Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sea exploded like it had been carpet-bombed by a fleet of warplanes, waves surging high into the sky.
Shanks and Mihawk exchanged a glance, perfectly in sync.
Yoru and Gryphon slashed forward simultaneously.
Two massive shockwaves collided head-on with the incoming feathers, detonating on impact.
No time to rest—Shanks and Mihawk launched themselves forward.
At the same time, they unleashed a massive slash toward the center of the explosion.
Because—
Doflamingo was already speeding toward them, wings spread wide.
His purple-black wings, crimson shades, and vicious smile made him look like a demon ready to devour everything in sight.
"Sixteen Holy Bullets!"
Sixteen tendrils crackling with black-red lightning erupted from Doflamingo's back.
Shanks' pupils shrank. This... this was the same power Captain Roger once wielded.
Crack!
The slashes from Shanks and Mihawk were shattered by the tendrils imbued with Conqueror's Haki.
The tendrils didn't lose momentum—roaring straight toward them.
Duang!
The tendrils slammed into Yoru and Gryphon with a heavy thud.
Mihawk and Shanks both felt the overwhelming force surge through their blades, their faces darkening.
Their bodies couldn't help but fall midair.
The power—was insane!!!
Even Mihawk and Red-Haired Shanks—
Shanks, who once sailed on Roger's ship as an apprentice, had seen countless monsters.
But no amount of experience could bridge the gap when it came to sheer strength.
And Mihawk—
No need to mention it. He was still far from reaching his peak.
One strike of Conqueror's Haki-infused tendrils, and even the two of them combined were instantly overwhelmed.
...
Meanwhile, on the ship, Beckman and Yasopp had already dealt with the aftermath of the feather barrage, moving all their unconscious crewmates into the cabin.
As sharpshooters, they immediately sensed an opportunity.
They raised their sniper rifles, aiming at Doflamingo, who was grappling with Shanks and Mihawk.
But before they could pull the trigger—
An icy chill of danger exploded in their hearts.
They looked up.
A massive dragon's head pierced through the clouds, gazing down.
The newcomer was none other than Vergo, having sensed the disturbance from the outer sea.
"Beasts Kaido?!"
Beckman and Yasopp exchanged a glance, shock written all over their faces.
Before they could react further—
The dragon's throat glowed with searing light, like a second sun appearing above the battlefield.
"Dragon's Flame!"
The blistering breath roared toward the Red-Hair Pirates' ship, threatening to incinerate everything!
Bang! Bang!
Two gunshots fired, one after the other.
The first bullet, imbued with dense Armament Haki, sliced through the Dragon's Flame like a blade cutting through water.
The second shot raced toward the dragon's eye.
"Yasopp! Head for that island!" Beckman shouted, pointing toward a thunder-covered island in the distance.
"Got it!" Yasopp rushed to the helm, spinning the wheel.
...
Thud!
Before the Red-Hair Pirates' ship could fully escape the firestorm, something crashed onto the deck.
A small dragon, slick and black as oil, had landed.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Clattering noises echoed as bullets that had barely scratched Vergo's scales bounced off uselessly.
Seeing this, Beckman and Yasopp swallowed hard.
This...
Vergo spun the dragon-tooth club in his hand, clashing it against the deck.
The wood cracked and splintered under his blows.
Sizzle... sizzle...!
Lightning from the sky streamed into the tip of his club.
Now, Vergo—
With the bloodline of the Oni Clan, the scales of the Azure Dragon Fruit, and years of mastering Armament Haki—
Had become a near-invincible monster.
Unless an enemy's Armament Haki could flow freely like water, piercing his defenses was almost impossible.
And Beckman and Yasopp, who had just entered the New World, were still a long way from that level.
"Interrupting Doflamingo's fun? You're not even close."
Vergo bent his knees. The deck exploded beneath him.
The ship itself shuddered from the shockwave, dipping two meters deeper into the waterline.
In the next instant, Vergo vanished—targeting the weakest link.
"I can't sense him!"
Yasopp's face turned pale.
A heart-pounding wave of danger slammed into him, almost making his heart burst.
Neither his Observation Haki nor his extraordinary eyesight could track Vergo now.
With Vergo's current physique using Soru—
His speed was godlike.
Only Beckman, with sharper Observation Haki, could barely sense him.
He fired shot after shot at the blurred figure.
But...
Was it any use?
No!
His bullets—were too slow.
In the next moment, searing lightning descended right above Yasopp.
"No! Don't—!"
"Die!"
Like a baseball player swinging for a home run, Vergo brought down his dragon-tooth club with all his might.
It smashed straight into Yasopp's skull.
Crack!
The sickening sound of bones shattering rang out.
Flames from the superheated lightning instantly ignited Yasopp's hair and skin.
His body, now a burning fireball, was hurled into the ship's cabin.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The new ship Shanks had spent three years building at Water 7—was now going up in flames.
Vergo glanced coldly at the approaching bullets.
"You're next."
...
Back at the center of the battle—
Hearing the explosions from behind, Shanks couldn't help but look back for a second.
Doflamingo's brow lifted slightly—how disrespectful.
In an instant, a streak of purple-red light tore through Shanks' defense.
It struck his chest with brutal force.
His hat flew into the air.
Pfft!
Shanks spat out a mouthful of blood, shooting like a cannonball toward the shores of Raijin Island.
"Fufufufufufu... I don't like little brats who don't take our fights seriously."
Doflamingo caught the plain-looking Nika hat, turning it over curiously.
He really wanted to know—what was the deal with the legendary giant straw hat from Mary Geoise?
...
Seizing the opportunity, Mihawk widened the distance.
"You're the son of Homing?"
"Fufufufufu, that's right," Doflamingo chuckled, sensing the hat with his Observation Haki as he strolled through the air.
"But unfortunately, my father wasn't as smart as yours. Instead of quietly moving to the outside world, he gave up his Celestial Dragon status... and destroyed everything we once had."
As he spoke, Doflamingo leaned forward slightly, an invasive gleam in his eyes and a twisted smile on his lips.
"But it's fine now—I got my revenge."
"Revenge?" Mihawk instinctively tightened his grip on his Supreme Grade blade, feeling something was seriously wrong with Doflamingo's state.
"That's right. I killed him with my own hands."
Patricide?!
Mihawk's golden, hawk-like eyes widened sharply.
"You're insane."
"Fufufufufu... I am insane. Reunion time's over."
Doflamingo casually punched through the Nika hat, slipping it onto his wrist like a bracelet.
His twin wings trembled.
His body shot forward, his smile growing ever wilder.
"Come on—let's continue!"
...
"Crescent Moon Slash!"
Mihawk, who had been charging up power, unleashed a ferocious blade strike, racing toward the spot where Shanks had fallen.
The crescent-shaped shockwave soared into the sky, as if it could cleave both the heavens and the seas in half.
It was aimed to completely obliterate Doflamingo.
"Fufufufufu... Not bad. That's got a little of the Golden Lion's flavor."
Far from being afraid, Doflamingo's smile only grew wider.
The stronger they became—
The more joyful he felt.
The closer he got—to that ultimate ecstasy only humans could reach!!!
His arms below the elbows morphed into spinning, buzzing lances.
Black-red Conqueror's Haki crackled around them like real lightning.
He brought them down with devastating force.
Crack!!!
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg