"Is that so?"
"Then let's change it."
"I'll give you a more normal necklace someday."
Rosen glanced at Doll as she took the spiked collar off her neck.
Um!
Just throw it away!
Although he was ordered to put collars on the Shichibukai, it was limited to them.
As for his adjutant, she was his right-hand man.
If she were to wear a collar as well, it would be unreasonable.
"Hahaha!"
"If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have paid much attention."
"Now that you've mentioned it, I realize that the thing on your neck looks exactly like a collar."
Douglas Bullet laughed loudly when he saw this.
"It's called a choker."
"It's a normal decoration."
"To protect the neck during battle, I made it larger and gave it some spikes. It just happens to look like that collar."
Doll's face darkened, trying her best to maintain her taste.
She didn't want her jewelry mistaken for a pet collar by Rosen and Douglas Bullet.
Although… It really did resemble the collar Rosen had thrown to Donquixote Doflamingo.
"Is it normal?"
Upon hearing this, Rosen thought of the strangeness of the Grand Line.
The seas held countless nations, thousands of races, and various cultures. It was truly all-encompassing.
In this regard, he could only stay silent, accept it, and begin to understand the new culture.
Perhaps, as Doll said, in her hometown this thing might really be called a necklace.
Bang—
Just as Rosen, Doll, and Douglas Bullet were laughing and chatting as if no one else were around, Donquixote Doflamingo, standing above the Numancia Flamingo, saw everything.
Faced with a contempt he had never felt before—
No.
It wasn't contempt.
It was being ignored.
At this moment, a wave of shame surged through his heart, drowning his reason. Already torn between logic and anger, he completely lost control.
"Rosen!"
In a rage, Donquixote Doflamingo seemed to have forgotten the Conqueror's Haki that had destroyed his crew in an instant. He also forgot his cowardly retreat, fleeing in panic after just one look at Rosen.
Taking advantage of Rosen's distraction, he suddenly stretched out his arm.
"Overheat!"
As his five fingers spread, an orange-red string gushed from his palm like a blazing laser, exploding into a visible shockwave. Wrapped in powerful Armament Haki, it cut through the sky, crossing the distance between the Numancia Flamingo and the warship, shooting straight for Rosen at terrifying speed.
At this time—
Rosen's gaze was still on Doll and Douglas Bullet.
He didn't pay attention to Doflamingo's every move, nor to the burning orange whip tearing through the air.
Bang—
Until the string appeared in front of him like a laser.
Armament Haki surged like a tide, forming a purple skeleton.
He stretched out his hand casually, like an eagle catching a snake, and seized the string that could have pierced a warship.
"Is this your choice?"
"Donquixote Doflamingo."
"I see."
Rosen turned his head and glanced at Doflamingo, who was frozen in an attacking stance.
"Fuffuffuffuffu!"
"You'd better remember one thing."
"I'm not someone you can manipulate."
Donquixote Doflamingo landed on the Numancia Flamingo, spreading his arms wide, his fingers dancing as if playing an invisible piano.
At the same time—
Everything except the ship beneath his feet began to unravel.
The broken pirate vessels floating on the sea split apart, turning into countless threads.
The hulls, decks, masts—
All became white strings.
Splash—
Without ships, the Donquixote pirates stunned by Rosen's Haki plunged into the sea.
Unconscious, unable to swim, they were swallowed by the raging current.
The only ones who survived were the top officers and those still aboard the main ship.
As for the rest—
Swept away or drowned, Doflamingo never looked back.
Even cadres sank into the waves.
"As expected of a pirate."
"Even so-called family members can be abandoned so easily."
"You! You really are a beast."
Rosen shook his head at the sight.
It was true—nine out of ten in the Donquixote crew deserved death. But he had studied Doflamingo's file, and knew his story from the records.
The man brainwashed his subordinates, calling his officers' family.
But in practice, he sacrificed them without hesitation.
Rosinante.
Corazón.
Vergo.
Monet.
Blood relatives or the earliest, most loyal followers—it didn't matter.
All ended the same.
Of course, that now included the pirates swallowed by the sea.
"Fuffuffuffuffu."
"In war, there are always casualties."
"If you want to become a king, you must be willing to kill even your closest kin.
"Besides, our opponent is the navy. If defeating you costs this much, the sacrifice is worth it."
Doflamingo grinned grimly.
He refused to restrain his fruit's ability just for the sake of his men's lives.
They were unconscious anyway.
No one but Pica knew the truth.
Afterward, he could simply blame Rosen for destroying the ships.
Problem solved.
"I'll agree with you on one thing."
"But only if you can defeat me."
"The question is—can you?"
Rosen smiled lightly.
"How will you know if you don't try?"
Under his sunglasses, Doflamingo's eyes flashed ferociously. He raised his hands high.
Boom—
Awakening his String-String Fruit, he transformed the remaining ships into threads.
Countless strings twisted together, condensing into thousands of massive spikes.
At the same time, Armament Haki coated the tips, hardening them into blades sharper than steel.
"Sixteen Holy Bullets: God Thread!"
"Thousands of Arrows Pierce the Heart—Feather Strike!"
Doflamingo roared, hurling his arms forward.
Three thousand string-spears spread like flamingo wings, loyal soldiers rushing to their emperor's call.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—
The sky split with the sound of a storm of blades, a rain of purple lasers tearing downward toward Rosen's warship.
This strike—
It targeted not only Rosen, but every warship in the fleet.
Even in his rage, Doflamingo hadn't lost all sense.
He finally grasped the gap between himself and Rosen—
But remembered one fact.
This was a naval battle.
If he destroyed the ships, Rosen—Devil Fruit user or not—would be stranded.
Just like his crew now drowning in the sea.
He could only wait to be dragged down.