The flames continued to burn, and the temperature inside the plaza climbed higher and higher.
Little by little, some people could no longer hold on and were roasted alive where they stood. Others tried to make one last desperate charge and simply died even faster.
Of course, it wasn't as if no one called for help.
The question was whether any help could possibly arrive in time.
On the sea around the Coal Kingdom's island, watching the pillar of flame rising into the sky from the Coal Kingdom, Tsuru felt a bad premonition.
She immediately ordered the Marines to move in to fight the fire.
But in the end, she was still a step too late. By the time Tsuru and several Marine vice admirals arrived with their subordinates, nothing remained but the blazing sea of fire.
"Damn it. We've been played."
If Tsuru still couldn't guess what had happened by now, she might as well resign from her post.
The one who had run the "trade" was almost certainly a member of the Donquixote Family.
Doflamingo's goal had obviously been to wipe out all the major crime syndicates in one stroke, and judging by the result, he had actually pulled it off.
That left Tsuru filled with regret.
Then a thought suddenly struck her, and she hurriedly contacted the commanders of each Marine branch in the North Blue to ask about their situations.
When she learned that the headquarters of all the major crime families such as the Dominic Family had already been wiped out by Doflamingo and Pula alone, Tsuru could only drown in remorse.
She really should have guarded more closely against Doflamingo.
She had known all along that Doflamingo was not the type to sit quietly.
Now things had spiraled all the way into this situation.
To prevent the situation from deteriorating any further, Tsuru secretly ordered the Marines to encircle and crush the Donquixote Family members still within the Coal Kingdom.
Acting on her orders, Vice Admiral Saul, Vice Admiral Aphrodite, and Vice Admiral Naki each led their forces to conduct a full sweep of the Coal Kingdom, arresting every suspicious person they could find.
This sudden shift in the situation was all within Doflamingo's expectations.
Because of that, Trebol did not clash with the Marines head-on. Instead, he hid inside a cave, waiting for Doflamingo to arrive.
How fast can a person move?
Rear Admiral Borsalino might say:
"Have you ever been kicked by light?"
Doflamingo, on the other hand, had another answer:
"Have you ever experienced what teleportation feels like?"
As for who was faster between Doflamingo and Borsalino, it was hard to say. Each had their own strengths.
Both moved at speeds comparable to light.
To truly decide who was faster, the two of them would probably have to fight a full match.
Doflamingo, however, proved something to the world through real combat: as long as he willed it, within the range of his gaze, no one could harm anyone he wanted to protect.
Enel was one such person.
Originally, Enel had fully intended to follow the plan and return to Sky Island once his mission was complete.
But the sight of the "hunt" stirred his fighting spirit, and he ended up clashing with the Marines.
That, in turn, drew Vice Admiral Aphrodite over to suppress him.
Enel's talent was great, but he had not yet reached his peak.
When he ran into Aphrodite, he quickly lost the fight, suffered serious injuries, and was captured by Marine soldiers.
When Doflamingo arrived on the island, that was the scene that greeted him: Enel in chains.
Having snatched a tidy "military achievement" the moment she set foot here, Aphrodite's confidence was through the roof.
Swearing boldly, she declared,
"Doflamingo, bounty: 1 billion 360 million Beli.
"Now that you've run into this chūjō, your good days are over.
"Remember my name: Aphrodite. That name will haunt the rest of your life as a nightmare."
With that, Vice Admiral Aphrodite stepped across the air with Geppō (Moon Step), fists clenched, and rushed toward Doflamingo at high speed, driving a punch straight into his body.
Not far away, Saul, who had noticed Aphrodite's move, no longer cared about the fire.
He immediately called out to Naki and hurried together to request that Tsuru go support Aphrodite.
It wasn't that Saul looked down on Aphrodite's strength.
He simply knew Doflamingo too well and was certain that a single vice admiral would never be Doflamingo's match.
Aphrodite applied Shigan (Finger Gun)-like thrusting strikes and high-speed movement, her Busōshoku Haki (Armament Haki)-hardened fists hammering at Doflamingo.
Unsure of what Aphrodite's exact strength was, Doflamingo chose to meet her head-on and answered with a straight punch of his own.
In the very next instant, however, Doflamingo felt something was wrong.
A wave of uncontrollable, overwhelming pleasure surged up from his lower abdomen.
What kind of subtle sensation was it?
It was like that first "night battle" with Toki, the sort of comfort that made a man never want to move again, the kind of afterglow where a single cigarette afterward felt almost mystical.
Seeing the strange expression appear on Doflamingo's face, Aphrodite smirked smugly.
"Heh heh. This chūjō ate the Kōfun Kōfun no Mi (Excitement Fruit).
"Any living being I touch will have its most primal pleasure awakened. Not a single creature can escape it.
"Even a dog will roll over and obey this chūjō.
"Can't hold it back anymore, can you? Don't restrain yourself.
"Let go, Doflamingo. Let this chūjō enjoy the sight of your disgrace."
After speaking, Aphrodite apparently still felt it wasn't enough.
She continued to ramp up her power output, slamming several more punches into Doflamingo.
Calling them punches was generous; they were more like repeated touches.
As long as she had the chance, Aphrodite showed no hesitation in intensifying her ability's influence, leaving Doflamingo, for the first time in a long while, somewhat hard-pressed to respond.
What makes a person become stronger?
For some, it's the desire to enjoy life more.
For some, it's the need for a greater sense of security.
For some, it's the ideals and "justice" in their hearts.
For some, it's simply to make a living.
No matter the reason, in truth, all of these can be traced back to the most primal desires within the heart.
Doflamingo was no exception.
Under the influence of Aphrodite's ability, although he had the means to purge the effects of the Kōfun Kōfun no Mi (Excitement Fruit), he chose not to.
In this state, Doflamingo discovered that his body felt extraordinarily strange.
It was as if the final barrier to the awakening of his Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit) powers was about to shatter.
In an instant, Doflamingo sank into that feeling, dropping all resistance to Aphrodite's ability.
He stopped defending himself.
Even as his body went limp and Aphrodite seized the opening to pummel him ruthlessly, Doflamingo was delighted.
Each time Aphrodite struck him, a bit more of a smile surfaced on Doflamingo's face.
Almost. Almost. He was on the verge of a breakthrough.
Aphrodite's blows hurt.
His entire body was soon covered in wounds, his pink-feathered coat soaked red with blood.
It was the most severe beating Doflamingo had taken since his two years of training.
Yet that illusion of the soul ascending, of something within him evolving, made Doflamingo savor every second of the process.
Not far away, Enel watched Doflamingo take a "tragic" beating from Aphrodite to save him.
Deeply moved, he almost wished he could bear the pain in Doflamingo's place.
His teeth clenched so hard they nearly cracked as he silently swore that he would never regard himself as a man again if he did not one day kill Aphrodite.
Rushing over to support Aphrodite, Tsuru, Saul, and Naki stared at Doflamingo, who seemed utterly helpless under Aphrodite's assault, their faces full of shock.
Saul in particular stammered,
"Th-this… this…"
The three of them simply could not believe what they were seeing.
Was Aphrodite too strong, or was Doflamingo too weak?
Either way, it clearly didn't match reality at all.
(End of Chapter)
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