"You want to learn? I'll teach you."
Doflamingo smiled slightly, extending a massive arm.
Bullet hadn't expected Doflamingo to take this opportunity to slap him across the face.
He kept his eyes fixed on the giant hand reaching toward him.
Though Doflamingo was a manipulator of men, he did have some lines he wouldn't cross.
Zzzzz!
Threads unraveled, revealing the muscle structure underneath.
"This is your secret?"
Bullet stared intently—the muscle structure was made up of strange, interconnected strands, each less than five centimeters long.
His eyes lit up.
Until now, he'd only thought of merging inorganic material to create weapons or make himself tougher.
He'd never once considered using his massive transformations to reshape his form in other ways.
Just as Bullet was lost in thought, contemplating new ways to evolve—
Doflamingo's voice rang out.
"Bullet, in this world, among the stabilized races of humanoid beings… which one do you think is the strongest?"
"The Fishmen, who claim their physical strength surpasses humans by dozens of times and call themselves invincible in the sea?"
"The Oni, with their unpredictable strength levels?"
"The Giants, with overwhelming power granted by sheer size?"
"Or maybe the Mink Tribe living on the back of Zunesha?"
...
As he spoke, fine threads gathered on his massive arm to create silhouettes of each race.
Bullet looked at the various figures, all different in height and build, and hesitated.
This was beyond his knowledge.
"I don't know."
"Bullet, you'll need to study more. Knowledge can push your ability even further."
After lightly admonishing him, Doflamingo smiled and revealed the answer.
"It's the Tontatta Tribe. They average just 20 centimeters tall, yet possess strength and speed that surpass ordinary humans. It's their unique muscular and skeletal structure that grants them such power.
"If they were the same size as us, they'd be a race of natural-born elites. Now, in this form of mine, with just one movement. It's as if billions of Tontatta are unleashing their strength all at once."
"So powerful…" Bullet's eyes gleamed, brimming with the desire to grow stronger.
"Fufufufufu~ The human body… isn't it amazing?"
Doflamingo chuckled in satisfaction at Bullet's admiration, then continued offering insight.
"My String-String Fruit can only be pushed to its limit through structure and material. But Bullet—your fusion ability…"
"Is it really just for playing with rocks? Merging low-level weapons? What if you could fuse stone into diamond? What if you could merge with a Devil Fruit… or even a Devil Fruit user? Think about it—imagine a Mythical Zoan you've always dreamed of."
"Now imagine the two of you as one. How strong would you become?"
Why can't a Clank-Clank Fruit user merge with another ability?
At this point, Bullet's power was closer to "integration" than "fusion."
"Fusion? A Mythical Zoan?"
Bullet muttered, eyes shining brighter and brighter.
If he hadn't been starving on the battlefield that day and accidentally eaten the Clank-Clank Fruit…
He would've likely gone out to sea in search of a suitable Zoan-type Fruit.
But now, he might've found another way.
With a surge of inspiration, awakened purple energy expanded ten meters around him, kneading and manipulating the microscopic world within.
Seeing that Bullet had fallen deep into enlightenment,
Doflamingo finally ended his awakened form—after all, maintaining such a dramatic display consumed a lot of stamina.
The white titan collapsed back into a pile of mountains and ships, towering in a heap.
Doflamingo flopped down on top, closed his eyes under the warm sun, and returned to pondering the magnetic fields of his new powers.
As for the destruction of the G-8 base and the Navy's response?
The only ones who still mattered to him were Kong, Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru.
Even if the Navy lost their minds and mobilized every top-tier fighter to hunt him down,
From here to Marineford, even taking the express route through the Gates of Justice across the Calm Belt…
It would take them at least five days to arrive.
By then, he'd be long gone.
Time to relax.
...
While Bullet was lost in thought,
The distant ocean, once thrown into chaos by their battle, had gradually calmed.
The Navy fleet was slowly approaching the ruined battlefield.
But Sengoku's face carried visible concern.
The sea had quieted—did that mean the battle between Doflamingo and Douglas Bullet had come to an end?
Was the G-8 base sacrificed… for nothing?
Inside the ship's medical bay—
"Jonathan! How are you holding up?!"
Sakazuki clutched the body of his old friend, freshly pulled from the water, biting his lower lip in distress. It was as if he was trying to pass his own warmth to the man.
There were many comrades in the Navy who shared his ideals.
But this… this was his only true friend.
Jonathan was wrapped in bandages from head to toe, his chest covered with cold, clinical monitoring devices.
An oxygen mask was strapped to his face, pumping air into him nonstop.
IVs fed medicine into his limbs, but it wasn't enough to stop the heart monitor from slowly flattening out.
"Cough… Sakazuki."
Jonathan's brows twitched. He opened his eyes with difficulty, locking onto Sakazuki with a pleading look.
A fresh spray of blood misted the inside of the oxygen mask.
"Jonathan!"
Sakazuki froze. His body trembled. He couldn't accept the truth—though his Observation Haki was already telling him what was coming.
"Save your strength. Tell me when we're back at HQ."
"Huff… huff… there's no time, Sakazuki. Listen to me."
He'd been too close to the battlefield during the evacuation from G-8.
Though he couldn't compare to monsters like Sakazuki,
As a Vice Admiral, Jonathan had studied the Rokushiki to their limits. He had a solid grasp on Seimei Kikan.
And he knew his body better than anyone.
Suppressing the urge to black out, he took a few deep breaths, then activated Seimei Kikan.
A strange flush rose to his cheeks as he forced himself to go on.
"Doflamingo and the Demon's Heir… their battle was apocalyptic. Words like 'the sky falling' or 'the earth collapsing' don't even come close."
"Jessica… the commander… everyone… we were all scattered in the chaos.Be careful. If you can… please find Jessica. Take care of her…"
His voice trailed off until it became too faint to hear.
The heart monitor blipped twice, then flatlined.
Beeeeeeeeep—
"Jonathan? Jonathan!! Doflamingo!!!"
Flames burst visibly from Sakazuki's mouth as he screamed.
First Zephyr… then Kuzan… now Jonathan…
All taken by Doflamingo.
As the heat in the room rose, even Jonathan's cooling body began to sweat.
Garp's adjutant placed a comforting hand on Sakazuki's shoulder.
"Sakazuki… it'll all be repaid. Let Jonathan rest."
Borsalino wiped his glasses, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"This time… Doflamingo won't have Big Mom or Kaido covering for him."
...
Time passed. The sun reached its zenith.
The Navy fleet arrived in the waters around the former G-8 base.
At the base's ruined site stood two colossal mounds of debris.
Among them were fragments of ships and shattered cannons.
Sengoku stood grim-faced, his clenched fists crackling as bones strained under pressure.
The battle between Doflamingo and Douglas Bullet was over.
They had arrived too late.
"Admiral Sengoku, did we miss them?"
Sakazuki, expression nearly mirroring Sengoku's, gazed at the two towering heaps.
Under his red suit, his arms began to glow faintly with heat.
Sengoku simply waved a tired hand.
"Start searching for survivors."
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg