Chapter 25
Law had thought it over carefully. Chris was strong, so he decided not to sneak away.
Soon, everyone moved aside, leaving the space to Chris and Doflamingo.
"There's no point talking anymore."
As calm as ever, Chris said, "Let's fight. Our strength will do the talking."
Doflamingo broke into a wild grin.
"It's been a long time since I've met a brat this arrogant. The Great Pirate Era really has arrived. Fuffuffuffu..."
"Dance while you can, brat. Just don't die too quickly."
"Five Color Strings!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Doflamingo whipped his right hand forward and launched a fierce attack.
Chris stood still. He made no move to dodge, his expression composed.
Just as the five strings were about to reach him, he slowly raised a hand.
"Mirror Repulsion!"
A transparent mirror appeared above him at an angle, shielding Chris behind it.
Bang...
Before the Five Color Strings could touch the mirror, they were flung back, whipping through the air.
Boom!
Doflamingo swung the strings into the ground. An explosion rang out, scattering dust and leaving deep gouges behind.
Seeing how badly the ground had been cut, the onlookers began to marvel.
"A Shichibukai lives up to the name. Even a casual strike has that much power."
Belo Betty took a drag on her cigarette, an unusually grave look on her pretty face.
Baccarat tucked back her deep-red hair and said with a smile, "No one becomes a Shichibukai for nothing."
"But no matter how strong he is, he's no match for Chris. I'm sure of it."
Honey Queen nodded in agreement. "Of course. Our captain is the strongest man alive."
Burgess laughed, looking as though this was exactly what he had expected.
"Just like the captain said, this guy attacks with strings."
Lafitte nodded and said with a faint smile, "He did eat the Paramecia String-String Fruit. Naturally, he'd attack with strings."
Doflamingo curled his fingers slightly, moving them back and forth as though they were dancing.
"Repulsion?"
"So you ate the Paramecia Repel-Repel Fruit."
Doflamingo grinned and sneered, "Brat, you ate such a worthless Devil Fruit. You'll never become strong."
"If I remember right, the last person with the Repel-Repel Fruit was killed by a mountain bandit."
"To think that worthless fruit would reappear after hundreds of years, only for a brat like you to eat it."
"I almost feel sorry for you. Fuffuffuffu~~"
Chris wasn't surprised that Doflamingo knew which Devil Fruit he had eaten.
After all, the man had been one of the Celestial Dragons and was a major figure in the Underworld. Of course he had seen the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.
"Doflamingo, let me tell you something."
Chris folded his arms across his chest and said calmly, "Villains often die because they talk too much."
"You certainly love lecturing people, brat."
Doflamingo covered his face, looking half-mad.
"I'm so angry I could laugh. Fuffuffuffu..."
"Bullet String!"
Doflamingo suddenly flicked his right index finger. A thin, transparent string slipped from his fingertip and shot toward Chris as fast as lightning...
(To everyone reading, I won't spend too many chapters on the fight with Doflamingo. It'll definitely end within two more chapters. You don't want to read a fight that drags on, either, right? ︿(￣︶￣)︿)
Chapter 25
"My turn."
Chris didn't meet the attack. With a whoosh, he vanished from where he stood.
He reappeared above Doflamingo.
His right fist instantly hardened with Armament Haki and came crashing down.
His speed was incredible, his momentum overwhelming.
It was a stunning sight!
"What astonishing speed."
Doflamingo had no time to dodge. He hastily raised both arms, crossed them, and hardened them with Armament Haki.
Bang...
A thunderous impact shook the ground. The earth sank beneath them, and dust billowed up, swallowing them both.
No one could see what was happening inside.
"They really are in a league of their own. So strong."
Burgess shook his head in amazement.
Doc Q said enviously, "So that's what happens when Armament Haki clashes. What power."
Lafitte adjusted his top hat and said mildly, "They've only just begun. Neither of them has gone all out. The best is yet to come."
"Captain, he's so strong!"
Bepo looked at Law in astonishment and couldn't help praising Chris.
Law frowned and said coolly, "His Armament Haki is strong, but if that's all he has, he won't beat Doflamingo."
Honey Queen bristled at hearing someone doubt Chris and immediately shot back.
"Chris isn't as weak as you think. Doflamingo or not, he's the one who's going to lose."
Belo Betty nodded and exhaled a puff of smoke. "If Chris can't even beat Doflamingo, how is he supposed to change this world?"
Baccarat smoothed her deep-red hair and smiled gently. "Don't worry. Chris never picks a fight he isn't sure he can win, and he's never let anyone down."
Whoosh~~
A light breeze swept through, clearing the dust and revealing the scene within.
A huge crater had formed in the ground. The surrounding earth was cracked, with countless fissures spreading in every direction.
One simple blow had done all that.
Doflamingo stood in the crater, while Chris floated in the air above him, looking down coldly.
"Fuffuffuffu..."
Doflamingo looked up at Chris and laughed. "Not bad. You're quite strong, brat."
"Incredible speed and powerful Armament Haki. No wonder you dared challenge me."
"But why are you floating? That isn't Geppo. Is it your Devil Fruit ability?"
Doflamingo shook his head again and again. "Impossible. How could such a worthless Devil Fruit do that?"
"How did you manage it, brat?"
Chris folded his arms and looked down at him. His answer was calm.
"Beat me, and you'll find out."
Doflamingo was furious!
Veins bulged across his face. His fingers twitched as he laughed. "You're something else, brat. You've managed to make me angry."
"I was going to let you join my family, but I've decided killing you would be better. Fuffuffuffu..."
He stamped hard enough to crack the ground again, then shot into the air with a whoosh.
"Athlete!"
Doflamingo hardened his right foot with Armament Haki. Eight transparent strings sprang from his toes as he kicked viciously at Chris's head.
The kick was so fast that the air seemed to tremble, as though even space had been sliced apart.
That was how terrifying it was!
"Repulsion Fist!"
Chris opened his right hand. White light gathered in his palm as the repulsive force surged.
Then he clenched his fist.
A massive white fist appeared in an instant.
It slammed straight toward Doflamingo's kick.
Bang...
The impact rang out, and everything seemed to freeze.
Doflamingo's kick stopped in midair, roughly a meter from Chris.
Veins stood out on Doflamingo's forehead as he threw all his strength into it.
He refused to let this kick miss.
But no matter how hard he tried, his blackened right foot could not advance an inch.
It kept being pushed away!
Chris remained perfectly calm and spoke two words.
"Go flying."
Boom!
Like a rocket engine, the massive white fist suddenly unleashed its force before Doflamingo could react.
With a whoosh, Doflamingo was sent flying backward.
He tried to steady himself and slip out of the repulsive force's path.
But Chris had compressed the White Fist too tightly. Its repulsive force was so powerful that Doflamingo couldn't break free.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
Doflamingo smashed through tree after tree as he flew backward, each collision sending out a sharp crack.
Even the trees couldn't stop him. He kept flying.
Damn that brat! He's developed the Repel-Repel Fruit to this extent. I can't let him live!
Doflamingo finally struck a large tree and sank partway into its trunk. Only then did he come to a stop.
He was now a full two hundred meters from Chris.
He had broken through more than a dozen trees along the way.
That was how powerful the strike's repulsive force had been.
The sight left everyone watching stunned.
Their admiration for Chris's strength had reached new heights...
(Everyone, there have been so few rating votes. Could you spare the author a few? Thank you all so much. Please send some rating votes my way o(╥﹏╥)o.)