On the moon, Doflamingo quietly watched the Straw Hat Crew fight their way through obstacle after obstacle. After a grueling battle, they finally arrived before Kuro of a Hundred Plans.
Kuro of a Hundred Plans had already been enhanced by Joker Poison, and he had also obtained training methods for the Navy Six Styles and Two-Colored Haki. His strength far surpassed that of the original story.
What was more, as his mind gradually became more Joker-like, he had no qualms about using despicable methods such as hostages. For a time, he left the group in an utterly miserable state.
Oceanus was essentially Doflamingo's eyes and ears. Whatever Oceanus saw, Doflamingo naturally saw as well.
Before long, the hamstrung Straw Hat Crew was on the brink of despair. Facing an opponent of equal standing who was no weaker than themselves, their concern for the hostages quickly brought them to the edge of annihilation.
It was not until Usopp drew on his incredible luck, using his sniping skills and Observation Haki to stop the timed bombs from exploding and save Kaya and all the villagers, that the situation finally turned around.
Although Kuro had been enhanced by Joker Poison and was not much weaker than the Straw Hat Crew in terms of strength alone, there was simply too vast a gap between them in talent and luck. As the Straw Hat Crew erupted with newfound power and made breakthroughs in battle, Luffy ultimately pounded him to the ground with a barrage of wild punches.
"Looks like this experiment was a success. From now on, we can strengthen Luffy's enemies a little." A smile appeared on Doflamingo's face. "That way, their strength is guaranteed to improve even faster."
As for an opponent being too strong and wiping out the Straw Hat Crew—wasn't Oceanus