"What kind of move is this?! How can it even absorb Haki?! No, no! Break free, damn it!!"
Now restrained by Doflamingo, Golden Axe finally sensed the aura of death!
Today's battles had come one after another, leaving him no time to rest.
From the initial four-way assault on Katakuri and Yamato, he had still held back, not expending much Haki.
After exchanging blows with Redfield and teaming up with World to battle the Ice Demon, they had already expended a considerable amount of Haki.
Now, Golden Axe had never taken Doflamingo and Crocodile seriously in the first place.
In his mind, these two were merely members of the Shichibukai, their strength far from being among the world's top tier.
Whether it was Haki, physical prowess, or Devil Fruit abilities, neither of them had reached the pinnacle.
They hadn't even mastered Haki Infusion Attacks, a technique that all top-tier fighters should command!
And now, Golden Axe finally reaped the consequences of underestimating the Seven Warlords!
Doflamingo and Crocodile—one with overwhelming control, the other with devouring power—were enough to strip Golden Axe of his sturdy facade, exposing his vulnerable flesh!
"Pfft!"
A spray of blood mist erupted—but it wasn't Golden Axe who was bleeding.
It was Doflamingo.
His eyes were bloodshot, his hands clasped together, the veins on his arms bulging and trembling violently.
His skin cracked inch by inch, gushing torrents of blood that dyed the ground beneath him crimson.
"Hurry up, Crocodile! I... I can't hold on much longer!!"
Doflamingo coughed up blood incessantly, his bones creaking ominously, as if he might explode at any moment!
"Enough!"
Crocodile's voice boomed like thunder as the cascading golden sand abruptly collapsed, reforming into his human shape.
The moment he reappeared, his right arm swung upward, transforming into a massive pitch-black executioner's blade that tore through the air.
With a roar, he slashed at Golden Axe's exposed neck!
"Armament Haki! Desert Diamond Treasure Sword!"
"No, NO!!"
Golden Axe's eyes reflected the enormous black blade.
Feeling the already-thin layer of Armament Haki coating his body, an overwhelming terror twisted his face!
He was unwilling. He was furious. He was despairing!
"I was once a captain-level member of the Rocks Pirates, just like Caesar! I stood on the same level as Whitebeard, Golden Lion, and Caesar! How could mere Seven Warlords possibly kill—"
The next second, Golden Axe's furious roar was abruptly silenced as his neatly silver-haired head spun through the air!
"Crack."
Witnessing Golden Axe's decapitation, Doflamingo finally succumbed to the strain.
Blood gushed from his body, his arms fractured into multiple segments, the flesh on his fingers torn apart into a mangled mess.
Deprived of all strength, his towering frame collapsed to his knees.
"Whoosh!"
A whirlwind of golden sand surged forth, and within the gale, a large hand reached out, catching Doflamingo's chest just before he could topple over.
Crocodile clenched a cigar between his teeth but wore a satisfied smirk.
"Doflamingo, if you had been this reliable back then, I might have actually kept working with you."
He took a deep drag from his cigar before plucking it from his mouth and stuffing it into Doflamingo's.
Doflamingo coughed a few times, inhaled sharply, and took several puffs before finally regaining his bearings from the excruciating pain.
"Cut the crap. Can you still fight? Go help Gin take care of that guy. King hasn't shown up—he must have already escorted Katakuri away."
Crocodile glanced toward Gin's direction, then scrutinized Doflamingo, hesitating.
"You're not gonna die, are you?"
Doflamingo glared at him and snorted.
"Crocodile, I've realized something—you really have a knack for saying things that make people want to punch you. Weren't you a lot more gentle when we first met in the New World over a decade ago?"
"Shut up!"Crocodile had a few black lines hanging from his forehead as he abandoned Doflamingo, transforming directly into a sandstorm and charging toward Gin's battlefield.
...
"You old bastard! Got the guts to fight me head-on? Dodging around like that—are you even a man?"
Gin was covered in blood, with a clearly visible fist mark on his chest from World's sneak attack.
World had been employing guerrilla tactics—every time Gin unleashed a big move, he'd dodge far away using his hundredfold speed.
When Gin let his guard down, Waldo would strike again at speeds Gin couldn't react to.
This cowardly fighting style left Gin frustrated, nearly driven mad with rage.
Gin's combat style was similar to brawlers like Kaido and Caesar—he preferred intense, bone-crushing, fist-to-flesh battles!
Whoosh!
A fierce gust of wind swept in, landing beside Gin as Crocodile materialized.
"Huh? Why are you here? Did you finish off your opponent? That axe-wielding guy didn't seem ordinary."
Gin looked at Crocodile in surprise, then turned his head toward Doflamingo's direction in the distance.
When he noticed the decapitated corpse lying on the ground in front of Doflamingo, even he couldn't suppress a flicker of shock in his eyes.
Gin turned back to Crocodile and praised him.
"Not bad! As expected of a man invited by the World Government to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. You've got real skill."
Crocodile's lips curled slightly as he adopted an indifferent expression.
"Just average."
Then he glanced at Waldo in the distance and asked, "What's the deal with this guy?"
The mention of his opponent made Gin furious.
"This old bastard's aura isn't particularly strong—about the level of an average Marine Vice Admiral. But his ability is weird. He can suddenly amplify his strength and speed dozens of times over. Hard to pin down."
"Oh? Average strength but can multiply his speed and power dozens of times? I know who he is." Crocodile's eyes gleamed as he pulled out another thick cigar and stuck it between his teeth.
He shot Gin a glance, inwardly wincing, but still tossed another one over.
Gin caught it, clamped it between his teeth, and struck his hammers together to produce a fiery spark, lighting it.
"Who is he?"
Crocodile exhaled a smoke ring and smirked.
"Byrnndi World, the 'World Destroyer.' An old-timer. Rumor has it the Marines captured him thirty years ago and sealed him in ice for three decades."
"His ability is the More-More Fruit. It can amplify the user's strength up to a hundredfold or increase the size and weight of objects. A pretty impressive Devil Fruit power."
Gin finally understood, swinging his hammer dismissively.
"The fruit's good, but the man's a certified weakling. A hundredfold strength boost?"
"Heh, if Caesar had that, even just ten times the power would be enough to smash the World Government to pieces."
Gin spoke loudly, making no effort to hide his words.
In the distance, World felt his blood boil, itching to punch this arrogant bastard to death.
But he still had some self-awareness—his earlier sneak attack had indeed landed a hit on Gin.
However, Gin had reacted swiftly, unleashing a shockwave in time to mitigate most of the damage.
Now, World also realized the dire situation his side was in.
His face darkened as if dripping with ink.
'Otto, Golden Axe, Silver Axe—those three arrogant bastards have all fallen. What the hell can I do alone?
Damn World Government! If they hadn't taken my useless brother hostage, why would I be working for them?
I have to leave! If I stay here any longer, I'll probably end up dead like Golden Axe!'
World didn't hesitate upon reaching this conclusion.
Activating his maximum speed boost instantly, he vanished from Gin and Crocodile's sight like teleportation!
"He ran away!"
Gin and Crocodile exchanged glances, their mocking expressions growing even more pronounced.