On the open sea, three Marine warships were relentlessly pursuing the *Flamingo*.
Their ferocious firepower was far beyond anything the half-baked pirate ships they had encountered before could match.
Doflamingo didn't even dare to stop the ship and engage, knowing full well he stood no chance of winning.
Against ordinary Marines, he might have dismissed them entirely.
But the woman leading this pursuit was Tsuru!
His past defiance had nearly landed him in Impel Down, sipping tea and reading newspapers...
These were the bloody lessons he had learned during his reckless youth!
Ever since then, Doflamingo had harbored a mix of admiration and fear for Tsuru, though he would never admit it.
"Damn that old hag! One day, I'll stand before you openly, leaving you no choice but to sigh in defeat!"
Veins bulged at Doflamingo's temples, his fury ignited by the humiliation of being forced to endure passive beatings.
"Has Buffalo returned yet?" he couldn't help but ask.
"I see them! Over there!" Baby-5 shouted suddenly, her voice ringing through the air as she peered through her binoculars.
The others followed her gaze and spotted a dark speck rapidly approaching in the sky.
"Everyone, advance at full speed. I'll stay behind and teach those Marines a lesson."
Doflamingo's patience had clearly reached its breaking point.
Without someone to cover their retreat and keep the Marines occupied, they would never be able to shake off their pursuers.
In this situation, there was no one better suited for the task than Doflamingo himself.
This was also one of the key reasons why the Donquixote Family had always managed to escape Tsuru's relentless pursuit unscathed.
"Huff... huff... I'm... I'm gonna die."
In the sky, Buffalo gasped for breath, his stamina completely drained.
First, he had carried Baby-5 through a fierce battle against numerous pirates. Then, on the island, he had scoured for supplies and rallied the crew. Finally, he had flown back to retrieve Abel, leaving him utterly exhausted.
"Hang in there! We're almost there!" Abel shouted, his voice strained with worry. Unable to fly himself, he could only watch helplessly.
If Buffalo gave up now, both of them were doomed!
"I can't... I can't keep flying..."
"Think about your favorite ice cream! When we get back, I'll buy you ten of the most luxurious ones—enough to gorge yourself!"
Desperate, Abel resorted to this tactic to rally Buffalo.
Surprisingly, it worked.
The moment Buffalo heard about the promise of ten deluxe ice creams, his eyes lit up. He somehow mustered a fresh burst of energy, even speeding up the rotation of his propeller!
"Charge! For luxurious ice cream, I'll give it my all!"
With unwavering determination, Buffalo carried Abel across the sea, heading straight for the Flamingo, which was under heavy cannon fire.
But just then, they also drew the attention of the Marines below.
"Hmm? What's that...?"
Tsuru suddenly sensed something and looked up at the sky.
The female Marine beside her immediately raised her binoculars and compared what she saw with the intelligence received from Marine Headquarters.
"One of them is a member of the Donquixote Family, a Paramecia-type Spin-Spin Fruit user with the ability to fly."
"The other... uh, the other one has no recorded information. He's likely one of the children recently abducted by the Donquixote Family."
Tsuru nodded. "I see. Then let's rescue them. They're both still children. After cleansing their minds, they might even become pillars of the Marines in the future."
Anyone Doflamingo deemed worthy of his attention must possess some potential.
Tsuru largely agreed with this assessment.
Moreover, compared to adults with stronger autonomy, these children with still-developing values would undoubtedly be easier to "rehabilitate."
This was why Tsuru had decided to intercept them.
Staying with the Marines was far better than remaining by Doflamingo's side, where she would be forced to commit endless atrocities.
"Hina, I'm leaving this to you."
"Yes, Vice Admiral Tsuru!"
A stunningly beautiful woman with long pink hair immediately stepped forward.
A faint glow flashed in her hand, and a black iron rod materialized out of thin air. She took aim at the sky and hurled the rod with tremendous force.
With a violent whoosh, Abel finally sensed the danger.
Something was hurtling toward them at breakneck speed!
Had this happened before his fusion with the White Yaksha's combat memories, he would have been unable to react. But now, he instinctively drew the short sword from his waist.
'Asura Aurora Slash!'
*Slash!*
A dazzling arc of aurora-hued sword Aura struck the incoming rod, cleaving it in two.
Buffalo jumped in fright!
The rod had come within a meter or two of him. Had it struck, it would have instantly sent their aircraft crashing.
And that wasn't all.
Hina was a Cage-Cage Fruit user. Had the black iron rod hit its target, it would have immediately locked them in place.
"What?! My attack was actually cut down?"
After missing her strike, Hina's face immediately contorted with shock.
In her calculations, she had considered the possibility of missing or the target dodging, but never imagined her attack being directly shattered.
And if she wasn't mistaken, that was...
"A Flying Slash?"
"A boy so young has already mastered such advanced swordsmanship?"
"A sword genius like this must never fall into Doflamingo's hands!"
If Tsuru's previous actions were primarily driven by her duty as a Marine to rescue the children, she now had an additional reason to intervene.
She couldn't bear to imagine what kind of terrifying demon Doflamingo might mold this sword genius into in the future.
To nip this potential threat in the bud, she immediately issued a series of orders.
"Hina, use your full strength and capture them!"
"Understood, Hina!"
"Change course and advance at full speed!"
"Third Firearm Squad, prepare to fire! Aim to avoid vital organs..."
Having missed her initial strike, Hina now clearly took the situation much more seriously.
Black Spear Formation!
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...*
One after another, Hina hurled black iron spears with tremendous force, nearly sealing off all of Buffalo's escape routes.
Fortunately, Abel was prepared this time and immediately launched a counterattack.
Asura Aurora Slash!
Several black iron spears were intercepted, but many still broke through the sword Aura blockade.
Left with no other choice, Abel drained his remaining physical and Mental Power to unleash one final, desperate strike.
The bulk of the spears were knocked into the sea, but a few stragglers still slipped through the net.
Ultimately, Abel's current strength was insufficient to fully unleash the true power of the Asura Aurora Slash.
Otherwise, no matter how many spears were thrown, they would have met the fate of being cleaved in two.