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Doflamingo burst out in wild laughter."Keep burning yourself out, Straw Hat!"
Under his control, the white strings lashed out endlessly, slashing through the air toward Luffy. But Luffy was darting around with terrifying speed, vanishing and reappearing midair again and again.
"When your Haki runs out—that's when I'll finish you!"
Meanwhile, the birdcage kept tightening, slowly dragging the world inward.
Panic-stricken citizens fled in waves."Run to Central Street, hurry!""If we don't move fast, we'll be sliced to ribbons!"
Encouraged by King Riku's shouts, they forced their way toward the center. As long as they had Straw Hat Luffy, they still had hope.
That hope was everything.
Doflamingo sneered at their stupidity and kept sending strings flying toward Luffy.
Luffy's face twisted with anger."Doffy!"
He dodged frantically, sweat beading on his forehead."Damn it… I can't drag this out any longer!"
Suddenly, thick cords of white thread coiled around him like iron ropes, wrapping tighter and tighter until Luffy disappeared inside a crushing cocoon.
Inside, the sound of brutal impacts rang out.
Then, with a thunderous crack, Luffy burst free. The explosion of force scattered threads across the sky like a white storm, shaking the battlefield.
Doflamingo's lips curled upward."What a nuisance."
Floating midair, Luffy's frustration boiled over."Damn it, with all these threads, I can't even get close!"
"If I don't end this soon, things are gonna get real bad."
He rocketed toward Doflamingo, but with a flick of the Warlord's fingers, nearby buildings unraveled into threads, swarming at him like a tidal wave.
Luffy was forced to halt his charge, smashing his fists and feet into the oncoming strings to break through.
Doflamingo's smile stretched wide and cruel. His fingers twitched—suddenly, from beneath his feet, countless strings shot upward toward Luffy.
"Billow White!"
The storm of threads twisted into massive, claw-like hands that reached to snatch him.
Luffy vanished again, dodging with sheer speed, but even so the strings grazed him, hurling him across the battlefield.
"Too close!" he gasped, crashing hard into the ground.
"You're an eyesore!" Doflamingo snapped.
Thick cords stabbed down at him like giant spears. Luffy rebounded off the ground, springing and rolling to avoid them, but the buildings around him kept unraveling into more threads.
The entire battlefield was a sea of white. His situation grew dire.
"It's about time you died!" Doflamingo declared coldly.
"Fall, Straw Hat!"
The birdcage's threads screamed toward him in a massive sweep.
"Great Wave White!"
The sky filled with writhing strands, like a witch's white hair spread across the heavens.
Luffy flashed around desperately, his whole face hardening under Armament Haki until it turned a dark, burning red-black.
"Doffy!"
His neck wound tight like a spring, muscles coiling with power.
"Disappear already!"
He shot forward like a cannonball, his hardened head slamming straight into Doflamingo's chest.
Blood spurted from the Warlord's mouth as he staggered back, skidding several meters before catching himself.
"You brat…"
A thin string whipped out and hooked around Luffy's arm. Despite its size, the strength behind it was terrifying—Luffy's massive form was yanked and hurled aside like a rag doll.
He bounced across the ground, rubber body rebounding higher each time, before springing back toward Doflamingo again.
The sea of threads rushed to meet him, but Luffy crossed his arms to block, then blasted them away with raw power. His two massive, black-red arms wound back, springs coiling with compressed energy.
Doflamingo's eyes blazed with rage."Don't think you can beat me, brat!"
Strings erupted behind him, chasing after Luffy in a flood.
But steam jetted furiously from Luffy's feet, and he zigzagged through the air at blistering speed.
"This is it… my last shot!"
In a blur, he vanished and reappeared right in front of Doflamingo. The threads trailing behind couldn't keep up.
"Gum-Gum… Leo Bazooka!!"
His enormous fists slammed into Doflamingo's chest.
The Warlord coughed another mouthful of blood, his body blasted hundreds of meters away before smashing into the palace mountainside with an earth-shaking crash.
Luffy hung in midair, arms still extended in his finishing stance.
The crowd went silent—then gasped as one."He… he did it!""He actually beat Doflamingo!"
Luffy dropped down, bouncing across the ground like a spring.
Cheers erupted."Thank you, Straw Hat Luffy!"
But one man frowned."Wait… compared to the guy in the papers, his face looks scarier… rounder.""Is that really him?""Hey, are you actually Straw Hat Luffy?"
Blinking, dazed, Luffy scratched his head."Uh… yeah, that's me."
High above, Doflamingo's body was half-buried in the stone wall. No one knew if he was alive or dead.
Cabbage stared in disbelief."What terrifying power… there's no way anyone could survive that hit."
Law's face darkened."Look at the sky."
Everyone's heads snapped upward—only to see the birdcage still shrinking, still slicing the kingdom apart.
Elsewhere, watching the battle unfold…
On the Sunny, the Straw Hat crew exploded in cheers."Luffy did it! He beat a Warlord of the Sea!"
Usopp threw his head back, laughing hysterically.Sanji and Zoro both smiled despite themselves.
Nami ran over and slapped Luffy on the shoulder."I knew you'd win."
Luffy grinned. "Of course I did!"
—
On the Moby Dick, the Whitebeard Pirates crowded around.
"Luffy's strong enough to take down a Warlord now," Ace thought with a smile. "Guess I'll have to work harder, or my little brother's gonna surpass me."
Marco chuckled, tilting his head."Looks like he already has, yoi."
The deck rang with laughter.
—
In the world of shinobi, Naruto pumped his fist in the air."Yeah! Luffy finally beat that bastard Doflamingo!"
He threw a few shadowboxing punches."That last attack was so cool!"
Lee cheered too. "Amazing, Luffy! But I won't lose to you!"
Guy's grin split wide."That's the spirit, Lee! Let's burn our youth even brighter!"
Kakashi sighed as he watched them."He never changes… but that Luffy really is strong."
—
Back in Dressrosa, Cabbage's joy turned to shock."Wait… then that means… Doflamingo's still—"
Law's expression was grim."He's not dead yet. Straw Hat, stay sharp!"
With a sharp whoosh, Luffy shot toward the cliff where Doflamingo had crashed."Damn it… one more time!"
He flew through the air, gasping heavily, fists winding up again.
"Gum-Gum…"
But pain ripped through his body."No… my time's up!"
His inflated form deflated in an instant, like a balloon losing air, and he drifted helplessly before slamming into the ground.
Flat on his back, Luffy panted hard, gasping for breath.
Then, from above, a huge shadow dropped.
Burgess, Champion of the Blackbeard Pirates, came crashing down, laughing like a madman."Straw Hat's done for! What a perfect chance!"
He landed with a thunderous boom in the central street.
The crowd recoiled in terror."It's him—the First Division Captain of Blackbeard's crew!""Champion Burgess!"
"..."
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