(T/N: I don't know why, but chapters 157, 158 were skipped.)
Merveille, Shoreline.
The morning sun rose, casting a golden shimmer across the sea.
Buffalo, taking advantage of a shift change, slumped against a rock beside Weevil, continuing to jot down his investigation notes.
"Doffy, can't I just wait for you guys in the village?" Yamato struggled to undo the elastic restraints wrapped around her body—yet another one of Doflamingo's schemes to keep her from running off. Infuriating.
"Miss Yamato, please don't waste your energy," Kuro said with a slight bow, handing her some food before continuing, "The toxin in Daft Green spreads through microscopic particles. Until an antidote for IQ is verified, Lord Doflamingo will not permit anyone to come into contact with it."
Yamato shook her head furiously, refusing to listen.
"Ahhh! I don't get it! This is just another excuse Doffy made up to keep me from going out and having fun!"
The very next second, she lunged forward in a mad dash—only to be snapped back at high speed by the elastic restraints, slamming into the ground.
"What boundless energy!" Doflamingo muttered, casually digging at his ear before shifting his gaze toward the sun.
Clouds surged across the sky, breaking apart as something massive approached. A chain of islands surrounded a central, ship-shaped landmass that loomed closer, its immense shadow blotting out the sunlight, drawing everyone's attention.
"So this is a legendary great pirate?" Kuro and Buffalo exchanged uneasy glances, simultaneously wiping away the sweat beading on their brows.
"Whoa! That's amazing!" Yamato's eyes sparkled as she stared at the floating island in the sky. Even Doffy didn't have one of those—she wanted one so badly.
Lightning flickered around Enel, his golden spear beginning to rotate in his grip. He had witnessed the Golden Lion's battle against the Marines before. This man was a monster.
Through his Haki, Doflamingo could sense it clearly.
Atop the central rocky vessel, standing on a lion-shaped prow, was a man draped in a golden kimono, his wild mane of hair flowing in the wind—Shiki, the Golden Lion.
His piercing gaze was locked onto them, watching like a predator eyeing its prey.
Unfortunately, after the battle at Loguetown, his so-called "crew" had been reduced to little more than a handful of stragglers. Hardly fitting for a so-called "Great Pirate."
Even his ridiculous rooster-like hair had visibly drooped a bit.
Looks like Garp and Sengoku gave him a proper beating back in Loguetown.
Weevil, now awake, gripped his massive blade tightly, staring upward. His instincts screamed that things were about to go south.
"Puzzz Puzzz." Indigo stepped up to the prow, peering down at the group below. "Huh? Two brats and four kids… Isn't that Miss Buckin's son?"
"Miss Buckin?" Shiki took a drag from his cigar. That was a name from long ago—he hadn't heard it in over a decade.
"If that pink brat is here, then it looks like he's been waiting for you specifically. What do you plan to do?" Indigo asked.
"First, let me test his mettle!" Shiki sneered as he activated his Float-Float Fruit powers.
A desolate island that had just been relocated from the outer seas suddenly lost its buoyancy. Like a javelin hurled by a titan, it plummeted toward them with devastating force.
Buffalo and Kuro's faces paled as they watched in terror.
This wasn't just an attack—this was a force of nature.
Millions of tons of destruction, falling from the heavens.
A column of lightning surged skyward. In an instant, Enel's golden spear shot toward the descending island.
"BOOM!!!"
A deafening explosion erupted as the small island shattered into countless fragments, raining debris across the sea.
Yamato gripped the ship's railing in exhilaration.
Buffalo and Kuro were still frozen in shock at the sheer destructive power on display.
Their ship cut through the falling rubble, soaring toward the heavens.
Standing atop the lion-headed prow, Shiki, backlit by the sun, looked like the very center of the world.
Taking another drag from his cigar, he flicked the ashes away before suddenly moving his hands.
Oto and Kogarashi unleashed two devastating flying slashes—waves of energy powerful enough to split the seas.
Slashes!
Doflamingo's razor-sharp black threads wove into an intricate net, nullifying the incoming attacks.
As the ship drew closer, Shiki, gazing down from above, exhaled a puff of smoke before shifting his attention to Enel's crackling aura. His tone was laced with disdain.
"Not a bad ability. So, your courage to face me comes from that Lightning-Logia power?"
"NONONO!"
The ship continued to rise.
Until, finally, Doflamingo—standing at his full height—was looking down at Shiki. Only then did he stop ascending, satisfied.
Leaning forward slightly, his stance radiated aggression.
"My confidence has always come from myself."
"HAHAHAHA! What a cocky little brat! You've been waiting here for me all this time—what is it you're after?" Shiki roared with laughter, his old ambition flaring. Perhaps he had found a new recruit?
Doflamingo's grin stretched wider, but his eyes only grew colder.
"Fufufufufu… What do I want? First, let me see if this so-called 'Great Pirate' still has any weight to his name."
If this were the Golden Lion at full strength, Doflamingo might have shown some restraint.
But a brain-damaged version of Shiki?
Yet he still had the audacity to act so high and mighty?
"BOOM!!!"
A monstrous wave of Conqueror's Haki exploded outward—a violent eruption of twisted malice, bloodlust, and sheer dominance.
The once clear sky was instantly consumed by ominous clouds.
The weaker remnants of Shiki's crew collapsed into unconsciousness, leaving only those who had once roamed the New World standing.
The primary target—Shiki himself—bore the brunt of the onslaught.
His expression darkened, the smoldering cigar slipping from his lips as he drew Oto and Kogarashi, roaring in fury.
"You little bastard! What the hell do you take me for?!"
Two more slashes cleaved through the air, rapidly expanding as they hurtled toward Doflamingo and his ship.
These weren't the sluggish attacks of an old, crippled lion.
Compared to the slashes he'd unleashed decades later, while bound to mechanical legs, these were on an entirely different level.
Their sheer force was enough to split the seas.
"Fufufufufufu… Old man, obviously, I take you for a cripple!"
Doflamingo's mockery dripped with malice as his hands twisted the air.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Countless threads, infused with Haki, burst forth from behind him, slicing through the incoming slashes like a torrential downpour.
The sky erupted in chaos.
"Enel, I want that ridiculous doctor."
"Me?!" Indigo, watching from afar, blinked in surprise.
"Understood, Young Master!" Enel transformed into a bolt of lightning, shooting into the clouds above.
Doflamingo continued his attack, utterly unfazed.
Weevil, still groggy, was flung into the surviving crew members, while the others—along with their ship—were sent soaring into the distance.
This wasn't a battlefield they could even hope to survive.
"You really don't take me seriously, huh, Doflamingo?!"
Shiki's body floated eerily behind him.
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