Chapter 155: Doflamingo Attacks! [6K]

It was just past seven in the morning, and the sun had already risen.

Yet, a thick, gray-white mist still shrouded Kuraigana Island.

Thump, thump, thump!

Jack, drenched in sweat, sprinted through the forest with his burly frame; every step he took made the ground tremble.

He had just finished his morning training and was heading back to the castle to have breakfast with everyone.

But suddenly, as if sensing something, he paused slightly in his stride.

"Roar!"

A deafening roar erupted from the side, followed immediately by a massive black shadow bursting out of the thick mist!

It was the Baboon King!

Clutching a huge broadsword strikingly similar to Hawk-Eyes' black blade Yoru, it bared its teeth, its face filled with defiant rage, and fiercely swung the sword to slash at Jack's back!

"So forgetful, coming at me again?"

Jack grinned, neither dodging nor evading; he raised his right arm and let the sharp blade strike his body.

Clang!!!

Amidst the crisp sound of metal colliding, the Baboon King's broadsword was forcibly rebounded.

On Jack's arm, only a faint white mark remained, which quickly vanished without a trace.

"Didn't expect that, did you!"

Jack turned around and proudly hammered his chest with force, "At this level of attack, even without transforming into my Mammoth form, you can't do anything to me!"

His arms, chest, and indeed the skin over his entire body were now covered in a layer of jet-black Armament Haki, as dense as ink.

"Except for Internal Destruction, which is a bit hard to learn and I haven't mastered yet, the other three—Coating, Hardening, and Emission... I've mastered them all! You might as well go all out!"

"Roar?!"

You know this move too?

A hint of shock flashed in the Baboon King's eyes.

But it quickly adjusted its stance, let out an angry roar, and swung its sword again!

This time, its sword intent was even more fierce, its speed suddenly increased, and what drew even more attention was that the blade itself was now stained with a jet-black luster!

Of course, it knew Armament Haki too!

However—

Whoosh!

Jack's figure suddenly blurred, and the Baboon King's blade sliced straight through empty air.

"Where are you looking, idiot? Over here!"

Jack's voice came from the side; he displayed agility utterly incongruous with his massive frame, dodging with ease.

"Roar roar roar!!!"

The Baboon King was thoroughly enraged; it wildly brandished its giant sword, its attacks assaulting like a violent storm.

But Jack seemed to foresee every one of its moves, easily shifting and maneuvering, occasionally blocking hard with Armament Haki and seizing the chance to counter with a few punches.

"Haha, exhilarating!"

The more Jack fought, the more excited he became; the fruits of his bitter cultivation over these two months were finally being verified at this moment!

When he first fought this big baboon, if he didn't transform into his Mammoth form, he would have been beaten until he couldn't fight back.

But now...

Having mastered both colors of Haki and greatly improved his martial arts, even in his weakest Human Form, he could toy with this Baboon King like a monkey!

Their clash lasted for quite some time; unknowingly, the sky had already brightened completely.

Jack remained completely unscathed, whereas the Baboon King had become bruised and swollen; wanting to cry but having no tears, it finally realized that this foolish human before it was far beyond what he had been before.

If it tried to flee, Jack would use "Soru," suddenly whooshing over to block its path.

If it tried to fight, Jack would oddly become playful like a child, not rushing to end it at all, but instead constantly teasing it...

What torment!

Just then, a low, quiet, mature woman's voice suddenly rang out from above:

"Haven't you played enough yet, Jack?"

The next instant.

On the ground above, pink petals danced as a gigantic human hand suddenly sprouted, instantly coated in a layer of jet-black color, and slapped forcefully toward the Baboon King.

"Floreale: Gigantesco Manos: SPANK!"

Boom!

The Baboon King, utterly powerless to resist, screamed as it flew high up, turning into a shooting star on the horizon.

And up in the sky, a slender figure sprouting twin wings slowly descended.

The moment she stepped onto the ground, those two wings composed of countless hands dissipated with a rustle.

"Big Sister Robin." Jack scratched his head, "You, uh, how did you come over here?"

"What do you think?"

Robin glanced at him faintly, "Breakfast is ready; we waited half an hour, but everyone still hasn't arrived. Everyone thought something dangerous happened, but when I came to look, I found someone playing happily with a monkey like a three-year-old."

"Eh? It's been half an hour already!"

Jack turned pale with shock; he had actually made his seniors wait this long. He hastily broke into a run, "I'll head over immediately! Thanks for the reminder, Big Sister!"

Watching Jack's retreating figure, Robin pinched her chin, lost in thought.

"Haki and martial arts cultivated to this extent already? Truly an enviable talent."

It seems I have been completely left behind.

Memories from two months ago flashed back in his mind—

"Hey, Robin."

That day, at the dinner table, the black-haired boy sitting opposite, his cheeks stuffed full, suddenly looked up:

"Do you want to learn Haki too? Every day when I teach Jack, I can guide you as well?"

"Haki?" Robin tilted her head with a smile, revealing an expression of keen interest.

"Yes! Don't you feel that your Devil Fruit development path is just a tiny bit off?"

The boy grinned and said, "It's too flashy! Although it does look good... but in my opinion, it's better to improve your Haki and martial arts; going straight at it has more power!"

"The Flower-Flower Fruit allows fists to grow anywhere within sight. For example, just imagine, if someone like Garp mastered your ability, what would happen?"

Let that Marine, Mr. Garp, eat the Flower-Flower Fruit?

"... Ara, that sounds terrifying."

"Right! The Flower-Flower Fruit is actually very compatible with martial arts and Fist Style! I can teach you all of this; once you master it, if you ever run into someone from the World Government blocking and harassing you, even CP0, you could knock them all down with just a few punches and kicks on your own!"

"Of course, the initiative is in your hands; it doesn't matter if you don't learn. You're an archaeologist, not a main combatant! Plus, everyone else is standing in front to protect you!"

"Exactly, exactly, don't worry, Sister Robin! As a crewmate, I will protect you!" A certain orange-haired girl immediately raised her hand.

"Tsk, forget about it with those shoddy skills of yours, Nami. Sister Robin is much stronger than you; once we enter the New World, anyone proficient in Haki could knock you down with a few punches and kicks."

"Waaah! Damn it! We're both Logia types, yet you talk as if you're so much stronger than me, Nojiko!"

"My bounty is only about ten thousand times higher than yours, so indeed I'm not that much stronger. Anyway, I already mastered Armament Haki long ago, and I'm currently working hard to master Observation Haki as well."

"You could have skipped the last part; why did you have to mention the bounty? Boo-hoo-hoo... Damn it! If only I knew earlier to practice boxing when we were kids. Big Brother, include me in your lessons from now on; I want to start cultivating Haki too!"

"The thought is commendable."

Siano glanced at her and ruthlessly delivered the finishing blow, "But with your pitiful physique, you're completely unqualified, aren't you? If you want to get stronger, you must start by training the most basic martial arts."

Everyone immediately burst into loud laughter.

Slap!

The flashback interrupted, and his thoughts returned to the present.

As if infected by that laughter, a slight smile also appeared on Robin's lips; she lifted her head to gaze into the distance, at the castle looming faintly within the mist.

Yes, since even Nami, who was used to being lazy, had proposed starting to train to become stronger,

how could she fall behind? Naturally inspired, from that day onward, she began practicing martial arts and Haki alongside Siano.

And now,

although she still had no clue regarding Observation Haki,

she had already mastered the two most practical of the Six Styles, "Soru" and "Geppo," and regarding Armament Haki, she had learned the two techniques of coating and hardening.

Combined with the special nature of the Flower-Flower Fruit, her strength could be said to have increased by a huge margin.

However, compared to Jack, there was still quite a gap.

That simple-minded boy seemed to have allocated all his talent to areas related to martial arts; his strength was improving the fastest among all the crew members.

Among the current crew, except for the Vice-Captain, Sister Sister Guyina, almost no one had complete confidence that they could one hundred percent defeat Jack in a one-on-one duel.

"Keep working hard."

Robin did not feel discouraged; no matter what, if she went to the New World now, at least she wouldn't become someone dragging everyone else back.

Whoosh!

Estimating that Jack must be arriving soon, two wings grew from her back once again, and she flew toward the castle as well.

When Jack arrived at the castle gate, on the open-air balcony on the second floor, a familiar figure was sitting cross-legged.

—The Vice-Captain of the Curtain Fall Adventure Troupe, Sister Sister Guyina.

The young sword master closed her eyes in meditation, Wado Ichimonji resting horizontally before her knees; the morning breeze brushed past, stirring the stray hairs on her forehead, yet failed to distract her in the slightest.

"..."

Jack immediately felt guilty, a bead of cold sweat seeping onto his forehead.

Except for Boss Siano, the person he revered most was this Vice-Captain.

Big Sister Sister Guyina was usually stern and unsmiling, and her swordsmanship strength was unfathomable; over these past two months, even though his own progress had been rapid...

every time the crew members sparred with each other, he would still be easily defeated by Sister Sister Guyina.

That sharp swordsmanship, swift as a gale, had already reached complete perfection; a single swing seemed capable of cutting through everything, and even his Mammoth Form couldn't withstand more than a few strikes.

It had gotten to the point where Jack recently didn't dare to spar with Sister Sister Guyina, having developed a bit of a psychological shadow.

"Oh no, she wouldn't be angry, would she..."

Jack swallowed hard, slowed his steps, and crept toward the door on tiptoe, afraid of disturbing the one on the second floor.

However—

"Jack."

An indifferent voice came from above.

Jack froze entirely, slowly lifted his head, and met Sister Sister Guyina's eyes, calm as still water.

"V-Vice-Captain Sister Guyina..." He forced a dry laugh, "Good morning, haha..."

"During this period of secluded bitter cultivation, everyone's three meals and schedule are regulated; violators will be punished according to the situation. This was agreed upon initially; you haven't forgotten, have you?"

Sister Sister Guyina said lightly.

"No..." Jack hung his head in dejection.

"You were half an hour late; today's training plan is doubled and must be finished before bedtime. Additionally, you are responsible for all sanitation cleaning for these next two days."

Just that... nothing else?

Jack immediately grinned from ear to ear again; a punishment of this degree was completely acceptable!

"After all, you already had some foundation in Armament Haki before landing on the island; I'm not surprised you've mastered it to this degree."

Sister Sister Guyina glanced at him and continued, "I didn't expect that after only ten-plus days without sparring, your Observation Haki would also be so proficient; that Baboon King's swordsmanship is quite superb, yet every attack was predicted by you, making it impossible for any to land."

"Hehe, you flatter me..."

Flushed with pride from the praise, Jack suddenly realized something, his eyes widening in astonishment as he looked at Sister Sister Guyina. "Eh? Big Sister Robin hasn't returned yet, so how do you know... Hiss, is it Observation Haki?!"

"Of course."

Sister Sister Guyina's expression remained calm. "Although my Observation Haki isn't as strong as my lord Siano's, capable of easily covering a metropolis like Water Seven, for a small place like Kuraigana Island, I can still easily detect any disturbances."

Too humble, Vice Captain Sister Sister Guyina!

To be able to roughly grasp the battle situation deep within the forest from such a distance.

The level of mastery over Observation Haki is too terrifying, far surpassing his own!

The slight pride that had just risen in Jack's heart immediately subsided, and he looked at Sister Sister Guyina with awe.

The young sword master also rose gracefully, vaulted over the railing to descend from the balcony, and gently pushed open the castle's main doors:

"Let's go inside. My lord Siano contacted me last night via Den Den Mushi to give some instructions; during this breakfast, I will hold a meeting to convey them to everyone."

"Yes, Vice Captain!"

A short while later.

Robin also returned; all the crew members lined up along both sides of the long table, everyone present except for the figure in the main seat at the head.

"Vice Captain, you just said Boss Siano contacted you via Den Den Mushi?" Jack couldn't help but ask. "Is he still in seclusion at the bottom of the sea and hasn't come out yet?"

Counting from the day they landed on Kuraigana Island, everyone had been in seclusion here for a full 70 days.

For the first 40 days, Boss Siano, like the rest of the crew, ate, slept, and cultivated on the island, also setting aside about two hours each day to guide the crew.

In the subsequent 30 days, which was exactly one month ago, Boss Siano seemed to have fully mastered several of his new moves and began focusing solely on enhancing his physique.

Ordinary environments could no longer provide sufficient pressure.

Thus, Boss Siano simply took that Poneglyph along with ample fresh water and dried rations, going to the seabed nearly 10,000 meters deep, where he ate, drank, slept, and relieved himself.

He also entrusted the responsibility of supervising and guiding the crew's cultivation to Sister Sister Guyina.

In this way, he could both temper his physique using the immense pressure of the deep sea and unleash his full power without any reservations in an environment free from disturbance.

However, staying in seclusion for a whole month like this is just too frightening, isn't it?

Living continuously in the sunless depths of 10,000 meters; just thinking about it made Jack shudder, for even though he was a Fish-Man, he couldn't withstand that.

"Mm."

Sister Sister Guyina sat in the seat closest to the empty main position, picked up her knife and fork, and said while cutting her fried fish steak:

"However, it should be ending soon; my lord Siano estimates he will emerge from seclusion tomorrow, meaning we must depart from this island by nightfall tomorrow at the latest; this is also the reason I called this meeting."

She turned her head to look at Nami. "Has the Log Pose fully accumulated its magnetism?"

"Yeah, it was ready long ago, Sister Sister Guyina."

Nami smiled cheerfully, raising her Bai Xi wrist to display the glass sphere she wore. "It finished charging about ten days ago."

Compared to 70 days ago, her body now bore traces of muscle developed through training; although she was not yet qualified to cultivate Haki, she had still put considerable effort into her physical arts cultivation.

Nowadays, her basic qualities in all aspects had improved significantly, and among the Six Styles, she had learned both "Soru" and "Geppo."

"Very good."

Sister Sister Guyina nodded, then looked to her right. "Smoker."

"So we are indeed departing in these few days; it seems my intuition was correct after all."

Smoker had nearly finished eating; he casually set down the Bingshan Notebook in his hand, leisurely lit two cigars, and said, "I understand your meaning; rest assured, yesterday I took the time to perform a comprehensive overhaul on the Curtain Fall."

He had long mastered both colors of Haki, but having been stranded in a place like the East Blue, he had grown somewhat rusty; over these two months, practicing daily with everyone, he had managed to pick it back up.

The rest of his spare time was basically spent entirely on studying the shipwright notes left to him by Bingshan.

More than two months passed in a flash; nowadays, he had completely upgraded from being half-competent to becoming a reliable shipwright.

Thump!

A fist slammed heavily onto his head.

"Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch!!!" Smoker clutched the three large bumps on his head, tears nearly welling up, and turned around in fury. "What are you doing, Nojiko!"

"What do you think? No smoking at the dinner table, have you forgotten?!" Nojiko roared, baring her sharp teeth.

It was just a habitual action born of momentary pride... Smoker could not refute her; he obediently extinguished his cigar, but rubbing the bump on his head, he felt a bit aggrieved.

That black hand struck way too hard; she's just like a female T-Rex. This girl's Fist Style and strength have improved considerably during this period.

Moreover, she has actually mastered Observation Haki, and coupled with her increasingly proficient Ice-Ice Fruit abilities, he wondered who would win if he fought her now...

"Old Man Zeff at least knew how to control his strength when kicking me."

Smoker muttered a sentence, then suddenly realized something; looking at the empty seat beside him, he looked up in puzzlement. "Eh, where is Old Man Zeff? He was right next to me just now."

"He probably went to the kitchen to get strawberry milk for Nuomici," Nami said with a shrug.

"Oh..." Smoker had just nodded when his eyes suddenly widened. "For whom?"

Nuomici?

Shouldn't it be for Gin instead?

Since when did that little furball start liking strawberry milk?

"That's exactly it; you guy have been so immersed in books during this period that you didn't even notice Nuomici evolved again."

An aged voice arrived; Zeff carried a large basin of strawberry milk and placed it beneath the stool at the very end, while behind him followed a white puppy wearing a golden collar.

【Image】

As soon as the milk basin was set down, the white puppy excitedly barked "Woof woof" once, then pounced forward and began drinking greedily.

"This is Nuomici?!!!"

Smoker gaped, "Evolved again... wait, can one evolve from a cat into a puppy?"

"Amazing, isn't it?"

Nami squatted down, stroking the puppy beast's head. "Anyway, it's adorable no matter what. Who knows, maybe someday every species can transform, even evolving to look just like humans!"

"Humans? How is that possible?"

Smoker was rendered speechless by Nami's train of thought. He looked at the puppy, pinching his chin thoughtfully. "So, does that mean there are now two dogs on the ship who like strawberry milk..."

Thud!

Before he could finish speaking, he was swept away, crashing heavily against the wall.

Ah Yin had appeared behind his chair at some point, retracting her claws with a hostile expression.

What two dogs!

I am the Wolf King, a wolf!

"Hiss... How did your strength increase so much, you brat!"

Smoker gritted his teeth in pain. Just as he managed to climb to his feet and was about to speak, Sister Sister Guyina suddenly pushed her chair back, stood up, and gazed into the distant sky with a Solemn Expression.

"What's wrong, Sister Sister Guyina?"

Nami noticed as well and quickly asked.

"Something... is coming this way, and very fast."

"It's getting closer; it's heading straight for this island!"

With an icy expression, Sister Sister Guyina placed her right hand on the hilt of Wado Ichimonji and rushed out first. After exchanging bewildered glances, the others immediately followed.

In the distant sky, a black shadow was approaching at tremendous speed. It appeared to be a massive figure, arms crossed over its chest as if protecting something.

Before anyone could make out the details, the black shadow traced an arc through the air and crashed heavily onto the open ground in front of the castle, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Boom—!

The ground trembled. As the dust settled, everyone finally saw the newcomer's appearance.

It was a burly man wearing a bear-eared hat, his body covered in slash wounds from which blood continuously dripped.

He seemed to have lost consciousness long ago; even after hitting the ground, he remained utterly silent. Clutched in his arms was a small figure dressed in a emerald-green dress.

"Please, I beg you!"

Seeing people gathering around, the little girl lifted her tear-streaked face, her voice trembling. "No matter who you are, can you please save Mr. Bear? That demon, that demon is about to..."

Before she could finish, a strange laughter suddenly echoed from the sky.

"Fufufufufu... You ran quite fast, big guy!"

A pink feather coat fluttered loudly in the wind as Doflamingo descended from the sky, stepping on invisible threads. His mouth stretched into a grin as he laughed wildly:

"Pity. With the threads I tied beforehand, escaping my tracking was impossible. This place shall be your grave!"

(End of Chapter)