The fierce clash split the air with a thunderous crack. Doflamingo's sharp, whiplike strike had failed to land as intended, and his confident grin tightened into a frown. Yet his movements didn't falter for a second.
With a flick of his wrist, he thrust his palm backward. Dozens of nearly invisible strings burst from his hand slender as strands of hair and gleaming faintly under the sun. They danced through the air like living things, twisting and coiling in an intricate pattern until they merged into a single, thick column of threads.
The line pulsed with condensed energy, glowing brighter as Doflamingo's eyes hardened with murderous intent. His hand clenched; the pillar contracted violently, condensing into a blinding beam of pure force that shot toward Eli Winters like a laser.
Eli could have dodged in countless ways, but instead he smiled. Wrapping his twin-layered Haki around his black blade, Oblivion, he gripped the sword with both hands and brought it down in a decisive arc. The impact split the beam cleanly in two, sending its halves roaring past him like bamboo torn apart under steel.
"Doflamingo," Eli said with a teasing smirk, "is that really all you've got? If that's the extent of your power, your grand speech earlier doesn't mean much."
Doflamingo let out a high, grating laugh. "Fufufufufu… such arrogance, brat."
He rose into the sky, suspended by the nearly invisible threads connected to the clouds above. Using them as footholds, he glided and darted through the air, his figure flickering from side to side like a vengeful phantom.
As he closed the distance between them, Doflamingo's pointed shoe flashed. Eight near-transparent threads appeared at the tip, so fine they were almost invisible, yet sharp enough to shimmer with lethal light.
His leg snapped forward with terrifying force. The air screamed as those eight razor wires shot toward Eli's vital points, moving so fast they blurred into streaks of silver.
Eli didn't flinch. His obsidian blade moved in deceptively slow arcs every swing perfectly timed, every block precise. Sparks erupted as steel met thread, each collision ringing like a thousand bells in unison. The fine wires shattered or deflected, falling uselessly to the ground.
After several failed strikes, Doflamingo leapt back, his sharp gaze locking onto Eli's calm smile.
"Come on, old man," Eli said lightly. "You're barely getting me warmed up."
Doflamingo's laugh echoed again louder, more manic this time. The air around Eli suddenly warped as black strings emerged from nowhere, encasing him in a dense cocoon of shadow. With a flick of Doflamingo's wrist, the cocoon began to contract, creaking under the pressure of crushing force.
Then, something shifted. Through his Haki, Doflamingo realized Eli wasn't inside. The cocoon was empty.
"What ?"
Before he could react, a tremendous kick slammed into his back. The impact exploded through the air like thunder, sending Doflamingo hurtling dozens of meters away before he crashed into the ground, dust billowing around him.
"Lord Doflamingo!" his crew shouted in alarm. The Donquixote officers tried to rush to his aid, but Big Pan and the Delos sisters intercepted them without hesitation. No one would interrupt Eli's fight.
Coughing blood, Doflamingo rose to his feet, his grin twisting back into place. "Impressive speed," he said hoarsely. "Even my Observation Haki couldn't sense it."
He didn't realize Eli had used teleportation through space Doflamingo assumed it was sheer speed.
Eli only chuckled. "You talk big, but your power doesn't quite back it up."
Doflamingo's eyes flared crimson. "You're even more arrogant than I am, kid. Fine let's see how you handle this!"
His body blurred, vanishing in a burst of sound. When he reappeared, his limbs gleamed dark with Armament Haki, moving faster than the eye could follow. Each strike cracked the air, heavy enough to shatter stone. The thin threads hidden within his attacks sliced through space itself, sharp enough to kill with a touch.
Eli met every blow head-on, his black blade weaving a wall of steel and will. At the perfect moment, he sidestepped and countered Oblivion slicing through Doflamingo's form.
But instead of flesh, the sword met threads. His opponent unraveled into thousands of strings an illusionary clone.
The real Doflamingo appeared above him, cackling. "Fufufufufu! Die, you arrogant brat Overheat!"
From his fingers shot five massive threads, descending like reaper's claws.
Eli didn't move. He simply smiled, sunlight glinting across his teeth.
Doflamingo hesitated then struck. The threads impaled Eli clean through, piercing his torso and the ground beneath. But there was no blood. The impact felt… empty.
Doflamingo's grin froze. His eyes widened in horror as his threads passed through nothingness.
Eli appeared behind him again, shaking his head in disappointment. "Without awakening your String-String Fruit, you're too limited," he said calmly. "I'm done playing."
He knew Doflamingo hadn't yet used his ultimate move the Birdcage because the warlord still needed Nordis Kingdom intact. But Eli had no such restraint.
It was his turn to strike.
Meanwhile, across the battlefield, his allies fought their own desperate wars.
Delos Fiona's breathing grew ragged, her every motion slower than before. Against the veteran Diamante, her inexperience was showing. Her sword swings lost speed, and her Haki began to falter. Diamante smirked cruelly and pressed the attack, his steel cloak whipping like a storm of blades.
Just as his weapon was about to pierce her chest, a bolt of lightning cut through the chaos. Delos Filina landed between them, her revolver glowing with Haki-infused energy. She blocked the blow and forced Diamante back, buying her sister precious seconds to recover.
"Fiona! You okay?" Filina shouted.
"Barely," Fiona gasped, chest heaving. "If you hadn't come, I'd be dead."
Filina grinned. "See? I told you I'm strong too."
Their laughter was brief because Diamante roared and charged again. Yet Filina's storm powers countered his steel perfectly. Every strike that hit her lightning-charged clouds conducted through his metal cloak, electrocuting him with every movement. His defenses crumbled, and Fiona took advantage of it her blade slicing across his chest as Filina's revolver blasted through his arms with Conqueror's Haki.
Diamante collapsed, body charred and smoking.
"Phew…" Fiona exhaled, stumbling forward, nearly collapsing. Filina caught her just in time.
"Easy, sis. You did great."
"I'm fine… just drained." Fiona smiled faintly. "Thanks to you."
Filina beamed. "Heh, told you you can rely on me."
Fiona chuckled, shaking her head. "Always so cheerful."
They turned to see Chiyo Mochizuki descending on a soft cloud. "Are you two hurt?" she asked anxiously.
"We're okay," Filina said proudly, slinging an arm around her shoulder.
"I feel useless," Chiyo murmured. "I didn't even help."
Fiona patted her head gently. "You're still young. Combat isn't your strength yet. You help us in other ways like cooking for us afterward."
"Yeah," Filina added with a grin. "Your food heals the soul."
Chiyo blushed but smiled again. "Then I'll work harder. Next time, I'll fight beside you both."
As the three of them regrouped, the echoes of battle thundered across the plains Big Pan's booming laughter mixing with the roar of collapsing stone as his fight with Pica reached its peak.
And above them all, Eli Winters stood face to face with Doflamingo, ready to end it once and for all.
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