The fourth level of the elevated plateau revealed itself to be a magnificent field of sunflowers that were growing exceptionally well, their bright yellow petals creating a vibrant sea of life and color.
"Thank you so much, hero Jerry! Now let's go rescue our princess!" Leo declared with fierce determination.
As soon as Jerry took his first step onto the flower-covered ground, both Leo and Kabu immediately jumped down from his shoulders with practiced agility.
Jerry waved his hand encouragingly and offered a warm smile. "Go ahead, but be careful out there."
Leo and his companion nodded with solemn resolve, then turned and rushed into the depths of the sunflower field like the wind itself, disappearing completely from sight within moments.
Jerry looked around at the peaceful, beautiful scenery surrounding him and began walking at a leisurely pace, taking time to appreciate the contrast between this serene environment and the chaos unfolding below.
After a few minutes of unhurried progress, he stopped moving entirely as his eyes focused on a tall, thin figure who was strolling casually out of the main palace building.
"What's this? Did Doflamingo send you here to die?" Jerry asked with genuine puzzlement. "What happened to all that talk about everyone being family?"
The person standing before him was Diamante, one of the four highest-ranking officers of the Donquixote Family. He wore a distinctive red cape and had two prominent facial markings that gave him the appearance of a tribal warrior.
This man was the user of the Flutter-Flutter Fruit, which granted him the ability to make any objects he touched become as light and flexible as cloth or silk. He could even transform hard materials like steel into wearable clothing to enhance both his offensive and defensive capabilities.
Diamante held a long sword at the ready and pointed it directly at Jerry with obvious hostility. "I don't know what you're talking about, but you're not getting past this point easily."
Jerry's lips curved upward slightly as he began exuding a solemn and intimidating aura that seemed to fill the entire flower field. "Just you? Really?"
Feeling his opponent's absolutely overwhelming presence, Diamante seemed to wake from a dream, with genuine surprise and growing fear written across his face.
When Diamante had insisted on coming out to face Jerry as originally planned, Doflamingo had actually tried to dissuade him from this course of action, but Diamante had simply laughed off his concerns.
After all, this was the defensive position he had originally been assigned to hold. Additionally, he refused to retreat during what might be the most critical moment in his family's survival. Finally, he felt compelled to take this gamble—betting that Jerry wasn't as powerful as his reputation suggested, betting that he wouldn't die here, and betting that Doflamingo would ultimately emerge safe and victorious.
Various personal and tactical reasons had prompted Diamante to take this potentially suicidal action.
However, Jerry could clearly sense that Doflamingo was waiting inside the palace building ahead, and he had no interest in determining whether Diamante was genuinely here to sacrifice himself or had some elaborate trap prepared.
Now that he was this close to his primary target, Jerry wouldn't give any enemy additional opportunities to complicate the situation.
Therefore, before Diamante could even finish processing the threat he was facing, Jerry flashed forward and appeared directly in front of him in an instant. His signature flip-flops created countless afterimages as he launched a devastating assault straight toward his opponent's face.
"Ultimate Chancla: Thousand Strike Dance!"
Jerry—whose combat abilities had improved dramatically since their last encounter—was using this technique for the first time in quite a while, and its destructive potential was now countless times more devastating than before.
Seeing the endless barrage of kicks covering his entire surroundings, Diamante reacted as quickly as possible, subconsciously lifting the cape behind him to wrap around his entire body for protection.
"Bullfighting Cape!"
This was a defensive cloak constructed from steel that possessed all the inherent protective strength of that material.
However, it proved pathetically inadequate against Jerry's enhanced assault.
The Haki-enhanced feet struck dozens of times within mere seconds, not only denting the steel cape severely but actually penetrating through the material to strike Diamante's face directly.
As Jerry's rapid-fire kicks finally ceased, Diamante flew backward like a cannonball, crashing into the palace wall behind him at tremendous velocity and smashing an entire section of brick masonry into rubble.
"That's all you've got?" Jerry sneered with obvious disappointment, then pulled out his fishing rod and prepared to deliver a finishing blow to the enemy trapped beneath the collapsed wall.
But suddenly there was a tremendous roar as debris flew in all directions.
Diamante—covered in wounds and bleeding from multiple injuries—stood unsteadily beneath the broken wall. He raised his sword with desperate determination and swung it fiercely, generating powerful sword energy that surged forward like a crashing wave.
"Half-Moon Glaive!"
Seeing this last-ditch attack, Jerry chuckled with amusement and casually swung the fishing rod in his hand, launching a far more devastating counterattack.
When the two techniques collided, a resonant humming sound echoed throughout the air.
Diamante's sword energy shattered and dissipated almost immediately, becoming completely invisible, while Jerry's slash continued moving forward with absolutely unstoppable force.
"How is this even possible?! Cough cough..." Seeing Jerry's attack about to connect with lethal intent, Diamante staggered and desperately tried to dodge, but it was already far too late. His previous injuries flared up again, causing him to vomit blood as his eyes filled with complete despair.
In a flash, a pink figure suddenly materialized directly in front of him.
"Doffy!" Diamante's expression changed instantly, hope flickering in his eyes for the first time.
The newcomer was Doflamingo himself, wearing his characteristic flamingo-feathered cape. His hands formed claw shapes with five fingers spread wide and crossed as he swung downward. Immediately, countless nearly invisible strings appeared, weaving together into a protective barrier designed to intercept the incoming slash.
The next moment, Jerry's attack struck the string shield with tremendous force, creating muffled impacts that echoed throughout the area. The enormous kinetic energy pressed Doflamingo and his defensive construct backward several meters.
As the Heavenly Yaksha reinforced his shield's thickness just in time, there was a brief stalemate before Jerry's slash finally dissipated harmlessly into the air.
Doflamingo's courage and decisive action at this critical moment filled Diamante's heart with overwhelming gratitude and emotion at being rescued from certain death.
"Doffy, I'm so grateful to have you as family."
Doflamingo pursed his lips tightly, staring at Jerry beyond the damaged wall with a murderous gaze, and responded with calm determination. "I've already lost too much. I can't watch you fall as well."
"You should return to the palace immediately," he continued with obvious urgency. "A rat has gotten inside our defenses."
Hearing Doflamingo's tactical assessment, Diamante nodded silently, understanding that this represented a critical moment in their family's survival. He didn't even voice his usual dramatic catchphrases, instead dragging his injured body away as quickly as possible.
Jerry made no attempt to stop Diamante's retreat.
His eyes remained fixed on Doflamingo, who was walking out through the breached wall and into the sunflower field. Jerry raised his hand in mock greeting and called out cheerfully, "Hey there! Long time no see, Doffy. You don't look very well—are you constipated or something?"
Doflamingo's mouth twitched with barely restrained fury, and a sharp gleam flashed dangerously in his eyes. "Stop talking," he said with obvious menace. "You know perfectly well what you've done!"
Jerry blinked innocently and scratched his head with feigned confusion. "If that's your attitude, do you know what you've done?"
"You don't seriously think that the mistakes you've made in this flower field will be forgotten by tomorrow morning, do you?"
Doflamingo narrowed his eyes slightly, secretly wondering whether Jerry actually knew some of his most carefully guarded secrets. However, he had no desire to shift this conversation toward his own actions, nor did he want to dwell on potentially incriminating topics.
He changed the subject with a hint of mocking superiority. "Fufufufu, should we say you're a newborn calf that doesn't fear tigers, or something else entirely? Don't you realize that you've become a rat that everyone wants to exterminate?"
"Not only have you offended two Four Emperor pirate crews—both Kaido and Big Mom—but you've also aroused the fury of underground world emperors and middlemen, plus the World Government and Marines who were already your enemies..."
Before Doflamingo could complete his lengthy speech, he was rudely interrupted.
Jerry tilted his head and picked at his ear with obvious boredom. "So what?" he asked with supreme arrogance. "Can any of them actually come here and bite me? Right now, you're the only one standing in front of me, aren't you?"
After these dismissive words, Doflamingo found himself momentarily speechless, his carefully prepared intimidation speech completely derailed.
He felt blood rushing to his head as he laughed with barely controlled rage. "Fufufufu, you can only act tough for a little while longer..."
Before he could finish this threat, Jerry raised a mocking smile and interrupted him again with casual cruelty. "Why? Did you go crying to your master for backup? But you should understand that I don't necessarily care about the owner when I'm beating a dog."
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