On an unnamed island near the Twin Capes, Yasopp was frantically dialing the Den Den Mushi in his hand. The call rang— Purupurupuru... —several times, but it remained unanswered.
"Captain, First Mate, you absolutely must return safely!" Yasopp tensely waited by the Den Den Mushi.
After a short while, the Den Den Mushi fell completely silent. Yasopp stared absently in the direction of the Twin Capes. Soon, he would have to lead his injured comrades away quickly. The most important thing for them now was to survive. As for their captain and the others, all he could do now was pray for their survival. However, just as Red Hair believed they wouldn't die, they too were certain their captain wouldn't die! They had weathered so many storms over the years; could they really not overcome this one?
Having come to this understanding, Yasopp no longer hesitated. He dragged his injured companions away, their whereabouts becoming unknown.
At the Twin Capes, Red Hair, caught in a desperate situation, prepared for a final, death-defying struggle.
"A pity… I won't be able to set sail properly anymore!" Red Hair murmured, his head lowered.
Then, he lifted his head, staring calmly at Doflamingo. To have reached such a pass, no one was to blame but himself – for not protecting his comrades, for lacking the strength to save them all. However, knowing Yasopp and the others were still alive brought some comfort to his heart. The rest of the journey, they would have to navigate on their own. And Luffy… he wouldn't be able to witness the return of the straw hat anymore. He could no longer wait for Luffy to return it to him.
Doflamingo also looked at Red Hair. From him, Doflamingo sensed a calm acceptance of life and death. Red Hair had no fear of dying. Such a person was the most terrifying. He absolutely could not be allowed to live. Killing intent surged within Doflamingo.
"Enel, let's attack together! We absolutely cannot let him escape!" Doflamingo, to be safe, requested Enel, who was beside him, to join the fray.
"Yahahaha! Red Hair, don't blame us for being despicable. Letting someone like you live would be a huge problem. Since you've become an enemy, your end was already foreordained!" Enel said with a laugh.
"There's no such thing as despicable or not. It's merely the victor becomes king, and the loser is a bandit! Come on! It's only death. Someone else will inherit my will; my will shall not die!" Red Hair said, his expression impassive.
The current Red Hair was prepared for death. He intended to burn his final radiance in this last moment, to leave a little brilliance in this world.
"Goodbye! There's no ship in this new era that can carry you," Doflamingo said to Red Hair. His body then teleported directly to Shanks's side, his fist clashing directly with the sword in Red Hair's hand.
Having reached this stage, Doflamingo saw no need to wear Red Hair down further. He directly unleashed all his remaining strength, engaging Red Hair in a head-on confrontation. Enel, acting as support, harassed from the side, making things very difficult for Red Hair.
Elsewhere, Crocus, seeing Red Hair fighting like a cornered beast, was overcome with sorrow. The guilt in his heart intensified. If not for him, Red Hair and his crew wouldn't have fallen into this inescapable mire. Crocus also prepared to sacrifice himself, to use his own life to secure a sliver of hope for Red Hair. As long as Red Hair could reach the sea, there was still a chance!
Having made his decision, Crocus didn't hesitate for a moment. His attacks became increasingly fierce. Seizing a moment when Diamante made a careless move, he sent him flying. He then used this opportunity to quickly approach the battlefield of Red Hair and the others.
"Damn it!" Diamante, knocked away, cursed in frustration as he watched Crocus rushing off to provide support. However, he didn't pursue. In his view, Crocus joining Doflamingo's battle now was no different from seeking death. However, for Crocus escaping from his grasp, he would surely face Doflamingo's censure afterward. But Diamante accepted this outcome; it was, after all, his own responsibility.
"Shanks, I'm here to help you!" Crocus said anxiously, simultaneously blocking Enel's attack for Red Hair, giving Shanks some respite.
"Uncle Crocus, you shouldn't have come," Red Hair said, having repelled Doflamingo, and met up with Crocus, his voice tinged with apology.
"Not at all! It's all my fault. I'm the one who dragged you into this mess!" Crocus said with shame.
"It's not Uncle Crocus's fault. This is all due to my own lack of strength, my inability to deal with the enemy," Red Hair, however, saw things clearly and didn't blame Crocus.
"Sigh! Later, I'll find an opportunity for you. You leave quickly," Crocus sighed.
Red Hair started to speak, then hesitated. Just as he was about to say something, Crocus interrupted him. "Don't say it. I know everything. Shanks, you are still young; you still have a future. I'm already a man with one foot in the grave. This time, let me stand before you!"
Red Hair fell silent. If one could live, who wouldn't want to? But to use the life of someone he respected to pave his way – he couldn't do such a thing. However, though he didn't want it, Crocus was determined to do it. In that moment of silence, Red Hair had already made his decision. The complex emotions welling up in his heart made him unable to speak; he didn't know what to say.
"Finished your discussion? How are you planning to escape?" Doflamingo and Enel appeared before the two, asking arrogantly.
"Young man, where it's possible to forgive, one should forgive. Shanks bears no deep hatred towards you. There's no need to annihilate them completely, is there?" Crocus tried to persuade Doflamingo.
"All lives are the same; there is no high or low, noble or base. Death is the same for everyone; it is fair. You will die, I will die, so why can't Red Hair die? Since you provoked me, I certainly won't let you off. Today, I am determined to kill both of you. Neither of you will escape. And those remaining dregs of your Red Hair Pirates, I won't spare a single one either," Doflamingo declared, his killing intent palpable. Enel, beside him, also prepared to strike.
"Young man, I've seen many like you. The world is very wide. You are too ignorant of its vastness. Sooner or later, you will sink," Crocus, hearing Doflamingo's words, retorted indignantly, a threat in his voice.
Red Hair, hearing Doflamingo's words, also lost his composure. Intense killing intent once again surged towards Doflamingo.
"Whether I sink or not, you won't live to see it! Die!" Doflamingo couldn't be bothered with more nonsense and directly attacked the two.
"Godslayer!" Red Hair slashed at Doflamingo from a distance.
Doflamingo, unperturbed, also threw a punch from afar. "Thunder Burst Fist!"
Doflamingo and Red Hair clashed once more. Crocus, seeing this, sighed helplessly. His strength was still too lacking. He had clearly said he would cover Red Hair's retreat, yet he couldn't even join such a battle. And with Enel watching covetously from the side, his hands were even more tied.
"Let these old bones of mine blaze with their last remaining heat on this sea once more!" Crocus muttered to himself. No longer hesitating, he took out an unknown pill from his clothes and swallowed it directly.
Argh!
The surging medicinal power instantly contorted Crocus's face, and he let out a cry of pain. His hair stood on end, pointing towards the sky, and his muscles bulged, his aura erupting from his body as if he were a Super Saiyan. Crocus's transformation drew everyone's attention. They couldn't help but be shocked by his change.
"Uncle Crocus!" Red Hair, having ended his clash with Doflamingo, also looked towards Crocus.
"Undying old bastard! To think he was hiding something like this?" Enel said in surprise.
Doflamingo also looked at Crocus with a grave expression. He hadn't expected Crocus's aura to become so strong after taking the secret medicine. Indeed, there were still many unknown things in this world. However, Doflamingo wasn't particularly surprised that Crocus could produce such a secret medicine; after all, he was a doctor who had practiced for many years and surely had a few tricks up his sleeve.
"Shanks, quickly!" Crocus didn't hesitate, charging directly at Doflamingo, preparing to win a chance for Red Hair.
Red Hair didn't hesitate either, immediately preparing to flee towards the sea.
"Naive! You think you can stop me by sacrificing your own life?" Doflamingo instantly teleported close to Crocus and hammered a fist towards him.
As for Red Hair, it was impossible for him to escape. Enel, seeing Red Hair flee, also launched an attack, waiting for Doflamingo to finish off Crocus before dealing with Red Hair.
"Whether I can stop you or not is beside the point. As long as I can delay you for a while, it's enough!" Crocus had self-awareness. Even after taking the secret medicine, he was definitely no match for Doflamingo. He then clashed fists with Doflamingo.
"Don't overestimate yourself! You can't even block one hit from me! Since you're going to die, let me show you something good!" It all happened in a flash. Doflamingo extended his other hand, pressing his palm directly onto Crocus's chest.
Crocus realized this was bad. Doflamingo's movements were too fast; he couldn't react in time and was hit by Doflamingo's move.
"Naive! Bioelectricity: Siphon!" Doflamingo's voice was like a demon's whisper, causing Crocus's heart to pound erratically.
Doflamingo's hand seemed to be firmly sucking onto Crocus. Crocus's originally powerful aura instantly withered. His face quickly became gaunt, his muscles rapidly atrophied, losing all vitality. His entire person seemed to shrink a size. Crocus quickly repelled Doflamingo. Doflamingo also took a step back, but his hand now held a greenish lightning, like the very aura of life.
"What on earth did you do?!" Crocus demanded loudly.
However, Doflamingo had no intention of explaining biological knowledge to his enemy. The lightning in his hand continued to draw out the bioelectricity from within Crocus's body. Even after pushing Doflamingo back, Crocus couldn't stop the loss of his bioelectricity. Under Doflamingo's pull, all the bioelectricity in Crocus's body was drained. He was now like a guttering candle in the wind, his life about to end.
Every person's body contains bioelectricity. Doflamingo had simply drawn out the bioelectricity from Crocus's body. This already involved the molecular level. Doflamingo could currently only just barely achieve this and couldn't yet use this move without direct physical contact. Once contact was made, relying on the pull of the lightning, no matter what defenses were erected afterward, it was impossible to stop the flow of bioelectricity from their bodies.
Crocus could no longer even maintain his position in the air. The complete loss of his bioelectricity caused his life to rapidly approach its end. If one listened closely, one would discover that his heart was no longer beating, his brain showed no activity, and his body had no reflexes. Crocus was now completely vacant, falling stiffly from the sky into the sea.
With this, the Roger Pirates lose another member.
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