Birdcage.
The name sounded harmless. Almost cute.
It was Doflamingo's most devastating technique.
An enhanced Parasite on steroids—combining manipulation with lethal offensive power. His absolute last resort. The move he'd swore never to use unless his back was against the wall and death was staring him in the face.
The technique required a prerequisite: String Puppet.
Doflamingo's hands rose. Countless threads poured from his palms, weaving together mid-air into humanoid form. Features emerged—facial structure, body proportions, even the pink feather coat.
A perfect duplicate.
The puppet stood motionless, expression blank, eyes empty.
Then its head EXPLODED.
Strings erupted like a volcanic geyser, shooting skyward in a massive fountain of near-invisible threads. They climbed higher, higher, until they reached the apex—
And began to fall.
The descending threads spread outward as they dropped, forming a massive dome that stretched from sky to ground. An arc-shaped cage of razor-wire death that enclosed the entire Marine training ground.
Tens of thousands of Marines trapped inside.
Marine Headquarters - Fleet Admiral's Office
Sengoku's face went ashen.
He knew this technique. Knew exactly what it could do.
"That BASTARD!" His fist crashed into the desk hard enough to crack the wood. "He actually dares use a wide-area massacre technique at Marine Headquarters?! Tsuru—order Sakazuki to—"
"Sengoku."
Garp's voice cut through the panic. Unusually serious. Unusually calm.
"There's no need to worry." The old man's eyes never left the screen. "Kai's still down there. He'll handle it."
Sengoku's mouth opened to argue—
Then closed.
He sat back down.
Training Ground
Kai stared up at the descending cage of death.
If Doflamingo went all-out, Birdcage could surround an entire city. The strings themselves were sharp enough to slice through flesh with the lightest touch—a true cage that nothing inside could escape. They blocked electromagnetic signals, prevented Den Den Mushi communication, isolated the trapped from any hope of rescue.
And after one hour, the cage would begin contracting.
Slowly crushing everything inside into bloody paste.
This version was smaller. More concentrated. The string density was insane compared to what Doflamingo would use on Dressrosa years from now. Tighter weave. Sharper edges. More lethal in every way.
Kai's jaw clenched.
Tens of thousands of Marines surrounded them. This was Marine Headquarters—the entire organization was watching. If Doflamingo actually killed Marines here, it would be a slap in Kai's face that he'd never live down.
"Since you're so eager to die..."
His voice dropped to absolute zero.
"...then I'll grant your wish."
The pattern emerged in his eyes.
Concentric circles rippling inward. Silver tomoe rotating slowly within the rings. The Rinne-Sharingan—a design so alien, so impossibly intricate, that merely looking at it felt like staring into the abyss of creation itself.
Hawkeye's entire body tensed.
There. That same pattern from the conference room. The one that had appeared right before Kai subdued Crocodile with a single glance. Is this his Devil Fruit power? Some kind of eye-based ability?
Doflamingo froze mid-breath.
Confusion flickered across his face, quickly drowned by something else. Something primal.
Fear.
His instincts screamed danger. Every fiber of his being recoiled from those eyes.
Before he could process the feeling, Kai's gaze locked onto him.
The Admiral's voice was soft. Almost gentle.
"Tsukuyomi."
The Blood-Red World
Doflamingo's vision went black.
When his eyes opened again, everything was wrong.
The sky bled crimson. The earth beneath his feet was the color of dried blood. A massive sun hung overhead, radiating scarlet light that cast no shadows.
And he was bound to a cross.
Arms spread wide. Legs locked together. Thick restraints that felt like they were made from his own strings digging into flesh.
"Where—" His voice cracked. "Where the hell is this?! I was at Marine Headquarters! I was—"
"Welcome to my world."
Kai's form rose from the blood-soaked ground like a specter materializing from nightmare. His expression was perfectly calm. Almost serene.
"The world of Tsukuyomi."
Doflamingo thrashed against the restraints. Pulled with every ounce of strength in his body. The cross didn't budge. The bindings didn't loosen.
Panic clawed up his throat.
He reached for his power—the String-String Fruit that had been part of him for over two decades. The ability that flowed through his veins like blood.
Nothing.
He tried to sense his Haki. Armament. Observation. Conqueror's.
Nothing.
It wasn't that his powers were sealed. They simply... didn't exist. Like trying to flex a muscle that had been amputated. The phantom sensation was there, but the reality was gone.
"What—" His voice rose an octave. "What did you DO TO ME?! Kai Mitarashi!"
The fear in his tone was naked. Undisguised.
Without his power, the cowardice bred into every Celestial Dragon's bones finally surfaced.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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