With the three rescued, Vergo turned his attention back to the battlefield at the center of the Birdcage.
The deafening rumble continued, with shattered debris occasionally striking the Birdcage's threads, only to be shredded to dust. Two figures clashed repeatedly, their movements so swift they appeared as streaks of light.
Barrett was rapidly adapting to this Haki that could invade his very body. His seemingly endless supply of Armament Haki granted him unlimited opportunities to refine his technique.
"Hahahaha! Come on, Doflamingo!"
"There's no need to keep going. Without Roger, your will is fading. Your fists lack strength, your Haki has grown weak. So frail… Your only goal now should be to survive."
Doflamingo gazed down at Barrett. He was still too naive. Losing his purpose, doubting himself—each of these only served to weaken his Haki.
"Then come try it! See if you can truly defeat me!"
Barrett's fighting spirit burned hotter than ever. He flexed his swollen, blood-soaked wrist, bent his legs deeply, and launched himself forward. His terrifying acceleration triggered multiple sonic booms!
His evolving Armament Haki-clad fist closed in on Doflamingo's head in an instant.
"Hmm?!"
Not far away, three men—Jenomie and his two companions—who had failed to escape the Birdcage, observed the battle from their hiding spot.
Watching the scene unfold, their eyes lit up with hope. If their boss died here, they could follow this new powerhouse and finally escape their miserable labor.
"Boom!"
A dull impact rang out. Instead of Doflamingo being struck, it was Barrett who was sent flying. He crashed headfirst into a massive boulder, reducing it to rubble.
"???"
Jenomie and the others froze. Hadn't the new powerhouse just attacked first? What had just happened?
Doflamingo stood exactly where he had been, completely unmoved. But his chest had split open like something out of a nightmare.
From within, a white wave of string emerged, frozen mid-attack.
"Boom!"
The rubble exploded apart, revealing Barrett's muscular frame. A deep indentation marred his chest where the blow had landed.
"Doflamingo!"
Ignoring his injuries and the cheap trick that had just been played, Barrett's eyes were filled with disbelief—and excitement.
"You have the same ability as Roger?!"
"Fuffuffuffu… Are you talking about this?"
A cruel grin spread across Doflamingo's face. He clenched his fist, and black-and-red lightning crackled around it, radiating a deadly aura.
Just now, the attack had come from his chest—an advanced application of Conqueror's Haki imbued into his strings.
"Hahahaha! That level of danger—this is incredible!!!"
Barrett let out a crazed laugh. Doflamingo wielded the same power as Roger. That only made him even more eager. It felt like he was challenging Roger all over again.
A man like this, a warrior of this caliber—he was worth pouring his all into!
"Unified Armament!"
The Catapult, which had reverted to submarine mode, suddenly burst from the ground again.
"I am a Clank-Clank Fruit user—a fusion man! And my Catapult is…"
But this time, just as the Catapultr surfaced, it was abruptly trapped. The earth around it transformed into strings, wrapping tightly around the machine, preventing its full emergence.
Not only that, but the strings began assimilating the Catapult itself, fighting Barrett for control.
His expression shifted. Something was wrong.
"This is… Awakening?"
"There's no time for slow transformations in a battlefield like this! You're nothing but a joke!!!"
Riding a surge of white threads, Doflamingo lunged at Barrett.
"You think you're worthy to be my sharpening stone?"
From the Birdcage above, thousands of Haki-infused strings rained down, enveloping Barrett like the wings of a flamingo.
His eyes narrowed, and he immediately canceled his fusion. Crossing his arms before him, he braced for the storm of attacks.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"
The relentless onslaught forced Barrett and the Catapult deep into the ground. 100 meters. 1,000 meters. 10,000 meters…
By the time the barrage ended, the Catapult was completely unrecognizable, reduced to nothing but scrap metal.
Even with Armament Haki, Barrett was covered in blood. His arms, which had taken the brunt of the assault, were riddled with holes.
"You don't actually think this is over, do you?"
Doflamingo's voice was cold and ruthless.
Barrett's pupils shrank. Even after unleashing such an attack, Doflamingo still had more in him?! His stamina…
A Haki-clad fist, charged with immense power, slammed into Barrett's temple.
His beloved headphones shattered into dust in an instant.
With the sickening crack of breaking bones, Barrett was sent flying like a shooting star. Every rock and hill in his path exploded like soap bubbles.
Yet, even then, he refused to fall completely. Instead, the pain rekindled memories of the days he had sharpened himself against Roger.
It was just as intoxicating as back then.
His feet dug into the ground, acting as brakes.
The shattered earth around him flowed like water, converging toward his body.
The Unified Mode was never about the Catapult.
It was about Barrett himself.
Stone Titan Form.
A towering figure took shape upon the battlefield.
Just as Barrett was about to launch his counterattack, a powerful gust of wind surged toward him. A massive foot, as colossal as a pillar of heaven, came crashing down.
The stone titan's arms shot up to defend.
Could he block such an attack?
The answer was no.
"Boom!"
The massive foot drove the stone titan into the ground.
"This form? I mastered it years before you, mutt!"
The colossus known as the War Titan stood tall, its presence akin to a mythic titan.
Doflamingo's voice echoed across the island like a decree from the heavens.
Before Barrett could react, a relentless barrage of attacks followed.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"
...
"Boss… do we still follow the new guy?"
Zelov nudged the stunned Jenomie.
Snapped out of his daze, Jenomie smacked the still-dazed Zelov and hissed.
"What nonsense are you spouting? We're here to support Thunder God-sama's battle! Once his boss is done fighting, we go back to work."
Damn it. He was never stepping out again.
What kind of battle was this?
Since when did being a pirate require this level of strength?
He loved working. He wanted to be the most diligent worker on the seas.
...
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
"Barrett! How does it feel now, mutt?! HUH?!"
Doflamingo, like a jet engine fueled with aviation fuel, unleashed punches at an insane speed.
His attacks grew faster and faster, turning into a blur.
"..."
Inside the medium-scale equipment, Barrett remained silent, his expression tense as he fought for control of the stone against Doflamingo's string manipulation.
His armor was continuously shattered and reformed.
"Let me grant you eternal defeat, Barrett!"
"Sixteen Assassin's Bullets: God Execution!!!"
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+220 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg