Seeing Law collapse at the feet of the Heavenly Yaksha, his fate uncertain, the group was shaken.
Three Blades and Daz Bones charged forward without hesitation, attacking Doflamingo in succession. Unfortunately, their swordsmanship, still within the realm of standard swordsmen, could not break through his string defenses.
Bepo wiped the blood streaming from his chest and rushed in like a berserker.
In his half-beast transformation, his strikes were powerful and ferocious, but his sheer size and reckless movements disrupted Three Blades and Daz Bones more than they helped.
After all, while their blades struggled to pierce Doflamingo's defenses, they could easily cut through Bepo if he got in the way.
"Bepo, move!"
Daz Bones shouted a warning, but the brief distraction cost him. The Heavenly Yaksha's Five-Color Strings lashed across his face, leaving five burning marks along his nose and mouth. Though his Dice-Dice Fruit protected him from injury, the pain was unavoidable.
Bepo, however, seemed deaf to the warning. His eyes were bloodshot, locked entirely onto Doflamingo as he attacked without restraint.
No matter how urgently the two tried to signal him, Bepo's focus never shifted.
With no other option, Three Blades and Daz Bones were forced onto the defensive.
Facing the chaotic coordination of the trio, Doflamingo continued to wound them while letting out his grating laughter.
"Fufufufufufu!"
"No matter how strong trash like you becomes, you're still nothing more than commoners meant to be trampled!"
"Bastard!"
Three Blades clenched Wado Ichimonji tighter, his anger evident, while Daz Bones remained silent as always. Both poured their frustration into their relentless assault.
Fortunately, Pekin, who had retrieved his severed arm, finally recognized the problem.
"Bepo! Fall back with Law! You're too big, you're getting in their way!"
Shachi, clutching his injured shoulder, shouted as well, "Idiot, grab Law and move! If he's still alive, you'll crush him at this rate!"
Perhaps used to taking orders from Pekin and Shachi, Bepo finally reacted.
As Doflamingo's Overheat lashed toward him, Bepo instantly dropped out of his half-beast form, shrinking back to his normal size.
He dodged the attack, rolled across the ground, grabbed Law, and fled without hesitation.
With Bepo gone, Three Blades and Daz Bones could finally fight without restriction. Even if they still could not break Doflamingo's defenses, the battle now became a contest of endurance.
Unfortunately for them, Doflamingo would have laughed if he knew their thoughts.
Where did these fools get the idea that he would allow himself to be worn down?
His gaze shifted toward Bepo, who was fleeing with Law's unmoving body.
"Who said you could take that traitor's corpse?"
Grinning viciously, Doflamingo raised one hand to block the attacks of Three Blades and Daz Bones with a String Shield, while extending the other toward Bepo.
"Sixteen Holy Bullets: God Thread!"
At his command, countless threads coated in Armament Haki surged from the ground around Bepo, converging like a storm of spears aimed to impale him.
"Bepo, watch out!"
Pekin and Shachi shouted in alarm.
"No need to panic!"
Two figures burst forward from behind them.
Twin blades flashed, cutting through the incoming threads and dispersing the attack entirely.
As the winds settled, Johnny and Joseph stood back-to-back, swords in hand, blocking the path ahead.
"Did you forget about us?"
"If you want to touch our comrades, you'll have to get past us first!"
"Johnny!"
"Joseph!"
"Present!"
…
Their dramatic entrance caused the battlefield to fall silent for a moment.
Even Doflamingo paused, tilting his head as he looked at them.
"Fufufufufufu… Get past you? Your comrades are already half-dead, and now two more idiots step forward?"
"You never fail to amuse."
"Idiots, stop posing and help!"
Three Blades, still struggling against the String Shield, finally shouted in frustration.
"Got it, coming!"
…
Facing the combined assault of four swordsmen, Doflamingo's expression darkened slightly.
From the beginning, none of these fools were his true target.
The only one who mattered, the only one who could pose any real threat, was Jella, still floating above and watching without intervening, even after Law had nearly been executed by a barrage of String Bullets.
Doflamingo had intended to use Law's execution as bait, to lure Jella into descending and create an opening.
Once he seized the advantage, victory would follow, whether by killing him or capturing him as a prize for the Holy Land.
Yet that man remained unmoved.
Even as his allies fell one after another, he did nothing.
Was this truly the caliber of someone capable of challenging the World Government?
The thought made Doflamingo grit his teeth in frustration.
Why wasn't such a capable individual part of his own family?
A similar thought had crossed his mind once before, when he had been struck down by that same man.
"This farce ends now."
"Giant White Wave!"
"Sea of Strings!"
"All of you… die!"
His patience shattered, Doflamingo unleashed his full power.
The surrounding buildings and terrain transformed instantly into endless white threads, rising like towering waves that crashed down relentlessly upon everyone below.
At the same time, the ground beneath their feet liquefied into a churning sea of strings, coiling around their legs and locking them in place.
There was nowhere left to run.
"Fufufufufufu… enjoying the show?"
Doflamingo looked up at Jella, his laughter echoing wildly.
"Then watch closely as I send them all to hell!"
===
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