Chopper crossed his arms, pouting. "Wait, you visited Nami, Robin, and Luffy too? Coby, you mean! Why didn't you visit me? I was lonely! I missed you all!"
Coby chuckled and walked over, ruffling Chopper's hat. "I didn't even know where you were, Doc. Luffy? I dropped him off myself. Nami and Robin?" He grinned, glancing toward the two women. "They're special, so I had to find them."
Nami rolled her eyes, arms crossed. "You're just saying that to get on our good side."
Robin smiled faintly. "It seems to be working."
Chopper brightened a little but didn't drop his pout. "Still, you could've tried harder. What if I needed you for something?"
"Yeah, yeah, next time I'll hire a search party for you," Coby teased, patting his head one more time. He turned toward Luffy. "Anyway, when Doflamingo gets here, I will go second, as you wish, Captain."
Luffy stretched his arms wide, grinning. "Shishishi, I can't wait! It's gonna be fun!"
Zoro's hand rested on the hilt of his sword. "Captain, don't get careless."
"I'm not careless!" Luffy shot back, puffing his cheeks.
"You are," Sanji said, flicking ash from his cigarette. "But that's why we're here. Clean up your mess when it happens."
Luffy ignored him, pointing at the horizon. "When's he getting here? I wanna fight already!"
"Soon," Coby replied, waving toward the others. "Nami, take the others and raid the place. Grab anything valuable. Robin, collect every written document you can find. Chopper, secure any poison or medical supplies. Caesar's been selling these poisons for years. Knowing what they are is better than guessing when they'll be used against us. Law, destroy all the SADs."
Law scowled. "Don't order me around."
Coby shrugged. "Do whatever you want. Zoro, anything with SAD written on it—destroy it. Sanji, make sure Zoro doesn't get lost."
Zoro's eyebrow twitched. "I don't get lost."
"You do," Sanji said, lighting a cigarette. "Let's go, moss head."
Nami gestured to Usopp and Franky. "You two, with me. We'll start over there." She pointed toward a nearby building where the labs were.
Robin walked alongside her. "I'll take the interior. We need to ensure we don't miss anything."
Chopper nodded, grabbing his supplies and scurrying toward a nearby storage area. "I'll look for anything useful in the medical wing."
Franky flexed. "Leave the heavy lifting to me, Nami-sis! I'll grab the good stuff."
Coby watched as the crew scattered. "Luffy," he called, spotting his captain handing the pink dragon over to Kin'emon, who, with Brook, headed inside to help the others. "He's here."
Luffy turned, curious. "What? Who?"
Coby pointed skyward. Doflamingo was descending through the sky, surfing casually on thin air as though he were riding an invisible wave. Luffy's eyes widened. "Coby! He's flying?!"
Coby noticed the bloodthirsty look in Doflamingo's eyes as he gazed at the scene below. Vergo's body lay still, blood pooling beneath it, while Caesar was slumped lifeless against the ground. Monet's corpse, discarded to the side, added to the gruesome sight. Doflamingo descended slowly, each step on the air taut with menace.
"Vergo. Monet," Doflamingo's voice rasped, barely audible but heavy. His grin twisted, his eyes narrowing on the Straw Hats and Law. "Who's responsible for this?"
Coby stepped forward, resting a hand on Shusui's hilt. "Well, I killed Vergo, but he's a Marine, and I'm a pirate, so it should be fine, right? And Caesar killed Monet, so out of anger, I killed Caesar."
Doflamingo's eyes locked onto him, cold and unwavering. "Are you mocking me?"
Coby shook his head, his expression relaxed. "Not at all. That's exactly how it happened."
The air grew tense as Doflamingo descended fully, his hands resting casually in his pockets. "You think you can slaughter my family and joke about it?"
"I'm not joking," Coby replied, taking a step closer. "But hey, if you want to talk about it, I'm all ears. Luffy's the real talker, though." He glanced back at his captain, who grinned.
Luffy stretched his arms, cracking his knuckles. "Shishishi! You're Doflamingo, huh? Let's fight!"
Doflamingo's grin returned, sharp and dangerous. "So, you're the infamous Straw Hat. And you," he said, pointing a finger at Coby, "Coby the Copy Ninja. You two caused a quite an upheaval in Summit War."
In an instant, Doflamingo flicked his fingers. Threads shot from his hand, slicing toward Coby. Coby shifted, the threads grazing the air as he sidestepped. Shusui swung in a tight arc, cutting the threads apart before they could retract.
"Nice trick," Coby said, spinning the blade to his side. "You always attack first?"
Doflamingo laughed, his voice low and mocking. "Always."
Luffy shot forward with Geppo, aiming a punch at Doflamingo's head. The Warlord tilted his head, dodging with ease, and retaliated with a kick that sent Luffy crashing into the snow.
Coby stepped back. "Well, go ahead, Luffy. Have your fight."
Luffy dusted the snow off his shoulders, grinning wide as he bounced on his feet. "Shishishi, don't mind if I do!" He shot forward with Geppo, his fist drawn back and coated in black Armament Haki. "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"
Doflamingo twisted mid-air, the strike grazing his shoulder as he spun and launched a kick. "Overheat!" Threads erupted from his foot, burning with friction as they whipped toward Luffy.
Luffy leaned back, the attack slicing through the air above him, and countered with a Soru-powered dash. He appeared above Doflamingo, his leg swinging down. "Gomu Gomu no Stamp!"
Doflamingo crossed his arms, blocking the attack with a burst of Haki. The force of the blow sent them both hurtling to the ground, crashing into the snow in a cloud of ice and dirt.
Brushing his coat off as Doflamingo rose. His grin widened, sharp and menacing. He snapped his fingers, sending razor-sharp strings whipping toward Luffy in a wide arc.
Luffy jumped into the air, dodging the strings, and activated Gear Second. Steam hissed as his body glowed faintly. He vanished with Soru and Gear 2 combination, appearing behind Doflamingo. "Jet Gatling!" A flurry of punches slammed toward Doflamingo, each one crackling with Armament Haki.
Doflamingo gritted his teeth, blocking the barrage with a defensive weave of strings. He thrust his hand out. "Parasite!" A thread shot toward Luffy, aiming to ensnare him.
Luffy twisted in mid-air, evading the thread, and shot toward Doflamingo with Rankyaku. A blade of compressed air cut toward the Warlord, slicing through snow and ice. Doflamingo leapt above it, using his threads to pull himself higher into the air.
"Spider's Web!" Doflamingo created a massive shield of threads, braced against the next strike. Luffy crashed into it with a Haki-coated punch, breaking through the barrier and forcing Doflamingo back.
Luffy dodged with quick steps, weaving through the air as Doflamingo's threads sliced toward him. The attacks shredded through the snow below, scattering ice like confetti. Luffy closed the gap in an instant, throwing a punch straight at Doflamingo's jaw.
Doflamingo tilted his head, narrowly avoiding the strike, and retaliated with a snap of his fingers. Threads coiled around Luffy's arm, but before they could tighten, Luffy yanked back, tearing free with raw strength. He flipped mid-air and drove a kick toward Doflamingo's chest.
Doflamingo blocked with his forearm, the impact sending a shockwave across the battlefield. He countered with a swift kick, aiming low. Luffy vaulted over it, landing behind him, and spun with a rapid strike. Doflamingo stepped back, the edge of Luffy's fist grazing his coat.
Their clash sent ripples through the air as they traded blows, fists and threads colliding in quick succession. Each strike was met with a counter, their movements blurring as they fought across the snowy field.
--
From the last free chapter to the last Patreon chapter, there are currently 66 chapters available. Patreon now offers 66 advance chapters, and that number will go down by one each day as I steadily release them to the public.
patreon.com/pinkisjustice