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"Doffy, it seems we were a step too late. The Devil Fruit in the hands of the Barrels Pirates has been stolen. They're searching everywhere for it now."
"Hmm??"
Doflamingo, who was on the phone with Vergo, narrowed his eyes.
A look of realisation suddenly dawned on his face, and he immediately shouted into the receiver.
"Vergo, don't let Corazon get away! He's the one who stole the Op-Op Fruit!"
"Alright... I understand..."
Hearing Doflamingo's orders, Vergo subconsciously looked back in Rosinante's direction.
"Huh! How did he get away... when...?"
"Fuffuffuffuffu... he escaped, did he? But they won't be able to get off this island!" Doflamingo cut the connection, his face dark.
He opened his palm and stretched it toward the sky. Countless massive strings erupted like a volcano, shooting into the air.
Then, as if reaching their apex, the white threads rained down like meteors, continuously splitting, extending, and growing, before plunging viciously into the edges of Minion Island, forming a prison-like cage!!!
Birdcage!!!
This was the strongest technique Doflamingo could use before his ability Awakened.
The imprisonment it currently displayed was only one of its functions; it also possessed the characteristics of manipulation and attack, though there was no need to demonstrate them in this situation.
However, elsewhere on the island...
"What is that!!?" Law looked in horror at the Birdcage that enveloped the sky. Such terrifying power completely overturned the worldview he had formed in his short life.
"That must be... Doffy's ability."
"And... it seems we can't escape now..." Rosinante smiled bitterly and shook his head. He hadn't expected his luck to be this bad.
He had thought that escaping from Vergo's grasp with his Calm-Calm Fruit would mean they could truly get off the island.
He never imagined Doflamingo had such an incredible trick up his sleeve. It seemed he had underestimated Doffy...
"However..." Rosinante looked at Law beside him and muttered to himself, "It shouldn't be a problem for Law to escape on his own if I go out and draw Doflamingo's attention."
"Law, we might have to move in a bit. Let's go!" Rosinante pushed Law forward, forcing himself to endure the pain wracking his body and giving Law a wide grin as he looked back.
Even though the beating from Vergo made it look somewhat comical, Rosinante's smile was genuine.
Because... even if one day Law were to remember his face, it was better to be smiling than crying!
Outside Minion Island, in mid-air.
"Vice Admiral, sir, this is..." Tesoro couldn't help but exclaim, looking at the giant cage that enveloped the entire island.
"Just the Devil Fruit ability of some pirate," Atlas said, calmly spreading his Observation Haki to check on Rosinante's condition.
"Phew~ Good." Rosinante's life force was still present, just a bit weak. It seemed he wasn't too late.
However...
Atlas carefully examined the Birdcage before him. It wasn't coated in Armament Haki; with Doflamingo's Haki reserves, it would be impossible to cover a cage that large.
Thump!
Atlas raised his hand and tapped it. It wasn't as hard as he had imagined; in fact, it felt somewhat soft, like threads.
But it would be a grave mistake to think it could be easily broken. He could feel that if he tried to use brute force, less than half of the power would actually be applied.
The combination of softness and hardness made it, even without Haki, as tough as a famed sword!
But...
Atlas's eyes narrowed. The muscles in his arms suddenly bulged, every fibre becoming visible.
Black and red Armament Haki flowed wildly, and two massive arms, disproportionate to his body, instantly appeared!
Life Return: War God Arms!
Then, under Tesoro's horrified gaze, Atlas opened his giant hands, gripped two of the cage's bars, and the veins on his arms bulged as the divine strength granted by the Ox Talisman was unleashed!
SCREEEEECH!!!
"Fuffuffuffuffu... Corazon, it's been half a year."
Doflamingo's face was a savage grin as he looked at Rosinante, whom his family members surrounded, his anger turning to laughter.
"..."
The collapsed Rosinante said nothing, his eyes fixed on the condescending Doflamingo. But his thoughts were on Law, who was hiding in a nearby chest.
He strained to maintain his Devil Fruit ability, ensuring that Law would not be discovered.
Doflamingo also remained silent. He wanted to see how his little brother would struggle after betraying him.
"Huff... cough cough... I am a Marine," Rosinante was the first to break the silence. "Marine Headquarters Commander Rosinante, Marine ID 01746."
"To stop the various evil deeds of the Donquixote Family, I was specially sent undercover. Captain of the Donquixote Pirates, Doflamingo!"
"I'm sorry for deceiving you..., because I didn't want you to hate me!" Rosinante said with difficulty.
"...What's the point of saying that now?" Doflamingo's expression remained unchanged. He clearly thought Rosinante was confessing his sins to him.
"Now, answer me two questions! Where is the Op-Op Fruit? And where is Law!"
"Cough cough... I had Law eat the Op-Op Fruit a long time ago. As for him, he's probably on a Marine surveillance ship by now, hehe..."
Just then, Buffalo, who had eaten the Spin-Spin Fruit, suddenly reported loudly from the air, "Young Master, we just intercepted a communication that the Marines have protected a young boy!"
"Cough cough..." Rosinante was shocked. He never expected such a coincidence. As expected... the natural enemy of the gods!
"Prepare to set sail immediately! We must get Law back from the Marines!" Doflamingo ordered the surrounding family members, then looked at the weakened Rosinante.
"However..."
"The god of salvation has descended for you time and time again. Since you let Law eat the Op-Op Fruit, why didn't you teach him to die for me willingly!"
"Why must you obstruct me at every turn, Corazon! Why are you forcing me to kill my own family again!"
As Doflamingo spoke, he had already raised the flintlock in his hand, aiming it at the collapsed Rosinante.
Just as Doflamingo was about to shoot his own brother, a voice that made his blood run cold suddenly came from behind him.
"Could you move aside? Little Doffy."
Doflamingo's finger, which was about to pull the trigger, froze slightly. He subconsciously turned his head to look at the man who had appeared behind him at some unknown point.
He was tall and imposing, with a cold, handsome face. His body was covered in knotted muscles, like a towering mountain pressing down on his heart.
In an instant, the entire Donquixote Family, from Doflamingo down to prospective executives like Buffalo, fell into a dead silence.
Even the collapsed Rosinante, who had prepared for death, felt his pupils contract violently, followed by a surge of overwhelming joy.
No way, I'm not seeing things, am I...
This Marine...
Could this man be...
After getting a clear look at the man behind Doflamingo, all the members of the Donquixote Family present couldn't suppress the fear in their hearts.
Admiral Candidate of Marine Headquarters! Codename: Byakko!!
As pirates, how could they not know the weight of an Admiral Candidate, let alone the one known as the youngest in the history of the Marines, Byakko!
This man's methods against pirates since his debut were no less cruel than those of another Admiral Candidate, Akainu.
Almost no pirate had ever survived an encounter with him.
However, how could such a man suddenly appear in the North Blue! And how could he so coincidentally appear before their Donquixote Family!
"Fuffuffuffuffu... how rude. Who are you calling 'little'? Doflamingo was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted.
He was the man destined to become king; how could he be frightened by a mere title!
Clearly, the Doflamingo of this time had not yet been humbled by Kaido. He exuded an aura of "Heaven is number one, and I am number two."
"Besides, I'm teaching my dear little brother a lesson. What right does a mere Marine like you have to interfere..."
Without another word, Doflamingo continued to pull the trigger of his flintlock.
BANG! POW!
The sound of flesh hitting flesh rang out. Doflamingo's confident expression instantly crumbled.
His tall body suddenly bent over like a boiled shrimp, and he was sent flying backwards.
Atlas, at some unknown point, had moved in front of Rosinante, his body still in the posture of having just kicked.
The metal bullet he had caught was slowly being crushed into powder in his hand.
"Honestly, I told you to move aside..." Atlas shook his head slightly, looking at the now-on-high-alert members of the Donquixote Family.
"Young Master! Are you alright!"
"Damn it, this guy..."
Seeing Doflamingo sent flying, the pirates who had been surrounding Rosinante instantly scattered like birds, re-forming a circle around the fallen Doflamingo.
"Fuffuffuffuffu... I'm fine." Doflamingo slowly deactivated the pitch-black Armament Haki around his waist, a look of pain on his face.
He forcibly swallowed the sweet taste of blood rising in his throat and secretly used his Devil Fruit ability to stitch his slightly ruptured internal organs back together.
Such immense power!
Doflamingo was secretly terrified. A bead of sweat the size of a soybean slowly trickled down his forehead, and he felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness.
If he wasn't mistaken, that guy hadn't even used Armament Haki just now...
"Well, can you still hold on? Rosinante."
Atlas, however, ignored the wary Doflamingo and his crew. He spoke as he knelt, the power of the Horse Talisman welling up in his hands.
"Cough cough... I'm fine, won't die for now." Rosinante's voice was a bit hoarse, but his face was filled with unconcealable joy.
Although he had been undercover with Doflamingo for all these years, he had often kept an eye on news about Atlas.
He naturally knew how terrifyingly strong Atlas was now; dealing with Doflamingo would be more than enough.
"Don't talk for now, this will be over in a moment..." Atlas said, stopping Rosinante's struggles.
The faint green light in his hands made contact with his wounded body, and in an instant, his injuries were completely healed.
"This is..." Rosinante was surprised as he moved his body. He hadn't expected the effect to be so fast. Is this the power of a Devil Fruit?
"We'll talk later. Let's deal with these guys first." Atlas had no intention of explaining. He stood up and looked at the on-guard Doflamingo and his crew.
"Come on out, stop hiding, Vergo!!" Instead of dealing with Doflamingo first, he shouted at Vergo, who was hiding behind a pile of debris.
"You... followed me...?" Realising he had been discovered, Vergo walked out from his hiding place, his face pale.
As smart as he was, he had already figured out how Atlas had found him. "When did you start suspecting me?"
"That..." Atlas shook his head slightly, his figure rapidly disappearing from everyone's sight.
POW!
The next second, no one saw what happened. In the blink of an eye, Vergo's head, which was covered in Armament Haki, was instantly stomped into the ground by Atlas.
A crater perfectly matching the shape of Vergo's head was formed!
With one foot on the unconscious Vergo's head, Atlas grinned grimly. "There's no need to explain, is there? Mr.—Vergo?"
"Right? Doflamingo!!?"
"Fuffuffuffuffu..." Doflamingo didn't answer, but his mind was racing, trying to figure out how to escape from this Marine.
I have to run! This man was not someone he could fight. From their brief exchange just now, he could already sense the insurmountable gap between them!
"Doffy... what should we do now?" a member of the Donquixote Family, Trebol, couldn't help but sidle up to Doflamingo and ask worriedly.
To ensure the success of this operation to seize the Op-Op Fruit, most of the family's members had been brought here. If they were killed by this Marine, the entire family would be wiped out!
"Hey, don't get so close to me!" Doflamingo's veins bulged on his forehead as he spoke with disgust.
BOOM!!!
As soon as he spoke, a beam of explosive fire enveloped Trebol accurately.
The powerful blast and terrifying heat instantly vaporised the large amount of mucus covering his skin.
Trebol himself had a hole blown through his chest and fell backwards.
"Since you dislike him so much, I thought I'd do you a favour and get rid of him..." Atlas said, looking at Doflamingo's increasingly dark face.
(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach the top 100)
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