BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Doflamingo raised one hand, and the ground beneath him began to tremble violently. Enormous bird-shaped heads emerged, writhing upward. Soon, massive, shadowy birds took flight from the ground, gathering around Doflamingo.
Seeing the scene unfold, Jack immediately sensed danger. Before he could react, the giant birds dove at him in unison, their jet-black beaks unmistakably coated in Armament Haki.
With a roar, Jack shattered one of the incoming birds with a punch, but the bird quickly reassembled, lunging at him again. It caught him in its beak and flung him into the air, where he was relentlessly pummeled before crashing heavily to the ground.
Jack, bloodied and battered, stood once more. For an ordinary person, such injuries would have been fatal. But as an Ancient Zoan user, his incredible resilience allowed him to endure.
Doflamingo descended gracefully, his amused smirk as flamboyant as the pink-feathered coat he wore. Swaying his hips with exaggerated flair, he sauntered toward Jack, laughing:
"Fufufu... Jack, why don't you donate those tusks of yours to cover the damages here?"
Jack's mask had shattered, revealing his gritted teeth.
"Doflamingo, do you even know who you're messing with?! Don't get cocky!"
With a roar, Jack drew his weapons—two sickles shaped like mammoth tusks—and charged at Doflamingo.
But Doflamingo made no effort to dodge. In an instant, he appeared in front of Jack, his speed so blinding that Jack couldn't react. A single kick, infused with Haki, slammed into Jack's face, sending him flying.
Staggering to his feet, Jack wiped the blood from his mouth, his expression one of shock.
"A Navy technique? Where did you learn that?!"
Doflamingo smirked wickedly, offering no explanation as he once again flashed forward to engage Jack in combat.
As their battle raged, Doflamingo flicked a finger, yanking Jack's spiked coat with his strings. Jack's body was dragged into the air, slamming repeatedly into the ground, leaving deep craters.
Finally, Jack managed to tear off the accursed coat. But no sooner had he freed himself than enormous earthen spikes began sprouting beneath him. The relentless attacks took their toll, even on someone with Jack's recovery capabilities. At last, he collapsed, unable to continue.
Though Jack's raw strength wasn't vastly inferior to Doflamingo's abilities proved exceptionally vexing for someone like him, who lacked proper countermeasures for aerial combat.
With Jack down, Doflamingo plucked a small, ornate blade from his neck and advanced toward Jack's motionless body. He intended to carve out the priceless mammoth tusks.
Suddenly, Doflamingo's expression shifted. He vanished in a blur just as a flaming projectile struck the ground where he had stood.
"Wildfire!"
A towering figure with massive black wings descended, flames flickering at his hands.
"King!" Jack shouted with unrestrained joy, his battered face lighting up as he gazed at the figure in the sky.
King landed beside Jack, pulling him up with a single hand. His sharp gaze fixed on Doflamingo as he spoke in a cold, commanding tone:
"Doflamingo, you've got some nerve."
Doflamingo frowned deeply, his carefree demeanor replaced by tension. He hadn't expected King, the Wildfire himself, to intervene.
King drew his massive katana, the blade gleaming menacingly.
"Are you prepared to face the consequences?"
Behind him, Jack growled:
"King, let's kill this bastard together!"
But King shook his head, his tone measured.
"No. Kaido-sama only wants him half-dead. He has his uses."
Jack's lips curled into a savage grin.
"Fine! But let me pull out his teeth one by one. That's fair, right?"
"Do as you wish," King replied impassively.
Doflamingo, having assessed the dire situation, flicked his hand subtly. High above, the earthen platform carrying Diamante and the others floated away. In a fight of this magnitude, they would only get in the way.
Facing both the "Drought" and the "Wildfire," Doflamingo knew his odds were slim.
King broke the silence:
"Doflamingo, Kaido-sama appreciates your strength. If you submit to him now, not only will you be spared, but you'll be directly promoted to the Tobiroppo. Who knows? You might even surpass that rank and become the Fourth All-Star."
Doflamingo froze for a moment, then began to laugh hysterically, his voice echoing louder and louder.
"Fufufufu! Submit to Kaido? What a joke! Why would I bow to a mere Yonko?"
King narrowed his eyes.
"So, you refuse?"
Doflamingo's laughter ceased, and his gaze sharpened.
"The only man I'll ever bow to is destined to be the sole ruler of this world. A Yonko doesn't even come close."
"And who is this person?" King asked.
"You're not worthy of knowing his name," Doflamingo retorted coldly.
King sighed.
"That's unfortunate."
Without warning, King's wings erupted in flame as he lunged at Doflamingo.
Doflamingo retaliated with a Haki-coated punch to King's chest, but it was like striking solid steel. Unfazed, King countered with a fiery blow that sent Doflamingo hurtling backward.
Recovering mid-air, Doflamingo activated his powers to levitate. But King had already transformed into his full Pteranodon form, launching himself skyward with terrifying speed.
"Flame!"
Doflamingo barely had time to react before King's blackened, flame-wreathed form smashed into him. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he plummeted toward the earth.
Below, Jack stood ready, his face twisted into a sadistic grin as he awaited Doflamingo's descent.
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+255 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg