High above the sea, the strong winds howled. Doflamingo hovered where his threads met, his pink feather coat flapping wildly around him. Through his orange sunglasses, he observed the peculiar young man floating in the air nearby with great interest.
"Fuffuffuffu…" His characteristic, eerie laugh spread in the wind, carrying a hint of amusement. "After Roger's death, the 'surprises' on this Grand Line truly never cease." He mused to himself that whether the boy was a Mythical Zoan user or had some other unknown Devil Fruit, his existence was an unexpected event worth investigating.
Takero's eyes lit up. He had also noticed the strangely dressed man. It wasn't every day you met someone else just floating in the middle of the vast ocean. He immediately yelled out, "Hey! Buddy! When you were flying over here, did you see a guy glowing all golden and running faster than a rabbit?" His tone was urgent, clearly still annoyed by Borsalino's escape.
"Fuffuffuffu…" Doflamingo's mouth curved into an even wider arc, as if he were admiring a new toy. "A golden glow? Can't say I have. But compared to that…" He changed the subject, his sharp gaze sweeping over Takero's dark red aura and his restless tail. "I'm more curious about you, kid. Flying without any external help, purely by your own power… Is that an ability from a legendary Mythical Zoan fruit?"
Doflamingo was already calculating in his mind. Flying abilities were rare. If this kid was a Mythical Zoan, his potential had to be extraordinary. If he could be recruited, he might become an unexpected but powerful piece on the future chessboard of the world.
"Mythical Zoan? What kind of nonsense is that?" Takero frowned, not understanding a word the man was saying. He stated matter-of-factly, "I'm a Saiyan!"
"Saiyan?" Doflamingo's mind raced, searching his vast knowledge for any mention of such a race. He came up with nothing.
Seeing that the other man had gone silent, Takero assumed he didn't know where Borsalino went and suddenly felt bored. There was no point in wasting time with this strangely dressed and weirdly-speaking guy. He pouted and turned to fly toward Ambri Island. After all, Shanks and the others were still waiting for him there.
"Wait a minute, kid," Doflamingo's voice suddenly carried an undeniable authority. Several tough, nearly invisible threads shot out, instantly weaving a sparse net in front of Takero, blocking his path. Doflamingo had noticed the direction he was heading. "Judging by your course, you're going to Ambri Island. Did you just come from there?" His tone carried a hint of a chill. Could the person responsible for the Celestial Dragon incident be right in front of me?
Takero stopped abruptly, looking at the threads blocking his way. He turned back to the man in the pink coat, and his temper, which was already simmering, began to flare up. He considered himself a polite person, and he hated it when self-important people tried to order him around.
"First!" Takero held up his index finger, his tone unfriendly. "My name is Takero! Not 'kid'!" He then held up his second finger, pointing it at Doflamingo. "And second, so what if I am? What's it to you? You're being really rude!" He was going to be the strongest in the universe; he wasn't about to be ordered around by some random guy.
"Fuffuffuffu… If that's the case, then this is even better." Doflamingo didn't get angry. He laughed, but his laughter was chilling. "I heard that a Celestial Dragon was beaten on that island by some ignorant fool. Now…" He raised his chin slightly, and an invisible pressure spread out. "Takero, you have one minute to explain exactly what happened there."
In his eyes, Takero had just transformed from an "interesting toy" into a "criminal" who needed to be interrogated immediately. He's just a kid, Doflamingo thought. He should be easy to handle.
However, Doflamingo's arrogant posture and commanding tone were precisely the things that set off Takero's temper. He had just been ditched by Borsalino and was seething with unvented battle lust. The annoying, punchable sandbag he was just wishing for had just delivered itself to him.
"Explain?" Takero grinned, and his smile looked particularly dangerous against the backdrop of his dark red aura. "Alright. How's this for an explanation?"
Before he even finished speaking, Doflamingo saw a blur. The figure of the boy he thought he could easily manipulate instantly vanished. It was fast—faster than his senses, faster even than his Observation Haki could warn him. He didn't even have time to think before a fist wreathed in dark red aura filled his entire vision.
Bang—!
A dull, heart-pounding thud exploded in the open sky. It was a sonic boom caused by pure physical strength and high-speed impact. Doflamingo's head snapped back as a warm liquid gushed from his nostrils. The immense force sent his entire body flying backward uncontrollably, as if he had been struck by a Sea King's tail.
"Huh?" Takero held his punching pose, looking at his opponent's stubbornly intact sunglasses with a genuine expression of surprise. "Hey! Your sunglasses are amazing quality! Where did you buy them?!" The punch had landed squarely on the man's face and even made his nose bleed, yet the sunglasses were perfectly fine. It was a miracle.
For a moment, Doflamingo's world went blank. A burning pain radiated from his cheek, his nose was filled with the metallic smell of blood, and his body was tumbling uncontrollably through the air. What just happened? Since he had escaped Mary Geoise and become "Joker," the Warlord who controlled the underworld… no, even going back to his childhood as a Celestial Dragon, never had anyone dared to punch him in the face so brutally and without warning.
Humiliation! A magma-hot rage, hot enough to burn away all reason, erupted inside him.
"YOU BASTARD—!!!" Doflamingo roared, stabilizing himself in the air. He raised his head, his face a mask of fury. "You're courting death!"
The Celestial Dragon incident, the investigation, the idea of recruitment—all of it was gone from his mind. All that remained was a ferocious killing intent. He had only one thought: to tear this brat who had dared to disrespect him into a thousand pieces in the most cruel way possible.
"Bullet String!!" Almost at the same time as his roar, Doflamingo's index finger shot out like lightning. The thread at his fingertip compressed and shot forward, becoming a deadly, barely visible streak of light that pierced the air with a sharp whistle, aimed directly between Takero's eyes.
However, just as the deadly thread was about to hit its mark, Takero moved. He didn't dodge or block. His right hand, the same one that had just sent Doflamingo flying, moved like a striking viper. His five fingers spread open and then snapped shut.
Pop.
A soft sound, like squashing a fly. The deadly "Bullet String" was caught firmly in his palm.
"What is this?" Takero asked curiously, bringing his hand closer to his eyes. He examined the almost transparent thread vibrating in his palm. "A string? You fight with strings? What a strange technique." He even pinched it, feeling its strength. He only felt a slight tingle, like being pricked by a small rock.
On the other side, Doflamingo's furious expression instantly froze. His proud String-String Fruit ability, a deadly blow filled with his killing intent… had been caught barehanded? Like it was a normal piece of string? Impossible! A chilling coldness instantly washed over the burning pain on his face, rapidly climbing his spine. He looked at the boy holding the thread with a puzzled expression and at the dark red aura flowing around him. A primal instinct screamed a warning in his mind.
"Tsk," Takero shook his hand, casually tossing the thread aside. His gaze refocused on Doflamingo's face. A pure, dangerous, battle-maniac's smile spread across his lips. "Whatever that move was… daring to have real killing intent toward me means…" He hunched over slightly, and his dark red aura surged up like flames. "You're ready to die, aren't you?"
"This is impossible!!" Doflamingo refused to believe it and continued to activate his abilities. "Goshikito! Overheat!"
His signature moves were unleashed one after another, but they were all useless. They were either narrowly dodged or had no effect when they hit. Cold sweat trickled down Doflamingo's temples. The more he fought, the heavier his heart sank. Damn it! Where did this monster come from?!
"Flashy, but not strong at all," Takero commented, clearly not using his full strength. After a few more moments, he grew bored. "Hey, got any new tricks? If not, then it's my turn." Before he finished speaking, his figure vanished.
"So fast!" Doflamingo's internal alarms screamed. He instinctively thrust both hands forward. "Spider Web!" A huge white spider web, woven from countless tough threads, instantly appeared in front of him.
However, facing this powerful defense, Takero simply roared, "Break!" His figure appeared before the web, and his fist, enveloped in a furious dark red aura, slammed into its center.
CRACK—!!!!
The seemingly indestructible web lasted for less than half a second before it shattered into pieces. Doflamingo's expression turned to one of pure shock. His strongest defense, shattered by a single punch?! Takero's fist continued forward, slamming into Doflamingo's crossed arms.
Bang—!!!
A torrent of irresistible power surged through him. Doflamingo felt intense pain as his bones groaned, and his entire body was smashed away like a kite with a broken string. Takero pressed his advantage relentlessly, instantly catching up to the retreating Doflamingo.
"You and your string tricks!" Takero's voice dripped with disdain. "Taste this—Consecutive Normal Punches!!!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
A flurry of fists rained down like a storm. Doflamingo desperately tried to weave shields of string, but they were torn apart like paper. The heavy punches slammed into his chest, abdomen, and shoulders.
"Waaah—!" Doflamingo coughed up a large mouthful of blood as his body, like a broken sack, was smashed from the sky toward the sea below.
[Combat Power +50], [Gacha Count +1]
"Phew~ That felt good~" the thought flashed through Takero's mind.
Just as Doflamingo was about to plunge into the icy water, he endured the excruciating pain and hooked his finger toward the sea. A thick string whip shot out, wrapping around the wreckage of a giant ship and narrowly pulling his falling body back into the air. He hung there miserably, his golden hair disheveled, his pink coat torn, blood dripping from his mouth, and his shattered sunglasses now just empty frames on his face. His eyes were filled with terror, humiliation, and disbelief.
"Cough… cough…" Doflamingo coughed up more blood, forcing an ugly, distorted smile onto his face. "Fufu… A misunderstanding… It's all a misunderstanding… Sir… your strength is astonishing. It was my oversight to have offended you… Please… be lenient…"
In the face of absolute power, his dignity as a Warlord and pride as a Heavenly Yaksha were worthless. This kid—no, this sir—was an ancient weapon in human skin. He was simply terrifying.
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion