The Wrath of Tenketsu

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"Damn it, I almost passed out..."

Leaning heavily on the deck with his wild blade Onikuru, Ro struggled to stay upright as he stared in shock at the two figures frozen mid-air. "What the hell is going on?"

The entire merchant ship was a wreck—debris scattered everywhere, and cracks ran through the hull like scars.

"Bepo..."

His gaze flickered to the unconscious polar bear lying near the bow of the ship, and his heart sank. On this vast sea, as a Devil Fruit user without the ability to fly, there was no escape for him. Bepo, who could normally swim, might have carried him underwater to safety, but the poor bear had been knocked out by the overwhelming clash of power moments ago.

One of the combatants represented an infamous evil war organization, while the other was someone he desperately wanted to kill. Both were here because of him.

This helpless situation, being completely at their mercy, filled him with rage and frustration—but there was nothing he could do about it.

"You little brat—"

Doflamingo hovered in the air, suspended by countless nearly invisible threads. His eyes widened in disbelief as he glared at the figure before him. He never imagined that Vinsmoke Ichiji would possess Haoshoku Haki—and not only that, but wield it with such mastery, rivaling his own!

Of course, Doflamingo refused to admit it. A mere teenager? How could someone like this be compared to him—a noble-born man who had endured the "Hell" of Dressrosa?

"What? Surprised?"

Black sunglasses met purple-tinted ones, four sharp gazes clashing in the air.

Ichiji stepped forcefully onto another mast, his body darting toward Doflamingo. With a mocking tone, he said, "On these seas, those who wield Haoshoku Haki are as common as fish crossing a river. Don't think you're the only special one..."

"Fufufufu..."

A vein throbbed on Doflamingo's forehead. Ichiji's taunting words ignited his fury, though he masked it with laughter. Radiating murderous intent, he sneered, "You sure can talk, kid. Let's see if you'll still be laughing in a moment!"

"Armament Haki: Hardening!"

In response, Doflamingo was met with a pitch-black fist!

Ichiji's right arm bulged with power, veins protruding as muscles rippled with terrifying explosive force. The punch surged forward, aiming directly for Doflamingo's face, whipping up a fierce gale that sent shivers down anyone watching.

"String Shot!"

Retreating rapidly through the air, Doflamingo flicked his index finger repeatedly, launching a barrage of thread-like bullets imbued with Haki straight at Ichiji.

He was certain that even with Soru, Ichiji's movements in midair wouldn't match the agility they'd have on solid ground.

"Swish... Swish..."

The piercing sound of slicing air echoed as the string bullets streaked toward their target.

"Pop... Pop..."

Bursts of compressed air exploded around Ichiji, but his movements were uncannily fluid, easily dodging each incoming attack.

"This half-hearted assault won't stop me!" Ichiji roared, closing the distance between them with unbelievable speed. His hardened black fist smashed toward Doflamingo's face.

"Bang!!"

Doflamingo blocked with his own Haki-reinforced fist, but the impact numbed his hand, forcing him to retreat hastily.

"Zzzt... Zzzt..." Thin, nearly transparent strings shot down from above, attempting to bind Ichiji.

"Trying to trap me with these? What a sly bastard..."

Ichiji smirked coldly, his movements sinuous like a snake as he deftly avoided the razor-sharp threads. His Kenbunshoku Haki had already foreseen the countless fine lines converging in front of Doflamingo—if he charged recklessly, things could get troublesome.

Truthfully, both fighters felt somewhat constrained in this battle on the open sea. Without mastery of Soru—or rather, without exceptionally refined control of it—facing Doflamingo, who used his String-String Fruit abilities to hover effortlessly in the air, put any opponent at a clear disadvantage.

"Shadow Razor!"

In the blink of an eye, the red-clad figure traced an arc through the air, bypassing Doflamingo's traps and defenses with eerie precision.

A terrifying gust of wind slashed from the side, sending chills down Doflamingo's spine.

"So fast..."

His expression shifted as he turned abruptly, yanking his hand back. "Spider Web Wall!"

"Zip... Zip..." Threads erupted from his palms, weaving into a massive web-like barrier in an instant.

"Finger Gun Barrage!"

But Ichiji seemed to anticipate this, smirking coldly. Halting his kick mid-motion, he flicked his blackened index finger, unleashing a flurry of high-speed "bullets."

"What!?"

Each shot pierced through the gaps in the web, leaving Doflamingo stunned!

Without hesitation, he pulled his pink down jacket up, reinforcing it with Busoshoku Haki to block the incoming barrage.

"Boom... Boom..."

The impacts struck his coat like bullets, forcing him to stagger backward a meter or two, but the attacks were ultimately deflected.

"Whoosh!"

Before Doflamingo could lower his guard, a sudden rush of wind approached.

Unbeknownst to him, Ichiji had somehow already crossed over the giant web, appearing above him. His leg swung downward with deadly intent. "Fall, damn it!!"

Under the sunlight, the gleam of danger shone ominously, making everyone's scalp tingle.

"Don't get cocky, brat..."

Though he hadn't fallen behind in the fight, the feeling of being suppressed infuriated Doflamingo. His right hand formed a claw-like shape as threads secreted from his palm coiled together, forming a razor-sharp line pillar that lashed upward.

"Super Whip Crush!!"