章 21: Chapter 21: Doflamingo: Using a Devil Fruit to Bait a Target is Kinda Dumb
The clash between Doflamingo and Bartholomew Kuma rocked the entire town.
"Don't even think about taking this fruit from me!" Doflamingo sneered as he activated his Devil Fruit's awakened ability, turning the ground around him into strings that tightly bound the Devil Fruit's box to the earth.
Kuma tried to use his abilities to send the box flying, but the strings held it firmly in place.
Yet, Doflamingo couldn't take the box either, as Kuma's near-instantaneous movements gave him no chance. Forced onto the defensive, Doflamingo found himself barely holding on.
One wrong move, and Kuma would seize the box. Doflamingo's expression darkened. "Bartholomew Kuma, you damn bastard! That fruit is wanted by the monsters in the New World. Are you sure you want to keep fighting over it?"
Kuma's attacks remained relentless, showing no sign of backing down.
Doflamingo's face grew grimmer. The Mythical Zoan Phoenix fruit had caught the attention of Kaido of the Beasts. Kaido had sent Doflamingo to retrieve it because he was too far away to make it in time himself.
If Doflamingo succeeded, Kaido's crew would give him everything he desired. But failure... the thought of facing that madman sent shivers down his spine.
As the two titans continued to battle, the remaining pirates could only watch from afar, knowing they had no place in a fight of this magnitude. Meanwhile, others besides pirates were on the island—reporters had gathered as well.
After ten days of fighting over the Phoenix fruit, the whole world was watching.
Many powerful figures across the seas had turned their attention to this island, eager to see who would ultimately claim the legendary fruit.
"Get this on camera! The final victor will either be Doflamingo or Kuma!" a reporter shouted.
"Hurry, send this back to headquarters!" others urged, frantically snapping pictures.
At their headquarters, the news agency constantly updated their coverage as events unfolded.
Boom!
Strings, infused with Haki, shot across the battlefield like whips, colliding with concentrated air blasts. The island quaked under the sheer force of their blows, everything in their path torn apart.
Meanwhile, the Radiant Eclipse docked on the shore amidst the chaos.
"They've arrived?" Akainu and Tokikake, who had been lurking in the shadows for days, grinned wickedly.
"Finally, we've drawn him out," Akainu said, laughing with satisfaction. His fist heated up, magma bubbling as he smashed through a building. Alongside Tokikake, he charged toward the Radiant Eclipse at breakneck speed. "Since you've come, don't expect to leave!"
But after only a few hundred meters, both Akainu and Tokikake halted abruptly, their faces twisted in shock.
Turning around, they realized they'd been duped.
"Damn it, that sneaky bastard!" Akainu cursed. "He's already off the ship, slipping right past us!"
Back at the battlefield, the fight between Doflamingo and Kuma continued.
Suddenly, a massive spinning blade descended from the sky, landing between the two combatants. A gust of cutting wind surged out, stinging their skin.
Standing atop the sword's hilt was none other than Kuke.
"The Devil Fruit belongs to whoever's strong enough to take it. And I'm taking it," Kuke declared, looking down at both Doflamingo and Kuma with disdain.
"Who are you?" Doflamingo growled.
It was their first encounter, but both instantly recognized each other.
"Fufufufu! Another troublesome guy shows up. You're not running from the Marines, yet you still want to fight for the Devil Fruit? Aren't you afraid of dying?" Doflamingo sneered, his eyes narrowing.
Kuma said nothing, but there was a flicker of surprise in his otherwise calm gaze.
"Kuke..."
The pirates around the battlefield gasped as they recognized him. Their jaws dropped in shock.
"I can't believe even he showed up!"
"Good! Better him than Doflamingo or Kuma. The stronger Kuke gets, the more headaches the Navy will have."
"Looks like we're in for a show."
The pirates, who had lost hope of claiming the fruit, were now excited spectators. With no personal stake left, they were eager to see what would happen next.
The reporters, however, were ecstatic.
The hottest name on the seas, Kuke, was now directly involved with the biggest story—the Phoenix Mythical Zoan fruit. Combining these two elements was a reporter's dream.
Every camera on the battlefield was aimed at Kuke, the photographers snapping pictures as fast as they could.
"You think you can just take the Devil Fruit because you've got a big name? You'll have to prove you're strong enough first," Doflamingo taunted, still exuding his usual arrogance.
But as he glanced toward the clone he'd created with his string powers, which had been keeping an eye on the box, something caught his attention.
His arrogant grin froze.
He watched as Gion suddenly dashed out from the nearby rubble, her blade slashing through his clone in one swift motion. With her Haki-infused sword, she severed the strings binding the box to the ground.
"You slippery bastard! You've been distracting us this whole time!" Doflamingo's face turned green with rage.
He wasn't the only one fuming.
"Kuke! Prepare to face justice!" Akainu's voice, dripping with fury, echoed across the island.
The air grew scorching hot as Akainu, surrounded by flowing magma, charged onto the battlefield. Everything in his path—buildings, the ground—melted from the sheer heat of his approach.
The oppressive weight of his presence bore down on the island.
"That mad dog Akainu?!" Doflamingo's expression shifted from green to black.
What was a Navy admiral doing here?
The Navy headquarters was far from the island, and ten days wasn't enough time to cover that distance. So how could Akainu possibly be here?
Kuma frowned slightly, his usual stoic demeanor briefly giving way to concern.
After the initial shock, Doflamingo began to piece it together. A wicked smile spread across his face as he said, "So, it was a Navy trap all along. Fufufufu... They were willing to use a Devil Fruit as bait. Not afraid of failure? Pretty stupid if you ask me."
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P.S.: This story was never completed, and I want to finish it. If you'd like to help me financially so I have the time to translate it as fast as possible, you can join me on my Patreon at Patreon. com / Emik01 and you can read up to chapter 45.
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