On the coast of Loguetown in the East Blue, Vice Admiral Tsuru and her Marines were locked in a standoff with Donquixote Doflamingo.
"Surrender, Doflamingo! You can't escape!" a female Marine officer declared, stepping forward.
"Oh, how scary! A young and beautiful Marine lady," Doflamingo quipped, raising his hands in a mocking gesture of surrender.
"You—! Despicable!" Apparently provoked by Doflamingo's Kizaru-like flippancy, the officer snapped, pulling the trigger and firing several shots directly at him.
Doflamingo hadn't expected to rile her up quite so easily. Watching the bullets fly towards him, he felt no particular urge to dodge.
Seeing Doflamingo standing there foolishly with his hands up, not even attempting to evade, most of the Marines assumed he was paralyzed by fear. Only Vice Admiral Tsuru sensed something was amiss and waited, watching intently. As usual, reality defied popular expectation. The unexpected happened: the speeding bullets passed straight through Doflamingo's body, leaving him completely unharmed.
A wave of murmurs rippled through the Marine ranks.
"Unbelievable... he's a Logia user! Just like the Three Great Monsters! This makes things difficult." "There's still a chance! What's there to fear? Don't think having a Logia makes you invincible!" "Can he even properly wield its power?" "Vice Admiral Tsuru is here! We have nothing to fear!"
The sight of Doflamingo turning intangible instantly put the Marines on high alert. Having served under Tsuru for so long, they understood Devil Fruits – especially how troublesome Logia users were. This capture attempt was going to take considerable effort.
"No wonder you're so fearless, Doflamingo," Tsuru's expression darkened considerably. She hadn't seen him in a while and certainly hadn't expected him to have obtained a Devil Fruit – let alone a Logia type. His damned dog-shit luck is truly unbelievable, she fumed inwardly. First the Knock-Up Stream, now a Devil Fruit like this... It was a major headache. The immense value of a Logia fruit was evident just by looking at the Navy's current 'Three Great Monsters'. This revelation, however, only made Doflamingo's capture even more critical.
"Fuffuffuffuffu," Doflamingo ignored the Marines' chatter, slowly lowering his hands. He addressed Tsuru with a calm, almost leisurely tone, borrowing another of Kizaru's infamous lines, adapted for his own power: "Vice Admiral Tsuru, have you ever been... zapped before?"
"What?" Tsuru was momentarily baffled by his question, her mind filled with suspicion.
"Speed is weight," Doflamingo declared, then vanished. "Lightning Kick!"
Reappearing instantly in front of Tsuru using Soru, he lashed out with a powerful kick, sending the Vice Admiral flying backward.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru! Are you alright?!" "Damn you, Doflamingo!" The Marines cried out in alarm, watching their commander get knocked back.
Tsuru, however, had reacted the instant Doflamingo reappeared, swiftly crossing her arms coated in strong Armament Haki to block the blow. While she avoided significant injury, a numbing paralysis from the electricity spread through her hands.
"So, this is your power, Doflamingo?" Tsuru arrested her momentum, ignoring the tingling numbness in her arms. "But don't you dare underestimate the Marines!" she roared, her voice sharp, rallying her troops and steadying their agitated hearts.
"Fuffuffuffuffu! Very well then," Doflamingo chuckled, hearing her defiant cry. "Allow me to present you with another big gift. Be sure to catch it!"
"God's Punishment!"
Countless tendrils of lightning erupted, surging towards the Marines, threatening to drown them in an electric ocean.
"Look out! Dodge!" Tsuru yelled, seeing the immense danger.
But could they possibly move faster than lightning?
"Aaaargh!"
A chorus of agonizing screams filled the air as the Marines were bathed in raw electricity, forced to endure a horrifying 'lightning bath'.
Even Vice Admiral Tsuru found herself overwhelmed, like a clay buddha crossing a river – barely able to protect herself, let alone aid others. She could only watch helplessly as her subordinates were ravaged by the electric onslaught.
"Do... fla... min... go...!" Tsuru ground out his name between clenched teeth, her voice thick with fury.
"What's wrong, Vice Admiral?" Doflamingo noted her anguish, twisting the knife with further mockery. "Did my gift meet your expectations?"
"Save your damn chatter for Impel Down!" Tsuru snarled, abandoning words and launching herself at Doflamingo.
"Why the rush?" Doflamingo taunted. "As I recall, I received such generous care from you in the past, Grandma Tsuru. I simply must repay you properly."
Tsuru used a full-power Soru, appearing above Doflamingo and bringing down fists wreathed in Armament Haki.
Doflamingo didn't hesitate, meeting her attack head-on with a move of his own: "Thunderfall Fist!"
Their fists collided, and for a moment, neither gained ground. Tsuru felt a surge of frustration; Doflamingo had grown astonishingly fast. Armed with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, he was like a tiger that had sprouted wings – exponentially more dangerous.
Their clash forced them both back, creating distance as they prepared their next moves.
Doflamingo knew Tsuru wasn't someone who would back down easily; her strength was considerable. However, Doflamingo no longer feared facing her directly. The real problem was Loguetown itself – Tsuru wasn't the only major power present. A swift retreat was the wisest course.
Using his Observation Haki, Doflamingo confirmed his ship had safely distanced itself from the chaotic shore. It was time to leave.
"30 Million Volt Thunder Bird!"
A massive bird formed of crackling lightning soared towards Tsuru. Doflamingo intended to use the attack as cover for his escape.
"Don't get too cocky! Marine Justice will not be trampled!" Tsuru saw through his plan immediately. "Trying to run? Did you ask my permission?!" She unleashed an exceptionally large Rankyaku, a blade of compressed air, slashing towards the Thunder Bird. The two attacks collided with tremendous force, the resulting shockwave adding frost to snow – worsening the plight of the already injured Marines caught nearby.
Tsuru paid her battered subordinates no mind; her focus was solely on Doflamingo. Using Geppo, she kicked off the air, attempting to intercept him. But Doflamingo, enhanced by his Logia speed, was simply too fast. He vanished from sight in moments.
"No need to see me off, Vice Admiral Tsuru! Farewell!" Doflamingo's mocking voice echoed back through the air.
Hovering mid-air, Tsuru could only listen helplessly. Chasing him was impossible. With a sigh of resignation, she ordered her remaining forces back to base to tend to the wounded as quickly as possible.
Aboard the Donquixote Pirates' ship, sailing away on the East Blue sea:
"Do you think... God will be alright?" Ibes voiced her worries aloud.
"Relax," Diamante said confidently. "There's no one right now who can actually catch Doffy."
"That woman called Tsuru... is she really strong?" Enel asked curiously.
"Of course! She's a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral!" Pica interjected, his high-pitched voice dripping with sarcasm aimed at Enel. "Big Ears! Even if she fought you with one hand, you probably still couldn't win!"
"Is she that powerful?" Enel nodded thoughtfully, then realization dawned, and he shot back, "You squeaky-voiced runt! You're even weaker than me! If I couldn't beat her, you'd have even less chance!"
"You insolent punk!" Pica shrieked, enraged.
"What about it?" Enel retorted defiantly.
CRACKLE-BOOM!
A bolt of lightning struck the deck, coalescing into the familiar form of Doflamingo.
"Alright, you two. Can you go one day without squabbling? If you have this much energy, put it into training," Doflamingo admonished them as soon as he materialized.
"Hmph!" "Hmph!"
Both Pica and Enel subsided at Doflamingo's words, turning away from each other sullenly.
"God! Are you alright?" Ibes immediately rushed over, concern etched on her face.
"I'm fine. The Marines can't catch me. Don't worry," Doflamingo reassured her, offering a metaphorical calming pill. "Alright, everyone disperse for now," he commanded.
Back at the Loguetown Marine Base:
Garp saw Tsuru returning with her unit, many of them heavily injured. "Yo, Little Tsuru! Who were you chasing?" he asked casually.
"Doflamingo," Tsuru replied, rubbing her temples tiredly. "He showed up. And he's eaten a Logia fruit. His strength has increased dramatically. I still couldn't capture him this time."
"Bwahahaha! Is that right?" Garp laughed without a care in the world. "Well, let Sengoku worry about that headache!"
"Garp! What crazy fit are you having now?!" Sengoku, who had just entered, overheard Garp's comment and barked angrily.
"Nothing much," Garp grinned, completely unfazed by Sengoku's ire. "Just that another menace has popped up. You're going to be busy from now on, Sengoku! Hahaha!"
"Garp...!" Sengoku fumed, blue veins pulsing on his forehead.
Tsuru sighed helplessly at her two old comrades' antics and simply walked away to handle her own affairs.
Soon, news of Donquixote Doflamingo's new bounty would begin to spread across the seas.
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