In the blink of an eye, a thunderous "BOOM..." echoed as the serpent struck Doflamingo's abdomen like a bolt of lightning.
Instantly, a terrifying force capable of toppling mountains and overturning seas erupted.
Under this earth-shattering power, Doflamingo was like a helpless chick, his body sent flying directly.
He soared through the air like a kite with its string cut, tracing a long arc.
"Pfft..."
Severely wounded mid-air, Doflamingo suddenly opened his mouth, spewing a fountain of crimson blood.
The blood transformed into a shocking mist of blood in the air before slowly dissipating.
Immediately after, accompanied by deafening roars, Doflamingo's body shot through over a dozen incredibly sturdy walls in the royal city like a cannonball
. Each collision produced heart-stopping crashes, sending bricks and dust flying everywhere.
Finally, after destroying numerous obstacles, Doflamingo crashed heavily into a magnificent palace.
With another thunderous boom, the entire palace collapsed into ruins under the violent impact. Doflamingo was buried deep within the rubble, his fate unknown.
"Young... Young Master!"
Giola screamed in terror, her voice trembling like a flickering candle in the wind.
Her eyes widened, fixed on the scene before her, filled with disbelief and fear.
She knew all too well Lancelot's power—a strength far beyond ordinary experts.
Just moments earlier, with merely one move, Lancelot had instantly annihilated Lao G!
That alone was proof enough.
After all, Lao G was considered a master in everyone's eyes, yet before Lancelot, he was as fragile as an ant.
Such a terrifying display of power left everyone trembling with fear.
However, despite knowing Lancelot's prowess, seeing her young master so easily grievously wounded felt like a heavy hammer striking Giola's heart, the pain nearly suffocating.
In her mind, the young master had always been invincible, the supreme ruler in their hearts.
Yet now, this ruler appeared utterly defenseless before Lancelot, something she found hard to accept.
At that moment, Giola's cry of shock inadvertently caught Lancelot's attention.
Lancelot slowly turned his head, his icy, serpent-like eyes locking directly onto her.
An invisible pressure enveloped Giola, making her shudder, too terrified to move.
"Kekekeke... That's right, I almost forgot about you!"
Lancelot let out a strange laugh, for in his heart, Giola's Paramecia-type Art-Art Fruit belonged to Miss Golden Week.
Because in this world, no Devil Fruit could be more suitable for Miss Golden Week than the Art-Art Fruit.
It was a perfect match.
He believed that with this Paramecia-type Art-Art Fruit, Miss Golden Week's strength would skyrocket in an extremely short time, making her a powerhouse capable of guarding a territory.
That way, he would truly have someone formidable to hold the fort.
Zoro, Lina, and Andrew, though talented and strong... were still too green.
The Zoro from two years later in the original storyline was the true powerhouse capable of guarding a territory.
Brodye and Castard weren't bad either, but they still fell short of being territory guardians.
In Lancelot's view, guarding a territory required at least the level of a Sweet Commander or a Tobiroppo.
And he believed Miss Golden Week could reach such heights.
After all, her innate abilities were already incredibly powerful and bizarre.
If paired with this perfectly suited Paramecia-type Art-Art Fruit, it would undoubtedly create a potent chemical reaction.
Just like Uta.
'A singer paired with the Sing-Sing Fruit. A painter paired with the Art-Art Fruit. Both are heavenly matches...'
At that moment, Giola's face turned deathly pale, her body stiffening involuntarily.
She suddenly realized how foolish her earlier actions had been—it was nothing short of seeking death.
Truly! It was courting death!
The wisest choice now was to shut up and make herself as inconspicuous as possible.
"Soru..."
Lancelot vanished from his spot, reappearing right in front of Giola...
"Gasp..."
Giola's expression shifted again as she launched a desperate counterattack.
After all, she was someone who had sailed the seas with Doflamingo and his crew for decades.
Even in a hopeless situation, her reflexes were sharp.
"Destructive Art!"
By materializing her imagination and inspiration, she released a massive cloud of transparent, bubble-like smoke from her palms.
She directed it at Lancelot as if using a fire extinguisher, aiming to transform anyone hit into the artwork envisioned by the Ability User.
Lancelot's eyebrows twitched slightly.
It was worth noting that the Paramecia-type Art-Art Fruit was one of the rare rule-based abilities in the pirate world.
Like the Paramecia-type Ghost-Ghost Fruit or the Paramecia-type Hobby-Hobby Fruit, once struck, the effect was mandatory. The target's strength mattered little.
What mattered was whether it hit or not.
"Hmph..."
A low, disdainful snort escaped Lancelot's nostrils.
In an instant, the aura around him surged violently, an invisible yet terrifying pressure spreading abruptly.
His already overwhelming Conqueror's Haki erupted once more, but this time, it was different.
Though it caused no direct physical harm, the mental impact and offensive force multiplied exponentially!
At that moment, Lancelot stood like a divine emperor descending upon the mortal realm, looking down upon all living beings with supreme authority.
His icy gaze pierced through everything, making it impossible for anyone to meet his eyes.
Giola, standing right before him, bore the brunt of this terrifying power.
It felt as if her head had been struck by a heavy hammer, instantly robbing her of the ability to think, leaving her mind completely blank.
Then, an unbearable, excruciating pain surged through her, as if countless sharp blades were wildly churning and slicing inside her skull.
The agony was so intense that Giola's face instantly turned deathly pale, drained of all color.
Beads of sweat the size of peas continuously seeped from her forehead, quickly converging into streams that trickled down her cheeks.
At the same time, the overwhelming pain in her head forcibly interrupted the ability she had been using.
She clutched her head tightly with both hands, trying to alleviate some of the suffering, but it was a futile effort.
Finally, Giola could no longer support her own weight.
Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to her knees with a heavy thud.
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