10: King and Doflamingo vs. Shukaku

"Hey, hey, hey! Why are you including me in this?!" At this moment, Doflamingo was visibly displeased. It was one thing for King to be Kaido's subordinate, but Doflamingo? He was no one's lackey!

However, despite his grumbling, Doflamingo understood that since Kaido had already spoken, it was impossible to back out now. Besides, he couldn't just refuse a fight on a whim.

"ha ha ha ha! Two weak humans, come on! Let me have some fun with you first!" With that, Shukaku took a deep breath, his belly swelling to twice its original size, and roared, "Wind Style: Drilling Air Bullet!"

As Shukaku spat out an air bullet, Doflamingo and King immediately responded by leaping into the air. The two evaded the attack with their respective skills, watching as the air bullet swept across the ground, uprooting trees, grass, and stones in its path, leaving a several-meter-wide trail of destruction in its wake.

When the air bullet finally collided with a hill over a hundred meters away, it exploded on impact, releasing a powerful shockwave that spread out in all directions.

"Fufufu, that destructive power is truly remarkable! But whether or not you're a real threat can only be determined through battle." Smirking, Doflamingo aimed his fingers at Shukaku and growled, "Bullet Strings!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Several string bullets shot toward Shukaku, striking his belly and creating small puffs of smoke upon impact. The area hit began shedding its sandy outer layer.

"You damn human! That actually hurt a little! How dare a mere human make me feel pain! Die! Drilling Air Bullet!" Shukaku roared, this time launching a barrage of air bullets from his mouth toward Doflamingo and King, who were still airborne.

"Fufufu, now this is a real monster! Even my Bullet Strings didn't work..." Doflamingo muttered, clearly startled. However, both he and King possessed Observation Haki, allowing them to predict Shukaku's attack trajectories. Despite the beast's immense destructive power, the two dodged his strikes effortlessly in the air.

"Curse you, insects! Stop flying around!" Shukaku bellowed in frustration, growing more irate as Doflamingo and King continued to flit about. His short legs and lack of agility made him ill-suited for speed, forcing him to rely on his relentless assault of air bullets.

But unfortunately for Shukaku, his attacks kept missing. Seizing the opportunity, King dived down from above, delivering a powerful kick to the back of Shukaku's head. The force of the blow sent the beast tumbling to the ground.

"Looks like you pack a punch, but your movements are pretty sluggish!" Doflamingo taunted, sticking out his tongue with a wicked grin. "Overheat!"

With that, Doflamingo's Overheat move lashed out, striking Shukaku's leg and knocking him back down just as he struggled to get up.

Furious, Shukaku roared, "Damn humans! I'll kill every last one of you! Die!"

The enraged beast stood up once more, his sandy body morphing as six or seven massive mouths formed across his back and chest.

"Looks like he's preparing for a large-scale attack," King muttered, his tone turning serious as he watched Shukaku's movements closely.

"Endless Sandstorm…"

In an instant, the six or seven massive mouths on Shukaku's body began spewing sandstorms, forcing Doflamingo and King to retreat further into the sky. From above, they watched as the once lush forest below was consumed by a violent whirlwind of sand, transforming the ground into a vast desert-like wasteland.

Seeing Shukaku's immense power, Doflamingo's excitement only grew. His twisted grin widened as he exclaimed, "Fufufu! What a true monster! Such power is genuinely awe-inspiring!"

Indeed, while Shukaku's attacks failed to land on Doflamingo and King, the two couldn't ignore the beast's overwhelming strength. At the same time, their own assaults seemed to have little effect on the sandy behemoth.

"Curse you, damn insects! Get down here! I'll eat you alive!" Shukaku roared furiously, glaring at his airborne opponents. This particular battle infuriated him—both enemies could fly, a significant advantage against his ground-bound form.

Hovering in the sky, Doflamingo observed Shukaku with a crazed gleam in his eye. If he could somehow control this monster, he could plunge the world into chaos. Turning to King, he asked, "What do you think? Shall we go down and play?"

"Hmph, of course," King replied curtly before diving straight down. Unsheathing his blade, he ignited it in flames and roared, "Burning Slash!"

"Shukaku Shield!"

In the next instant, a sand shield shaped like Shukaku himself materialized in the beast's hand, effortlessly blocking King's fiery slash.

"No effect…?" King murmured, momentarily stunned by the shield's durability.

From afar, Kaido watched, slightly intrigued. This move reminded him of Gaara's techniques. Could it be that Gaara had borrowed this ability from Shukaku?

"Sha ha ha ha! Mere humans, now it's my turn!" Shukaku slammed a massive paw into the ground, roaring, "Flowing Sand Burial!"

The terrain began to shift as the ground rapidly weathered and transformed into sand. The trees, plants, and even the soil itself were consumed by the relentless onslaught, creating an ever-expanding desert.

Doflamingo sneered at the display of power, his sadistic grin widening. "Fufufu! This move feels oddly similar to that crocodile bastard's Suna Suna no Mi powers. Planning to turn this place into a desert, huh?"

"Don't think you can escape by staying in the air! Sand Spears!"

The sand below twisted and solidified into countless spears, which launched upward like a torrential rain, targeting the sky-bound duo.

Though the number of spears was overwhelming, their destructive power was relatively low. Both Doflamingo and King easily deflected the incoming projectiles using their respective techniques.

But as the attack subsided, a sinister grin crept across Shukaku's face. "So that's how it is… I see now! The reason you're floating in mid-air—it's because of those invisible strings, isn't it? Dozens of nearly invisible threads holding you up!"

"Fufufu! So you've figured it out, huh?" Doflamingo replied, unimpressed. His confidence remained unshaken. While his ability to control strings was mysterious to ordinary opponents, seasoned fighters often uncovered its secret.

"All I need to do is cut those strings! Wind Style: Vacuum Blade Barrage!"

Shukaku unleashed a flurry of razor-sharp wind slashes from one of his mouths, sending them directly toward Doflamingo.

Unfazed, Doflamingo sneered and barked, "Try it, then! Spider's Web! Spider Nest!"

In an instant, Doflamingo created a multi-layered defensive structure using his String-String Fruit powers. The incoming wind slashes struck the dense web of strings, but the incredible toughness of the threads neutralized Shukaku's attack entirely.

Seeing his assault fail, Shukaku growled in frustration as Doflamingo smirked confidently, his web still intact and unyielding.