"An angel?" Michael's lips twitched as he pointed at his own face. "Then... wouldn't that be me?"
"As for him claiming to come from many years ago... could that be the Time Fruit's ability?"
Charlotte Linlin shook her head and continued.
"That I don't know, but the 'many years ago' he mentioned wasn't the time when the God Valley incident occurred... but over eight hundred years in the past!"
"That is... before the Celestial Dragons established the World Government and formed the new ruling order."
Michael's pupils suddenly constricted.
If Charlotte Linlin wasn't misrepresenting his words, that would mean...
Rocks first traveled over eight hundred years into the past through some method, then came to the present...
This... defies all logic!
To be precise, it contradicts the principles of the Time Fruit!
If Rocks had come from several decades ago to the present, it could be understood that Kozuki Toki had once reached that time and transported Rocks to a later period...
But the Time Fruit doesn't possess the function of traveling forward in time.
That leaves only two explanations...
Either awakening the Time Fruit produces a similar effect, or there exists a superior version of the Time Fruit that allows travel both forward and backward in time.
Whichever the case may be...
It's enough to give anyone a headache.
"Where is Rocks now?"
"Whole Cake Island," Charlotte Linlin answered without hesitation. "Rocks appeared directly on Whole Cake Island's territory. After I learned of this, I immediately took him under my protection..."
"Wait?" Michael hastily interrupted Charlotte Linlin's account. "You... took Rocks under your protection?"
"You heard correctly. That old monster, the most powerful figure before the Great Pirate Era, is under my protection... Believe me, when you see him, you'll be utterly shocked by his current condition."
"...Wait, so after all this, you still haven't told me what Rocks' treasure actually is?"
"Rocks himself is alive... Whatever treasure you're after, why not just ask him directly?" A sly smile appeared on Charlotte Linlin's enormous yet beautiful face.
"I'm not deceiving you, you know."
Michael rubbed his temples.
Charlotte Linlin's face and those terrifyingly ample curves were really hard to handle... If not for the fact that he couldn't stomach Charlotte Linlin having had forty-two husbands, all from completely different races... Michael might have seriously considered piloting a Gundam.
That face was completely within Michael's strike zone, after all!
But such thoughts flashed through his mind like lightning.
Then he raised his head and gave Charlotte Linlin a thumbs-up.
"Since you put it that way, I might as well tell you... I never intended to kill Kaido anyway."
"After all, he's Yamato's biological father... Though I'm quite certain Yamato wouldn't hold any grudge against me even if I did kill Kaido..." Michael shook his head.
"But killing someone and then having their child call me father—I'm not hypocritical enough to pull off something like that."
Having said this, Michael walked up to Kaido.
At this moment, Kaido's eyes were completely vacant as he gazed at the clear sky, washed clean by the collision between "Paradise Lost: Lucifer" and "Rising Dragon: Flame Bagua."
"This sky... it's really blue."
"Michael... just like you once said, if I had met you back then instead of Rocks..."
"Would I have turned out... different?"
Michael casually kicked aside a shattered pebble at his feet.
Then he turned and walked away.
"I don't know. But no matter what..."
"Kaido, it's too late."
"There's no such thing as a 'medicine for regret' in this world..."
"And there are no 'what ifs.'"
...
"Pistol Kiss!"
"Lion's Thousand Slashes!"
"Tch! You two are really persistent!" Doflamingo, watching the attacks rapidly closing in from a distance, raised his hand in defense.
"Overheat!"
Countless nearly transparent threads condensed in his grasp, forming a thick, whip-like pillar.
Not only did it retain the innate "sharpness" and "durability" of the threads, but it could also be wielded with incredible flexibility.
Especially when reinforced with Armament Haki—it became unstoppable.
Blocking these attacks was effortless.
But... Doflamingo's patience had completely run out.
Now, his mind was consumed by bloodlust...
He was growing tired of this cat-and-mouse game.
So...
He stopped in his tracks and turned to face Hancock and Kozuki Toki, who were pursuing him together.
"What? Finally out of breath? Or do you realize running like this is pointless?"
"Little sister... I think there's something different about this Doflamingo..."
No matter what, Kozuki Toki's age and experience spoke for themselves.
She saw things more clearly than the still hot-blooded Hancock.
And as it turned out, she was right.
"Devil Fruit Users vary in strength. Though the fundamental abilities of different fruits may differ vastly, what determines whether one becomes a true powerhouse isn't the fruit itself—but the extent of its development."
"And the pinnacle of fruit development... is called 'Awakening.' You should already know what that means, having witnessed the monstrosity born from Bullet's Fruit and World's Fruit synergy..."
"As for me—Doflamingo—I endured humiliation under Michael and the SWORD Forces, pushing myself relentlessly to refine my abilities... Until recently, I finally achieved full Awakening. That's why I've stepped out of the shadows to join Kaido in conquering Wano."
Hancock nodded, her expression one of sudden understanding.
"The sky clears, the rain stops, and suddenly you think you're strong again?"
"Whether I am or not... you'll feel it firsthand!"
The Awakening of a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit affects the surroundings beyond the user.
Doflamingo straightened his posture and lightly tapped the ground with his foot...
Instantly, the entire terrain turned white before surging into massive waves.
Flat land transformed into an ocean.
An ocean woven from "threads."Those "waves," manipulated by Doflamingo, coiled toward Kozuki Toki and Hancock.
"Oceanic White Waves!"
The sudden change caught even Hancock and Toki off guard, instantly binding their limbs.
Doflamingo raised his head, the killing intent in his eyes behind those flamboyant sunglasses almost materializing.
From the ocean of strings, thousands of threads surged forth, all imbued with the purplish-black Armament Haki.
They shot toward Kozuki Toki and Hancock in the shape of flamingo wings.
"Thousand Arrow Piercing Heart: Feather Strike: Strings!"
As the lethal attack loomed, Hancock let out a slow sigh.
Then, Conqueror's Haki erupted.
Her legs, tightly bound by the strings, abruptly broke free, leaving countless trails of blood.
Yet Hancock didn't even blink, staring straight at Doflamingo's attack.
The next moment, her ultimate move exploded forth.
"Snake: Perfume Femur!"
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