"This sea is far too beautiful. I have no desire to visit some godforsaken place like Impel Down with you," Doflamingo retorted.
"Great Eruption!"
"Ice Block: Partisan!"
Akainu and Aokiji wasted no more words and attacked simultaneously.
"60 Million Volt Thunder Bird!"
Two birds formed of pure lightning materialized from Doflamingo's hands and shot toward the two Admirals.
Using the birds as a distraction, Doflamingo immediately began to retreat. Only a fool would stay and fight them.
"Where do you think you're going, Donquixote Doflamingo!?" Akainu roared, relentlessly pursuing him.
"Ice Time Capsule!"
An intensely cold blast of air shot toward Doflamingo, moving far faster than Akainu.
"Damn it," Doflamingo cursed under his breath, seeing their dogged persistence.
The freezing mist was unavoidable. He had no choice but to brace himself and face it head-on.
"Thunderflame Inferno!"
With a sweep of his hand, Doflamingo unleashed a vast sheet of lightning. The bolts collided and sparked, the friction generating an immense wall of fire that instantly blocked Aokiji's cold wave.
Aokiji froze for a second, stunned to see his attack nullified so easily. Lightning can be used like that? He had a brief moment of existential crisis. The intense heat inherent in lightning was already the bane of his ice, and now Doflamingo had added actual flames to the mix, countering him completely.
Water can extinguish fire, but fire can also evaporate water. Which was stronger ultimately depended on the power of their wielders.
Suppressing his shock, Aokiji once again closed in on Doflamingo.
By the time the cold mist was blocked, Akainu had already caught up, greeting Doflamingo with a massive magma fist.
Doflamingo was once again trapped between them, struggling to find an escape. While his teleportation allowed for quick bursts of movement, the range was limited, and he couldn't create enough distance at once. In his injured state, his stamina was draining quickly, and his speed was suffering. Akainu and Aokiji, who were fresh, could easily catch up and stick to him.
He could, of course, escape by teleporting continuously, but even a clay doll has a bit of fire in it. After taking such a beating, Doflamingo was itching for a little payback. He had to at least show Akainu and Aokiji a thing or two.
Naturally, the Admirals were well aware of Doflamingo's speed advantage and were on high alert to prevent his escape. They had the element of surprise and were fully rested; letting him get away now would be a complete disgrace.
But alas for them, if Doflamingo truly wanted to leave, no one here could stop him. Perhaps Kizaru could, or maybe Fujitora, but neither of them was present.
"Hey, hey, can't you two calm down a bit? Letting me go won't cost you anything," Doflamingo said, feigning a relaxed tone.
"Save it for your cell in Impel Down," Akainu growled, lunging forward.
A stubborn red dog and a lazy pheasant, Doflamingo thought, watching Akainu's fist grow larger in his vision.
He met the attack with a heavy punch of his own, the collision creating a sonic boom. At the same moment, Aokiji swept in with a wave of cold air, attempting to freeze him solid.
"I'm not that easy to catch." Doflamingo threw his weight into the punch, using the recoil to launch himself backward, dodging Aokiji's attack and delivering a powerful whip kick in his direction.
Aokiji went with the momentum, falling into the sea. The moment he hit the water, the surface began to freeze at an astonishing rate. In seconds, a massive sheet of ice had formed, and Aokiji reappeared from within it, completely unharmed.
While Doflamingo seized the opportunity to strike Aokiji, Akainu took advantage of the opening in Doflamingo's defense, slamming a Dark Hound into his back and knocking him down onto the ice.
CRACK!
The ice was incredibly durable, barely cracking even under the force of Doflamingo's fall from such a height.
"Ptooey."
Doflamingo spat out a mouthful of blood and glanced down at the fresh burn mark on his abdomen, his annoyance growing.
"Meteor Volcano!"
Akainu's attacks came one after another, relentlessly adhering to the principle of kicking a man while he's down.
"Will you ever let up!?"
Doflamingo's irritation boiled over as he saw a shower of magma fists descending from the sky.
"Ice Age!"
At the same time, Aokiji unleashed another of his signature moves.
"Thunder Marsh: Abyssal Tarn of the North!"
A vast quantity of liquid lightning poured out from Doflamingo's body, spreading rapidly across the ice. The pristine white surface instantly turned into a black, oppressive mire that seemed to suffocate the very air around it.
"What is that?"
"Is that still lightning?"
The watching Marines were stunned by the bizarre sight. Akainu and Aokiji were surprised as well, but their attacks remained as vicious and merciless as ever.
"Solar Eclipse."
Doflamingo gave a gentle wave of his hand, creating a large ripple in the black liquid. The lightning on the ice rose up to meet the falling magma fists from the sky.
On the surface, the lightning sea also clashed with Aokiji's advancing ice. The Admiral's normally unstoppable cold was completely thwarted, unable to make any headway against Doflamingo's lightning.
"How can this be?" Aokiji was shocked. If the lightning has become a liquid, why can't I freeze it? At the same time, the liquid retained lightning's inherent high temperature. Despite its dark and unnerving appearance, its destructive power was terrifying.
"Be swallowed by me, Aokiji!"
Doflamingo laughed as his body dissolved into the sea of lightning before the eyes of the onlookers, rushing directly toward the Admiral.
Aokiji remained calm, refusing to be intimidated. They had already confirmed Doflamingo was injured. For him to unleash such a massive attack now meant he was likely making a desperate final stand. If he could just hold out, Doflamingo would be a lamb for the slaughter.
Aokiji wasn't wrong. Doflamingo was indeed seriously wounded. To escape, he had to break through the weaker of the two opponents.
The calm sea of lightning spread across the ice, a deceptively tranquil black pool.
Aokiji held his breath, focusing his Observation Haki to its absolute limit, trying to sense Doflamingo's presence.
Splash.
The lightning liquid stirred. It slithered up Aokiji's legs, coiling around him. Then, right before his eyes, the liquid coalesced into the form of Doflamingo.
Aokiji's eyes narrowed. He seized the opportunity and threw a punch.
"Fuffuffu."
The liquid lightning simply enveloped Aokiji's fist. A thick white mist erupted from his body, and within the steam, his figure seemed to vanish, as if he had been completely devoured.
"Dog Bite Red Lotus!"
Akainu wasn't worried by Aokiji's disappearance. He didn't believe for a second that Aokiji would be finished off that easily.
"Devour Heaven!"
Doflamingo's form shifted into a giant maw that swallowed Akainu's attack whole. He almost felt the need to let out a satisfied burp.
Akainu's face darkened, furious that his attack had been useless. The only option left was close combat. Doflamingo's current state was bizarre. Akainu could have transformed into magma to fight him, but they were on the ocean; if their battle melted all the ice, it would be problematic.
Reforming into his human shape, Doflamingo felt a surge of satisfaction. He hadn't expected his newly awakened technique to be so powerful. It was a pleasant surprise.
That's right. The battle with Whitebeard had pushed him beyond his 200-million-volt limit, allowing him to transform his electricity into a liquid state. Doflamingo didn't know if this state qualified as an Awakening, but there was no denying that he was now stronger than ever before.
At that moment, Aokiji reappeared a short distance away. His face was pale; clearly, Doflamingo's attack had taken its toll.
It's like a liquid… wet, heavy, sticky… and terrifyingly, it carries an intense heat. It was trying to melt and consume me, Aokiji thought, exhaling sharply. He looked at Doflamingo with a gravity he had never felt before.
"Thank goodness, Admiral Aokiji is alright!"
The onlookers sighed in relief.
The three faced off once more, the situation fraught with tension.
Suddenly, warning bells screamed in Doflamingo's mind. At the same instant, attacks from both Admirals slammed into him from either side, seemingly disintegrating his body.
Doflamingo calmly reformed, but the cold sweat on his forehead betrayed him. The pressure he was under was immense.
"Dark Hound!"
"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!"
Seeing Doflamingo's weakened state, Aokiji and Akainu coordinated their attacks, intending to wear him down and drag the fight out until he collapsed.
Whoosh!
Like a rushing tide, the sea of lightning surged with incredible speed, rising into a massive, sky-blotting curtain that swept toward the two Admirals. Their own attacks were swallowed by the black liquid, vanishing without a trace.
With a presence that could swallow mountains and rivers, Doflamingo unleashed his power with grim finality, determined to drown both Admirals beneath his thunderous wave.