"Doflamingo, this is not a target you can covet."
Doflamingo's expression changed drastically. He shot a transparent thread from his right hand, attaching it to another cloud. With a forceful pull, his body instantly changed direction, narrowly avoiding the descending Heavenly Cloud Sword.
Borsalino, failing to land a hit, didn't seem bothered. He hovered in the air using Moon Walk.
"Borsalino, I was just trying to help."
Doflamingo grinned fiercely, veins bulging on his forehead. He knew full well that he could no longer seize the Bloodline Factor technology.
Even if others didn't intervene, Borsalino—this monster—had clearly been slacking off until Doflamingo showed up, at which point he finally got serious.
As he spoke, an air door suddenly appeared in Doflamingo's retreat path.
Blueno's clone, wielding a giant blade transformed from Baby 5, silently slashed out a massive shockwave.
Blood splattered!
Doflamingo was sent flying back toward Borsalino at an even faster speed.
"Hey now, he's a Warlord of the Sea."
Borsalino kicked Doflamingo mid-air, sending him flying in another direction.
At that moment, another clone swooped down from above, swinging the sword gifted by Yakovich in a downward slash.
Doflamingo smirked confidently, allowing the clone to strike him.
Clang!
A long, thick beak shot out diagonally, hitting the blade.
The broken tip of the sword spun through the air, flying past the island's edge and plummeting into the sea thousands of meters below.
The clone, failing to land a decisive blow, retreated to Reddy's side. Along with two other clones transformed into beast forms, they formed a protective barrier around Reddy.
"Doflamingo still has business with our Beasts Pirates."
King stood in front of Doflamingo, coldly staring at Borsalino, the flames on his back blazing once more.
The Lunarian tribe's flames, when burning continuously, granted immunity to all injuries. When extinguished, they provided unparalleled speed.
This was how King managed to save Doflamingo at the critical moment.
Borsalino shrugged, indicating he had no intention of clashing with the Beasts Pirates.
King then looked down at the mountaintop.
Reddy, smiling, made his demand: "Give me a sample of your blood, and I'll spare Doflamingo."
"Fufufufu... You think you can kill me?"
Doflamingo's veins bulged on his forehead, his hatred for Reddy indescribable.
Before he could finish speaking, another air door opened behind him. A giant blade emerged, swatting him away like a tennis ball.
The clone, having successfully ambushed him, didn't retreat. Instead, it stared coldly at King, ignoring the now-sent-flying Doflamingo.
Humiliated!
Another vein throbbed on Doflamingo's forehead. His pride couldn't tolerate Reddy's blatant disrespect.
It wasn't the blade's edge but the flat side!
His ego couldn't accept such disregard.
"This is just a small warning."
Reddy kept his hands in his pockets, smiling at King with an unyielding stance: no blood sample, no mercy for Doflamingo.
King fell silent, his gaze fixed on Reddy's face.
"Die!"
Doflamingo grinned maniacally, firing a barrage of sharp threads from his fingertips.
His chance to seize the Bloodline Factor tech was gone. Even without Reddy's mockery, he was happy to cause trouble for the World Government.
As for King, he never intended to let Reddy fall into King's hands in the first place.
If Kaido obtained the Bloodline Factor tech, Doflamingo would become useless.
Without Kaido's威慑力, his prized status as a former Celestial Dragon would lose its protective edge.
The Celestial Dragons and Marines might not touch him, but the other Emperors had no such reservations.
Especially Big Mom.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The clone coated its arms in Haki, blocking every thread.
At the same time, the air door vanished.
Another door opened behind Doflamingo, and the giant blade slashed toward him.
Clang!
Doflamingo, anticipating the ambush, blocked the blade with a backward kick.
"Fufufufufu..."
Just as he was about to taunt, an overwhelming force surged from the blade.
He was sent hurtling through the air like a black shadow, crashing into the island and kicking up a massive dust cloud.
His Haki blocked the blade, but not the clone's monstrous strength.
The gap in power was undeniable.
Doflamingo crawled out of the crater, veins pulsing on his forehead.
Suddenly, a mass of mochi wrapped around him, leaving only his head exposed.
"Katakuri!"
King frowned, realizing Katakuri had captured Doflamingo to use as leverage against him.
"Cooperate, or he dies."
Katakuri stood before Doflamingo, his tone calm but threatening.
King frowned again.
He already knew taking Reddy back to Onigashima would be difficult.
But he didn't understand why Katakuri still refused to back down.
Did he have another card to play?
Boom!
The mochi was struck by a laser, exploding instantly.
Amid the smoke, a figure shot out—Doflamingo, now freed.
Borsalino shrugged lazily, lowering his right hand.
"The World Government's Warlords can't be used as bargaining chips by you people."
"Katakuri!"
A third vein bulged on Doflamingo's forehead as he roared with barely contained fury.
This was an unforgivable disgrace!
Katakuri merely glanced at him coldly.
Behind him, a mirror surface appeared. Brulee poked her upper body out, urging anxiously,
"Brother Katakuri, we need to leave now!"
Katakuri gave the mountaintop one last deep look before stepping into the mirror.
He had hoped to team up with King for a final attempt, but Borsalino clearly wouldn't let Doflamingo die.
So he had no choice but to retreat.
Reddy looked up at the silent King and issued his ultimatum:
"Last chance. Otherwise, I'll really take action."
Borsalino's expression flickered briefly before returning to normal.
Doflamingo, his face dark, also stayed silent.
He knew he stood no chance now. Throwing a tantrum would only make him look weak.
But he also knew neither King nor Borsalino would let him die.
"Borsalino..."
King suddenly turned to Borsalino.
Borsalino raised his hands innocently.
"He's not a Marine."
King was speechless.
True.
Reddy wasn't a Marine. Even if he killed Doflamingo and got a bounty from the World Government, so what?
Given the forces Reddy had displayed, he might not match an Emperor's crew, but half an Emperor's strength wasn't out of the question.
Worse, he had mastered the Bloodline Factor tech and could mass-produce elite fighters anytime.
"Borsalino..."
Seeing Borsalino wouldn't be swayed, Doflamingo decided to save himself.
Just then, a loud explosion came from the jungle.
King and Borsalino looked down.
Soon, an air door opened behind Reddy.
A clone emerged, gripping Ulti and Page One by their necks. Both were on the verge of passing out from suffocation.
"I'll kill them, you know."
Reddy kept his hands in his pockets, smiling.
Who said he was going to kill Doflamingo?
That guy could die, but not today.
"You—!"
King nearly lost his temper.
He'd been played!
While pretending to threaten Doflamingo, Reddy had been stalling to capture Ulti and Page One.
"Fine. Take it."
King scoffed, removing his glove and slicing his palm with his sword. He flicked a few drops of blood toward Reddy.
An air door opened.
The clone caught the blood in a test tube before retreating and handing it to Reddy.
Reddy snapped his fingers.
The clone tossed the half-conscious Ulti and Page One into the air.
King dove, grabbing both with his talons before flying away from the island.
Only then did a small mirror in the jungle vanish.
Inside the mirror world, Katakuri watched King leave with Ulti and Page One and shook his head.
"Let's go. Mission failed. Hopefully, Mom won't be too angry."
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