First Clash with Tsuru, Part Two

With his own attacks proving ineffective while the enemy's artillery fire raged around him, Doflamingo knew that this opponent was more dangerous than any he had faced before.

"Gray! Get Shark Chili to sabotage the bottom of the ship, I'll go distract Tsuru!"

"Everyone else retreat, let these Marines land before we deal with them!"

"Understood!"

"Got it, Young Master!"

Pica and the others slowly retreated, pulling back out of the bombardment range, which forced the Marines on the warships to advance once more.

As for Doflamingo, he anchored his strings to the clouds and launched a high-altitude assault directly at Tsuru.

On his end, after receiving the order, Gray flew straight to the base, summoned Shark Chili, and had it enter the sea from the rear, preparing to sneak around and ambush Tsuru's warship.

"Oh my, the bad boy is coming over!" Seeing Doflamingo charging toward her, Tsuru maintained her usual indifferent expression.

"Parasite String!" Knowing his abilities would have no effect on Tsuru, Doflamingo intended to target the rank-and-file Marines to divert her attention.

Unfortunately, Tsuru's actions told him: the idea was good, but don't bother next time!

Every single string failed to touch the ships; the moment they reached the exterior, they simply turned into limp, useless yarn.

"You naturally evil brat, watch as this old woman drags you into Impel Down!" Mere defense was not Tsuru's style; once she locked onto a target, she would subdue them with thunderous force.

Veins bulged on Doflamingo's forehead: "Fufufu... if you can do it, then come and try!"

"Empty talk won't be enough to capture me!"

"Bad children are just so annoying!" Tearing off the cumbersome Marine justice coat from her back, Tsuru stepped on the air using Moonwalk and headed straight for Doflamingo.

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. With his Observation Haki pushed to the limit and still feeling insecure, Doflamingo covered his entire body in Armament Haki.

Even though this was a massive waste of Haki, he had no choice if he wanted to prevent himself from being affected by Tsuru's ability.

Whoosh!

As Tsuru advanced, Doflamingo retreated. He refused to engage in combat within a hundred-meter radius of her.

After firing off a few casual attacks and seeing they were useless, Doflamingo simply gave up on offense, focusing only on stalling Tsuru to keep her from paying attention to the Marines on the ships.

As for Tsuru, she had full confidence in the Marines she had brought with her.

Furthermore, her primary target this time was Doflamingo; the other Donquixote Family officers were merely secondary targets.

If she could capture them, she would; if not, she would kill them. If she could do neither, that was a problem for another day.

"Bad boy, is running all you can do?" Tsuru called out from behind, using Moonwalk to close the distance while taunting him.

"##" Although the provocation was crude, it was clear that the young Doflamingo lacked the composure he would possess in the future.

"Old hag! Shut up!"

"Foot Kick String!" The excessive infusion of Haki finally allowed the strings to make contact with Tsuru, but having been "washed" by her ability once, the remaining kinetic energy was insufficient to threaten her.

With a simple layer of Armament Haki coated over her hand, she easily deflected the attack.

"Good boy! You've finally come to me!" Having blocked the strike, Tsuru was now less than ten meters away from Doflamingo.

Tsuru's words filled Doflamingo with a sense of foreboding. At this distance, retreating was impossible, and one should never underestimate Tsuru's speed.

Sure enough, Tsuru stuck close to Doflamingo, refusing to let him open up any distance.

At the same time, Tsuru coated her right hand in Armament Haki and, while still three meters away, swung it forward.

"Cannon Fist!"

It happened in the blink of an eye!

The Haki-infused shockwave from her fist slammed directly into Doflamingo's chest.

BOOM!

The transparent shockwave tore straight through Doflamingo's body.

"Ugh!"

Blood sprayed as Doflamingo's body was instantly blasted toward the sea.

"Young Master!!!"

The family officers fighting the Marines shouted in alarm, their worry causing them to rush toward the direction where Doflamingo had fallen.

But clearly, the Marines would not leave them be; the density of the artillery fire increased once more, leaving them feeling incredibly frustrated as they were unable to counterattack the warships.

Because Doflamingo had stalled for such a short time, their plan to let the Marines land had not even been implemented.

Now that Doflamingo was about to fall into the sea, the closer artillery fire from the warships had become a defensive line blocking their path.

Trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice—that was the most accurate description of their current plight.

Has my path... reached its end here? The moment he was struck, Doflamingo clearly felt his consciousness slip away for a split second.

He only regained awareness thanks to his body's survival instincts, which pulled him back from the brink.

Having experienced high-intensity Armament Haki and the technique of projecting it for the first time, Doflamingo realized his own Haki could not block it; his sternum was shattered, and his internal organs were pulverized.

As soon as he regained consciousness, he began using his ability to stitch his lungs together, but time was too short—his body was currently incapable of movement.

At the very moment he was about to fall into the sea, Doflamingo felt utter despair.

BOOM!

Waves surged into the sky.

The instant he hit the ocean, it felt as though all his stamina had vanished, and a sense of powerlessness flooded his entire body.

Yet, soon after the kinetic energy from Tsuru's strike dissipated, Doflamingo caught a glimpse of the situation beneath the waves.

It was that very glance that brought a look of pleasant surprise to Doflamingo's face.

A gaping maw swallowed Doflamingo in one gulp, and inside that massive mouth, Gray sat quietly in his wheelchair.

"Fufufu..."

"Well done, Shark Chili, Gray!" As the seawater receded and his powers returned, Doflamingo seized the moment to repair his lungs.

"The Warship Destruction Plan hasn't been carried out yet, so it was just perfect timing to catch you!" After explaining why he was there, Gray began to ask Doflamingo, "What do we do about the current situation?"

"With that old hag Tsuru outside, even if all the family executives went up against her, they wouldn't be a match for her."

Hearing this, Doflamingo's mind raced: "We'll head out to sea first to draw her attention!"

"Once we're out, you carry me and fly to evade Tsuru's pursuit; I still need a little more time to stitch up my internal wounds."

"Shark Chili will continue to execute the plan to destroy the warship hulls."

"Remember, you must not get close to Tsuru, and do not get entangled with her!"

"Understood!"

Nodding, and looking at Doflamingo's miserable state, Gray was well aware of the gap in strength between himself and a veteran powerhouse like Tsuru.

He controlled Shark Chili to surface, and the moment they broke through the water, Shark Chili opened its mouth, and Gray soared into the sky carrying Doflamingo.

"Old hag! Where do you think you're going?"