Chapter 135: Facing the Enemy

"Not only that, Master Zefa's opinion on the Seven Warlords is far greater than we imagined."

"Given that old man's style, once he discovers the movements of Doflamingo and the others, it will be difficult for those two to escape."

"He might even use this opportunity to attack the entire Seven Warlords system directly."

Doflamingo frowned slightly and said:

"I understand."

Having said that,

he hung up the phone directly. Looking at the two still fighting on the screen, the corners of his mouth gradually curved up, stretching almost to his ears.

"Originally, I was thinking of having Kaido's men deal with Gao Wen's pirate crew, but I didn't expect the Navy to come knocking first."

"Although I'm reluctant to admit it, that old man at the peak of the Navy, whether in strength or strategy, is a monster!"

In his words,

the face of a calm and wise elderly woman appeared before Doflamingo's eyes.

Back when he hadn't yet lost the title of Seven Warlord, he had frequently dealt with Tsuru.

The feeling that every single one of his actions was calculated by the other, leaving no room for resistance, was something he never wanted to feel again in his life.

In fact, if it weren't for the fact that Doflamingo's bloodline was that of a Celestial Dragon, making Tsuru's handling of him quite tricky, he would have been sent to Impel Down decades ago.

"However."

"Crushing an annoying fly without lifting a finger is also good luck."

"If Doflamingo can sever that guy's arm again at this moment, that would be even better!"

Saying this,

Doflamingo's gaze returned to the arena, but his pupils shrank slightly.

"How is this possible?!"

In the image,

Doflamingo, who had just been evenly matched with Ah Jin, was now completely suppressed.

Even one of the proud horns on his head had been broken, his body covered in blood, and he was in an absolutely losing position.

Raven Arena.

Ah Jin responded to Doflamingo's attacks indifferently.

His steps were light, his breathing undisturbed, and the pair of crutches in his hands changed unpredictably, integrating offense and defense, suppressing Doflamingo so completely he couldn't catch his breath.

In just a few breaths,

the latter had gained several more bruises and contusions on his body, and his steps even became unsteady.

"Still not surrendering?!"

Ah Jin said indifferently.

After his potential was raised to Silver, not only could his physique advance further, but more importantly, it affected his cultivation of Haki.

In two months, his Observation Haki improved immensely.

Combined with his own physique and the weapons adjusted to adapt to his changes,

if he truly let go completely, this would be the scene; Doflamingo was already no match for him.

"I don't believe it??"

Doflamingo, covered in blood with one leg broken, still had not a shred less of madness in his eyes; in fact, it seemed to be growing even more intense.

The original prey had become the hunter; with the roles reversed, the person in a sorry state was now Doflamingo himself!

Doflamingo could not bear such a result under any circumstances; his mind was already on the verge of collapse, and his techniques became even more chaotic.

"Ah!"

Doflamingo roared, striking the iron crutch with the back of his sharp high-heeled shoe. Ah Jin held it steady, and immediately he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen...

Crack!

Doflamingo spat out a huge mouthful of blood, his body convulsing as he fell.

By now, Ah Jin had little fighting spirit left. He turned to look at Jango, waiting for the latter to announce the result, but a gust of wild wind suddenly rose behind him.

Doflamingo had already stood up again and rushed at Ah Jin like a madman, his face twisted as he said:

"I haven't—!!"

Ah Jin turned indifferently and slammed the alloy crutch, fully reinforced for hardness, hard onto Doflamingo's head.

Boom!

At that moment, Doflamingo even heard the sound of his own bones cracking; his consciousness vanished in the next instant, and he collapsed at Ah Jin's feet.

The scene was silent for a moment.

No one expected this fated duel, as they saw it, to end in such a way.

The two who were evenly matched in their first battle, was the real gap between them really this large?!

Someone in the audience unconsciously swallowed, their mind involuntarily recalling the situation of the first battle.

"If their fight hadn't been forcibly stopped back then, what would the result have been..."

"Perhaps at that time, the Fighting Fish Doflamingo would have already... but Doflamingo once won the championship in the Corrida Colosseum!"

A man who had visited the Corrida Colosseum many times before found it hard to believe the scene before his eyes was reality and not a dream.

The person sitting beside him, however, saw far more clearly than he did:

"It's not that Doflamingo is weak, but this guy named Ah Jin... he hid too much!"

"That's right!"

"From the very beginning, he didn't use his full strength; after all, his opponent was just a twelve or thirteen-year-old child!"

On the host platform.

Zhan Gaojian, seeing that this battle had already reached its conclusion, opened his mouth to announce the result:

"The winner of the first match of the Martial Arts Tournament semi-finals:"

"Ghost Man - A Jin!"

The voice fell to the ground.

A thunderous roar of cheers erupted from the scene; those supporting A Jin, all having their favorite contestant advance, let out waves of applause.

Similarly, some wore faces of frustration, even despair.

It was only because he had already wagered everything he possessed on Dellinge in the outer betting ring.

He had thought he would become overnightly wealthy, yet he lost everything.

"God, I beg you, tell me this is a nightmare!"

"I..."

"My manor, my ship, and my slaves... everything I have... all... all..."

Pfft!

An audience member spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, then collapsed, startling the surrounding spectators and causing them to scream in waves.

Quickly.

Doctors stationed at the venue carried him away to perform emergency measures; such scenes occurred frequently in the spectator stands and even around the perimeter.

Desperate gamblers wagered everything they had, only to end up with nothing.

Dressrosa.

Doflamingo watched the scene of Dellinge's crushing defeat, his cheeks bulging high.

His eyes were already filled with suppressed rage.

After grabbing a glass of red wine from the table and downing it in one gulp, Doflamingo barely managed to calm down.

"Gao Wen Pirate Crew... I await the day you are destroyed!"

"It won't be long!"

Having said that.

He grabbed the Den Den Mushi on the table and called directly into Onisel's hands.

The latter was treating Dellinge's wounds; having just sighed in relief upon seeing that Dellinge's life was safe, the Den Den Mushi in his arms began to ring.

A few minutes later.

Onisel looked at the severely injured Dellinge before him; though somewhat unwilling, he still submitted a request to withdraw from the Martial Arts Tournament.

Although Jasmine was somewhat puzzled, she still agreed to his request, after all, she had her own selfish motives.

Keeping the Devil Fruit and the prize money in Xiang Keluo and others' hands made little difference compared to keeping them at Raven Port.

She turned her head and announced to the audience the news of Onisel's withdrawal.

The audience on the scene inevitably mocked him, regarding Onisel as a cowardly coward.

Hearing those contemptuous voices, a fire burned within Onisel's heart, yet in the end, he left with Dellinge.

One farce after another quickly passed.

The second pair of opponents on the field, the battle between Sanji and Eddio, had already begun.

On the other side.

Gao Wen sat in the highest office of Raven Port, watching the battle gradually beginning on the battlefield below; the office door, however, was pushed open in the next instant.

Creak~!

Johnny and Joseph, the duo, walked in hurriedly, their expressions extremely Solemn, saying:

"Captain."

"We have received reports from our brothers stationed at the Para Island base; several warships are heading towards Raven Port at full speed."

"Leading them is an old man equipped with a giant mechanical arm, with a fierce aura, followed behind by Smoker and two Marine officers."

"They are likely coming for us."

"What should we do?!"

"Mechanical arm..."

In Gao Wen's mind, the face of an old man instantly appeared, and he had already guessed the identity of the person:

"Zephyr?!"

"I understand; tell me the estimated route, I will go and see."

The two were stunned:

"You alone?!"

"Too many people are merely a burden to me."

"Yes!"

A few minutes later.

A crimson giant dragon silently rose slowly from Raven Port into the sky.

Gao Wen, following the predicted route, went to intercept the Marine forces.

For him now, as long as it was not the three Marine Admirals or the duo of Garp and Sengoku, he feared no one within the Marines.

Even against these five, facing the other four excluding Kizaru, he could calmly escape by virtue of his flight ability.

Master Zefa clearly did not fall into this category.

Even if they truly fought, it remained uncertain who would be stronger and who weaker.

The wind howled.

Within a few breaths, the crimson giant dragon vanished into the clouds.

……

At the same time.

"Don't rush, don't rush, there's enough for everyone~"

Inside Hukou Port.

A group of seven or eight-year-old children surrounded Fujitora, scrambling to take candies from his hand, then invariably adding a compliment.

"Uncle, you're a good person!"

"The candy is super sweet!"

Although Fujitora's eyes had long been blind, he could feel the hope within Hukou Port emanating from these children.

Very quickly.

All the candies in Fujitora's hand were distributed to the surrounding children.

One young girl even thoughtfully unwrapped a piece for Fujitora and timidly placed it into his mouth.

"Uncle, this one is sweet."

Fujitora smiled and patted the girl's head, feeling for a moment as if the candy's sweetness had melted straight into his heart.

The children, full of playful energy, ran far away from Fujitora within a few minutes.

He called out a reminder for them to be careful, but heard only a trail of cheerful footsteps fading into the distance.

The surroundings gradually fell silent.

Fujitora suddenly lifted his head, gazing toward the distant high sky, and spoke as if sensing something:

"Has Gao Wen left the port?"

"The only thing that could make him depart in such haste must be..."

In his mind flashed the several warships he had seen earlier in Loguetown, and he instantly understood why Gao Wen had suddenly departed.

"Facing the threat of the Marines alone to protect the companions and port behind him?"

"What an excessively handsome man."

Fujitora sighed, subconsciously reaching up to touch his eyes, and said with a bitter smile:

"I suddenly feel a bit of regret."

"What must a man like that look like?"

"Handsome? Obese?"

"No!"

"He must have a face as warm as the sun!"

At this moment.

Fujitora was utterly certain of this, and at this very instant made up his mind:

"How can I let such a man fight alone, bearing everything by himself?!"

"He should have companions fighting shoulder to shoulder with him, and... friends!"

(End of Chapter)