"Fuffuffuffuffu! Golden Lion! This is the end of your pitiful existence!"
Doflamingo laughed maniacally as he dove downward, his speed increasing with every second.
Friction ignited flames around his body, making him look like a meteor hurtling through the atmosphere.
His entire form transformed into razor-thin threads, drawn taut like the string of a bow.
And the lethal arrow? His fist, crackling with black and red lightning.
...
Below, the Golden Lion moved at an unprecedented speed, a streak of golden light tearing through the darkness.
He was faster than he'd ever been, even in his prime.
This was the power he'd gained in exchange for his very life.
Meanwhile, on the floating island-ship, the battle had already come to a halt.
Weevil, the News Coo, and the recently awakened Dr. Indigo all watched in stunned silence.
Two dazzling figures clashed in the sky above.
Time seemed to freeze.
The shockwaves burst outward like a hurricane, shaking the heavens and the sea below.
A deafening explosion followed, far louder than any human should be able to endure.
Doflamingo clenched his throbbing fist, spread his wings, and charged again.
When two warriors were evenly matched, having a weapon made all the difference.
Doflamingo should have had the advantage in speed.
Yet here he was, locked in a dead heat.
...
Enel watched from afar, reminded of the legendary clash over Loguetown.
Golden and crimson figures streaked through the sky, colliding over and over again.
His young master traded blows with Golden Lion Shiki, each impact producing a piercing screech, sparks flying from the clash of fist against blade.
Their battle was no longer a contest of skill—it had become a war of brute strength.
Though blood still trickled from the gash atop his head, Shiki's crimson eyes burned with determination.
His aging body surged with newfound power.
Willpower, stamina, swordsmanship—everything had aligned in perfect harmony.
This was the strength that had once rivaled Roger himself.
"Gehahaha! Doflamingo, you're still too green!"
Shiki batted away Doflamingo's attack with a slash, panting heavily between laughs.
Doflamingo's body was soaked in blood, his flesh cut open by Oto and Kogarashi.
Though at a disadvantage, his grin remained unfazed.
"Fuffuffuffuffu. You senile old fool. How much longer can you last?"
Shiki's grin twisted into a snarl.
With his shattered skull and blood-streaked face, he looked more like a demon than a man.
His expression contorted with fury as he glared at Doflamingo.
"Long enough to see you dead, brat!"
"Then you'd better try harder, old man!"
The battle resumed, but this time, Shiki's attacks carried a hint of desperation.
...
Time passed.
Doflamingo's wounds deepened, his body drenched in blood, his appearance barely recognizable.
But Shiki's blood-red eyes blurred, struggling to keep Doflamingo in focus.
The howling winds stilled.
The storm clouds dispersed.
Sunlight once again poured from the heavens.
Shiki hesitated.
His sword slowed.
...
Thud!
Doflamingo seized both of Shiki's swords, his lips curling into a wicked smile.
"Golden Lion, your journey ends here!"
Shiki's pupils shrank as a sense of impending doom overwhelmed him.
In a last-ditch effort, he activated his Devil Fruit powers, commanding nearby boulders to rush forward.
It was useless.
Doflamingo's twin wings descended like a guillotine.
Shiki's limbs were severed in an instant.
...
I lost... again?
Bound by razor-sharp strings, drenched in blood, Shiki knew his fate was sealed.
Rage? Regret? He wasn't sure what burned in his chest as he let out a final roar.
"My life will never be over!"
His fierce eyes locked onto Doflamingo, recognizing a familiar madness in the younger man's gaze.
"Brat… don't you dare lose!"
"Fuffuffuffuffu! You should know better! I will never lose!"
Doflamingo's bloodied face stretched into a perfect grin.
"Now, die here!"
Shiki could no longer respond.
A razor-thin thread had pierced his skull, snuffing out the light in his eyes.
...
Weevil broke the silence with a cheer.
"Wow! Godfather, you're amazing!"
Enel, watching from a distance, felt an unexpected sense of urgency.
"The so-called legendary pirate, Golden Lion… utterly humiliated by Young Master."
The News Coo furiously snapped photos.
Meanwhile, Dr. Indigo trembled, horror written all over his face.
Shiki is gone… what happens to me now?
...
As Shiki's body fell, the floating islands quaked like an impending apocalypse.
They began their slow descent, plummeting toward the sea.
Among them, the IQ plants were invaluable—but Doflamingo had more pressing matters.
"Enel, take Indigo and Weevil. Secure an IQ sample. If you don't know what it looks like, ask Indigo."
With that, Doflamingo seized Shiki's barely-breathing body and flew off, his suit and feathered cloak already mending themselves.
Reaching up, he touched the empty space where his sunglasses once were.
Then, he turned in the direction of Yamato.
Shiki was dead. But the Float-Float Fruit could still be claimed.
As for the workers on the islands?
They weren't his concern.
In a world like this, those without power were as good as dead anyway.
...
As the young master disappeared into the sky, Weevil and Enel turned to Indigo.
The scientist's scalp tingled.
Before they could even ask, he hurriedly pulled out a small test tube filled with pink seeds.
"With this, the IQ plant won't go extinct! I swear I'll do what Lord Doflamingo asked!"
Enel nodded in satisfaction, dispersing the electricity in his hand.
They waited for the islands to descend to a safe height before leaping off.
...
Below, the once-pristine paradise had been reduced to ruins by falling debris.
If Doflamingo hadn't taken the fight to the coast, things would have been even worse.
Entire villages had been destroyed in the chaos.
If he knew, he might have felt a flicker of regret—maybe for two seconds.
...
Elsewhere.
"Buffalo! Let's go check it out! Take us—"
Yamato bounced around Buffalo impatiently.
Kuro, floating toward the battlefield, also looked at Buffalo expectantly. He wanted to witness a true battle between monsters.
Buffalo groaned, covering his ears. He wanted to go too, but Doflamingo-sama had forbidden it.
He turned toward the battlefield just in time to see a pink figure streaking toward them at breakneck speed.
Buffalo's eyes widened in excitement.
"Doflamingo-sama! Of course he's invincible!"
"Liar! That last fight took forever!"
Yamato scoffed. Her father had taken ages to kill Hiyori's dad too.
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