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<>[Warhammer 40K: A Multiverse Saga] <>
<>[Warhammer 40K: They Said I Have No Soul] <>
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Doflamingo could not help sighing at the thought of the current Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit) user. The saying "those who come later enjoy the shade of trees planted by those before" really fit here.
Even though his own Devil Fruit had not yet awakened, using it to isolate sections of the island and turn them into safe zones was still well within his capabilities.
So Doflamingo planned to go ashore alone for a look first, then, after returning from Hive Island, he would start setting things up on Raijin Island.
He was just about to transform into lightning and fly into the skies above Raijin Island when his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) suddenly picked up a dangerous presence, instantly putting him on alert.
Without a shred of hesitation, he fired off "Ten Million Volts: Black Bird!" at a point twenty meters in front of himself. A black, flamingo-like lightning bird-beast erupted forth, swooping down and tearing into the supposedly empty air twenty meters ahead.
Barrett and the others were still wondering why Doflamingo had suddenly launched an attack when a "door" suddenly opened right at that twenty-meter mark.
Out stepped a man in a suit, the very Corolla who had been waiting a long time under orders for Doflamingo to arrive.
Only, Corolla had barely taken his first step when he realized a massive, crackling black bird of lightning was already on top of him.
Caught off guard, he didn't have time to pull his leg back. His whole body was struck head-on by Doflamingo's attack.
Even so, Corolla was the current CP0 chief. His reaction speed was more than enough. After enduring that first hit hard, he immediately prepared to slip back into the space between doors.
However, there was no way Doflamingo was going to give him that chance.
In the next instant, he flashed to the front of Corolla's space door, grabbed him by the throat, and tried to yank him out completely to restrain him.
As a powerhouse, and especially as someone in his fifties who was still at the peak of his combat ability, just having his neck grabbed by Doflamingo did not mean Corolla was helpless.
"Seimei Kikan (Life Return): Myriad Hair Needles!"
Corolla's hair suddenly lengthened, writhing like nimble snakes as they shot at Doflamingo from every direction.
Doflamingo could clearly feel how dangerous that technique was. You didn't just casually use a move that consumed your own life force like that. The guy was a bit too decisive for his own good.
Doflamingo clicked his tongue inwardly, then withdrew his hand and pulled back to widen the distance.
Corolla, seizing that slight opening, slipped back into the space between doors and vanished again.
The battlefield fell quiet for a heartbeat. When the air rippled once more, Corolla had already reappeared behind Doflamingo.
This time, however, the "door" he made was very small. Only an arm extended through it, striking at Doflamingo with Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) before instantly retreating and closing again.
The next time he appeared, it was a leg hardened with Armament that kicked Doflamingo in the back.
And so it went, back and forth over several exchanges, Corolla popping in and out like a ghost, irritating Doflamingo to no end.
Doflamingo wasn't afraid of Corolla's attacks. He could predict and block each one with precision. But an enemy who could vanish at any moment like this was still extremely troublesome.
He guessed that Corolla's spatial Devil Fruit ability had to be developed to its absolute limit. More than that, Corolla's power was very similar to the Doa Doa no Mi (Door-Door Fruit) that the deadweight Bruno of CP9 would use later.
Unlike Bruno, though, Corolla had not only developed his Fruit to perfection but also integrated it seamlessly with his own fighting style, using it actively in combat instead of just treating it as a movement tool.
Precisely because Corolla used his ability so well, several of Doflamingo's counterattacks had ended up hitting nothing but air.
As he fought, Doflamingo glanced at the skies over Raijin Island not far away, and a bold idea took shape in his mind that he very much wanted to test.
"Two Hundred Million Volts: Susanoo!"
Sick and tired of Corolla's hide-and-sneak ambush tactics, Doflamingo simply unleashed his ultimate move, wrapping himself in a giant armor of lightning. Now let's see how you plan to attack.
Hidden within the space between doors, Corolla saw the change in Doflamingo's state outside and, for a moment, didn't know where to start.
Doflamingo's entire body was wrapped in lightning. Just how was he supposed to land a blow like that?
Corolla reasoned that Doflamingo definitely couldn't maintain that state forever. As long as he dragged things out, there would come a moment when he could strike.
But there were two unknowns. First, Corolla had no idea how long Doflamingo could actually hold this form. Second, using his Fruit the way he did also drained his own stamina heavily.
The worst-case scenario would be if, by the time Doflamingo was still going strong, Corolla himself was already forced to reveal his position.
It wasn't as if he hadn't considered grabbing members of the Donquixote crew as hostages, either. But that idea flashed through his mind and was immediately discarded.
He wasn't here purely to fight. He was here to extend an invitation.
If Doflamingo agreed, then in the future he would have to be addressed as "Doflamingo-sei."
If Corolla offended him too badly now, how would he ever expect to have a good time later? It wasn't as if he believed Doflamingo would be gentle or forgiving with him.
If things didn't work out, then based on Corolla's extensive work experience, with someone this powerful the relationship would, at best, be cooperation in the future.
Never mind trying to threaten him. If Doflamingo simply showed up one day to "threaten" him in person, Corolla knew he'd probably fall apart on the spot.
Still, he was, after all, a top-tier lapdog painstakingly raised by the World Government.
To complete his mission, Corolla actually forced himself to open a space door at Doflamingo's side, right in the middle of those Two Hundred Million Volts wrapped in Busoshoku Haki.
Every time he would thrust out a Shigan (Finger Pistol), then slip back into hiding, minimizing the damage he himself took.
Finally, he used Seimei Kikan (Life Return), burning his life force to rapidly treat and patch up his body each time.
Repeating the cycle over and over, he pushed Doflamingo from irritation into genuine anger.
"Annoying little ant. Did you really think I couldn't deal with you?
As long as you're nearby, there's no way you can hide!"
"Ahhh!"
Doflamingo threw his head back in a roar toward the sky. A tidal wave of Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) exploded outward, black lightning crackling everywhere as it hammered indiscriminately into every inch of space around him.
It was plain to see. Under Doflamingo's Haoshoku outburst, countless things around him began to crack and shatter.
If he hadn't been deliberately holding back, it was hard to imagine just how catastrophic the damage would have been.
Unavoidably, the Flamingo was caught up in it as well. Even though he wasn't specifically targeting his own ship, it still sat within the area of his Haoshoku onslaught.
Aside from Barrett, Pica, and Vergo, everyone else on board collapsed unconscious. The hull itself creaked and groaned, barely holding together under the trio's protection.
Needless to say, in the area around Doflamingo where he was focusing his power, things were even worse.
Corolla had originally intended to keep hiding within the space between doors, but under that brutal, suffocating pressure, he felt as if he could no longer even use his ability properly.
Helpless, he was forced to emerge. The moment he did…
At some point, the black thunderclouds that had been hanging over Raijin Island had quietly shifted until they hovered directly above Corolla.
As Doflamingo's massive "lightning armor" merged into that sea of lightning overhead…
Boom.
Crackle-crackle-crackle.
In the chaos of thunder and lightning, the sea surface where Corolla stood was blasted into a vacuum zone hundreds of meters tall as the water vaporized.
Corolla himself was hammered down into the sea by Doflamingo's attack. Once everything was done, Doflamingo returned to the Flamingo and ordered the Divine Guard Unit to haul Corolla up as fast as possible.
A quarter of an hour later, Vergo dragged Corolla before Doflamingo like a dead dog, his ankles shackled in Sea Prism Stone cuffs.
Sitting cross-legged on the deck, Doflamingo tossed aside his sunglasses. He made a mental note that he really would have to commission a more domineering custom pair in the future. Having to replace a normal pair of shades after every serious fight was far too much trouble.
"You're from the World Government, aren't you?"
Doflamingo phrased it like a question, but his tone left no doubt that he was sure of the answer.
(End of Chapter)
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