"Fuffuffuffu~ Not bad. You actually noticed that so quickly."
On the bow of the Numancia Flamingo, Donquixote Doflamingo gazed at the two ships of the Akio Pirates in front of him. Watching the crew's reactions, he spoke with a sinister smile.
However, his eyes only lingered briefly on two people—Reggie and Aaron.
As someone who also possessed Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), Doflamingo had just sensed two faint waves of Haki sweeping toward him. He immediately responded with his own, and as a result, discovered that Reggie and Aaron were the ones who had detected him first.
From this, it was clear that the ones who had used Observation Haki just now were none other than Reggie and Aaron.
To be honest, Doflamingo was quite shocked. Among the Akio Pirates, it wasn't surprising that Reggie could use Observation Haki—after all, he was once a core member of the Sky Pirates. But for Aaron to use it as well, and with such proficiency that he didn't seem like a beginner at all—that truly caught Doflamingo off guard.
In that instant, he added Aaron back onto his list of "people to watch," his gaze locking firmly onto him.
Is that bastard suspecting me? Hmph, as expected, not an easy one to deal with.
Aaron, blessed with keen senses due to his Observation Haki, naturally noticed Doflamingo's stare. Yet, his mental fortitude—honed from his time under the Celestial Dragons—was exceptional. Not a hint of nervousness or fear appeared on his face. His expression remained cold and unreadable.
Facing the man standing at the bow—the "Heavenly Yaksha" himself, dressed in a flamboyant pink coat and wicked grin—Aaron showed not the slightest trace of fear. He stood tall and met Doflamingo's gaze head-on.
He was free now.
He possessed strength.
He would never bow to trash like them again.
Never.
"Fuffuffuffu~ Those eyes... not bad at all. Looks like you're not someone to be underestimated."
Doflamingo locked eyes with Aaron for a moment, then broke into that chilling, cruel smile that made even seasoned pirates uneasy.
Soon after, the Numancia Flamingo of the Donquixote Pirates came alongside the island's shore. Led by Doflamingo, the crew disembarked first.
Seeing this, Reggie signaled for his own crew to land as well.
"Young Master, I've brought shame upon you."
"Young Master, forgive us for the trouble we've caused."
Pica and Lao G, both carried ashore by Getra—one in each hand—spoke in shame the moment they saw Doflamingo.
Especially Pica, who looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.
"Enough. Don't say another word. Just wait a little longer. I'll be taking you home soon... you've both suffered enough."
Seeing the two of them covered in injuries, Doflamingo's face twisted with barely contained rage. He took a deep breath, forcing a smile that was gentler than usual, and shook his head.
Hearing those words, all of the Donquixote Pirates were visibly moved. Pica and Lao G even began to cry. They knew all too well the price Doflamingo had paid to rescue them.
Three Devil Fruits—one of them even a Logia, priceless beyond imagination.
Doflamingo had paid dearly this time.
"All right, save your touching reunion for your own ship. You brought the goods, right? Hand them over—don't waste the great me's time."
Getra's temper was even worse than Horton's. He couldn't stand this kind of sentimental "enemy reunion" nonsense. Grabbing Pica and Lao G by the necks, he tightened his grip, causing both to cry out in pain as he glared furiously at Doflamingo.
Others might fear Doflamingo, but Getra didn't. He had once been part of the Sky Pirates—so to him, some upstart who'd just begun making waves in the Grand Line wasn't worth a damn.
"Oi, what the hell do you think you're doing? Stop it! Hurt my family again, and I'll kill you!"
The veins on Doflamingo's forehead bulged, and an overwhelming killing intent burst from his body. His voice boomed like thunder as he glared daggers at Getra.
The next moment, an aura of dark purple energy exploded outward from him, crackling with streaks of black-red lightning.
Everyone from the Akio Pirates, including Aaron, was instantly engulfed by that aura. The sheer pressure weighed down on their spirits like a mountain.
The weaker members of both crews instantly lost consciousness and collapsed.
"Haoshoku Haki…!"
(Conqueror's Haki!)
The expressions of Getra, Horton, and Reggie all changed instantly, their earlier ease vanishing. They now stared at Doflamingo with grim seriousness. Getra, eyes wide in disbelief, reflexively loosened his grip on Pica and Lao G.
And in that instant, Doflamingo vanished.
"Athlete String!" (Foot-Thread Slash!)
He appeared right before Getra, his leg—coated in Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki)—slicing toward his throat.
Getra, second only to Reggie in the Akio Pirates' combat strength, reacted instinctively. His combat awareness was razor-sharp, but Doflamingo's speed was monstrous. Still reeling from the pressure of that Conqueror's Haki, he barely managed to harden his neck with Armament Haki.
But that alone wouldn't be enough. Doflamingo's leg was also imbued with Armament Haki.
A sharp clang rang out.
A long blade blocked Doflamingo's kick.
At the last possible moment, Aaron had intervened.
He was already near Getra's position and had been tracking Doflamingo's every move using Observation Haki ever since that outburst of Conqueror's Haki.
The instant Doflamingo moved, Aaron had already launched himself forward, activating his Swift-Swift Fruit to triple both his speed and reaction time. He also invoked the Kuja Combat Arts, temporarily raising his strength to its peak.
Because of that, he barely managed to block Doflamingo's strike.
The collision of their power created a shockwave that blasted dust and debris outward from the impact zone.
"Not bad… but you're still too green."
Doflamingo sneered, his voice a low growl.
A powerful surge of force shot through his leg, slamming into Aaron and sending him flying backward.
A deadly sense of danger filled Aaron's mind. He immediately pushed his Observation Haki to the limit and, combined with his triple reaction speed, predicted Doflamingo's next move—blocking again just in time with his sword, Weeping Ghost.
To the onlookers, the two men were vanishing and reappearing midair in rapid succession, clashing violently again and again.
It was clear Aaron was on the defensive—repeatedly being pushed back—but his defense was rock solid. Every single one of Doflamingo's attacks was blocked.
Even at full strength, Doflamingo couldn't break through his guard immediately.
Many of those watching were stunned. Most couldn't even follow their movements, let alone understand the tempo of their fight.
"That kid's that strong? Doffy can't finish him quickly?"
Trebol, also a user of Observation Haki, muttered in disbelief.
The other Donquixote executives wore similar expressions of shock. They all knew Doflamingo's temper—especially when enraged like this, he fought with everything he had. For Aaron, a mere young member of the Akio Pirates, to hold his ground against Doflamingo even for this long was beyond comprehension.
It meant that none of them could take Aaron lightly—he might even be capable of defeating them.
But Doflamingo was no weakling like Els, whose stamina ran out quickly. After years of brutal training, his physical prowess was exceptional. His endurance far outstripped Aaron's.
Aaron, meanwhile, was rapidly exhausting his energy from simultaneously maintaining two Devil Fruit abilities and the Kuja body technique. His stamina drained like water through open fingers.
In just a minute or two, they had exchanged hundreds of blows. Aaron's breathing grew ragged, his grip on Weeping Ghost starting to falter.
And as every swordsman knows—defense alone never lasts forever.
At last, Doflamingo's kick sent Weeping Ghost flying from Aaron's hands.
"Die, brat—Overheat!"
Seeing his chance, Doflamingo went for the kill, intent on eliminating the upstart he now viewed as a future threat.
But just as the deadly attack was about to land, Reggie finally moved.
In an instant, he disappeared and reappeared in front of Aaron, blocking Doflamingo's attack effortlessly with his Haki-coated blade, Yukimaru, and driving him back.
Then, with a cold, steady voice, Reggie said:
"That's enough, brat with Conqueror's Haki.
The trade begins—now."
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