BOOM!
The overwhelming wave of Conqueror’s Haki crashed head-on into Doflamingo.
The attack came from point-blank range, and Doflamingo’s reckless gamble had left him with no time to react.
BANG!
The immense impact erupted.
Doflamingo felt as though a mountain had slammed directly into him.
His entire body was blasted backward.
Once again, he crashed heavily into the harbor behind him.
The shockwave of Conqueror’s Haki continued forward like a raging tide, crashing down upon the harbor with undiminished force.
In an instant, the entire harbor exploded into chaos.
Even their Young Master, whom they had placed all their hopes in, couldn’t withstand a single blow and had been sent flying.
As for the people who had gathered here simply to watch the spectacle, weren’t they practically cannon fodder?
Gild Tesoro’s expression turned deathly grim.
He clenched his five fingers tightly and roared,
"Damn you, Marine Admiral! I already told you that I shouldn’t have come here, but you forced me to make a move!"
"Golden Wave!"
Tesoro pressed his right hand down through the air.
A vast wave of gold surged forward, violently colliding with the incoming wave of Conqueror’s Haki.
BOOM!
The thunderous explosion resounded through the heavens.
A golden rain poured down from the sky.
The two equally powerful waves collided, and the resulting blast swept across the entire harbor.
Some pirates who were too weak to withstand the impact or failed to escape in time were instantly thrown away.
Others were swallowed by the retreating golden waves.
Even more were knocked unconscious by the overwhelming pressure of the Conqueror’s Haki that spread through the air like a tangible force.
In an instant, the entire harbor had been subjected to a devastating baptism of destruction.
Pica and the others appeared a kilometer away, their faces filled with shock and fury.
Looking at the harbor that had been reduced to ruins, their expressions became horribly distorted.
Everything happening before their eyes was completely different from the scenario they had imagined.
If they hadn’t witnessed it with their own eyes, they absolutely wouldn’t have believed that the grand plan Doflamingo had confidently described would collapse into such a disaster.
Even Rebecca and Kyros, who had escaped to a safe location, were stunned.
They had certainly heard about the new Marine Admiral’s exploits.
But this style of fighting—attacking without a word, then attacking again the moment something went wrong—
Wasn’t it a little too insane?
If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, who would have believed it?
Doflamingo had the entire kingdom as hostages, yet he had been sent flying again and again.
BANG!
Doflamingo crashed into a shattered merchant ship.
The tremendous impact embedded him deep within the wreckage.
Blood churned inside his body, and he spat out another mouthful of blood.
Feeling the pain radiating throughout his body, Doflamingo watched as the violent clash gradually subsided.
He rose from the wreckage with an enraged laugh and adjusted his sunglasses.
"Good. Very good."
"So you’re truly an arrogant new Marine Admiral."
"Everyone outside has been saying that you’re insanely arrogant. Now that I’ve seen you for myself, I can confirm that it’s true."
"But I, Doffy, want to see just how long you can keep acting so arrogantly."
"Tesoro, whatever consequences come from you joining this fight, I, Donquixote Doflamingo, will bear them all."
"Whether it’s Marine Headquarters or the World Government, they absolutely won’t hold you responsible."
"Now, let’s show him exactly how terrifying it is to offend two awakened Devil Fruit users at once!"
BOOM!
Doflamingo burst into a vicious laugh.
Facing a Marine Admiral like Lucas, he naturally wouldn’t underestimate him.
Now that all pretenses had been discarded, Doflamingo immediately unleashed his strongest trump card.
Devil Fruit Awakening!
As a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user, awakening granted Doflamingo the ability to transform his surroundings into the substance produced by his Devil Fruit.
Of course, this ability was limited to inanimate objects.
Even so, its terrifying power was obvious.
As Doflamingo furiously activated his awakened Devil Fruit, everything within several hundred meters—and eventually more than a kilometer—around him was rapidly transformed into an ocean of razor-sharp strings.
Countless strings churned and twisted.
The densely packed scene was enough to make anyone’s scalp crawl.
At the same time, with Doflamingo’s promise backing him, the Golden Emperor, Tesoro, didn’t hesitate either and immediately joined the attack.
Back when Tesoro had been reduced to slavery, he had eventually become the Golden Emperor after stealing one of Doflamingo’s treasured Devil Fruits.
Of course, Tesoro hadn’t come here to repay a debt.
Like Doflamingo, he was a ruthless man who had no place for gratitude in his dictionary.
He had simply been given a perfectly legitimate excuse by Doflamingo to vent his dissatisfaction against a Marine Admiral.
Rumble... rumble...
The earth shook violently.
As Tesoro furiously activated his Devil Fruit, the area around him likewise transformed into a vast golden ocean.
But the instant the golden waves appeared, Tesoro rapidly gathered them together.
In the end, they formed a gigantic golden humanoid figure dozens of meters tall.
Golden light flowed across its enormous body, giving it an even more indestructible appearance.
The sight immediately filled Pica and the other members of the Donquixote Family at the harbor with wild excitement.
After witnessing Lucas’s strength firsthand, they would have worried that Doflamingo alone might not be able to handle this Marine Admiral.
But now there were two awakened Devil Fruit users fighting together.
Wasn’t this battle practically guaranteed?
"Hahaha! You arrogant bastard from the Marines, do you see it now?"
"Do you see how weak you really are?"
Doflamingo stood amid the ocean of strings and laughed arrogantly.
"Now, look carefully and see exactly how insignificant you are."
"I really want to know whether you can break through this Birdcage within half an hour."
"Since you don’t know how to read the situation and refuse to follow Marine Headquarters’ advice to know your place, don’t blame me for ganging up on you!"
"Sometimes, having more people is a strength too!"
His booming laughter echoed across the heavens and earth.
Far away, Rebecca stared at the scene before her.
Her face had already gone completely pale.
Her legs trembled beneath her, and the great sword she had been holding slipped from her hands with a clatter.
She looked at Kyros, who was equally unable to believe what he was seeing, and spoke in a trembling voice.
"Soldier... are these really the people we’ve dreamed of defeating all this time?"
"Why do I suddenly feel so powerless?"
"Could it be that we’ll never be able to defeat them in our entire lives?"
Kyros’ face was equally pale.
Even his remaining leg seemed unable to support his weight.
He stared at the scene before him and remained silent for a long time.
This sight had directly shattered the conviction they had maintained for so many years.
Their hearts felt as though they had turned completely to ashes.
Facing the combined might of two beings who seemed almost like gods, could a Marine Admiral really handle them?
But just as this feeling of helplessness began to take root in their hearts, an aged voice suddenly rang out.
"Indeed. The Seven Warlords of the Sea should never have been sanctioned in the first place."
"Whether in Alabasta or here in Dressrosa, all I have heard from the people is fear, helplessness, and crying."
"Since Your Excellency wishes to compete in numbers..."
"Then count this old man in as well."
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