haki?!"
Doflamingo's pupils shrank.
Then he roared as well, unleashing his own terrifying Conqueror's Haki!
"You're not the only one on these seas with the qualities of a king!!"
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!!
The two waves of Conqueror's Haki collided violently in midair!
Blake-red lightning exploded wildly as the clouds above were ripped open!
Buildings throughout the area crumbled like paper under the clash of their pressure!
The earth wailed.
Space trembled.
This was the collision of kings!
"Warm-up's over, Doflamingo!"
Luffy took a deep breath and bit into his arm, his gaze becoming razor-sharp.
"To beat you…"
"To beat people like you who hide behind others…"
"I'm gonna use the result of all my training these past two years!!"
"Gear Fourth!!!"
"Muscle Balloon, Inflate!!!"
WHOOOSH, WHOOOSH, WHOOOSH,
Huge amounts of air pumped into his arm as Luffy's body underwent a shocking transformation!
His upper body rapidly expanded, muscles bulging like steel.
Blake Armament Haki covered his arms and legs, forming flame-like patterns.
His entire body bounced continuously like a massive rubber ball, radiating terrifying pressure.
"Bounce-Man!!!"
Watching this bizarre "balloon man," Doflamingo didn't laugh.
Instead, he felt danger unlike anything before.
That elastic body contained violence powerful enough to shatter anything!
"So this is your trump card? You look like an overinflated beach ball!"
Doflamingo sneered.
"Then let me pop you!!"
"Overheat String Kick!!"
He lashed out with his leg, unleashing several slash waves capable of cutting buildings apart.
CLANG!!
The slashes struck Luffy's stomach and produced the sound of metal colliding,
Then bounced away!
"What?!"
Doflamingo was stunned.
"Armament Haki can still keep rubber elasticity?!"
"Gum-Gum Grizzly Magnum"
Luffy's fist compressed into his arm like a spring cannon wound to the limit.
BOOOOM!!!
The speed and power of this punch were several times greater than Gear Second!
Doflamingo barely raised his arms to block before being blasted away!
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!!
His body skipped through over a dozen buildings before crashing into the cliffside of the King's Plateau, creating a gigantic crater!
"Cough cough… BLEGH!!"
Doflamingo crawled out of the crater, vomiting blood, several ribs broken.
"Damn you… damn you, Straw Hat!!"
His sanity was consumed entirely by rage.
On these seas, aside from Kaido and Renzo, nobody had ever beaten him this badly!
"If you want to see a monster's power…"
Doflamingo slowly straightened, pressing both hands onto the ground.
"Then witness the higher realm of Devil Fruits!!"
"AWAKENING!!!"
BUZZZ
At that moment, the ground of all Dressrosa, even the surrounding buildings, underwent a horrifying transformation!
Stone, brick, everything solid,
All of it became white strings under Doflamingo's influence!
The entire city transformed into an ocean of white thread!
"White Wave!!"
With a wave of his hand, tens of thousands of thick strings surged like a tsunami, becoming giant strangling dragons charging toward Luffy in the sky!
"So this is… Awakening?!"
Luffy used Geppo to dodge through the air, but everything around him had become a weapon.
Wherever he landed instantly transformed into spikes attacking him!
"I'm not done! Thousand Arrows Piercing Heart , Feather String!!"
Countless string tips hardened and shot toward Luffy like a deadly storm of needles!
"Culverin!!!"
Luffy's fists twisted, folded, and tracked through the air infinitely, smashing against the waves of strings!
"BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!"
The entire central district of Dressrosa became a demolition site created by two monsters!
Meanwhile, at a corner of the ruined palace, Trebol cowered behind a broken wall, watching the apocalyptic battle while trembling so hard his mucus dripped to his chin.
"Behehehe… it's over… it's over over over…"
"Doffy's gone crazy… and that Straw Hat brat's a monster too…"
"If the SMILE factory gets caught in this…"
"There'll be huge trouble…"
"And… and…"
Trebol stared toward the crumbling "trade harbor" in the distance.
That was where the latest shipment for G-5 was stored, as well as Doflamingo's special tribute prepared for Renzo.
"That's Lord Renzo's cargo!!"
"If it gets destroyed… that Chief Rehn guy will slice us up for hotpot!!"
The moment he imagined Rehn's smiling, murderous fat face, his terror of battle vanished completely.
Trembling, he pulled out the golden Den Den Mushi directly connected to G-5 headquarters.
"Pick up… please pick up…"
purupuru puru
…....
Meanwhile, at G-5.
Renzo lay on a lounge chair beside the pool, enjoying a rare peaceful afternoon.
He had just been having a wonderful dream,
A dream where he slept on a five-billion-berry bed for an entire month without interruption.
"Mmm… nice dream…"
"Maybe I should have Uta turn it into a song…"
Renzo rolled over, smiling.
Then, PURUPURU PURU
A sharp, frantic ringing exploded from the Den Den Mushi beside him.
Renzo's eyebrows instantly furrowed.
The irritation of having his dream interrupted made the surrounding air temperature drop by ten degrees.
Monet, who had been fanning him, nearly dropped the fan from fear.
"Who?"
Renzo didn't even open his eyes.
He simply spoke one cold word.
Rehn had been squatting nearby doing accounting.
The instant he heard the ring, his expression changed.
This was a special encrypted line!
Only major events used it!
He immediately grabbed the receiver and barked into it in a lowered voice:
"This is Rehn! Which blind idiot's calling at a time like this?! Don't you know Lord Renzo is meditating?!"
"C-Chief Rehn! Save us!!"
Trebol's crying shriek came from the other end, accompanied by explosions and collapsing buildings.
"It's me, Trebol! Dressrosa… Dressrosa's collapsing!!"
"That Straw Hat brat! Straw Hat Luffy from the Worst Generation!"
"He barged in with his crew!"
"He's fighting Doffy on top of the palace! Conqueror's Haki is flying everywhere! Their awakened powers are tearing the city apart!"
"The important thing is…"
Trebol's voice became desperate.
"The battlefield is less than one kilometer from Lord Renzo's special goods warehouse!!"
"It's got the North Blue sweet shrimp Lord Renzo loves! The newest silk pajamas! And the three billion berries we prepared as tribute!!"
"If nobody stops this… everything's gonna turn to ash!!"
"What?!"
The moment Rehn heard "three billion cash" and "special goods," his eyes bulged and his fat face trembled violently.
"The Straw Hats?!"
"How the hell did they get to Dressrosa?!"
"And they dare touch Lord Renzo's property?!"
"This is rebellion! Absolute rebellion!!"
Rehn stomped furiously before turning toward Renzo in grief.
"Lord Renzo! Did you hear that?!"
"That Straw Hat Luffy is completely lawless!"
"He caused trouble at Fish-Man Island before, and now he's wrecking our territory too!"
Renzo slowly opened his eyes.
He sat up and took the receiver from Rehn.
"Trebol."
Renzo's calm voice made Trebol feel like he'd fallen into an ice pit.
"I only have one question."
"That useless Doflamingo…"
"Can't even handle a rookie pirate?"
"N-No, Lord Renzo!"
Trebol hurriedly explained.
"Doffy's trying his hardest!"
"But that Straw Hat brat activated some Fourth Gear thing and turned into a bouncing ball destroying everything!"
"Doffy's afraid of damaging your cargo, so he can't fight freely-"
"That's enough."
Renzo interrupted him.
"I don't care about the process."
"I only care about the result."
"If my shrimp are gone…"
"Or even a single berry of my money disappears…"
"Tell Doflamingo to pluck every feather off his bird body and go join that Golden Emperor in prison."
Then Renzo hung up immediately.
He stood and walked toward the massive windows, gazing in Dressrosa's direction.
"What should we do, Lord Renzo?"
Rehn followed behind him, murderous intent radiating off him.
"Should I take people there myself and bring Straw Hat back?"
"Hm…"
Renzo rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"This really is troublesome."
"Straw Hat Luffy… he's Garp's grandson, Dragon's son, and connected to Shanks too."
"If I send Issho or Aramaki…"
Renzo shook his head.
"That blind guy Issho's got too much justice in him. He might end up helping Straw Hat beat Doflamingo and ruin my business."
"And Aramaki's too reckless."
"If he accidentally kills Luffy, Garp will definitely go insane and come rampaging into G-5."
"Then I'll never get to sleep again."
…...
Renzo turned and looked at Rehn.
That round, fleshy, absolutely loyal fat man who excelled at making money and protecting G-5's interests.
More importantly, Rehn possessed a special talent.
He was excellent at making people miserable.
He knew how to torment others without crossing the line completely,
And maximize profits in the process.
"Rehn."
"Yes, Lord!"
"You'll go personally."
Renzo stretched lazily and walked back toward the bed.
"Remember. I only have three requirements."
He raised three fingers.
"First, bring my cargo back intact."
"Second, make that Doflamingo restrain himself a little and learn his lesson."
"Third…"
A wicked smile curved Renzo's lips.
"Teach that Straw Hat brat a proper lesson."
"Let him understand…"
"In the New World, some people's belongings…"
"…are not to be touched."
"Especially disturbing someone's sleep."
"That comes with a price."
"UNDERSTOOD!!!!"
Electric sparks burst from Rehn's body in excitement as he saluted sharply.
"I'll leave immediately!!"
The moment he finished speaking, Rehn bolted outside while roaring toward his subordinates:
"Quick! Prepare the ship!"
"Bring out my fastest vessel, the Thunder God!!"
"Boys! Grab your weapons!"
"We're going to Dressrosa…"
"…to collect a debt!!!"
Watching Rehn's energetic departure, Renzo nodded in satisfaction before collapsing back onto the bed.
"This should finally quiet things down…"
"Mm… Monet, grapes."
"Yes, Lord."