Their own attacks were useless, while the enemy's cannon fire raged all around them. Doflamingo knew this opponent was more dangerous than any they had faced before.
"Gray! Have Shark Chili wreck the underside of the ship. I'll keep Tsuru occupied!"
"Everyone else, fall back. Let the Marines land, then we'll deal with them!"
"Understood!"
"Got it, young master!"
Pica and the others slowly retreated, leaving the bombardment zone. This forced the Marines aboard the warship to advance again.
Doflamingo, meanwhile, attached strings to the clouds and launched a surprise attack on Tsuru from the air.
Meanwhile, after receiving his orders, Gray flew straight to the base. He called Shark Chili over and had it dive into the sea from behind, preparing to sneak up on Tsuru's warship from the rear.
"Oh my, a naughty boy's coming!" Tsuru's expression remained calm as she watched Doflamingo charge toward her.
"Parasite String!" Knowing his ability wouldn't work on Tsuru, Doflamingo decided to use the Marines as a diversion to draw her attention.
Unfortunately, Tsuru's actions told him: Nice idea. Don't try it again!
None of his strings could even touch the ship. They turned into limp yarn before they could get past its outer hull.
"You wicked little brat! I'll have you locked up in Impel Down!" Defense alone wasn't Tsuru's style. Once she chose a target, she subdued them with overwhelming force.
Veins bulged on Doflamingo's forehead. "Fufufu... If you think you can, then come and get me!"
"Being good at running your mouth won't help you catch me!"
"Naughty boys are such a nuisance!" Tsuru tore off the cumbersome Justice Coat from her back and charged toward Doflamingo, stepping through the air with Geppo.
Cold sweat poured down Doflamingo's forehead. He unleashed Observation Haki to its fullest, but still didn't feel safe, so he covered his entire body with Armament Haki.
It would waste a great deal of Haki, but he had no choice if he wanted to avoid being affected by Tsuru's ability.
Whoosh—
As Tsuru advanced, Doflamingo retreated. He refused to fight her within a hundred meters.
After casually launching a few attacks and seeing they were ineffective, Doflamingo gave up on fighting. All he wanted was to keep Tsuru occupied so she couldn't pay attention to the Marines on the ship.
Tsuru, for her part, had confidence in the Marines she'd brought with her.
Besides, Doflamingo was the primary target this time. The other officers of the Donquixote Family were only secondary targets.
They could capture them if possible, kill them if they couldn't be captured, and deal with them another time if neither was an option.
"Naughty boy, can you do anything besides run?" Tsuru kept up the verbal assault as she chased after Doflamingo with Geppo.
"##" The taunt was a low blow, but the young Doflamingo clearly didn't yet have the composure he would develop in the future.
"Shut up, you old hag!"
"Foot Kick String!" With an excessive amount of Haki infused into it, the string finally reached Tsuru. But after she'd washed away most of its strength, the attack no longer had enough force to threaten her.
She simply coated her hand with Armament Haki and easily blocked it.
"Good boy! You finally came over!" Tsuru blocked the attack, and now she was less than ten meters from Doflamingo.
Her words gave Doflamingo a bad feeling. It was too late to retreat now—and he shouldn't underestimate Tsuru's speed.
Sure enough, Tsuru stayed right on top of him, giving him no chance to put any distance between them.
At the same time, Tsuru coated her right hand with Armament Haki. When she was still three meters away from Doflamingo, she swung her fist at him.
"Cannon Fist!"
It happened in the blink of an eye!
With the force of an Emission-enhanced shockwave behind her punch, Tsuru struck Doflamingo square in the chest.
Boom!
The transparent shockwave passed straight through Doflamingo's body.
Guh!
Blood gushed from his mouth, and his body was sent flying toward the sea.
"Young master!!!"
The family's officers, who were fighting the Marines, shouted in alarm. Driven by worry, they rushed toward the place where Doflamingo had fallen.
But the Marines weren't going to just stand by and let them go. The bombardment grew even more intense. Unable to retaliate against the Marines aboard the warship, the officers felt utterly helpless.
Doflamingo had kept Tsuru occupied for far too short a time. They hadn't even managed to carry out their plan to let the Marines land.
Now Doflamingo was about to fall into the sea, and the warship's cannon fire—closer than before—had become a barrier blocking their way.
Their attempt to steal a chicken had only cost them the rice. That was the perfect description of their situation.
Is this where my path ends? The instant the attack struck, Doflamingo clearly felt that he'd lost consciousness for a brief moment.
The only reason he'd regained it was that the danger signals from his body had brought him back.
It was his first time facing such powerful Armament Haki, let alone a technique that combined it with Emission. His own Armament Haki hadn't been able to stop it. His breastbone was broken, and his lungs and internal organs were crushed.
As soon as he regained consciousness, he used his ability to stitch his lungs together. But there hadn't been enough time. His body was now incapable of moving.
As he was about to hit the sea, Doflamingo felt utterly despairing.
Boom!
A wall of seawater surged into the sky.
The instant he fell into the sea, it felt as though all his strength had vanished. A wave of weakness swept through his entire body.
But before long, the momentum from Tsuru's attack faded, and Doflamingo saw what lay beneath the sea.
At the sight, a delighted smile spread across his face.
A huge mouth opened wide and swallowed Doflamingo whole. Inside it, Gray sat quietly in his wheelchair.
"Fufufu..."
"Good work, Shark Chili, Gray!" Once the seawater receded, Doflamingo's powers returned, and he hurried to repair his lungs.
"We haven't even carried out the Warship Destruction Plan yet, but at least we caught you just in time!" After explaining why he was here, Gray asked Doflamingo, "What do we do now?"
"That old hag Tsuru is outside. Even if all the family officers went up against her, they wouldn't stand a chance."
Doflamingo thought quickly. "First, we'll draw their attention by heading out to sea!"
"Once we're out, carry me through the air and dodge Tsuru's pursuit. I need a little more time to stitch up my internal wounds."
"Shark Chili will continue with the plan to wreck the underside of the warship."
"Remember, don't get close to Tsuru, and don't get tangled up with her!"
"Understood!"
Gray nodded and took another look at Doflamingo's miserable state. He knew perfectly well how far he was from matching a veteran powerhouse like Tsuru.
He controlled Shark Chili as it poked its head above the surface. The moment it broke through the water, Gray took Doflamingo and shot into the sky.
"Old hag! Where do you think you're going?"
Before you continue