PIRATES: I WORK IN NAVY FROM NINE TO FIVE

BOOM!!

A mountain-crushing wave of Conqueror's Haki slammed straight into Doflamingo.

At such close range, compounded with the recklessness of his failed gamble, Doflamingo had no time to react.

CRACK!

The overwhelming force crashed into him like a meteor.

For a brief moment, he felt like he was being bulldozed by a mountain.

Then his body was blasted backward, flung through the air like a ragdoll.

He crashed into the docks again, smashing through crates and debris.

But the Haki storm didn't stop—it poured down like a tidal wave, flattening everything in its path.

The docks instantly plunged into chaos.

Their beloved Young Master had been sent flying in one strike.

If even Doflamingo couldn't take it—

Then what were they? Cannon fodder?

Gild Tesoro's face darkened.

His gold-ringed fingers clenched into a fist, and his voice boomed with rage:

"Damn you, Admiral! I said I shouldn't have come—but you forced my hand!"

"Golden Surge!!"

Tesoro raised his hand.

A tsunami of gold exploded outward, crashing head-on into the torrent of Conqueror's Haki.

BOOM!!!

A shockwave detonated between them, thundering across the heavens.

Gold rain showered down.

The collision of two unstoppable forces sent waves of destruction across the dock.

Weak pirates were instantly tossed aside.

Some were knocked unconscious by the sheer pressure of Luo Yu's Haki.

The dock had become a battleground—a trial by fire.

Far off, Pica and others stared from over a kilometer away, their faces twisted in disbelief.

This wasn't how the plan was supposed to go!

They had seen Doflamingo's vision of triumph—and now watched it collapse into a nightmare.

Even Rebecca and Kyros, watching from a safer distance, were stunned.

They had heard tales of this new Admiral.

But this level of brutality?

A single disagreement, and he attacks.

A second round of resistance? He attacks harder.

It was madness.

And no one would have believed it—if they hadn't seen Doflamingo, the man with hostages in hand, getting knocked out of the sky again and again.

CRACK!

Doflamingo slammed into the remains of a shattered merchant ship, his body half-embedded into the wreckage.

Blood sprayed from his mouth as pain wracked his body.

Still trembling, he stood up with a bitter laugh, readjusting his sunglasses.

"Well, well… so you really are as crazy as they say, Admiral Taiote."

"Fine. I want to see just how far your arrogance can take you!"

He turned to Tesoro, voice serious:

"Tesoro, whatever happens from here on—I'll take full responsibility."

"Whether it's the Marines or the World Government, they won't dare hold you accountable."

"Now... let him see what it means to provoke two awakened Devil Fruit users!"

BOOM!

Doflamingo's laughter turned manic.

If he was going to fight a Marine Admiral, he wouldn't hold back.

This would be an all-out war from the start.

And he would begin with—Awakening.

As a Paramecia user, his awakening allowed him to transform his environment into threads.

And now, those threads surged.

Hundreds—no, thousands—of meters in every direction twisted into a sea of strings.

Buildings, crates, ground—all converted into razor-thin silk.

The sight alone sent chills down spines.

A suffocating tide of threads writhing like snakes.

With Doflamingo's assurance, Tesoro didn't hesitate.

He grinned and raised his arms.

The ground trembled.

With a deafening rumble, golden waves surged outward, transforming the battlefield into a glittering ocean.

In seconds, the gold condensed—

Forming a colossal golden giant, glowing with radiant light.

Its armored form exuded terrifying pressure.

The scene stunned Pica and the others.

A moment ago, they had feared for Doflamingo.

But now—two awakened users were fighting as one.

How could this go wrong?

How could any Admiral stand against this?

"HAHAHA!"

Doflamingo stood atop his sea of threads, laughing wildly.

"Look around you, Navy brat!"

"Do you finally see your own weakness?"

"Let's see if you can tear down the Birdcage in thirty minutes!"

"You should've known your place and obeyed orders—but now?"

"Now you'll suffer for your arrogance!"

"Sometimes… numbers are power!"

His laughter echoed like a curse over the ruined city.

Far away, Rebecca watched, trembling.

Her legs gave out.

With a clang, her sword dropped from her hands.

She turned to Kyros, pale and shaken:

"Soldier… is this the kind of enemy we dreamed of defeating?"

"I… I feel so powerless. I don't think we can ever win."

Kyros was equally shaken.

His one remaining leg felt like it might give out at any moment.

Watching those two monsters rise in tandem crushed something inside him.

The belief he'd held for years.

This wasn't a battle—they were witnessing divine punishment.

Two gods—one cloaked in gold, the other in silk—

And one man standing against them.

Then—

A rough, elderly voice rang out from the shadows.

Clear. Resolute.

"As expected… the Seven Warlords should never have been allowed to exist."

"Whether it's Alabasta or Dressrosa, all I've ever heard is the sound of fear… of helplessness… of tears."

"And since you want to compare numbers, Admiral…"

"…count this old man in!"