"Damn insect!"
Even someone as fearless as Doflamingo couldn't help but be taken aback by that terrifying attack.
But surprise was all it was!
The wave crests wrapped in Armament Haki shot up like razor blades, erupting from the ground and surging down toward that fist in a massive, all-engulfing crash.
BOOM!!
The ground warped; grass and soil blasted into the air.
Bang! Boom! Boom!
In the blink of an eye, their attacks collided, and the violent energy exploded outward. The domineering shockwave tore through the earth, ripping it open as a ferocious gale rolled out like a hurricane.
All around — whether it was Zoro, the Donquixote Family members, or the newly arrived Heart Pirates — everyone had to shield themselves from the wild winds, stumbling back again and again under the crushing pressure.
"It seems things have gone beyond my expectations."
Through the roaring wind, a tall man in a purple coat slowly approached — Fujitora.
He had originally parted ways with Luffy and the others back at the tavern. According to plan, he should have already left. But somehow, the thought of "Straw Hat" dying here felt wasteful to him. He wanted to see that boy's future.
So, he had doubled back. And now, it seemed his worries might have been unnecessary…
Boom! Bang!
As everyone stared in shock, another deafening crash rang out — Luffy's lightning-wreathed fist had torn straight through the white wave and slammed directly into Doflamingo.
The sheer force shredded his iconic pink feather coat to pieces.
Even his amber sunglasses cracked apart; the shattered lenses scraped a line at the corner of his eye, and in the next instant, blood welled from the cut and slid down his cheek.
Blood on his face, clothes in tatters — the sight robbed him of any gangster-like swagger. He looked more like a war refugee than the "Heavenly Yaksha."
Flat on his back in the fractured crater, Doflamingo hadn't lost consciousness, but every bone and muscle in his body felt like they'd been shaken to pieces.
Grinding through the pain, he rose to his feet, his face twisted into something truly demonic.
"Fufufufufu… No matter who you are today, I'm going to kill you."
With a roar, he dragged his battered body forward, his ten blackened threads snapping toward the Luffy falling from above.
But at that moment, Luffy's form had reached its limit. Suddenly, like a punctured balloon, he spun and tumbled helplessly through the air.
Drifting erratically, he barely dodged the deadly strikes, muttering instinctively, "That was close… almost got hit!"
His body deflated, his momentum fading. Without propulsion, he began plummeting toward the ground.
That form had given him overwhelming power, but its aftermath left him unable to fight — even to move properly.
From a distance, Zoro seemed to realize this instantly. With a light push off the ground, he darted toward where Luffy would land.
But he wasn't the only one to notice. Doflamingo, closest to the target, also seemed to understand. A cruel smile split his already twisted features.
"Straw Hat… without that power, let's see if you can survive this!"
He flicked his fingers — taut, transparent threads snapped into place in the air. A flash of cold light, and they whipped toward the falling Luffy, intent on slicing him to pieces.
"LUFFY!"
Zoro's eyes went wide with horror as he sprinted. At his speed, he wouldn't make it in time.
Even Fujitora, far off in the distance, couldn't keep calm — his hand closed over his sword hilt, ready to step in.
But then… in that instant… as if sensing something, the corners of his mouth curved up slightly.
"What an interesting boy," he murmured, loosening his grip on the hilt, as though abandoning the idea of intervening.
Just as the threads were about to carve Luffy apart, the sharp crack of a sonic boom tore through the air. A black shape wreathed in a long trail of flame streaked across the sky, snatching the falling Luffy away in an instant.
"Doflamingo!"
That black figure tossed Luffy toward Zoro, then spun in midair and hovered overhead, eyes cold as they locked onto the man below.
"Were you trying to kill him?"
"Flame Emperor… King."
Seeing the pterosaur-like form of King above him, a flicker of shock passed over Doflamingo's face — followed quickly by a chilling realization.
The memory of his impulsive move just now made cold sweat bead down his back.
He didn't know exactly how valuable Straw Hat was to Ghidorah… but if he truly angered that man, Dressrosa itself might not be enough to pay the price.
"I was only fulfilling my duty. Who knew the brat would be that troublesome?" Doflamingo said, brushing dirt off himself in a half-hearted defense.
He might have wanted to kill Luffy just now, but some thoughts were better left unspoken.
"This kind of fight… I wouldn't call it a capture. And…" King's gaze flicked toward the unconscious Luffy in Zoro's arms. "He's already injured."
What…?
I'm the one who's hurt here!
The retort almost escaped Doflamingo's mouth, but the gap in power between him and the man above kept him silent.
"…Is that so?"
"My apologies, then. Perhaps I was too heavy-handed."
They'd been evenly matched, yet King made it sound like Doflamingo had simply overdone it — the hypocrisy left a bitter taste in his mouth.
But with King present, there was no reason for him to linger. He turned to summon his men and headed toward the royal palace.
"Lord's orders — gather all forces at Onigashima's ruins," King said after him, before dropping down in front of Zoro.
His eyes swept, deliberately or not, over Fujitora and the Heart Pirates before returning to Zoro and Luffy.
"The original order was to take you back to the Great Kingdom. But the Lord says that's no longer necessary. This is for you — if you don't want your journey to end, follow it."
He tossed Zoro a compass already set to a New World route.
Spreading his wings, he took off again, leaving behind one last warning: "Don't try any other routes. They're no longer passable. You can try if you want… but don't say I didn't warn you."
Then, above Fujitora, he added, "The Lord welcomes you anytime. But I doubt you have much time — it won't be long before Kizaru summons every available Marine force."
With that, the massive pterosaur trailing fire vanished from sight.
Zoro glanced from the unconscious Luffy in his arms to the compass. This wasn't his decision to make — they'd wait until Luffy woke up.
He slung Luffy over his back and started toward the port.
Trafalgar Law, as one of the D-clan, barely understood the meaning behind that initial. But after this upheaval, he wanted to uncover it — and something told him that following the Straw Hats was the way to find those answers.
Up in the pale sky, Fujitora's sightless eyes saw only darkness — a darkness like an endless abyss. Yet somewhere within it, he felt a glimmer of light. Where it came from, he could not tell.
King's final words still echoed in his mind. Before he could frown in thought, the Den-Den Mushi in his coat began to ring.
He answered without thinking — and the voice on the other end delivered a message that shocked him.
All Marines — assemble at New World Marine Headquarters!