"Fufufufufu~ Borsalino, is this your gift for joining me?"
Doflamingo's fingers twitched eagerly as he watched the future Admiral candidate hurtling through the air. A wide, wicked grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"Well then, I'll gladly accept it."
It was like a pillow delivered the moment he lay down. This time, though he hadn't managed to destroy the Marine forces outright, killing another Admiral candidate would certainly make Sengoku very happy.
Borsalino and Sakazuki's hearts both tightened. They turned their heads sharply.
They looked toward the sea where Tokikake had fallen.
A streak of violet light shot toward them, fast approaching.
Scarlet-lensed sunglasses. Black and purple wings.
A silhouette like a demon born of the night—wasn't this the Doflamingo who should've been tied down by Sengoku the Buddha?!
Where was Sengoku the Buddha?!
Far across the surface of the ocean, a golden figure was rushing toward them at top speed.
"Damn it!!"
Both Borsalino and Sakazuki cursed under their breath.
But it was hard to say whether their anger was directed at the wicked Doflamingo—
—or at Sengoku the Buddha, who had failed to stall him at such a crucial moment.
"Leave Bullet to me!"
Sakazuki's expression, which had just barely calmed, twisted again with fury. Magma erupted as he continued his pursuit of Bullet.
"Alright!"
A flash of worry passed through Borsalino's eyes before his body transformed into light, streaking toward Tokikake to provide support.
...
"You bastards really pissed me off!!!"
Stabilizing himself midair, feet stepping on the sky, Bullet roared with a twisted snarl.
His lower back was mangled and charred, smoke rising from the wound.
Two massive grooves carved into his arms began to close up under the power of his Fusion-Fusion Fruit.
That damned flashing bug had managed to scar him.
Each of his fingers—thicker than a normal man's head—tightened into a fist.
The sheer force of his grip caused the air to crack and pop.
He forced out the last dregs of his Conqueror's Haki.
His eyeballs were now shot through with blood, leaving them almost entirely red—wild, crazed, unhinged.
Crack!
A sharp, clear sound rang out. Bullet's right fist, pushed to its very limit, reopened the freshly healed wound. Blood sprayed into the sky.
But Bullet didn't care in the slightest.
Lifting his fist, he brought it down with all his might.
Seeing the layers of compressed air collapsing one after another, Sakazuki's pupils shrank.
The magma inside his body surged to its peak under the control of his Devil Fruit.
Combining his mastery of Rokushiki and Armament Haki, he forcefully locked down his fracturing body.
Then, his own devastating punch launched from his right arm like a cannon.
"Hellhound!!!"
Red and violet fists—one above, one below—clashed in midair.
BOOMMMMM!!!
Molten magma and raw energy exploded outward in every direction.
Both men were blown apart by the shockwave.
"Keep it coming, Navy!!!"
Even with Armament Haki reinforcing him, Bullet's fists were blistering red. The reopened wounds were now burnt black, the flesh beneath charred and crackling.
Yet he didn't care in the slightest about the pain.
If anything, his eyes grew more fanatical—bordering on deranged.
He stabilized again and charged right back at Sakazuki.
"Come on! You damn pirate!!"
Sakazuki's fury had also reached its boiling point. Lava sprayed again as he charged forward to meet Bullet's assault.
...
Doflamingo was closing in fast.
Tokikake's forehead was drenched in sweat.
His broken arms had been forcefully reattached through sheer will and life force—but his combat effectiveness was near zero.
With every step he took, the air beneath his feet exploded.
Blades of blue energy rippled out from each step, slicing through the air, hurtling toward Doflamingo.
Borsalino was on his way. All he had to do was hold out.
"So weak."
Doflamingo sneered, his pace unbroken.
The dark angel wings on his back trembled, and his speed increased again.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One after another, the air blades shattered against Doflamingo's body.
Some superficial damage appeared on his artificial muscles, but they regenerated within seconds.
Still, this brief delay was all the time Borsalino needed to arrive.
His eyes locked onto Doflamingo, freezing cold.
His body began to condense from light, and with a violent swing, his leg came crashing down.
A faint distortion in the air hinted at the overwhelming power of the Haki coating it.
"Doflamingo. Stand down."
"Fufufufufu~ Your Haki's improved fast."
"Did your dead teacher appear to you in a dream with some advice, Vice Admiral Borsalino?"
Doflamingo burst out laughing like a maniac.
This guy? Trying to stop me? The hell is he thinking?
Thunder-like black and red streaks of Conqueror's Haki coiled around his enormous fist.
Then he brought it crashing down toward Borsalino's incoming leg.
"Let me teach you something new. You better learn it well!"
"Bastard!"
Borsalino's face darkened, rage blazing in his eyes at the insult to his deceased mentor.
CRACK!
The sound of a bone breaking echoed across the battlefield.
Borsalino's leg bent at a grotesque angle.
His body turned back into light and was launched across the sky,
creating sonic booms as he blasted through the air.
...
"But he overestimated himself, don't you think, Vice Admiral Tokikake? He could've saved you."
Doflamingo didn't even look at his victory. He turned, shooting toward Tokikake, who had barely put some distance between them.
Tokikake's face was grim. He had no time or energy left to argue.
He was gathering every last shred of strength for one final strike.
His body was now not only reinforced by Armament Haki armor but also surging with blood at full throttle.
This was a fusion technique—Haki and Rokushiki combined!
With his uninjured shoulder leading the charge, Tokikake lunged forward.
Doflamingo simply responded—
"Respectable courage."
His towering frame loomed over the smaller, more hunched Tokikake.
His massive, muscle-coated hand now resembled a giant claw—
—and that claw, bathed in violet light, came crashing down.
From a distance, Sengoku the Buddha spotted the moment of truth and roared in fury.
His colossal golden palm, fueled by wrath, came smashing down.
A golden shockwave exploded toward Doflamingo's back.
Doflamingo's brow lifted slightly.
This scene—it was just like a year ago.
And yet, even when faced with the same circumstances, his choice hadn't changed.
The black wings on his back folded inward like two great shields, Armament Haki coating them.
At the same time, his claw came smashing down toward the charging Tokikake.
"Die!"
-----------
Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg