Doflamingo looked at Luffy, who was single-mindedly fixated on the cherry pie, and felt a strong sense of powerlessness surge through him. He rubbed his temples, a headache throbbing.
He was full of confusion, utterly unable to understand how Orochimaru usually managed to communicate smoothly with this free-thinking fellow.
"Straw Hat," Doflamingo suppressed his inner irritation, trying to make his tone sound a little more peaceful,
"What I mean is, for Orochimaru, I am that wine... I am that compatible existence."
He deliberately emphasized the word "compatible," hoping Luffy would understand the deeper meaning.
Who knew, Luffy wasn't listening to his explanation at all. With a loud "thwack," he slammed his hand on the table and yelled,
"But Orochimaru isn't a cherry pie!"
His expression was as serious as if he were expounding a universal truth.
For a moment, the air seemed to solidify. The veins on Doflamingo's forehead pulsed, each raised vein seemingly venting his impending rage.
"Can you stop talking about that damn cherry pie!!"
Doflamingo could no longer suppress the irritation in his heart and roared, his voice echoing in the empty room.
After Doflamingo's roar, the atmosphere became tense, and the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Luffy was startled by the roar (´ﾟжﾟ｀), instantly falling silent.
Luffy looked at the man with a wronged expression, his face filled with disapproval, not understanding why Doflamingo reacted so strongly to cherry pie.
Doflamingo suppressed his full-blown anger, taking several deep breaths, his chest heaving violently.
He turned to look at Luffy, only to see him with a wronged expression. This greatly angered Doflamingo, and the corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
"This guy actually feels wronged now? I'm the one who should feel wronged, alright!" Doflamingo roared inwardly.
Doflamingo tried hard to tell himself not to get into a fight so haphazardly.
After all, the person in front of him was the ancestor's brother, and some things needed to be made clear.
"Listen," Doflamingo tried to keep his tone steady, but the urgency within him was still hard to hide.
"What I mean is, Orochimaru and I are the most suitable together. Your ideals and thoughts are completely different from his, but Orochimaru and I, we are the same kind of people."
Luffy scratched his head, looking innocently at Doflamingo, and mumbled,
"But Orochimaru never said that. He said he wants to find One Piece with me. We're going to be together forever."
Upon hearing this, Doflamingo almost choked, feeling that this Straw Hat was simply unreasonable.
"You don't understand at all!"
He raised his voice, his emotions flaring up again. "Orochimaru has the same desire for power as I do, the same disdain for the rules of the world. We both want to stand at the top of the world and control everything! Your adventures are just child's play!"
"Oh." Luffy looked at Doflamingo, half-understanding, and nodded slightly. Then he seriously started counting on his fingers, muttering to himself.
"One... two... three..."
Doflamingo had been expecting a proper response from Luffy, but seeing this, he almost passed out from anger. The veins on his face began to throb again, and he roared, somewhat losing his composure, again:
"Straw Hat! What are you doing!!"
The sound made the nearby air tremble.
Luffy stopped what he was doing, blinked his clear, big eyes, and looked innocently at Doflamingo, explaining seriously,
"I'm counting how many people have said that." With that, he shook his hand, as if to show Doflamingo his counting progress.
Doflamingo felt a rush of blood to his head, and his vision momentarily blurred. He couldn't understand how, after all his efforts and talking until he was hoarse, this Straw Hat was completely ignoring convention and slowly counting something.
"You... didn't you understand what I said?" Doflamingo gritted his teeth, enunciating each word, his eyes instantly turning fierce, and a powerful oppressive aura emanating from him. The surrounding air seemed to twist under this pressure.
Luffy's lips curled into a bright smile as he looked at Doflamingo.
Slowly, he put his hat on, the brim slightly lowered, covering part of his eyes.
The moment the hat was on, his aura suddenly intensified. His somewhat playful demeanor vanished, and his expression instantly turned grim.
"Of course I understand," Luffy's voice was deep and powerful, carrying an undeniable seriousness.
"Because the previous ones who said these things, I've already taken care of them. My brother isn't someone just anyone can take away!"
As his words fell, a strong Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body. The surrounding objects began to tremble violently, and even the ground developed tiny cracks.
Doflamingo was about to launch an attack when he suddenly noticed his hand trembling slightly, uncontrollably.
He was startled and stared intently at Luffy, his eyes filled with surprise.
"Haoshoku..."
He muttered softly, his voice tinged with disbelief.
As a powerful figure who had ventured across the Grand Line for many years, he naturally understood the rarity and power of Conqueror's Haki.
Almost at the same moment he realized Luffy possessed Haoshoku, a ruthless glint flashed in Doflamingo's eyes.
He would never allow himself to be suppressed by the other party's aura. He immediately activated his own Conqueror's Haki, striking back at Luffy like a surging black tide.
Two powerful Conqueror's Haki collided fiercely in the air. The tangible pressure spread wildly in all directions.
The surrounding air was compressed, emitting bursts of crackling sounds. Sand and rocks on the ground were shaken and sent flying everywhere, and even distant trees were uprooted by this powerful force, tumbling helplessly in the air.
In the adjacent room, Orochimaru, who was in a deep sleep, suddenly shuddered violently, as if pulled by an invisible force, instantly waking up and sitting upright.
A trace of lingering sleepiness remained in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by alertness.
Orochimaru slowly closed his eyes, concentrating on sensing the surrounding auras.
Two powerful and domineering Conqueror's Haki surged towards him like crashing waves, causing his body to tremble slightly.
"Luffy... is he angry?" Orochimaru murmured, his tone a mix of surprise and confusion.
Just as the two Conqueror's Haki clashed fiercely, sparks flying in the air, and a battle was about to erupt, Law, who had been thrown aside, suddenly cried out desperately: "Wait! Straw Hat Captain! Don't fight yet!"
Law's voice was particularly jarring in the tense atmosphere. Both Luffy and Doflamingo paused slightly, and the almost materialized Haki collision briefly stagnated.
Law gasped for breath, one hand propped on the table, "Find the key!! Doflamingo's opponent is me!"
Upon hearing Law's words, Luffy's and Doflamingo's mouths twitched uncontrollably at the same time. This was the Orochimaru battle, alright... what was Law getting involved for?
"Shut up!" Luffy and Doflamingo roared almost simultaneously, their voices intertwining and echoing in the somewhat empty space.
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