Let's rewind to a time before, to Dressrosa, to the Flower Field.
"Bang!"
"Whoosh!"
Two figures flashed continuously on the arena in the Flower Field, occasionally unleashing a burst of impact, causing a series of tremors in the void.
After another collision, Luffy and Doflamingo were both sent flying backward, sliding a short distance on the ground before coming to a stop.
"Hmm hmm hmm~"
"What, Straw Hat Boy, is that all the strength you've got?" Doflamingo looked up at Luffy and mocked him.
"You took it seriously just because I was warming you up?"
"No way, can someone really be so arrogant as to think I'm Headliners with him?"
Luffy made an exaggerated expression and looked at Doflamingo with disdain.
Upon hearing this, Doflamingo's face instantly turned extremely ugly, and the veins on his forehead bulged out.
Seeing Doflamingo's face turn as black as the bottom of a pot, Luffy actually managed a smile.
"As expected of those two sentences that the sharp-tongued Xia Chen once said, their attack power is truly formidable!"
Xia Chen had said this to him not long ago, and now he used it perfectly on Doflamingo, without changing a single word.
Even someone as composed as him was furious when he heard those words, let alone a nobody like Doflamingo.
Sure enough, the next second Doflamingo charged towards him, raising his arm and then swinging it down sharply.
" Overheat!"
Luffy backward, and the ground he had been standing on was instantly shattered the moment he left, leaving five craters in the spot.
"Your line is really troublesome; it can only be sensed using Observation Haki, and it's practically invisible under normal circumstances!"
Luffy on the ground.
During his fight with Doflamingo, he could not see most of Doflamingo's Devil Fruit attacks, except for a few specific techniques; he could only sense them through Observation Haki.
However, this is not a problem for him!
"I've been playing with you for a while now, and next... I'm going to get serious!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Luffy his right foot on the ground, instantly activating Gear Second. His figure vanished from his spot and reappeared in front of Doflamingo.
"!!"
"So fast!"
Seeing Luffy suddenly appear in front of him, Doflamingo couldn't help but shrink his pupils. This speed was much faster than when they fought earlier.
Was this kid really just warming up?
Doflamingo's expression grew increasingly grim, but before he could think any further, a fist loomed larger and larger in his line of sight.
"Bang!"
Luffy's fist landed squarely on Doflamingo's face.
In an instant, Doflamingo's body was sent flying backward like a cannonball.
" Doffy!"
Pica and the others couldn't help but shout.
Doflamingo, who was flying backwards, suddenly bent his body, his feet landing on the ground and gliding along, finally stopping just before he was about to fly off the ring.
Doflamingo slowly stood up, a drop of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.
He couldn't help but wipe his hands, a sinister smile spreading across his face as he looked at the blood. Then he turned his gaze to Luffy.
" Straw Hat Boy, it seems I underestimated you. You're not as weak as I thought!"
"If you don't have much ability, don't pretend. You always think you're so great, spouting nonsense from the perspective that you're better than me. I really don't know where you get your confidence!"
"Could it be that... um..."
"What was Xia Chen talking about again, the singer whose last name gave him the courage?" Luffy suddenly turned to Zoro and the others and asked.
Everyone:...
"The one surnamed Liang!"
"Oh, right! That's right, the one surnamed Liang!"
"Did that singer surnamed Liang give you the courage? Pshaw~ What kind of class do you have, daring to act so pretentious like Xia Chen!"
"You'd better just obediently knock it away!"
Luffy bombarded Doflamingo with a barrage of words, leaving him completely stunned.
Before he could recover, Luffy his foot and charged at him again.
Doflamingo narrowed his eyes. He was already prepared, and even though Luffy was currently very fast, he could still barely keep up with him thanks to his Observation Haki.
"Bang bang bang!"
A series of tremors resounded through the void once again, and this time the battle was much more intense than before.
Each collision between the two generated a shockwave that spread outwards.
Meanwhile, among the two groups of people below the arena, Zoro and his companions looked relaxed, constantly commenting on Luffy's battle.
Even Usopp's face no longer showed the initial panic.
Before he arrived, after hearing Doflamingo's threats, he thought Doflamingo was very strong.
That's the result? He really did poop a huge pile!
Meanwhile, the Donquixote Family members all looked extremely grim.
" Doffy... he was actually suppressed?"
"How could Straw Hat Boy have such strength?" Diamante's face was full of disbelief.
Having journeyed alongside Doflamingo and spent so much time with him, they naturally knew that Doflamingo had essentially unleashed his full power, except for concealing his trump cards.
Even so, the current outcome is vastly different from what they had anticipated.
Before this, they all thought that Doffy could easily defeat the Straw Hat Boy, and that they, too, could easily defeat the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates.
But now... their confidence seems to be slowly eroding.
"Can Doffy... win?" a bald old man with bulging veins on his head asked with a serious expression.
"Hey! What are you saying, Lao G!"
" Doffy is a man born to be king, he will never be defeated!" Trebol roared at Lao G, his nose drooping.
(⊙o⊙)...
"Speak up, but don't get so close to me!" Lao G turned his head away and said irritably.
"Just watch quietly. Doffy still has some trump cards up his sleeve, and you all know just how powerful they are, right?"
"Once Doffy unleashes that power, the Straw Hat Boy will have no chance against him!" Pica said with absolute certainty.
Upon hearing this, everyone seemed to realize something, and the worry on their faces disappeared.
"That's right! Doffy cannot possibly lose!"
"Bang bang bang!"
Luffy and Doflamingo continued their back-and-forth exchange in the arena, both sustaining injuries. However, Luffy maintained the upper hand overall.
At one point, Luffy narrowed his eyes and punched Doflamingo directly in the stomach, sending him flying.
" Spider Web Wall!"
A wall resembling a spiderweb, composed of many white lines, appeared behind Doflamingo, stopping him as he flew backward.
"Pfft!"
A mouthful of blood spurted from Doflamingo's mouth, then he looked up at Luffy, a sinister smile creeping across his lips.
"I never expected you, Straw Hat Boy, to push me to this point!"
"Since that's the case, I won't hide it anymore. Next... I'll make you feel despair!"