Faced with the combined assault of Jack and King, Doflamingo knew that continuing the fight head-on would only lead to defeat. Just as he was about to land, Doflamingo activated his Devil Fruit power again, propelling himself toward the distance.
Jack, failing to catch Doflamingo, was visibly agitated. He shouted to King in the air,
"King! Don't let Doflamingo escape!"
King nodded, flapped his wings, and sped toward Doflamingo. Meanwhile, Jack transformed back into his mammoth form, thundering across the ground in pursuit.
Looking back at King closing in on him, Doflamingo waved his hand, causing two small mountains to rise from the ground and hurtle toward his pursuer.
The flames on King's neck flared intensely as he relied on the tenacious resilience of the Lunarian race to endure the first impact. Then he blasted a path straight through the obstruction and continued his chase.
The two combatants had now reached the edge of Dressrosa. Doflamingo's expression remained calm. While he couldn't match King in raw physical combat, a drawn-out battle played to his strengths, allowing the full potential of his Float-Float Fruit to shine.
Even with King's formidable aerial combat prowess, Doflamingo's relentless and wide-ranging attacks were becoming a challenge. If it had been Queen instead of King, Doflamingo would have had an easier time maintaining control. Thanks to his Devil Fruit, he had already positioned himself in an almost invincible state from the start.
While retreating and fighting, Doflamingo finally flew off the island and over the sea. He skimmed his hand over the water's surface and ascended into the sky once again.
King, now covered in dust and grime, trailed closely behind. If it weren't for his need to fend off Doflamingo's relentless attacks along the way, he would have switched to his speed form earlier, and Doflamingo wouldn't have escaped so far.
Meanwhile, Jack's land speed still couldn't match King and Doflamingo's. He continued rampaging across the island, trying to catch up.
Facing King across the expanse of water, Doflamingo chuckled.
"Fuffuffuffu... King the Wildfire, your reputation is well deserved."
King, growing impatient, snorted and soared higher into the air before diving straight at Doflamingo.
"Wild Flame!"
A subtle smirk crept across Doflamingo's lips. He waved his hand, and the previously calm sea erupted into chaos. Several towering waterspouts spiraled up, surging toward King.
By now, Jack had reached the shoreline, stunned at the sight. King's pupils contracted as he abruptly halted his dive. No matter how durable the Lunarians were, even he couldn't withstand the Devil Fruit's vulnerability to seawater.
Finally realizing Doflamingo's ploy, King understood the truth: the sea was Doflamingo's true battlefield.
With a burst of flames from his back, King had no choice but to face the waterspouts head-on. He swung his blazing crimson sword, releasing a massive fire dragon from its tip.
The collision between fire and seawater generated intense steam, causing the surrounding temperature to spike. Doflamingo, meanwhile, used his strings to form a thick shield of water around himself, mirroring King's technique by creating water dragons that coiled protectively around him.
King retaliated with twin blazing slashes, launching countless fireballs at Doflamingo, only for them to be neutralized by the water barrier. Doflamingo, with arms outstretched, directed his water dragons to attack. King spiraled through the air, dodging the assaults.
On the shore, Jack could do little but roar in frustration. Both the sky and sea were beyond his reach, leaving him helpless and furious.
But his roar only drew Doflamingo's attention. For Doflamingo, sending a few water dragons toward Jack was an effortless task.
Three water dragons surged toward the shoreline, slamming into Jack. As a Fish-Man, Jack had some resistance to seawater, but the attacks still left him rolling across the ground, dazed.
Meanwhile, King continued to evaporate the pursuing water dragons with bursts of flames, but for Doflamingo, seawater was an inexhaustible resource. The number of water dragons not only failed to decrease but seemed to multiply.
The awakened powers of the Float-Float Fruit were undeniably overpowered. Even orchestrating such large-scale water manipulation barely drained Doflamingo's stamina.
At this moment, Doflamingo resembled an elegant conductor, his strings weaving the seawater into intricate forms, toying with the two top officers of the Beast Pirates—King and Jack—effortlessly.
Even the typically composed King grew agitated. He unleashed a fiery wave, evaporating the attacking water, before extinguishing the flames on his back to activate his speed mode, unique to the Lunarians.
Doflamingo's water attacks struggled to keep up with King's newfound velocity. A black streak of light flashed across the sky as King charged at Doflamingo.
With a single slash, King split Doflamingo's water barrier in two, revealing the warlord within.
Before the water could reform, King closed the distance, his blade poised to strike. Yet, to his surprise, Doflamingo spread his arms wide, a sinister grin on his face, as if surrendering.
King hesitated, his blade stopping inches from Doflamingo's chest. Frowning, he asked,
"Doflamingo, what are you scheming now?"
Doflamingo shrugged and gestured with a finger toward the sea.
Following his gaze, King's eyes widened in shock. Jack was trapped within a massive water sphere, suspended above the ocean's surface.
Turning back to Doflamingo, King glared at him, seething with rage.
"Release him!"
Doflamingo flicked the blade aside with a finger, smirking.
"Fuffuffuffu... King, you'd better watch where you swing that sword. If I get hurt and lose focus, my ability will end, and Jack will sink to the ocean floor. Good luck finding him then."
"You're courting death!" King roared, bringing his blade down. But Doflamingo, covering his arms in Armament Haki, blocked the attack effortlessly. At the same time, the water sphere holding Jack dipped partially into the sea.
Realizing the peril, King halted his assault. After a tense silence, he growled,
"What do you want?"
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+255 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg