A violet-black shockwave surged with ominous energy, roaring forth like a cry from the depths of hell.
Two unparalleled waves of Conqueror's Haki surged and intertwined within it.
Each one clashing with the other, fueling this explosion with fission-like power.
It was a shockwave powerful enough to destroy the entire world!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Golden beams of light shot forward at blinding speed, each one strong enough to obliterate a battleship into dust.
Under the force of this attack, they disintegrated into pure light.
Then came Sakazuki's full-power eruption — fists of magma, fierce enough to boil seas and burn down mountains.
The next moment, they were crushed into nothingness.
But even that was enough to boost Sengoku's morale.
The strike Doflamingo had patched together was still a far cry from the joint attack of Kaido and Big Mom.
"Sakazuki, Borsalino — stay behind me."
Carrying a compressed dark-gold shockwave that looked like a piece of the dying sun, Sengoku charged forward like he was wielding twilight itself.
Vmmmmmmmmmm—!!
An overwhelming blast of radiant light exploded outward, like a sun falling into the sea.
The twilight ocean blazed as if it were noon.
Massive amounts of seawater vaporized instantly. The scorching steam made the sea feel like it was boiling.
And then—
The light slowly faded.
Silence returned.
Sengoku stood alone on the sea, drenched in blood, no longer the Golden Buddha but a bloodied warrior.
But he had stopped the attack.
"Doflamingo!!!"
Sakazuki leapt forward, magma fists gathered to their absolute peak, ready to smash the spot where they had just been.
But what he saw—
Was an empty ruin.
"Sakazuki-kun? No need to see me off~ Let's play our lovely game again next time, yeah?"
Doflamingo's mocking voice drifted down from the sky.
Borsalino looked up. Thanks to his Pika Pika no Mi-enhanced vision, he spotted two tiny figures far above.
Doflamingo was holding Bullet, soaring like a massive bird through the sky.
They were at least 4,000 meters high.
There was no catching them now.
"Damn it! Damn that Doflamingo!!!"
Sakazuki, already on the verge of losing it, roared with fury. They had lost—again.
He launched a magma fist upward with all his might.
But from that distance, it was hopeless.
The attack fell apart.
In the twilight sky, the glowing embers scattered like stars.
Pfft—!!
Sengoku, still standing, coughed up a mouthful of blood, slowly reverting from his Buddha form to his human self.
Blood poured freely from the wounds all over his body.
"Admiral Sengoku!"
Borsalino's heart sank.
If Sengoku — the master of all six Rokushiki techniques — couldn't even control the muscles around his wounds...
That meant...
The next moment, Sengoku's limp body fell toward the sea, confirming Borsalino's worst fears.
He flashed forward and caught the falling admiral just in time.
"Admiral Sengoku!!"
...
6,000 meters above sea level.
"Doflamingo, what was that move back there?"
Bullet raised his head, eyes filled with hunger for knowledge and power.
That move — even on Roger's ship — he had never seen it.
Even Roger couldn't do that.
"Oh? You mean Hakai? That was something Kaido and Big Mom developed. Honestly, we'll probably never pull it off properly on our own."
Doflamingo's expression dimmed slightly as he spoke.
That strike, Hakai...
Was it powerful?
No doubt.
But nowhere near the devastating might of Kaido and Big Mom's merged Haki.
And the key behind their version of Hakai?
Was the deep bond and years of shared battles they'd built while sailing together.
Doflamingo had barely managed to replicate it using Bullet's fusion ability.
At best, it was a crude imitation. Their Conqueror's Haki hadn't truly merged at all.
It was just barely balanced under the ability of the Clank-Clank Fruit.
And he didn't have the time or patience to cultivate "chemistry" with a battle maniac like Bullet.
To surpass the Emperor level, he'd need to find another path.
"Why not?!"
Bullet frowned, clearly unsatisfied.
Doflamingo had just used it, hadn't he?
"Because it requires another person with Conqueror's Haki."
Doflamingo paused for a moment before continuing with a strange look.
"Maybe you have a shot. Find someone else with Conqueror's Haki — fully merge with them. See if your Haki can truly fuse."
"Can't you do it?!" Bullet blurted out, not one for subtlety.
"?! Not a chance."
Doflamingo flatly refused, shaking his hands like he was flicking off something disgusting. He nearly dropped Bullet.
Merge with Bullet?
God knows if their minds would sync too.
He couldn't risk someone else learning what was in his head.
And besides—merging with another man?
Just thinking about it made him want to throw up.
He was fine with killing to get stronger — but disgusting himself? Absolutely not.
"Whatever. I'm tired. I'm going to sleep."
Bullet didn't press the issue, even though he didn't get it.
If Doflamingo didn't want it, he wasn't going to force it either.
Who knew who would dominate if they did merge anyway?
Still, the idea of fusing with another Conqueror's Haki user lingered in his mind.
"Yes, yes, my heroic champion~"
Bullet's eyes snapped open, face contorted in rage.
"Go to hell, Doflamingo! Call me that again and I'm flying back on my own!"
Same damn words — but when the Skypiea people shouted them, it sent shivers down your spine in a good way.
Coming from Doflamingo, it was just sickening.
"Fufufufufu~"
Seeing Bullet thoroughly disgusted, Doflamingo grinned in satisfaction.
He didn't push the living bomb any further and focused on flying toward Skypiea.
After days of fighting, with Sengoku wounded...
He wasn't exactly in perfect shape either.
...
At the same time—
The ship carrying Yamato slowly approached Fishman Island.
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg