"What a fool... wasting time tangling with the SWORD Forces at a moment like this!"
Doflamingo had long since used his String-String Fruit abilities to lift the Donquixote Family into the sky.
Engaging with these people clearly wouldn't help the assault on Wano.
Moreover... this battlefield wasn't the crucial one.
What mattered was Kaido's victory.
And Michael's defeat.
Given the current situation, that Michael fellow was likely lying in wait at Wano.
Just waiting for Kaido to chase Boa Hancock to the outskirts of Wano before making his move.
Luring the enemy in...
But he too was the oriole stalking the mantis.
Doflamingo gazed at his hands with a cold smirk playing on his lips.
"To defeat you, I've trained relentlessly..."
"Michael... I'll give you a surprise!"
"I'll aim for your back this time..."
As he smirked, Trebol—dangling from the clouds via the String-String Fruit's threads—asked shakily:
"D-Doffy... are you sure about this?"
"This is the legendary Dyna stone we're talking about..."
"With this amount, forget a few people... there might not even be much of Wano left afterward, right?"
Doflamingo turned to face the family member who had followed him faithfully all these years.
Not just Trebol—the other executives also wore uneasy expressions.
After all, they had never wielded something of such destructive power before.
"Who told you that Dyna stone must be detonated?" Doflamingo revealed a triumphant smirk.
"Sometimes, something this dangerous... not detonating it can bring more benefits than actually setting it off."
...
"To sum up, should we attack directly now, or try to delay the decisive battle as much as possible?" Smoker looked down at the massive pirate fleet below.
"Honestly, this is the first time I've seen such a large-scale fleet outside the Marine."
"After all, it's the product of cooperation between several major pirate forces..." Crocodile narrowed her eyes.
"And besides them, many opportunistic pirate crews have temporarily joined this alliance hoping to get a piece of the pie... though they're just a bunch of opportunists."
"Michael's orders were for us to judge the situation ourselves... but now it seems we can turn the feint into the main attack." Stella waved her hand, summoning a patch of Island Cloud. "Everyone, time to get to work."
"All this talk, and we're still going to fight in the end!" Enel rolled his eyes as the electricity he'd been storing up began to surge through his body.
"There really are a lot of people... but I like crowds."
The four Logia users reached a quick consensus...
But the next moment, a tall, lean man appeared before them.
His white hair was braided into two pigtails draped over his shoulders, wearing a rose-red shirt and blood-red trousers...
Paired with gold-trimmed leather shoes and a crimson cape.
He looked like some obscure royalty that had crawled out from nowhere.
But his fiery red eyebrows and the golden chain dangling from his mouth made him seem anything but benevolent...
"Young ones, I'm afraid your opponent is me."
With that, he flicked his umbrella upward.
A surge of Armament Haki brimmed with the motion.
Whether it was strength, speed, Haki, or technique...
It was all flawless.
Enel frowned and instantly dodged backward using the unparalleled speed of his Rumble-Rumble Fruit, narrowly avoiding the strike.
Yet even the wind stirred by the umbrella was razor-sharp, infused with a trace of Armament Haki.
It grazed Enel's cheek, leaving a thin cut.
Enel paused, then reached up to wipe the blood from the wound with his thumb.
Staring at the crimson on his finger, he licked it lightly with his tongue.
"Old man... you made me bleed."
"Hmm? Since eating the Batto Batto no Mi... I should have regained my youth, no?"
"Tch, what's the use of looking young... you still reek of decay from head to toe." Enel's lips curled into a rare smile.
"This old bastard is mine... don't anyone dare try to take him from me!"
...
"Are you seriously this relentless?!"
"A man like you will never be loved by women, Kaido!"
Hancock spared a moment to taunt Kaido over her shoulder while her feet blurred with the speed of her Moon Walk.
Even as she fled with all her might, the distance between her and Kaido continued to shrink inevitably.
After all, natural flight ability held an inherent advantage over the Moon Walk's artificially cultivated aerial mobility.
"Hancock, do you really think you still have a chance?" Kaido's voice boomed like thunder. "You can't escape my grasp..."
"You might want to look behind you. Your subordinates are currently being intercepted by the SWORD Forces!"
"If they're truly strong, they'll find a way to break through..." Kaido sneered. "If they get captured by the SWORD without Michael present, then I have no interest in sharing Wano with such trash."
"You're being rather extreme, Kaido... Though I am currently the strongest in SWORD, it's not an overwhelming advantage..." Hancock narcissistically flicked her princess-cut bangs.
"But underestimating them would be a grave mistake... especially that killer Hawkeye."
Despite her absolute confidence...
Hancock couldn't deny Hawkeye's strength.
Compared to him, she didn't hold any significant advantage.
She possessed Conqueror's Haki, but Hawkeye wielded a Supreme Grade Sword...
In a simple duel, she might have the upper hand.
But in a life-or-death struggle...
The outcome remained uncertain.
That's why Hancock always remained clear-headed—Hawkeye was an ally, not an opponent.
"Is that so? I think you should watch your back!"
As Kaido spoke, his speed suddenly surged!
The previously safe distance was halved in an instant...
Though still several hundred meters apart...
"Boro Breath!"
A scorching blast capable of piercing through an entire island shot toward Hancock.
Her expression changed as she swiftly altered course to evade...
But the attack's range was simply too vast.
"Damn it... I'll have to take it head-on."
Gritting her teeth, Hancock enveloped herself in Armament Haki, bracing for the worst.
Just as she prepared to withstand the impact, a voice rang out.
"Sparkling Edge: Judgement."
Pale blue Judgment Flame accompanied a slash that shattered the heat blast completely.
"That's enough."
Wings spread and an angel descended.
"Kaido... face me!"
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