"This… this… this…"
Jora's eyes widened in sheer terror as she stared ahead, her body trembling uncontrollably, as if her entire world had just crumbled.
In her memories, she had once roamed the turbulent seas, surviving countless life-and-death battles, and through her courage and strength, became a pirate feared by many.
Aside from those standing at the pinnacle—such as the Navy's strongest Admirals, the four formidable Emperors of Pirates, the renowned Shichibukai, the elite Commanders, and the All-Stars—Jora was considered a prominent figure among the countless pirates.
Though her strength might not have been top-tier, in the vast and boundless ocean, she was undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with.
Yet now, facing this Navy Rear Admiral, she found all her pride and confidence instantly shattered.
The opponent seemed like a true emperor of the world—just a single glance from him left her utterly defenseless and submissive.
To what heights had he cultivated his Conqueror's Haki?
Confronted with this harsh reality, the beliefs Jora had long held finally collapsed completely. In her disarray, she instinctively turned her gaze toward the distant figure of Doflamingo.
Decades ago, the day they witnessed Doflamingo awaken his Conqueror's Haki remained vivid in her mind.
She, Trebol, and Lao G had firmly believed that Doflamingo would become the new ruler of the seas, leading them to glory.
But now, having personally experienced the gap in strength between herself and Lancelot, she finally understood how overly optimistic and naive they had been.
Doflamingo indeed possessed the bearing of a king, and his subsequent actions had lived up to that potential. Yet now she truly grasped that even among kings, there were differences.
Some were only fit to reign in the underworld.
While others would soar above the seas, looking down upon all living beings.
At this thought, a deep sense of despair welled up in Jora's heart… Perhaps today would mark the downfall of their entire Donquixote Family.
"Swish—"
In an instant, Lancelot's figure flickered like a ghost, appearing right in front of Jora. The sudden movement left her no time to react.
She could only watch helplessly as Lancelot's raised foot descended mercilessly toward her.
"Boom!"
With a dull, thunderous impact, Jora felt an irresistible force strike her. Her vision went dark, and she knew nothing more.
Lancelot's kick had actually crushed Jora's head straight into the solid ground!
Faced with such terrifying power, Jora didn't even have time to groan before she lost consciousness, completely incapacitated.
Then, expressionless, Lancelot reached out, grabbed Jora by the collar, and lifted her as easily as picking up a chick.
With a swing of his arm, Jora was sent flying like a cannonball, hurtling directly toward Caesar Clown not far away.
Caesar Clown stared wide-eyed, his face full of shock as he watched Jora flying toward him and Lancelot standing there like a demon god descended to earth.
He opened his mouth to say something, but his throat seemed choked by an invisible hand, unable to utter a single sound.
The scene before Caesar Clown's eyes was truly staggering—four of the Donquixote Family's six core executives, Machvise, Gladius, Senor Pink, and Jora, already lay defeated before him.
Dellinger and Lao G lay motionless in the distance, their fates unknown.
In that instant, a wave of retrospective fear washed over Caesar Clown.
If he hadn't decisively chosen to side with Lancelot back then, he would surely have met his end long ago.
The thought made Caesar Clown inwardly relieved at his incredibly wise decision.
"Charlestone!"
A soft exclamation came from somewhere, followed immediately by violent tremors underfoot.
The once solid rock seemed to come alive, slowly writhing and shifting. In the blink of an eye, the ground surged like a stormy sea, heaving and rolling.
Then, an astonishing sight unfolded—the rocks rapidly assembled into eight thick, massive, yet agile tentacles!
Like monstrous, ferocious pythons, these tentacles lunged at Lancelot's back with overwhelming force, their momentum so fierce it seemed intent on crushing him into a lifeless pulp!
"Hmm..."
Faced with such a sudden turn of events, Lancelot let out a soft sound of surprise.
Yet, he showed no panic.
Thanks to his exceptionally sharp Observation Haki, he had already detected the danger approaching from behind long before the tentacles struck.
So, he turned his head to see what was happening.
With just that casual glance, Lancelot instantly understood who the attacker was.
"Pica... a Paramecia-type Stone-Stone Fruit (Ishi Ishi no Mi) Ability User."
An Ability User can merge with any rock they touch, assimilating its appearance, hardness, and other properties to wield as their own power.
Thus, by harnessing the rock's strength, the Ability User can transform into a massive stone giant for attack.
Upon becoming a stone giant, the Ability User's size and height increase dramatically, and their offensive power is greatly enhanced.
The scale and strength of the stone giant depend on the Ability User's own prowess, with the currently known maximum size being that of an entire island.
And this is only a small part of the ability's potential—it also allows feats like phasing through walls, and more... If one were in a terrain filled with massive amounts of rocks, this ability would be practically invincible!
To be more precise, the greater the number of surrounding rocks, the more overwhelmingly powerful this ability becomes.
However, when such an ability manifests on Whisky Peak, it becomes utterly unstoppable and unmatched!
After all, Whisky Peak is no ordinary hill—it is a truly towering mountain!
And since it is a mountain, it is naturally composed of countless rocks.
With this formidable ability, combined with the special Colors Trap—Whisky Peak would henceforth be completely secure.
Unless one of the Emperors were to arrive personally, no one would pose any threat to Whisky Peak.
At that moment, a deafening roar erupted from deep within the royal city, as if something heavy was repeatedly crashing to the ground.
Immediately after, a dark shadow shot up like lightning, piercing through the clouds.
Then, to everyone's astonishment, the solid objects around them once again bizarrely transformed into threads in an instant.
Seeing this, Lancelot curled his lips into a faint, contemptuous smile and chuckled softly, "Heh, as expected. Doflamingo, you really are a tough one to kill!... Then again, a scoundrel like you wouldn't die so easily."
Lancelot felt no surprise at Doflamingo's reappearance—in fact, he had anticipated it.
After all, his opponent was one of the Shichibukai and a dominant figure in the underworld.
Weakness is relative.
To others, he was an invincible powerhouse.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to hold both the positions of Shichibukai and underworld king simultaneously.
Lancelot's eyes sharpened as he muttered under his breath.
"Soru..."
Before the words even faded, his figure vanished from sight in a flash. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared right beside Pica.
At the same time, Lancelot swiftly enveloped his right fist with Armament Haki, causing it to gleam with a dark, metallic sheen.
Then, taking a deep breath, he tensed the muscles in his right arm and unleashed a full-force punch downward toward Pica.
A thunderous "BOOM!" echoed as an overwhelming impact erupted.
Pica, who had been hiding within the wall, had no time to react before he was violently blasted out by the terrifying force of the punch.
Pica's body shot out like a cannonball, crashing through several walls without losing momentum.
This demonstrated the sheer power of Lancelot's punch.
At that moment, Lancelot kicked off the ground, propelling himself high into the air with "Moon Walk." His legs became a blur as he rapidly stepped through the air, chasing after Pica with astonishing speed.
In an instant, he dashed through the sky like lightning, closing the distance and successfully catching up to Pica.
Pica's face was filled with terror, but before he could react further, a dark shadow flashed before his eyes as a massive foot descended with overwhelming force.
At the critical moment, Pica finally snapped back to his senses and roared, "Busoshoku Haki...!"
In that split second, he crossed his arms in front of his chest at lightning speed.
Instantly, a surge of black energy erupted from within him like a tide, swiftly Entangling around his arms.
Yet this energy didn't stop there—it continued spreading until it covered his entire upper body, forming an incredibly sturdy protective armor.
Witnessing this, even the usually calm and composed Lancelot couldn't help but slightly narrow his pupils.
He thought to himself: 'This Pica truly has some skill.
Even without the enhancement of his Paramecia-type Stone-Stone Fruit ability, his formidable Armament Haki alone would make him stand out among many powerful fighters.'
'What a pity... If this guy didn't possess that bizarre ability, I might have considered sparing his life.'
After all, he wouldn't let this Paramecia-type Stone-Stone Fruit slip away.
Thus, Lancelot showed no mercy in his movements.
He increased the force in his stomp, as a torrent of equally pitch-black Armament Haki surged forth, rapidly coating his feet.
"Boom...!"
A deafening roar echoed as if the entire world trembled.
That terrifying power erupted like a volcanic explosion, unleashed without any reservation.
Pica, who had been speeding through the air, completely lost his balance under this overwhelming force.
His forward flight abruptly turned into a rapid descent, crashing toward the ground like a cannonball.
His falling speed was unimaginably fast—in the blink of an eye, he made intimate contact with the earth.
Accompanied by an earth-shattering "Rumble...!", Pica's powerful impact carved out an enormous crater in the ground. Dust billowed and debris scattered everywhere, creating a spectacular scene.
At that moment, Lancelot followed like a bolt of lightning, swooping down from the sky.
It seemed he was about to land heavily on Pica, delivering a fatal blow.
However, at the critical juncture, a sudden change occurred.
The ground beneath Pica began to warp and transform as if alive, instantly morphing into countless slender threads.
Without a doubt, Doflamingo's support had arrived just in time.
"16 Holy Bullets: God Threads!"
As Doflamingo's furious shout rang out, sixteen massive waves of white threads rose from the ground, each Entangled with high-density Armament Haki.
Every strand contained power capable of annihilating heaven and earth.
They shot toward Lancelot with lightning speed, their sharp tips gleaming with a chilling cold light, as if intending to pierce straight through him.
Faced with such a fierce and relentless assault, even Lancelot's expression grew solemn.
But he showed no intention of retreating.
Gripping the hilt of Shusui at his waist tightly, he tensed every muscle in his body, ready to face this life-or-death battle.
"King's Sword... Dragon's Descent!"
With a loud shout, the Shusui at his waist unsheathed like lightning. In an instant, a cold gleam flashed, forcing onlookers to avert their eyes.
At that moment, the overwhelmingly domineering Conqueror's Haki surged like a torrent, Entangling itself around Shusui's blade, causing the entire sword to radiate an unparalleled pressure.
In the blink of an eye, as he drew the sword, he simultaneously executed a sweeping slash.
The Shusui sword, infused with Conqueror's Haki, shot forth with thunderous momentum, rapidly coalescing mid-air into a majestic divine dragon.
This dragon appeared so lifelike, as if possessing its own consciousness and vitality.
It opened its ferocious maw and roared skyward.
Yet strangely, though no audible sound reached the crowd, the soul-shaking dragon's roar echoed clearly in everyone's mind, causing their spirits to tremble.
Immediately after, the dragon violently swung its massive tail, stirring up a whirlwind before charging relentlessly forward. Its target was Doflamingo's attack—the 16 Holy Bullets.
"BOOM..."
A deafening explosion erupted as Doflamingo's 16 Holy Bullets violently collided with the dragon formed from the perfect fusion of Conqueror's Haki and sword energy unleashed by Lancelot.
At the point of impact, cataclysmic energy burst forth, surging outward in all directions like raging tidal waves, forming a terrifying shockwave.
Wherever it passed, sonic booms continuously erupted, clearly indicating the air itself could not withstand such power.
It was torn asunder by this overwhelmingly destructive force.
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