Doflamingo clutched the stump of his severed arm, blood seeping through his silk coat.
His grin had twisted into a feral snarl, distorted by pain and disbelief.
He hadn't imagined that a newly appointed Marine Admiral would wield such monstrous strength.
He had scoffed when Vergo—his most loyal executive and undercover Marine Vice Admiral—warned him.
But now, facing Luo Ye head-on, Doflamingo finally understood.
The chill that clawed at his spine, the sense of death breathing down his neck—he hadn't felt this since fighting beside the Beast Kaido.
"Is this guy's strength on par with Kaido?!"
The thought alone sent a wave of panic through him.
He hadn't stood a chance before, and now, with only one arm… it was hopeless.
Damn those Five Elders for pushing him to take this risk.
Grinding his teeth, Doflamingo lifted his only arm and hissed,
"Bullet String!"
Several razor-sharp threads shot from his fingertips like cannonballs, slicing through the air with a whiplike shriek.
It was one of his fastest mid-range attacks—thin, nearly invisible strings moving faster than the eye could track.
But Luo Ye stood his ground, calmly raising his obsidian-black saber coated in Advanced Armament Haki.
With smooth, precise arcs, he cleaved through the strings as if they were nothing but threads of cotton.
Doflamingo suddenly shot into the air using his Ito Ito no Mi—by anchoring his threads onto clouds, he could move with deceptive agility.
Sticking out his tongue and licking his lips, he gave Luo Ye a demented grin.
"Silver Eagle Admiral, I admit it… I'm no match for you."
"But if you don't leave Dressrosa right now…"
His eyes gleamed madly as he spread his arms wide.
"…I'll bury every civilian on this island with me!"
"Birdcage!"
In a split second, glowing threads burst out from his body, high into the sky, curving downward to encircle the entire island, the cage began to shrink slowly, slicing through buildings and terrain alike.
"Hey, Marine. You like watching innocent civilians die?"
The threads weren't just barriers—they were weapons. Sharp as razors. Inescapable.
And worse…
From Doflamingo's fingers emerged Parasite Strings—the same ones he used in the manga to control King Riku and turn citizens against each other.
People of Dressrosa screamed in confusion and horror.
A man raised a blade against his own brother, tears streaming from his eyes.
"I can't control myself! Run—please!"
In the town square, children turned on their mothers, husbands attacked wives, all forced to become puppets.
Even the Tontatta, small but brave warriors, began to fall into chaos.
Doflamingo floated high above, laughing.
"What now, Admiral? Want to be the savior, or the executioner?"
He was betting that Luo Ye wouldn't risk innocent lives.
That he would hesitate.
That he'd do exactly what the World Government always did—compromise.
But Luo Ye rose into the sky using his Flutter-Flight Ability, his silver coat rippling behind him.
He looked down at the chaos—a once-peaceful kingdom in flames.
Children crying. Blood spilling.
Toys transformed back into humans, reliving ten years of torment.
Then Luo Ye's voice echoed across the sky.
"Doflamingo, do you know the best way to handle a threat?"
Doflamingo narrowed his eyes.
"Hmph. Let's hear it."
Luo Ye raised his Haki-coated blade, black flames swirling along the edge.
"You kill the one who makes it."
Without another word, he vanished.
Like a streak of silver lightning, he appeared in front of Doflamingo.
The Shichibukai barely had time to cross his strings before Luo Ye's sword tore through them.
He tried to slow the attack with his Spider's Web defense—an intricate tangle of hardened threads—but Luo Ye's blade was too fast, too precise.
"Bang!"
The saber connected with Doflamingo's chest, slicing through his Busoshoku Haki.
Blood sprayed across the sky.
Doflamingo screamed and crashed into the ground, coughing, clutching his chest.
The pressure. The speed. The sheer will behind that blade—it shattered his confidence.
Luo Ye landed beside him, his eyes like steel.
"What I hate most," he said, voice cold, "is when someone tries to blackmail me."
Doflamingo looked up, dazed, his face pale from blood loss.
He tried to move his fingers, summon more threads.
But his strength was gone.
Luo Ye raised his saber one last time.
"Doflamingo… You've offended justice."
The blade came down.
Doflamingo's eyes widened.
In that final instant, he thought he saw Corazon—his younger brother, who had died trying to stop him.
The one man he had truly mourned.
"Bang."
The tyrant of Dressrosa—Donquixote Doflamingo—was dead.
His puppet strings snapped.
His Birdcage disintegrated.
Luo Ye looked at the peaceful smile on Doflamingo's lifeless face and shook his head slowly.
Not from pity.
But from contempt.
He had seen too many men like him.
And like all the rest…
They all believed until the end that they were untouchable.