Unable to control his body, he stumbled backward. Under Orin's absolute control of the battlefield, just a few rolls were enough to stabilize his stance again.
With a sudden leap, he soared upward, narrowly dodging the giant glob of mucus hurled by Trebol.
"Ugh~"
Not only did the Seagull King feel disgusted, but even Orin's eyes showed traces of distaste.
Even if it didn't hurt when hit, getting stuck in that slime would definitely rob him of his ability to fly, not to mention the sheer psychological impact.
Aside from Doflamingo himself, all those bizarre Devil Fruit users around him were nothing but fragile glass in Orin's eyes.
Their powers might be strange and varied, but they weren't even qualified to land a hit on the Seagull King.
Orin curled his fingers slightly, controlling the Seagull King to fight while retreating against the airborne Doflamingo. One by one, the Donquixote executives were struck in their vitals by the Seagull King's Armament Haki and fell to the ground.
The few who remained posed no real threat to its air superiority.
"Fufufufufu… I admit I underestimated you. Should I say this is expected of Orin-sama? Even your pet possesses such terrifying combat power."
Looking at his fallen family members, Doflamingo's lips curled upward, but veins bulged across his forehead.
The battle that had seemed firmly in his grasp earlier—how had it turned into this?
"Overheat Whip!!!"
The threads in his hands twisted together into a thick rope. Coated with Haki, he swung it viciously toward the Seagull King's body.
But the bird was small and agile. With a flap of its wings, it dodged cleanly.
Szzzt—
The attack missed, but a corner of the castle was sliced clean off, collapsing with a rumble as dust billowed upward.
With Doflamingo beginning to fight seriously, the Seagull King felt the pressure rising.
The situation escalated!!!
As its controller, Orin's combat style was perfectly carried over.
Through nimble maneuvering and relentless counterattacks, the Seagull King engaged Doflamingo in a fierce aerial clash.
But the occasional feathers drifting down revealed its lack of raw strength.
This wasn't Orin's fault.
In fact, with his powerful Observation Haki, Orin was already playing at maximum control.
It was the Seagull King's limited strength that restrained his full potential. Even in direct clashes of Armament Haki, its defenses would be slightly broken through, leaving fine lacerations on its wings.
"Five-Color Strings!!!"
Swoosh—
Not giving the Seagull King a chance to breathe, the enraged Doflamingo was determined to bring it down. His razor-sharp strings, infused with Armament Haki, could slice through mountains.
He even released his Conqueror's Haki Infusion in full force, attempting to pressure the Seagull King into making a mistake.
But the Seagull King wasn't afraid.
Such petty Conqueror's Haki wasn't enough to faze him.
Facing the massive attack, it instantly cloaked both talons in Armament Haki, its claws gleaming obsidian black as it kicked straight at the threads.
Crack crack crack crack…
The two sides tangled together. Yet in the end, Doflamingo, born a king, held the advantage.
The Seagull King had only recently awakened both Hakis; to hold out this long was already impressive.
Under the merciless slicing of the threads, its body was gashed by five deep wounds, blood spraying into the air.
Its form began to drop, descending slowly, about to crash to the ground.
The Seagull King squinted its eyes in unwillingness, blood seeping from its beak.
Is this… my limit?
Damn it…
So frustrating, not being able to secure victory for Orin-sama.
Resigned to the impact of the fall, it closed its eyes in humiliation—only to feel a gentle touch supporting its body.
Opening them, the Seagull King saw Orin's handsome face before it.
"You don't have to do this. You've done well enough, Seagull King…"
It stared blankly at Orin.
Though his understanding words reached it, the Seagull King felt no comfort—only deeper anguish.
Tears welled and slid from its eyes.
If it could speak, who could doubt it would cry out through sobs:
"I'll never lose again! You got a problem with that, Master!!!"
Sensing its stubborn unwillingness, Orin sighed.
Perhaps he was moved by its fighting spirit, or perhaps he thought this ending was too abrupt. After a moment of thought, he reached into his coat.
"Well… can't be helped. Since you're this stubborn, I'll give you a chance to grow stronger."
As the Seagull King sobbed bitterly, a strange, patterned fruit appeared before it. The bird froze, stunned.
So did Doflamingo. Seeing it, a wave of unease washed over him.
Hey, hey, hey…
Don't tell me there's a second round coming?
Cold sweat formed on his forehead. As someone who often mingled in the underworld and had seen many Devil Fruits, Doflamingo recognized this immediately.
That shape and appearance…
"A Zoan Devil Fruit… Mythical Zoan?"
He gritted his teeth, watching as Orin placed the fruit before the Seagull King.
"So? Want to eat it?"
The fruit Orin took out was one of the Mythical Zoan Fruits he had traded from the Elders with Pure Gold—
Zoan · Mythical Zoan · Gale Bird Form.
"Besides, you're a seagull. You wouldn't swim anyway, right?"
Staring at the fruit, the Seagull King didn't hesitate. It opened its beak wide and swallowed it whole. Nobody knew how its thin neck managed it.
"Guh—"
After a brief gag, its body began to change.
...
Its head grew sharp and noble like an eagle's. Its wings spread wide like blades. Its body enlarged, tail feathers elongating—
Just in appearance alone, it was no weaker than Marco's Phoenix, perhaps even fiercer.
"Looks like it suits you well."
"SKREEEE——!!!"
Even its cry had changed. The Seagull King had already become an entirely new species.
Its wings beat furiously, conjuring violent gusts of wind that roared through the air.
Doflamingo's pink-feathered coat whipped wildly in the storm. His whole body went numb.
Unable to win halfway through the fight, and you just eat a Mythical Zoan?!
But he didn't dare voice his complaint to Orin. He could only stare solemnly at the fierce, majestic beast, his fingers secretly rubbing the threads in his hands.
Seeing Doflamingo's grim face, Orin chuckled inwardly. Did he really think fortune would just fall from the sky?
If you want a privilege bestowed by Orin, be ready to stake your life to earn it.
"Since you still have the strength to fight, then…"
"The battle continues."
Screee!
With Orin's command, the Seagull King—now healed from most of its wounds thanks to the Devil Fruit—let out a piercing cry!!!
A raging storm erupted around it as it dove at Doflamingo.
"Nani!!!"
Clenching his teeth against the gale, Doflamingo's face twisted in shock. He hastily anchored himself with his threads.
His thread whip, coated in Armament Haki, collided head-on with the Gale Bird's razor-sharp beak.
This time, it wasn't one-sided.
Caught off guard, Doflamingo coughed up a mouthful of blood!
"Dammit!!!"