The setting sun dyed the horizon with its last warm rays, making the ocean shimmer in shades of red and orange, as if a vast fire spread across the water's surface. The seagulls, high in the skies, flew tirelessly, taking advantage of dusk to return to their nests.On Colonel Barrels' warship, the third round of the battle between Doflamingo and Barrels had come to an end.
There were no extravagant or showy moves, just simple, direct attacks, fist to fist. Although it wasn't elegant or flashy, any attentive observer could perceive the danger hidden in each blow.
Barrels' fatal punch passed close to Doflamingo's face. Without showing panic, Doflamingo remained calm. He crossed his arms to protect his handsome face; after all, his sunglasses were part of his essence and couldn't break. The heavy blow, infused with the destructive power of Armament Haki, made Doflamingo's arms tremble incessantly, forcing him to retreat more than ten steps.
"Kid, you can't take it anymore, can you? If you don't surrender now, I'll have to use all my strength," Barrels said. If it weren't for the superior order to capture Doflamingo alive, Barrels wouldn't have so much time to talk to a pirate, although the kid impressed him a little.
Doflamingo, who had retreated more than ten steps, shook his trembling hands and remained silent, absorbing the changes in his body. The powerful blow that, to others, seemed to have caused great harm to Doflamingo, in reality, was being used by him to hammer his own body, making the union of "spirit and flesh," which previously seemed perfect, even more cohesive. But it wasn't enough yet; the changes were too few. He needed more stimuli, and stronger ones.
Without hesitation, without waiting for the opponent to attack first, Doflamingo clenched his trembling hands into fists, pushed off with his thighs, and shot forward like a bullet.
"Soru!"
The two, equally swift, met again. Barrels' face was as serious as water. He had already tried to convince Doflamingo with kind words, but the other persisted in his delusion, acting as if he could actually defeat him. "Perhaps that's what it means to be a pirate," he thought. "To know it's a losing battle, but still fight with all your might."
Colonel Barrels, who didn't hold back, was clearly stronger than before, incomparably different. Without the slightest trace of hesitation, his fists rained down like a storm on Doflamingo's slender body, which, like a banana leaf in a storm, was relentlessly struck, but showed impressive tenacity.
Pain, only pain. That was Doflamingo's first sensation as he resisted the opponent's storm of blows with all his might. The burning pain tormented him, blood flowed from his mouth, and his injuries accumulated. Just when he himself wondered if he could still endure, the violent attacks ceased, giving Doflamingo a brief moment of rest. He squatted on the ground, supporting his severely injured body while gasping for breath.
Barrels looked at Doflamingo, who was in a sorry state, and a flicker of recognition passed through his eyes, but it was quickly denied by his sense of justice. "Compassion and recognition for pirates are unacceptable," he thought. It was time to deliver the final blow.
"Rokushiki Ougi: Rokuougan!"
Doflamingo, who was still gasping and supporting himself, seemed not to have noticed the danger. To observers, he seemed to have accepted his fate, calmly waiting for his defeat.
However, was that the truth?
No. Doflamingo, who had just caught his breath, was not disheartened or dejected, as others thought, as if he had given in to fate.
He didn't waste a single second of that precious opportunity. Doflamingo felt the strength in his body. The furious and intense blows had continuously molded his body. The cells seemed to have received enough nourishment, vibrating with excitement and joy. For, at that exact moment, his Armament Haki had finally awakened.
The reason he hadn't awakened Armament Haki before wasn't because his physical constitution didn't meet the requirements, but rather because the strength of his soul was too powerful previously, and his physical constitution couldn't keep up with it, failing to perfectly unite. It was like a soul possession in cultivation stories, where the spirit and body couldn't perfectly merge. After absorbing a lot of soul energy and training for so long, Doflamingo had convinced himself that he had perfectly combined his spirit and body, but the result was completely different. He didn't expect that only today the fusion of spirit and body would be fully completed; otherwise, he would still have a long way to go.
Feeling the warm flow in his body, every cell seemed to swim in a warm ocean, and Doflamingo was so comfortable he wanted to scream.
The members of Doflamingo's crew, upon seeing the imminent danger, maintained the same expression: no panic, no fear. Their eyes remained firm, an expression of unwavering confidence in their king.
But, upon seeing such a scene, Diamante couldn't help but shout: "Doffy!"
The powerful Rokushiki Ougi: Rokuougan of the Marine advanced towards Doflamingo. Everyone watched, awaiting the outcome. The Marines had faces full of victorious excitement, while the pirates, whose hearts were tight, finally relaxed and burst into joy, exulting with emotion.
Doflamingo activated his Armament Haki, muttering to himself. With his head down, feeling the warm flow converging to his hands, he clenched his fists and unleashed all his body's strength against Barrels, who was advancing.
"Break!"
"BOOM!" A terrifying explosion occurred between the two, and both were thrown backward by the force. Each remained standing in their place, observing the other from a distance.
"How is that possible?!" Barrels said instinctively. "My Rokuougan was blocked by that kid!"
The Marines were also incredulous, finding the result absurd. The pirate, who was previously being dominated, still had the strength to resist! On the other side, the pirates, whose hearts were tight, finally relaxed and burst into joy, exulting with emotion.
Looking at Doflamingo, whose two fists were covered by black Armament Haki, Barrels realized: "Kid, were you using me as a guinea pig all this time? Letting me help you awaken Armament Haki for free?"
"Fufufufu, I truly owe you a lot! Otherwise, I would have to spend much more time, and not without meticulous effort, to master this strength," Doflamingo laughed arrogantly, without the slightest sign of guilt.
"What terrifying talent! This only means that I cannot let you go at all. Otherwise, you will become a threat to the entire world," Barrels' face darkened, and a volcanic mountain seemed about to erupt.
"Fufufufu, a threat to the world? What a dangerous statement! It doesn't seem that way to me. I think you are just afraid of my power. What brought you this conceited justice? Besides, I have always been a peace lover."
"Stop the nonsense! Pirates are all evil! The Marine's justice will never be wrong! For justice, pirate Doflamingo, surrender!" Upon hearing the defamation of Marine justice, the Marines couldn't help but protest loudly.
Upon hearing this, Doflamingo seemed to be provoked. His Conqueror's Haki no longer held back, gushing out instantly, crushing the Marines.
"Pirates are evil? The Marine is just? That notion has already been rewritten countless times. The values of children who do not know peace and children who do not know war are different.
Only those at the top can define good and evil. This place is now neutral. Will justice win? Of course it will, only the winner is justice!"
Observing the Marines gradually falling, Barrels' face became even more serious, and his sense of crisis became more imminent.
"I didn't imagine you possessed Conqueror's Haki, which only one in a million people possesses. Truly, you are a great threat."
Barrels didn't act rashly. The current Doflamingo was a considerable threat in his eyes, and with so many Marines around, he couldn't abandon them. The atmosphere was extremely tense.
"Time continues, and opportunities arise, Marines. We will meet again. Folks, let's go!" Doflamingo had no intention of continuing the fight. He had already obtained what he wanted. The priority now was to return to recover and familiarize himself with the new strength he had acquired. Although the opponent was only one, if he fought with everything, Doflamingo also wouldn't escape unscathed.
Watching the pirate ship disappear into the distance, Barrels stood on the bow, still replaying Doflamingo's words. Facing the salty sea wind, his figure seemed somewhat desolate and solitary.
Doflamingo, what kind of change will you bring to this world? Time continues, opportunities arise. Let's wait and see.