"What the hell is that?"
Golden Lion's eyes widened, his face tightening in a flash of unease.
From the distant shadows, a white torrent surged skyward, as if the earth itself were erupting. Tens of thousands of threads burst upward like a volcanic fountain, rising higher and higher until they fanned outward, scattering like a blizzard of falling stars.
In the blink of an eye, the threads cascaded down in every direction, blanketing the island beneath a shroud of white.
Golden Lion didn't know what they were, but the sight alone made his scalp prickle. A cold dread gripped his chest, crawling up his spine like a colony of spiders. Instinct screamed the truth—he could not allow those threads to touch the ground.
He had to flee. Now.
His body moved before the thought finished forming. Golden Lion shot forward at blinding speed, every muscle screaming as he hurled himself toward the shore.
But—
"I told you… don't even think about running."
A sharp crack split the air. Golden Lion spun around just in time to catch a blackened claw descending toward him.
Clang!!
Sparks rained as Oto locked against Darren's strike.
"Get out of my way!!" Golden Lion bellowed, veins bulging at his temples. Fury twisted his features as his blades lashed out in a frenzied storm of slashes.
Steel screamed against claw. Each exchange drew blood—Meito carving into Darren's flesh, dragon talons raking crimson across Shiki's skin. Armament Haki cut through the Indestructible Body's defense, but Shiki's own flesh couldn't withstand Darren's raw, pulverizing strength.
Both men staggered, wounds fresh and raw, yet their eyes burned red with killing intent.
"Momonga!" Darren roared.
"Thirty Million Volts—Cluster Lightning!!"
High above, Momonga spread his arms wide, his face twisted with exertion. Blue-white arcs crackled violently from his body, then split into dozens of searing bolts that rained down like divine punishment.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Lightning shattered the battlefield, blasting soil and stone skyward, flames devouring the jungle.
Charred but unbroken, Golden Lion burst from the inferno, body wreathed in smoke. His bloodied eyes fixed on the shoreline—the edge was close. The threads had almost descended, less than ten meters from sealing the earth.
He could make it.
His lips peeled back in a savage grin. Just a little farther. Once I'm free of this cage, I'll recover, then return to slaughter them all.
Ten meters. Five. Three.
Closer.
He could taste freedom.
"Jihahaha—!!" Laughter erupted from his throat.
But in that instant, a black claw shot from the smoke behind him, seizing his ankle like an iron shackle.
Golden Lion froze.
"What?!"
The claws yanked hard, dragging him back. His desperate momentum snapped short.
And then—
Ffffwssshhh…
The white threads fell, lacing over the earth, over the trees, over the shore itself. They linked together in silence, weaving an unbreakable lattice that sealed the entire island.
"No!!!" Golden Lion howled, thrashing wildly. His blades slashed backward in a frenzy, carving deep into Darren's chest. Blood sprayed, forcing the Marine to release him.
Gasping, Golden Lion spun toward the descending strands, his swords crashing down with all his might.
Clang!!
Sparks burst where Meito met silk. But the threads didn't yield. Not a fiber split. Not a single line broke.
His breath caught. His crimson eyes followed the strands upward, upward—until he saw it.
The entire island, ensnared in a titanic cage of white silk. No gaps. No escape.
The Birdcage.
The world went silent, save for the drip of Darren's blood striking the soil.
"See that, Golden Lion?"
Darren dragged himself upright, chest soaked in crimson. Pale and battered, but smiling—a cruel, savage grin that bared his teeth like a predator.
"This cage… is the tomb I prepared for you."
Heh... heh…
A cold chuckle slithered down from the sky.
Doflamingo descended lightly beside Darren, his pink feather coat fluttering, his sunglasses glinting as threads danced invisibly at his fingertips.
"Godfather," he drawled, licking his lips, eyes shining with feverish hunger. "That's the Golden Lion Shiki? The great legend himself?"
His shoulders shook with suppressed excitement, his voice dropping to a manic whisper. "Heh heh heh… what a glorious stage for his burial."
"Don't get close, Doffy," Darren warned, still smiling through the blood. "A cornered lion's the most dangerous kind."
To be continued...