Chapter 240: Dressrosa - 14
Explosions rocked Green Bit. The island fractured.
To the north, gravity warped the air. Fujitora pulled meteors from the stratosphere. Zoro swung Shusui and Sandai Kitetsu. He didn’t flinch under his gravity. He stepped forward. He slashed the air. Flying sword slashes collided with gravitational waves. The impacts gouged canyons into the jungle floor.
To the south, the earth shook. Four giants swung weapons forged of Uru metal. Vice Admirals Bastille and Momonga dodged. The shockwaves from the giants’ strikes leveled the trees. Two CP0 agents—one transformed into a massive gorilla, the other a prehistoric crocodile—clashed against the giants’ shields.
In the center of the island, Luffy fought three CP0 agents simultaneously. A mantis Zoan, a friction Paramecia, and a glass Paramecia coordinated their attacks. They struck Luffy’s chest with Shigan. The attacks bounced off. Luffy didn’t use gears. He grabbed the mantis agent by the leg and slammed him into the glass agent. The ground cratered.
But the true center of the chaos raged above the tree line.
"ROOM," Law commanded.
A transparent blue dome expanded, covering a mile of the island. Law gripped Kikoku. He stood on the stump of a severed tree.
Doflamingo hovered in the air above him. He attached strings to the clouds. He laughed. The sound echoed over the explosions.
"You think a dome gives you the advantage, Law?" Doflamingo sneered.
Doflamingo swung his arm. "Goshikito."
Five razor-sharp strings shot from his fingertips. They ripped through the air, aimed directly at Law’s torso.
Law didn’t block. "Shambles."
He swapped places with a falling leaf. The five strings shredded the tree stump into sawdust. Law reappeared three feet behind Doflamingo, mid-air. He swung Kikoku horizontally, aiming for the Warlord’s neck.
Doflamingo didn’t look back. He raised his heel. Black Armament Haki coated his shoe.
Clang.
The sword met the heel. Sparks exploded. The kinetic force pushed the clouds away.
Doflamingo pivoted in mid-air. He used the clash’s momentum to spin. He threw a roundhouse kick at Law’s ribs.
Law brought his left arm down. Haki coated his forearm. He blocked the kick. The impact shattered the bones in Law’s wrist. He grunted, swallowing the pain. Law pointed two fingers at Doflamingo’s chest.
"Injection Shot."
A concentrated burst of spatial energy fired like a bullet.
Doflamingo leaned backward. The energy clipped his feathered coat, tearing a hole in the pink fabric. Doflamingo thrust his palm forward.
"Tamaito."
A string bullet fired from his index finger. It pierced Law’s right shoulder. Blood sprayed. Law lost his grip on Kikoku. The sword fell toward the jungle below.
"Shambles," Law whispered.
He swapped himself with a pebble on the ground. He materialized next to his falling sword, grabbing the hilt. He landed heavily on the dirt, breathing hard. Blood soaked his yellow shirt.
Doflamingo descended. He landed ten paces away. He smiled.
"You lack stamina, Law. Your Devil Fruit drains your life force. My strings cost me nothing."
Law wiped blood from his chin. "Tact."
He raised his index finger. The ground beneath Doflamingo ripped upward. A jagged spire of earth, weighing thousands of tons, launched into the sky, carrying the Warlord with it.
Doflamingo rode the rising pillar. He crossed his arms. "Overheat."
He swung his right arm down. A thick, whip-like string of compressed heat lashed out. The string glowed bright orange. It sliced through the stone spire like butter. The rock cleaved into two halves and crashed back into the jungle. The flaming whip continued its trajectory, hurtling toward Law.
Law planted his feet. He gripped his sword with both hands. He coated the blade in Haki. He swung upward, parrying the flaming string.
The heat seared Law’s face. The force drove his boots deep into the soil.
Doflamingo landed on the severed rock. He flicked his fingers repeatedly.
Swish. Swish. Swish.
Dozens of strings rained down. Law moved. He activated Soru. He vanished from the spot. The strings struck the dirt, cutting bottomless fissures into the island. Law zigzagged through the falling threads. He deflected two strings with his sword. He dodged a third.
He closed the distance. Ten paces. Five paces.
Law lunged. He thrust Kikoku forward.
Doflamingo caught the blade with his bare hand. Haki protected his palm.
"You fight like an emotional child," Doflamingo whispered. He raised his other hand. "Athlete."
He kicked Law in the stomach. The Haki-infused blow shattered two of Law’s ribs. Law coughed blood. He flew backward, crashing through three massive tree trunks before slamming into a limestone boulder. The boulder cracked.
Law fell to his knees. He gasped for air. His vision blurred.
Doflamingo walked forward. He didn’t rush. He dragged his fingers along a tree trunk. The wood unraveled into strings.
"I taught you how to fight, Law. I taught you tactics. I taught you cruelty. Corazon made you soft."
Law’s eyes snapped open. He tightened his grip on his sword. "Do not say his name."
Law forced himself up. He raised his hand. "ROOM."
The blue dome expanded again, straining Law’s heart. He grabbed a handful of rocks from the ground. He threw them into the air around Doflamingo.
"Tact."
The rocks stopped mid-air. They turned into projectiles. Hundreds of stones shot at Doflamingo from every direction.
Doflamingo spun. He unleashed a dome of strings around his body. "Spider’s Web."
The rocks struck the web and disintegrated.
While Doflamingo defended, Law vanished.
"Shambles."
Law swapped places with a rock directly above Doflamingo’s head. He fell, pointing his blade downward. Energy crackled along the steel.
"Radio Knife!"
Law slashed downward. He didn’t aim to cut the flesh; he aimed to sever the spatial connection of the cells.
Doflamingo sensed the danger. He deactivated the web. He twisted his body. The blade missed his spine, but it sliced across his right arm.
Doflamingo grunted. His arm went numb. He couldn’t move his fingers. The spatial cut bypassed his Haki.
"You brat," Doflamingo snarled.
He swung his left leg. He caught Law in the jaw. Law spun in the air. Doflamingo pointed his left hand.
"Sora no Michi."
He attached strings to the clouds and launched himself upward, following Law into the sky. He grabbed Law by the throat. He squeezed.
Law choked. He kicked Doflamingo’s chest, but the Warlord didn’t let go.
"I will tear your limbs off," Doflamingo promised. He raised his free hand. He formed a sharp spike of compressed strings.
Law looked down. The ground was two hundred feet below. He looked at Doflamingo’s chest.
Law formed a sphere of concentrated energy in his left hand. It glowed green. It crackled with lethal electricity.
"Shambles."
Law swapped his own body with a bird flying nearby.
Doflamingo suddenly held a squawking seagull by the throat. He widened his eyes.
Law materialized directly in front of Doflamingo, ignoring gravity. He slammed his left hand into the center of Doflamingo’s chest.
"Gamma Knife!"
The green energy pierced Doflamingo’s body. It didn’t leave a mark on his skin. It bypassed his muscles. It bypassed his bones. The energy detonated inside his chest cavity.
Doflamingo screamed.
His internal organs shredded. His heart tore. His lungs ruptured. Blood exploded from his mouth, nose, and eyes. He released the bird. He fell from the sky.
Doflamingo crashed into the jungle floor. The impact created a massive crater. Dust plumed into the air.
Law landed heavily on his feet. His knees buckled. He dropped his sword. The blue dome of his ROOM shattered into light fragments. He had exhausted his stamina. He stood there, panting, clutching his broken ribs.
He watched the crater. The dust settled.
Doflamingo lay motionless. Blood pooled beneath him.
Law exhaled. He took a step back.
A laugh echoed from the crater.
Low at first. Then louder. A maniacal, gurgling laugh.
Law froze. "No. That destroyed your organs. You are dead."
Doflamingo sat up. Blood poured from his mouth, but he smiled. He placed his left hand over his chest.
"You underestimate my fruit, Law."
Inside Doflamingo’s body, thousands of microscopic strings moved. They grabbed the torn pieces of his heart. They stitched them together. They sewed his ruptured lungs. They bound his shredded veins. He performed internal surgery in seconds.
Doflamingo stood up. His right arm still hung useless from the Radio Knife, but his chest stopped bleeding. He walked out of the crater.
Law tried to lift his hands. His fingers trembled. He had no energy left. He couldn’t manifest a ROOM.
Doflamingo stopped in front of him. He looked down at the surgeon.
"A brilliant attack," Doflamingo praised. "Truly. If I possessed any other Devil Fruit, I would be dead. But you failed. And now, you die."
Doflamingo raised his right leg. Black Haki coated his shin and foot. He aimed directly for Law’s head. A blow with that force would shatter Law’s skull instantly.
Law stared at the descending foot. He didn’t blink. He accepted his death.
The air exploded.
A red and black blur intercepted the attack.
CLANG.
The shockwave ripped the trees from their roots. The ground caved in. A massive burst of Conqueror’s Haki pulsed outward, painting the sky with black and red lightning.
Law opened his eyes.
Luffy stood over him.
Luffy’s right foot met Doflamingo’s kick. Their Haki clashed, grinding against each other. Sparks of raw willpower showered the battlefield. Luffy didn’t budge an inch. His muscles bulged under his shirt.
Luffy glared at the Warlord.
"You’re in my way, Mingo," Luffy growled.
Doflamingo narrowed his eyes. He tried to push his leg down, but he felt like he was pressing against a mountain. The rubber boy’s physical strength was incomprehensible.
"Straw Hat," Doflamingo hissed.
Luffy twisted his waist. He pushed back. He kicked Doflamingo’s leg away, forcing the Warlord to hop backward to maintain his balance.
Luffy looked over his shoulder at Law. "You did enough, Tra-guy. Rest."
Luffy cracked his knuckles. He coated both of his fists in advanced Armament Haki. The black coating flowed up to his elbows. He didn’t inflate his muscles. He didn’t shift gears. He just stood there, exuding overwhelming, suffocating pressure.
"I’m going to kick your ass," Luffy stated.
Doflamingo laughed, spitting a glob of blood onto the grass. He raised his functional hand. He flexed his fingers.
The real battle for Dressrosa had just begun.
