The massive turret's recoil tore through Doflamingo's strings, leaving the Donquixote officers stunned.
After all, Doflamingo's String-String Fruit, fully awakened, offered him exceptional hardness and flexibility.
Even Marine vice admirals found it difficult to cut through.
And when he used special techniques—like the Birdcage—even admirals struggled.
Yet the turret's recoil had snapped his strings effortlessly, proof of how terrifying its power was.
Marco and Peach Rabbit, however, paid no attention to that detail.
They weren't particularly familiar with Doflamingo's capabilities.
What shocked them was the nature of the shot.
It wasn't the power—they had already been educated by Mork's fortress cannon earlier.
Both had mentally prepared themselves.
What shocked them was that the "shell" fired was almost invisible—no physical projectile at all.
Completely different from the fortress's earlier blast.
Marco and Peach Rabbit, who had been full of confidence, now looked grim.
"So this is what happens when you inject stamina… that's troublesome."
Marco narrowed his eyes, focusing hard.
His Observation Haki quickly confirmed the shot was aimed at him.
Fortunately, as the Whitebeard Pirates' First Division Commander, both his Armament and Observation Haki were top-tier, even if not at their absolute peak.
Blue flames erupted over his body, and his arms transformed into massive wings.
A brilliant curtain of light unfolded.
Marco soared into the sky.
He let out a bitter laugh.
"Without Observation Haki—anyone weaker would die instantly…"
Peach Rabbit watched Marco's phoenix form and muttered with her arms crossed:
"So this is the Mythical Phoenix form… Today I finally see it."
"With self-regeneration like that, without Haki this cannon might not be able to injure him at all…"
Then she scoffed, irritated.
"Relying on Devil Fruit powers… nothing impressive about that."
Just then—
BOOM!!
The turret fired again.
Peach Rabbit raised a brow in disbelief—Doflamingo was already firing at her.
"That fast? Already reloaded?"
Then she remembered—this cannon didn't use ammunition at all.
She didn't have time to think.
Peach Rabbit drew her Jinpiluo sword, launched herself into the sky using Moonwalk, and moved far from the Marine warship to avoid getting her subordinates caught in the blast.
Before she could brace fully, Marco had already collided with his shot.
The invisible shell detonated with a thunderous roar, sending a destructive shockwave outward.
Roaring flames layered upon each other, blooming and consuming everything in their path.
Marco's pupils reflected the red inferno.
"That power…"
The blue flames covering him flickered wildly—
proof that he was actually injured.
Though the damage wasn't severe, Marco was shocked.
He had blocked it, but felt no pride—only awe.
He was a Yonko commander, so surviving was no surprise.
But if it were any other Whitebeard division commander…
they would've been obliterated.
Peach Rabbit also parried her shot, sustaining only minor injuries.
"This turret's characteristics are insane…"
"In any major force, this would be considered a trump card."
But then—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A new series of explosions erupted.
Not just one—
but an uninterrupted chain.
Like a barrage of rapid-fire artillery.
Marco and Peach Rabbit's expressions changed drastically.
Their Observation Haki swept outward—
—and both sensed countless invisible projectiles incoming.
They were stunned.
"It can rapid-fire!?" Marco shouted.
"You're kidding—this is a cannon? Are you sure it's not a machine gun!?" Peach Rabbit yelled, bewildered.
The turret continued firing.
Marco immediately panicked.
He ignored their opposing factions and shouted:
"Peach Rabbit! We need to work together!"
Even the proud Peach Rabbit couldn't refuse at this point.
After a sharp breath, she reluctantly nodded.
Facing this machine-gun-like storm of cannonfire, the two joined forces.
A Marine admiral-candidate and a Yonko commander—
their combined defense was enough to spar with a Yonko.
At first, they managed well.
But soon, the barrage intensified beyond what they could comfortably handle.
"Does this thing ever stop!?" Peach Rabbit cursed between parries.
Her Jinpiluo sword slashed again and again, blocking but still taking damage from each explosion.
Her injuries accumulated rapidly.
Marco was better off thanks to his Phoenix regeneration,
but even he was mentally exhausted from the nonstop impacts.
He shot a furious glare at Doflamingo.
Sure enough, the man was still pumping stamina into the turret.
"That bastard…"
Even the good-tempered Marco finally snapped.
He roared,
"Doflamingo! We're just testing it—are you trying to kill us for real!?"
Doflamingo had been grinning the entire time.
Seeing their anger, he laughed nervously.
"Hahahaha—sorry, sorry! Got a little excited!"
"I'll stop! I'll stop!"
He truly didn't intend to hurt Marco or Peach Rabbit—
so he ceased the flow of stamina immediately.
The turret shrank back to its original size.
From afar, Marco and Peach Rabbit barely blocked the last few shots before collapsing in relief.
They glared at Doflamingo with pure murderous intent.
They looked ready to tear him apart.
But Doflamingo ignored them, staring at the turret with barely-contained excitement.
"As expected of an upgraded model—magnificent!"
"Hahahahahaha—!!"
He burst into laughter again.
"As expected, His Excellency's technology is beyond extraordinary!"
—------------------------------
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