It hadn't been in vain—risking Kaido's wrath to personally come to Prince Kingdom.
To avoid drawing the Marine's attention, he hadn't even brought his crew, traveling alone through the sky by riding the clouds.
Before arriving, the horrifying sight of Kaido and Zephyr's battle had already made Doflamingo realize just how wise he'd been not to challenge Kaido head-on in his reckless youth.
That level of attack—forget taking a direct hit, even the residual shockwaves were something he couldn't withstand right now.
Watching the strike that seemed capable of tearing apart the entire sky, Doflamingo took a deep breath before charging towards Jake and Monet, who were now incapacitated.
He wouldn't kill them—after all, they were Kaido's prey.
But a little torment?
As long as their bodies remained mostly intact, Kaido wouldn't give him any trouble!
As for that woman, she seemed to be Sugar's sister.
If possible, bringing her back could serve as leverage to keep Sugar in check, even if she couldn't become part of the "family."
What a bountiful haul!
Though he couldn't kill Jake because of Kaido, as long as he could exact some revenge, Doflamingo could accept that.
After all, ever since Jake had risen to prominence at Marine Headquarters, Doflamingo had known that, relying solely on his own strength, there was absolutely no way he could eliminate Jake anymore.
The next moment, his feet clad in shoes resembling loafers stomped forcefully mid-air.
Using the rebound force from the strings, his entire body shot forward like a bullet, covering hundreds of meters in an instant to arrive directly above the two.
Seeing their stunned expressions, Doflamingo's lips curled into a vicious grin as he sneered.
"Fufufufufu! Long time no see, Jake. Every time I see that detestable face of yours in the newspapers, the rage in my heart only grows! Just thinking about how you stole that fruit from me, how you ruined my dealings with the Big Mom Pirates, costing me hundreds of millions of berries—I could tear you apart and devour you alive!"
As he spoke, his hands moved without pause.
Countless threads shot from his fingers, slicing through several trees in front of Jake and Monet, completely cutting off their escape routes.
Both Jake and Monet had exhausted their stamina in the earlier battle, leaving them with no means to counter Doflamingo's sudden attack.
Staring at the smirking warlord, Jake tightened his grip and pulled Monet behind him.
In the next moment, a blinding light flickered in his palm.
Beneath Doflamingo's feet, a circular cross-shaped pattern of golden-orange lines materialized.
A searing pain lanced through Jake's skull, blood trickling uncontrollably from his nose and eyes.
This was the price of forcibly using his abilities while drained—a reckless strain on his body that inflicted near-irreversible damage.
Even if Jake could recover through Healing Prayer, the process would be agonizingly slow.
Fortunately, Doflamingo had misjudged Jake's condition and failed to react in time.
By the time he realized, the Holy Light—bright enough to illuminate half the forest—was already cascading from the sky.
The terrifying torrent of Holy Light Energy poured down like a waterfall, blending scorching heat and crackling lightning as it ravaged Doflamingo's body.
The sheer force slammed him face-first into the ground, his clothes charring black the instant the light struck.
His arms convulsed violently as electricity coursed through his veins.
Yet Doflamingo's reflexes were sharp.
The moment the golden cross appeared beneath him, he had already coated his body in a thin layer of Armament Haki.
Though it couldn't fully block the attack, it mitigated some of the damage.
Simultaneously, he used his String-String Fruit powers to weave multiple shields reinforced with Armament Haki, shielding himself from the Holy Light's onslaught.
Jake coughed up a mouthful of blood, his weakened body on the verge of collapse.
As the Holy Light faded, his legs buckled—had Monet not steadied him, he would have crumpled to the ground.
As the Holy Light faded, a voice filled with chilling murderous intent rang out, laughing in extreme anger.
"Fuffuffuffu! Brat! I've changed my mind! Even if Kaido comes after me later, I'll tear you to pieces! Let's start with your legs first—so you can't run away anymore! Five Colored Strings!"
Five nearly transparent threads extended from each finger as Doflamingo slashed downward in a beast-like claw posture.
Those razor-sharp threads, sharp as piano wires, could undoubtedly slice Jake's body apart in an instant.
Monet saw this scene and desperately threw herself in front of Jake, attempting to shield him with her own body.
Frowning to better control Sugar, Doflamingo halted his attack mid-motion and leaped in front of the two.
With a slight flick of his fingers, countless threads flashed past at terrifying speed, binding Monet tightly to a nearby tree.
"Now that the nuisance is out of the way, it's just you and me, brat! Which leg should I start cutting first?"
But Doflamingo didn't wait for Jake's answer.
He raised his hand and slashed directly toward Jake's left leg.
Just as the sharp threads were about to sever Jake's entire left leg, an urgent voice called out.
"Phoenix Brand!"
A streak of blue-green flames flashed across the sky, and in an instant, Doflamingo was sent flying.
His body crashed through several thick trees before finally coming to a stop.
Wiping blood from his lips, Doflamingo glared at the familiar figure before him, his voice dripping with suppressed rage.
"Marco! First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates! What are you doing here?!"
Marco didn't answer Doflamingo immediately.
Instead, he casually severed the threads binding Monet before turning to Jake with a grin.
"Yo~ Future of the Marines, looks like you could use some help. Want to team up?"
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