Otto's massive reptilian form gradually shrank back to his four-meter human shape.
The Blood Demon's relatively short stature loomed over him like an evil god emerged from hell.
Dark bats continuously seeped from the Blood Demon's body, swarming Otto's broad frame to voraciously suck his lifeblood.
"Hah...hah! Redfield...are you the Red Count Redfield? Stop—we can talk! No need to kill me..."
Otto lay paralyzed, feeling his strength wane as his blood drained away.
Even his normally carefree nerves screamed with panic.
The Red Count's offensive power far surpassed Kaido's daughter or Caesar's son.
The Blood Demon remained utterly unmoved by Otto's pleas.
Unlike the Ice Demon who left after fighting, he stayed because his Devil Fruit craved Otto's excessively abundant life force.
His memories had been completely erased by Caesar—now he was nothing but an emotionless killing machine.
Seeing his words ineffective, Otto broke into a desperate sweat.
Redfield's sword had pierced his chest and spine, robbing him of movement.
Though his mind remained clear, he'd lost control of his body.
The Blood Demon's final Sun Halo technique had shattered most bones in his limbs.
Now Otto resembled boneless fried chicken strips.
"Redfield! Go fuck your mother—!"
"You old fool! Weren't you known as the strongest lone wolf who wanted to stay single forever? Now you've thrown yourself into Caesar's arms—how revolting! Where's your dignity? Where's your pride? Are you really so willing to stoop to guarding gates for others?"
At this moment, Otto's desperate will to live unleashed the most eloquent speech of his life—enough to compete in a World Government debate tournament.
Yet his impassioned outburst only earned him more attention from the blood-sucking bats swarming from the Blood Demon's body.
"AAAAH! I refuse to accept this! I haven't even had the chance to fight Kaido for the title of the strongest creature! My ultimate physique! My strongest Zoan!"
Otto's face twisted in fury as he roared, but his body remained paralyzed.
He could only watch helplessly as the Blood Demon slowly drained him dry.
As the last traces of his blood were carried away by the bats dispersing from the Blood Demon, Otto's once-mighty body—bulky as a giant crab—shriveled completely, even his bones shrinking.
His skin dried up like cracked riverbeds.
With a crack, Otto's dull, lifeless eyes suddenly split open with fissures, and his massive skull collapsed inward, crumbling into dust.
....
"Otto's presence is gone! He's dead!"
Golden Axe, locked in combat with Crocodile and Doflamingo, paled drastically.
His attacks faltered for an instant as he instinctively turned his head toward the scene.
"Fufufufu, old man, you dare get distracted fighting us? Did you think, us the Shichibukai were pushovers? Parasite String!"
Doflamingo, sharp as ever, instantly noticed Golden Axe's lapse and wasted no time unleashing his signature string-based control ability!
His Parasite String was typically used to manipulate opponents far weaker than himself.
When used against equals or stronger foes, however, it risked backlash—potentially injuring him instead!
That was why he hadn't used it during his fight with Beckman on Whole Cake Island.
But this technique was, in truth, Doflamingo's strongest control skill—capable of instantly ensnaring a target faster than even his Rampaging White Threads, bordering on the power of absolute rule!
Crocodile, having roamed the New World in his youth, had collaborated with Doflamingo several times.
Their relationship was one of mutual love and hate—hence Doflamingo's teasing offer to team up during the Summit War.
Few knew that his words hadn't been entirely in jest.
Their personalities and methods were strikingly similar—both arrogant, both insatiably ambitious.
So the moment Doflamingo's Parasite String pierced Golden Axe's body, Crocodile transformed into a cascading waterfall of sand, roaring down upon Golden Axe like a tidal wave dozens of meters high!
"Sand Waterfall Burial!!"
Golden Axe heart clenched.
He struggled to break free from Doflamingo's strings, raising his golden axe—
"Try the ultimate restraining move I devised after losing to Beckman, you old bastard!!"
As Golden Axe tore through the Parasite String, Doflamingo coughed up blood but ignored it, spreading his arms wide before slamming them together!
"Super Birdcage—Seamless!!"
In an instant, amidst the cascading sand unleashed by Crocodile, countless threads tougher and harder than steel swiftly wrapped around Golden Axe's body!
These threads were coated in pitch-black Armament Haki, quickly forming one miniature Birdcage after another, layering over Golden Axe and completely enveloping him!
Just as Doflamingo had said, this was a seamless garment!
A garment woven from countless Armament Haki-coated threads, utterly encasing Golden Axe without a single gap, binding him tightly!
"You damn flamingo! You're protecting him now—how the hell am I supposed to attack him?!"
From within the waterfall of sand, Crocodile's furious roar suddenly rang out.
Doflamingo's clasped hands trembled violently, his entire body shaking.
Golden Axe's strength was immense.
Though restrained, he had suffered little damage and was now gathering his Haki, trying to break free.
The skin on Doflamingo's arms split open, blood gushing out, turning him into a bloodied figure.
"Crocodile! I'll release his head—you've got one shot! If you miss it, we're both dead here! My Haki and stamina are running out!"
"Shut up and just do it!!"
As Crocodile roared, Doflamingo gritted his teeth and separated his two clasped thumbs.
Crack!
The threads covering Golden Axe's entire body suddenly expanded, revealing his flushed, enraged face.
"Doflamingo! Crocodile! I'll kill you both!"
Golden Axe was seething with rage, his pride shattered.
As one of the World Government's top fighters, how could he be wounded by mere members of Shichibukai?!
"Hell nah, old man!"
The moment Doflamingo released the restraint on Golden Axe's head, a torrent of sand surged in, drowning his skull!
"Corrosion Cycle! Sand Waterfall Burial!!"
The sand cascaded down like a waterfall, rapidly eroding and absorbing the Haki shielding Golden Axe's head!
Indeed, this was Crocodile's ultimate technique, painstakingly developed over two full years of research.
During his decade-plus in Alabasta, the favorable terrain had made him complacent, neglecting his Haki training and causing his strength to plummet—leading to his defeat by Luffy.
After the Summit War, Crocodile reflected deeply, vowing to rebuild his Haki and reclaim his peak!
But mastering Haki was no easy feat.
In the New World, pirates proficient in Armament Haki were a dime a dozen.
After several setbacks, Crocodile finally developed this move.
A powerful fusion of Corrosion Cycle and Sand Waterfall, it could erode and absorb an enemy's Haki like draining moisture!
Most pirate captains would be disarmed and forced to surrender within seconds of being grazed by this technique.