"Damn brat..."
Shiki's bloodshot eyes locked on Daren and Doflamingo, hands tightening around his twin swords. Veins bulged on the backs of his hands, knuckles whitening with rage.
Now he finally understood everything.
From the moment the rumor spread through the underworld that "Roger had clues to ancient weapons," everything had been a setup—Daren's trap, laid out from the very start.
He'd used a vague and unverifiable piece of intel to distract him, baiting him into targeting Roger.
Then, while he and Roger were locked in battle in the New World, that little Marine defector Dragon stirred up an unprecedented sea storm, completely wiping out Shiki's invincible fleet.
Piece by piece, Daren had chipped away at him—taunting, provoking, driving him to lose control, blinding his Observation Haki.
He faked being badly injured and dragged Shiki in circles across the New World, burning through his stamina.
Then, when the time was right, he lured him to this island in the North Blue—the final stage of the plan—and used that blond brat's Devil Fruit power to seal the entire island, cutting off his last route of escape.
"What a meticulous plan..."
Shiki took a deep breath.
His charred golden hair hung messily over half his face, casting a grim, shadowed look that made him seem even more monstrous.
"So you finally figured it out..."
Daren wiped the blood from his mouth and spoke calmly.
"Shiki the Golden Lion—legendary pirate. The one pirate this ocean's most terrified of, and the one the Marines find the hardest to deal with. No contest."
"If it were anyone else, I wouldn't need to go this far."
"But you... you're just too dangerous."
"If I bring too much force, you run."
"If I bring too little, you kill."
"Unless you want to die, no one can stop you for good."
Torikago.
This was the killing blow.
After intensive training with Daren, Doflamingo had already mastered this move.
In the original timeline, Doflamingo used it to massacre an entire island. But Daren saw a different value in it—not mass killing, but entrapment.
Once caught inside its range, even someone at Admiral level couldn't escape.
The threads used in Torikago seemed bound by a strange rule. They couldn't be cut, couldn't be destroyed.
Even in the original story, not even the combined efforts of Zoro, Fujitora, and countless Marines and pirates using Armament Haki could break through. All they could do was slow its contraction.
For a cunning, slippery monster like Shiki, there was no more perfect counter.
Shiki glanced up at him and let out a chilling laugh.
"Jihahahaha... So, Daren brat, you really think you can kill me?"
He threw a casual glance at the birdcage overhead, then suddenly, his eyes flared with savage light.
"I'm Shiki the Golden Lion!!"
With a roar, he struck.
His twin blades carved through the air, sending two massive golden sword waves hurtling toward Daren.
But Daren didn't flinch. His arms flared with Armament Haki as he charged forward to meet them!
Boom!!
A massive explosion tore through the air, flames and shockwaves rolling out like a storm.
...
In the very next moment—
Shiki shot from the dust cloud like a golden blur, his new target...
Doflamingo!
"Jihahahaha!! This damn birdcage might look unbreakable, but kill the blond brat who made it—and it all goes away!!"
Shiki, true to his legend, spotted Torikago's only weakness in an instant:
The Devil Fruit user.
The airborne lion dove low, skimming the ground, and in the blink of an eye appeared before Doflamingo. His grin twisted into a snarl as his blade came crashing down!
"Die, brat!! This level of battle isn't for someone like you!!"
Doflamingo's face went pale.
In that instant, a wave of death washed over him. The moment the Meito rose, it was like the world itself froze.
That killing intent—cold and suffocating—froze the very air around him.
Only now did Doflamingo truly realize what kind of monster Daren had been fighting all along!
"No!!"
He roared, eyes bloodshot, and curled his fingers like talons, raising his hands with all his might.
Countless threads intertwined midair, rapidly forming a massive white spiderweb, stretching out in front of him...
"Kumo no Sugaki!"
Clang!!
Shiki's blade came crashing down!
The Meito, crackling with fierce Armament Haki, slammed into the web of threads—sparks exploded on contact.
But then, something unbelievable happened.
Shiki's slash was only slightly slowed by the Spider's Nest. After a brief delay, it tore through the web, dragging the threads with it as it continued its deadly arc!
"No..."
A wave of despair washed over the young Doflamingo.
Is this where I die?
Instinctively, he shut his eyes.
Clang!!
A sharp, jarring sound rang out.
The searing pain he was bracing for—never came.
Doflamingo opened his eyes, and what he saw left him frozen.
Reflected in his sunglasses was the wild silhouette of a tall, black-haired man, who had somehow appeared at his side.
That pitch-black, cold, three-fingered dragon claw gripped Shiki's descending sword like an iron vise, sparks flying wildly.
The Meito's razor tip—was mere centimeters from his heart.
"When grown-ups fight, they shouldn't drag kids into it, Shiki."
The black-haired man grinned with a feral edge.
Blood poured from his palm, dripping onto the ground.
Daren looked up, baring his teeth in a grim smile.
"He's my godson."
And with that, before Doflamingo could even react, Daren kicked him away without a second glance.
Doflamingo's body shot backward like a cannonball, hurtling hundreds of meters before slamming into a massive boulder at the edge of the Torikago.
A thin line of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He stared blankly at the tall figure locked in a savage clash with Shiki, the expression behind his sunglasses becoming deeply conflicted.
"That's not a fight we can get involved in."
Momonga's figure emerged beside him, coalescing from bolts of lightning, his voice low and steady.
He extended a hand to Doflamingo.
Doflamingo hesitated for a moment... then took it and pulled himself back up.
"Does he... does Godfather still have any cards left to play?"
Momonga simply smiled.
Then raised his hand and pointed to the sky.
"You tell me."
Doflamingo froze—then, as if realizing something, his expression shifted slightly.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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