"Straw Hat?"
The despondent Law turned his head and widened his eyes when Luffy and Zoro suddenly appeared at his side.
At the same time, a white bear and a group of pirates came running from a distance, shouting as they approached:
"Captain!"
Hearing the voice, Law turned and saw his beloved crew charging toward him.
After having just brushed shoulders with death, the sight of them brought a sting to his eyes.
"Everyone…"
Only in that moment did he realize—beyond killing Doflamingo, there were other things he valued even more.
These steadfast companions of his—though not powerful—were the most reliable family he could ask for.
"Corazon… what am I supposed to do?"
As his crewmates reached him, the image of that man—whose smile seemed sinister yet had always brought warmth—rose in Law's mind. Corazon had been the one to guide him, to light his way.
Perhaps Corazon hadn't wanted him to cling to hatred, but to find a true purpose in life.
He had always been there, illuminating Law's path—yet Law, blinded by prejudice, had strayed from it.
In that instant, Law understood. He still would not give up on killing Doflamingo, but his life's goal had already shifted.
"Straw Hat, we can join forces to take Doflamingo down. I have my own reasons why he must die."
Slowly getting to his feet and giving his wounds a quick treatment, Law extended his invitation once more.
Luffy stared at the battered Law for a long moment before suddenly saying, "No. That Doffy guy—I'll send him flying myself."
Hearing Luffy's blunt refusal, Law showed no anger.
Brushing the dust off himself, he slung Kikoku over his shoulder and looked toward the distant King's Plateau.
"Alright, then—we'll act separately."
With that, he turned and walked toward his crew.
Luffy stood silent for a moment, then turned and started toward the area where Doflamingo's people were gathered. Zoro, wordless, followed close behind.
"Fuffuffuffuffu… finally here, are they?"
In the open ground ahead, Doflamingo spotted his target at last, a sinister smile curling across his face.
Not long after, Luffy and Zoro stood before him.
At Doflamingo's side, Diamante suddenly moved—his body rippling like a flag in the wind as he glided low across the ground toward them, faster than the eye could follow, his longsword thrusting straight for Zoro.
Faced with the sudden attack, Zoro showed no panic. With a shhhk, he drew his blade, meeting the strike with a ringing clang.
"Heh… not bad," Diamante said with a cold smile.
"My strength is more than 'not bad,'" Zoro replied, a ghostly light flashing in his single eye as he pushed the man back with a subtle flex of his arm.
"Is that so? Big words have a price."
Diamante stepped back, his cloak whipping in the air, then suddenly increased his speed, closing in on Zoro again. His sword now drifted unpredictably, like a fluttering banner.
At the side, Luffy made no move to intervene.
Instead, he turned his gaze to Doflamingo.
"Doffy, I'm here. I'm gonna send you flying."
The straightforward declaration caught Doflamingo off guard for a moment before he chuckled low.
"Fuffuffuffuffu… The order was to capture you, but no one said I couldn't train you a little first."
He didn't know why his superiors wanted this kid, but in capturing him, a few bumps and bruises wouldn't be an issue—so long as he didn't kill him, there'd be no consequences.
The thought rekindled the anger from being stood up earlier, and his expression darkened.
With a twitch of his fingers, two transparent threads snapped taut, yanking him forward. In a blur as fast as Soru, he lunged at Luffy.
Luffy blinked in surprise at the sudden appearance of Doflamingo before him.
Before he could react, a leg wrapped in Armament Haki was already swinging toward him.
Instinctively, Luffy crossed his arms to block.
Boom!
The heavy impact rang out. Even with his fruit's natural resilience, the force of the Haki-imbued strike had him gritting his teeth in pain.
"Bastard!"
As he skidded back, Luffy cursed at Doflamingo's underhanded opening move.
Then, snapping his arms behind him like stretched rubber bands—
"Gomu Gomu no… Rocket!"
With a fwip, both arms extended to their limit, then hardened with Armament Haki. In the next instant, they snapped forward with a sonic whoosh, rocketing toward Doflamingo.
But to a true master, it was child's play.
Without even bothering to use Observation Haki, Doflamingo's sunglasses caught the light as he flicked his fingers, threads jerking him neatly out of range.
Dodging with ease, he gave a cold smile, then slingshotted back toward Luffy with another flick of his threads.
"Brat, if this is all you've got, you'd better surrender quietly."
Five fine threads shot from his fingers, crossing toward Luffy to bind him.
After all, the boy was Dragon's son. Whatever the ties—personal or political—Doflamingo dared not use a killing blow. That man's position now was second to none, and even the so-called "Sea Rogue" knew when to rein it in.
But where Doflamingo was cautious, Luffy was anything but.
Sensing something closing in via Observation Haki, he didn't hesitate. Activating Gear Second, he sidestepped at high speed, vanishing from view.
In the blink of an eye, he was at Doflamingo's flank, his massive, Haki-hardened fist swinging like a cannonball.
The sudden burst of speed caught Doflamingo off guard.
Bam!
The blow landed clean, the shockwave rippling outwards. Doflamingo crashed into the ground with a resounding boom.
"Bastard! You little brat!"
Lying in a cracked pit half a meter deep, Doflamingo cursed in fury.
He'd been holding back, and the kid had repaid it with a blow like that.
"You've managed to make me angry, brat… I'll show you what real pain feels like."
With that, Doflamingo vanished. Reappearing at Luffy's side, his leg was now sheathed in black Haki—its sole bristling with countless fine threads like lotus-root fibers. The strike's power had doubled.
The kick landed with a deafening crash, blasting Luffy away like a fired cannonball, sending him hurtling toward the far end of the plateau.
"Fuffuffuffuffu… Brat, I'll teach you the meaning of respect!"
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