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A terrifying haki crashed against haki, dark red energy rippling outward.
Doflamingo grinned, wicked as ever. "You're in my way."
"Straw Hat!" he sneered.
His power swelled. Luffy was blasted backward by the force.
Boom!
He slammed into the ground, then tore through it. White dust filled the air. Luffy held a defensive pose but kept sliding backward.
Doflamingo smiled like a demon, watching the cloud of smoke.
Luffy skidded across the ground and slammed through a wall. Trebol immediately activated his power. "Sticky Meteor!"
A stream of mucus shot out like a waterfall, wrapping around Luffy just as he was about to fly out of the ruined wall.
Luffy stared at the goo that held him. "What is this stuff?"
No matter how he struggled, the mucus clung to him and wouldn't let go. Trebol strolled over, grinning. "Idiot."
"You actually think you can beat Doflamingo?"
Luffy thrashed. "Get off me, you gross creep!"
Trebol watched him struggle and said, "Keep thrashing all you want. I'll kill you in order."
"First, Law. You're up."
Trebol turned slowly toward Law, who lay on the ground. "Go, Doflamingo."
"I've got the Straw Hat trapped," Trebol called. "Now stomp Law's head in while you can."
Doflamingo walked toward Law with a cold, cruel expression.
Luffy thrashed and shouted, "Hey, Mingo! Fight me! Trebol can't move even a millimeter right now!"
"That's exactly why we do this in order," Trebol replied.
Luffy, furious, spat, "Shut up. You're disgusting and sticky!"
As Doflamingo neared Law, Luffy's energy surged. He launched a flurry of punches into Trebol's goo, tearing holes in it.
Trebol only smiled. "You… can't beat me. It's useless."
Luffy froze, surprised. "What? But—"
"Someone with a Paramecia like him should be hittable with Armament haki," Trebol said. The sticky goop slithered back into shape. "So… am I a Paramecia? No matter. None of your moves work on me."
"Stupid rubber man!" someone barked. It was Law's voice.
"Boss of the Straw Hats," Law said, "going toe-to-toe with this paper tiger is pointless."
"My main reason for refusing the title of king of hearts is that I don't want anyone to think I'm the same as these fools."
Trebol trembled with anger. "How dare you call our top officers idiots!"
"You damn brat, what nonsense are you talking?"
"Our top officers are the pillar of this family. They can't be looked down on."
"Sticky Cannon!"
Trebol unleashed a barrage of mucus like cannonfire at Law. The goo slammed into him in a blizzard of sticky projectiles.
"Stop!" Luffy roared. "Trafalgar can't move!"
Trebol approached Law covered in mucus. "Law, you little shit. I'll teach you myself. Listen up. Doflamingo is our eternal king."
"But when it comes to the five of us who found him before his thirtieth birthday, there's no master-servant relationship."
"We picked up that child who fell from heaven. We saw the limitless talent in him, gave him power, and raised him into an elite of evil."
"We declare Doflamingo king to the crew to show authority. But when it comes to protecting and building the family, Doflamingo and the five of us are equals."
"Like family. Got it, Law?"
"My sticky stuff is flammable," Trebol added, his cane erupting in fierce flames. "One spark and I'll shut that jabbering mouth of yours for good."
Law's voice came back, cold. "Family?"
"Equals?"
"You're the only ones who think that, Trebol. To that man, only his ambition matters. He never cared about you."
"How tragic. From where I stand, even you, the self-styled strategist, are nothing but a puppet Doflamingo pulls."
Trebol stood frozen. "A pup—puppet? Unforgivable!"
Doflamingo's face went darker, almost sweating. "Don't listen to him, Trebol."
"Roo!"
As Law activated his ability, Doflamingo shouted, "Trebol, you're already inside Law's ROOM!"
Trebol didn't seem to care. "He's only a dying brat. Besides, I've sealed his movement with my sticky stuff. What trick can he possibly pull in this state?"
"I won't let him explode you. I'll silence him in the cruelest way."
…
Across realities, in the One Piece world, Trebol stared at the screen in disbelief. "Law's talking nonsense. Doflamingo is my family, our trusted king."
Doflamingo laughed like a madman at Law's words playing across screens. "You know me, Law. 'Family'? Ridiculous. They're just tools."
...
In the Naruto world, Danzo sat in the dark underworld and thought, "Another person used and discarded. But Doflamingo isn't wrong. Strength and power are what last. 'Family' is laughable."
Naruto slammed a fist into the ground, furious. "That bastard's terrible. Luffy, beat those scumbags!"
Sasuke silently repeated the word "family" to himself for a long time. "I once thought he was an honorable big brother, family. He tricked me. Now I want power to avenge that man's betrayal."
…
Back on the screen, Trebol shoved his cane toward Law's mouth. "Open up. Arrogant brat. I'll drive my cane through your throat and kill you."
He raised the cane to stab. Law barked, "Wait!"
"I'm still a captain, after all. If I hand both you and Doflamingo over to the Straw Hat, our pride would be lost."
Trebol, unaware, was already covered by a blue ROOM. He couldn't move.
"What tricks can you pull if you can't move? You ant, die!"
Trebol's cane came down. Law flicked his fingers.
"Command Baton!"
A severed arm—cut off by Doflamingo—flew like a blade and plunged into Trebol's body. "Gamma Knife!"
Blue ROOM completely enclosed Trebol. With a scream, his skin fell away to reveal a gaunt, skeletal frame. Blood poured out and the mucus slipped off his body.
Luffy scrambled out of the puddle of sticky slime, stunned. "What was that?"
"There was a bony wreck inside that sticky goo," he gasped. "No wonder my punches went right through the slime. I never actually hit him."
Luffy looked at the skinny, ruined figure that had been hidden inside the mucus, realization dawning: his fist had only been hitting slimy covering, not flesh.
"..."
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