"Break!!!" Vergo took a deep breath of the hot, thin air and exhaled with a roar like thunder. He shot forward like an arrow from a bow, punching the oncoming fire giant's sword.
BANG!
The air trembled violently, and waves of hot air radiated outward. Surtur's flame sword shattered into pieces under Vergo's punch. Vergo didn't stop there, punching a huge hole in Surtur's chest. However, in the next moment, Surtur just glanced at the hole in its chest, then ignored it and raised its left arm. It clenched its left fist and swung it fiercely at Vergo.
Vergo, naturally fearless, met the blow with a punch of his own. The large and small, red and black fists collided with another bang. Surtur's left arm exploded, dissipating into flames from the force of Vergo's punch.
"Violent Annihilation!!!" Surtur didn't cry out in pain or show any concern. Its expression remained ferocious as it opened its mouth and spewed several basketball-sized fireballs at Vergo.
"Is it useless? This is even more troublesome than a Logia user!" Vergo sensed the danger and didn't bother to attack further, quickly retreating.
Boom, boom, boom...
One after another, the basketball-sized fireballs chased after Vergo, landing and exploding violently like heavy high-explosive shells from a cannon. They not only blew large, charred craters in the ground but also sent hot flames and heatwaves in all directions.
For a time, Vergo fled for his life. If his Armament Haki hadn't been strong enough, he would have already been burnt to a crisp.
Doflamingo, seeing Vergo's predicament, looked surprised and rushed to help. However, Cross used Geppo to stay in the air, running across it as if it were solid ground, and quickly came towards him.
"One Sword Style: Mikazuki!!" (Crescent Moon)
"Goshikito!!"
Clang—
A ringing sound of clashing metal rang out, kicking up a strong gust of wind.
"The Ope Ope no Mi isn't the only thing in this world that can grant 'immortality'. Give me Law, and I'll promise to help you find another Devil Fruit that can achieve 'immortality'!" Doflamingo moved closer to Cross and made a solemn promise.
"Leaving aside how poor your pirate reputation is, if Devil Fruits that grant 'immortality' were that easy to find, this world would be full of guys who are hundreds, even thousands, of years old!" Cross sneered, completely dismissing the idea.
With that, Scáthach appeared behind Doflamingo. A pair of bat wings grew on its back, allowing it to fly. As a shadow life form that had also absorbed the Paramecia-type Shadow-Shadow Fruit's ability, Scáthach had the power to change its size, shape, and even become tangible at will. Growing a pair of wings was nothing; it could even transform into a large bird.
Doflamingo noticed the unusual movement behind him and shot upwards, dodging Scáthach's embrace.
"Overheat!!!" Doflamingo looked down, extending his hand. A dozen fine strings formed in his palm and twisted together, creating a long, scorching whip that he swung down. The whip was almost twenty meters long, and its attack range was incredibly tricky, aiming to hit Cross, Scáthach, and Surtur all at once.
Cross reacted quickly, narrowly dodging the attack. Scáthach, however, was a step too slow and had a large chunk of its body sliced off by the razor-sharp whip. Below, Surtur, who was only focused on chasing Vergo, was split in half from head to toe by the whip. The whip also left a deep, one-meter-wide crack in the charred ground.
"Tch, I missed!" Doflamingo looked at Cross, who had dodged the attack, his expression a mix of anger and frustration. He knew that Scáthach was just a shadow and Surtur was made of fire; neither was afraid of ordinary physical damage. Even with Armament Haki, such an attack was meaningless.
Scáthach's missing part of its body quickly fused back together. Surtur's body, which had dissipated into flames, also stood up from the gradually dying sea of fire, still tall and imposing with the majestic crown of flames on its head.
At this moment, Cross stomped the air, creating a visible white air ring beneath his foot. His body shot into the sky like a rocket, quickly closing the distance to Doflamingo.
"One Sword Style: Kagen no Tsuki!!" Cross gripped Shusui with both hands and swung it from the bottom up. His slash was fast and sharp, leaving a crescent-shaped arc in the air. (Waning Moon)
Clang!
Doflamingo pulled his hands apart, and a dozen crystalline strings appeared between them, blocking Cross's attack. He used the momentum to continue flying backward. However, the next second, Doflamingo dived down, raising his long, powerful right leg and sweeping it toward Cross's head like a sharp blade.
"Athlete!!!"
"Damn it!" At the crucial moment, Cross bent backward into a backbridge, narrowly avoiding Doflamingo's whip kick.
Since he was no longer using Geppo, Cross's body began to fall. Fortunately, he used the momentum to perform a backflip, straighten his body, and use Geppo to stay in the air again.
"Goshikito!!!"
"Shadow Substitute!!!" Just then, Doflamingo dived down again. He raised his arm and then swung it downward. He created five transparent strings from his fingertips that resembled a rake, and they instantly pierced through Cross's body.
"Huh?! This is..." The next second, Doflamingo was shocked to find that his five strings had not pierced Cross's body but a black, purple-tinged female shadow. In that split second, Cross had swapped places with Scáthach, letting Scáthach take the hit from Doflamingo while he dodged the attack.
"Black Coffin!!!" Cross roared from a few meters away.
Scáthach's body melted into a puddle of black fluid, which then quickly formed a vertical, black coffin. The coffin encased Doflamingo and then closed its lid.
"Haha~ Take this!" Cross laughed, stepping on the air as if it were a staircase, and quickly rose higher.
Sss—
But before Cross could get close, many invisible, razor-sharp strings appeared and tore the black coffin to shreds. Doflamingo escaped somewhat raggedly, and the first thing he saw was Cross, who was almost right in front of him, and a sword coming straight for him.
Before the sword even reached him, the sharp wind from the blade already made him feel a searing pain as if he was being cut. The deadly danger it contained made his scalp tingle. In an instant, Doflamingo didn't even have time to think. He waved his hand, sending five strings as sharp as piano wires to slice forward. With a clang, he deflected Cross's sword, creating a visible circular ripple in the air.
Sss—
RUMBLE!!
Cross's Shusui was deflected to the side. In the direction the blade was turned, a small, distant hill was suddenly sliced in half from top to bottom by the invisible sword wind. The top half of the hill was sent flying, leaving Doflamingo with a shocked expression.
"You've got to be kidding me! That single slash..."
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