"Boom!"
Doflamingo's eyes widened in fury.
A tangible wave of Conqueror's Haki burst forth, a twisted, cruel, and overpowering force that instantly enveloped Barrett. The ground trembled as if struck by a massive hammer, sinking inch by inch beneath them. Yet, strangely, Moria and Enel, who lay unconscious nearby, remained untouched.
"Vergo, treat Moria and Enel."
Vergo's flame-like clouds swept toward the two fallen warriors, engulfing them in healing energy.
"Hahahahaha! Such a powerful presence! I understand your will to dominate now!"
Ignoring Vergo's movements, Barrett let out a wild laugh. His piercing gaze, which had just settled, reignited with fervor in response to Doflamingo's overwhelming Haki.
"Tell me—who are you? You... I really like you!"
Barrett stepped forward, his own ferocious, almost demonic Conqueror's Haki pushing back against Doflamingo's. The two forces clashed, spiraling like two massive hurricanes vying for dominance. Black-red lightning crackled against brilliant blue thunderbolts, and high above, the ever-present storm clouds over Raijin Island split open, allowing beams of sunlight to pierce through.
"I am Doflamingo."
There was an underlying unease in Doflamingo's voice as he questioned, "Barrett, you reckless bastard—who led you here?!"
For this lunatic who wandered the seas seeking battles, Whitebeard should have been his next target. So why had he conveniently arrived on Raijin Island instead?
Could this be a trap set by Perospero and Katakuri? Had they sensed something and lured him into a confrontation?
"I go where I want! No one can stop me!" Barrett sneered, baring his teeth in a menacing grin.
In the brief moment of their standoff, Vergo had already moved the severely injured Moria and Enel to safety.
"I see. Understood."
Barrett wasn't one to lie, meaning this was nothing more than coincidence.
Doflamingo raised a hand, threads shooting out and embedding themselves into the ground.
"Then tell me, what do you want?"
"Hahahaha! Want? There's no such thing! Roger is dead. There's no one left for me to surpass! I just woke up and needed a fight."
Barrett cast an amused glance at the enclosing Birdcage.
"And what's this?"
"Every battle needs an arena." A cold, deranged smile spread across Doflamingo's face. "Need a break?"
"I'm just getting warmed up!"
"Boom!"
Their Conqueror's Haki clashed violently, sending shockwaves that shattered the land. The two warriors simultaneously charged at each other.
Barrett activated his Devil Mode, laughing madly as he rushed forward. A warrior with such unparalleled Haki, such sheer overwhelming strength—
This battle was absolutely worth it!
"Doflamingo! Come at me!"
Doflamingo surged forward as well, his speed surpassing Barrett's. His fists, wrapped in internal destruction-level Armament Haki, aimed directly at his opponent.
"Then die, Barrett!!!"
"Hahaha! So that's what the lightning brat meant! How did you do that?"
Seeing Doflamingo replicate his technique, Barrett was thrilled rather than alarmed.
"Anything I want to do—I can do!"
Their fists collided with a thunderous impact.
"BOOM!"
The explosion was akin to a continental detonation, shaking the entire island. The force of their clash sent shockwaves rippling through the sea, creating towering tsunamis.
Both men were knocked back by the recoil.
"What is this? Haki is drilling into my bones?!"
Barrett stared at his darkened fist, exhilarated. He could feel it—his seemingly impenetrable Armament Haki, as solid as a mountain, hadn't fully withstood the impact. In an instant, his opponent's Haki had sliced through his defense, damaging his muscles beneath.
"Feel it with your body, Barrett! Don't you dare dodge!"
Doflamingo's lips curled into a vicious grin.
If this were the Barrett who had emerged from Impel Down twenty years later—his mastery of Armament Haki honed to perfection, his sheer volume of Haki surpassing all others—perhaps even Doflamingo would have hesitated.
But right now?
Strength and technique alone weren't enough!
Doflamingo swung both hands.
Threads imbued with a purple aura rained down from the sky.
"Overheat String!"
"Hahahaha! You're right!"
Unable to make sense of it, Barrett simply stopped thinking. Like a mad warrior storming an enemy stronghold, he charged forward.
The fine threads fell like a deadly rain.
But this rain held no tenderness.
Instead, it was a storm of lethal swords poised to kill.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
The ground crumbled like fragile foam, riddled with countless holes.
With each evasive movement, Barrett's sheer presence shook the battlefield.
The areas struck by this rain disintegrated into dust.
Yet Barrett navigated the storm like a beast before a downpour, displaying the near-perfect combat techniques forged under the guidance of Rayleigh and Roger.
"BANG!"
Dodging the final, lethal thread, Barrett's foot slammed into the ground, the terrain beneath him exploding.
In an instant, he appeared before Doflamingo, his iron-like fist swinging straight for the man's skull.
"Stop using these childish tricks, Doflamingo!!!"
"Then take this! Feel my fists with your damn body!!!"
Doflamingo met Barrett's attack head-on.
He had clashed fists with Kaido, Big Mom, and even future Emperors—why should he fear some prisoner?
At the same time, behind Barrett, an identical figure of Doflamingo appeared.
It was his string clone.
"Boom!"
"Thud!"
A sharp pain erupted from the back of Barrett's head.
Even with his monstrous endurance, his vision blurred for a split second. He countered with both fists, laughing.
"You're just as sneaky as your subordinates!"
"This is my invincible combat technique!"
Doflamingo took Barrett's taunt as a compliment. With his real body and clone both attacking, four fists rained down upon Barrett.
He fought two-on-one because he could.
If circumstances allowed, he would have let Vergo join in as well.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
...
Meanwhile, Vergo released the Numancia Flamingo from the flame cloud, carefully maneuvering Diamante and the others toward safety.
"Judge!"
"Mr. Vergo, don't worry, I'm here."
Judge had already been waiting on the deck with his clones and medical pods.
After assessing their conditions, he swiftly got to work.
Surprisingly, Diamante, despite only taking one hit, was the most severely injured. Even with his Ripple-Ripple Fruit and Kami-e softening the blow, Barrett's punch had nearly sent him to the afterlife.
After stabilizing his shattered bones, Judge placed him into a nutrient pod.
Next was Moria, who had suffered two brutal head traumas. His skull was so cracked that his exposed brain matter was visible, and his face had been caved in below the eye sockets. Judge painstakingly pieced together his broken skull and found his dislodged tongue before finishing the emergency procedure.
Finally, he turned to Enel, whose chest, organs, and arms had taken heavy damage.
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+220 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg