The gleaming diamond body gradually crumbled into dust.
This chilling phenomenon left Jozu visibly shaken.
"He... cut off my shadow directly..."
Though his back was turned to Maude, Jozu could sense through Observation Haki that his shadow had been severed. That realization allowed him to understand the source of the disintegration.
Just by cutting off my shadow...
The defense I took such pride in crumbled like paper?
A cold shiver ran down his spine, spreading throughout his entire body in an instant.
He couldn't accept it.
"I can't fall here..."
Jozu's eyes trembled violently, but before he could finish his sentence, his consciousness was abruptly shattered—plunging him into unconsciousness.
Ordinary people lose consciousness the moment their shadow is severed.
However, those with immense strength can hold on for a brief moment before succumbing.
Despite being unconscious, Jozu's body remained upright due to the control of the Parasite String.
Sunlight bathed his form, erasing his existence as if an eraser was slowly wiping him away.
"Captain Jozu!!!"
Pirates rushed forward to assist him.
But they weren't fast enough—Jozu's disintegration outpaced their approach.
By the time they arrived, they could only watch in horror as Jozu's body dissolved into dust and scattered into the wind.
"This... can't be happening..."
The pirates stared in disbelief at the drifting particles of dust.
To think that someone could bypass Captain Jozu's unparalleled defense so effortlessly...
What a terrifying power!
Fear took root in their hearts.
Doflamingo's usual smirk vanished like the receding tide. His face was now devoid of expression as he watched Maude's fingers crush Jozu's shadow, dissolving it like melting snow.
Just ten seconds ago, he had been confident that without the enhancement of a shadow, Maude wouldn't be able to break through Jozu's defense.
Ten seconds later, Maude shattered that confidence with the spectacle of disintegration.
"This guy... he's turned the Shadow-Shadow Fruit into something truly troublesome..."
Again and again, Maude's use of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit continued to reshape Doflamingo's understanding of its potential.
A deep-seated killing intent for Maude stirred within Doflamingo's heart.
Meanwhile, Maude lowered his gaze to his left hand, which bore no trace of Jozu's existence.
If only the shadow remained...
A fleeting, unrealistic thought crossed his mind, and he couldn't help but chuckle at himself.
For now, he ignored Doflamingo and focused instead on assessing the benefits he had reaped from Jozu.
[Physique: ★★★★★★★★]
[Swordsmanship: ★★★★★★★★]
[Haki: ★★★★★★★★]
[Devil Fruit: ★★★★★★★★]
All four attributes reached eight stars.
However, physique—his most advanced trait—was now the first to begin forming a ninth star.
Maude swiftly closed his eyes.
In the darkness of his mind, the final star in his physique stat glowed faintly, an empty frame waiting to be filled.
From the ninth star onward, this was the watershed moment of power.
The Emperors who ruled the seas, as well as the Marines' top combatants—
Without exception, they were all above nine stars.
The pirates who served as the right-hand men of the Emperors, as well as the legendary figures imprisoned in Impel Down's Level 6, all possessed at least one nine-star specialty.
This was the dividing line between the levels of true power.
Maude knew filling that final empty frame would be as difficult as progressing from one star to eight.
More importantly, from this point forward, even if he slaughtered his way through Impel Down's Level 5 again, he wouldn't gain much from it.
Only bounties around one billion would yield significant growth.
And someone like Whitebeard, who provided all-around benefits, was a rarity in this world—perhaps even irreplaceable.
Just as Maude finished his assessment—
Doflamingo attacked.
Thousand Arrows Piercing Heart: Feather Strike Thread!
From the ground that had been assimilated by his ability, thousands of thin threads—coated with Armament Haki—suddenly shot upward.
Then, with a cross-motion of his hands, Doflamingo unleashed a merciless, all-out killing move!
Thousands of hardened threads formed the shape of a flamingo's wings, converging toward Maude from both sides in a deadly pincer attack.
If struck, Maude would be riddled with countless wounds in an instant.
"Room."
Law, who had been waiting for the right moment, immediately activated his Ope Ope no Mi domain, encompassing himself, Maude, and Doflamingo within it.
"Shambles."
With a flick of his fingers—
Maude, who had just opened his eyes, suddenly vanished.
In his place, a small fragment of rock appeared.
Doflamingo's Thousand Arrows Piercing Heart: Feather Strike Thread shredded the stone to dust, then continued forward—only to strike nothing but empty air.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Like thousands of bullets raining down, the attack pulverized the ground, sending dust clouds billowing into the sky.
And the spot where the rock had been was now behind Doflamingo.
Having swapped positions with the stone, Maude seemingly performed a Shadow Flow—Phase Shift.
Though he and Law hadn't coordinated beforehand, Maude was so accustomed to this style of combat that he transitioned seamlessly into an attack.
Shadow Cutter!
With a swift motion, the blackened edge of Shusui slashed toward Doflamingo's shadow at an imperceptible speed.
Doflamingo's eyelids twitched.
He acted instantly—
The ground behind him transformed into a tidal wave of white threads, forcibly launching Maude backward and disrupting his Shadow Cutter.
Without hesitation, Doflamingo spun around and pointed his ten fingers toward Maude, who was midair.
Overheat!
Ten strings, hardened with Armament Haki, shot out in a formation resembling taut guitar strings, aiming directly for Maude's vitals.
But Maude stepped on air, slashed casually, and severed the incoming threads with ease.
Then, without missing a beat, he reversed his grip on his blade and swung downward—
Hakoku!
A cylindrical shockwave, like a comet, barreled toward Doflamingo.
Doflamingo leapt back.
Lines he had attached to the clouds pulled him into the air just in time.
The Hakoku blast struck empty ground, triggering a massive explosion.
Looking at the airborne Doflamingo, Maude instinctively pulled out Weasel Rifle and pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang!
More than ten lead bullets shot toward Doflamingo—
But just as they were about to hit, a massive tide of white threads surged from below, intercepting them effortlessly.
White Thread Surge!
Doflamingo's gaze was ice-cold. The turbulent wave of thousands upon thousands of white threads stretched before him, churning like a raging tide as it swept toward Maude.
At the same time—
Doflamingo stepped onto the edge of the Off-White Threads, advancing alongside the surging tide as it bore down on Maude.
"Going all out with the big moves right from the start? Are you trying to test my stamina?"
Watching the White Thread Surge turn pitch black under an overwhelming infusion of Armament Haki, Maude raised an eyebrow, faintly sensing Doflamingo's strategy against him.
"Interesting."
A subtle smile crossed Maude's face as he gathered his full strength, slashing his blade through the air and unleashing several consecutive Hakoku strikes toward both the White Thread Surge and Doflamingo.
"This guy's stamina…"
The blinding light of the shockwaves reflected off Doflamingo's stylish sunglasses.
The White Thread Surge, turbulent like an unstoppable tidal wave and coated in Armament Haki, were shattered in an instant by the relentless Hakoku shockwaves.
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