As the first light of dawn filtered into Gran Tesoro, it signaled that the grand melee taking place here was finally drawing to a close.
Following Alucard's departure, the Straw Hat Pirates, led by Nami, landed on Gran Tesoro at top speed. By this time, there was no one left to stand in their way.
At this moment, Luffy and Ace were fighting together against Tesoro's forces. After discovering the truth behind the toy slaves, their "do-gooder" instincts had kicked in, leading them to intervene in the conflict.
With Tesoro's sheer strength combined with the returning Mad Treasure, they logically shouldn't have lost to Luffy. Unfortunately for them, Luffy was backed by his sworn brother, "Fire Fist" Ace, and the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates. Their joint assault gradually suppressed the two leaders of the Donquixote Alliance.
By the time Nami and her group arrived, the battle was reaching its final phase.
"Gear 4!"
Luffy's Conquiror's Haki erupted. His limbs expanded rapidly, coated in a deep sheen of Armament Haki. He began to bounce rhythmically, a sight that looked somewhat comical, but the power radiating from him was something Tesoro, safely ensconced within his Golden Giant, dared not underestimate.
"The ones going to Hell today might not just be Blackbeard's lot."
Inside the cockpit of the Golden Giant, Tesoro suddenly recalled the words Alucard had spoken to him back in the Death Match arena. At the time, he had confidently declared that the likes of Law and the Straw Hat were no match for him. Yet now, he was being backed into a corner by those very people.
"I'm going to avenge those kids whose lives you ruined! Take this, Tesoro!!"
Luffy let out a roar and lunged toward the Golden Giant. He pulled his Haki-clad fist deep into his forearm like a pressurized spring. In the next instant, he let it fly with devastating force. "Gomu Gomu no... King Kong Gun!!!"
"As expected of a fist carrying the bloodline of 'Iron Fist' Garp! Let's see you try and break this!"
Tesoro operated the Golden Giant, meeting the strike with a massive golden fist of his own in a desperate clash.
…
The battle on the other side of the field was trending toward a complete landslide.
Under Ace's relentless assault, Mad Treasure could barely manage a defense. After blasting his opponent down with a Fire Fist, Ace stood over him, a small flame flickering on his index finger.
"Mad Treasure, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea... I heard your goal was to chase after Alucard. It seems that after becoming a leader of the Donquixote Alliance, you became intoxicated by luxury and lost your edge."
Treasure, lying on the ground, forced a strained laugh. "Jarararara~~ Wrong. As of an hour ago, I no longer have such delusions."
"What?" Ace frowned, stepping closer in confusion.
"I'll give you a piece of advice, Fire Fist Ace. Don't provoke that man again. He is a genuine monster."
Hearing Treasure's words, Ace's expression tightened. After a long silence, he replied, "It seems you haven't just fallen from grace; you've lost your fighting spirit entirely."
"Hahaha! Do you, a brat raised under that old man Whitebeard, have the right to say that?" Treasure laughed disdainfully, implying that Whitebeard was the one who had lost his spirit, an old man who hadn't done much of anything since Roger's death.
It wasn't until the very end, at the Summit War, that he showed a glimmer of his former glory.
Seeing the man he respected most insulted, Ace's fury erupted. His right hand exploded into flames as he threw a devastating straight punch. "Sun Flare!!!"
A massive pillar of fire engulfed Mad Treasure's body. At the very end, his voice could faintly be heard through the roar of the flames: "Jarararara! I'll be watching your performance from the other side, Fire Fist Ace!"
Ace pulled back his fist, trying his best to banish Treasure's words from his mind. He muttered to himself, "I need to go help Luffy and Sabo."
…
On the main street in front of the luxury hotel, the once opulent buildings had been sliced into building blocks by Doflamingo's strings and Law's slashes.
"ROOM!"
Law tried desperately to expand his Room with one hand. But since he only had his right arm left, trying to hold his sword while simultaneously manifesting his space was an uphill battle. To make matters worse, his stamina was completely spent from the prolonged combat. Currently, Law looked like a butterfly pinned firmly by Doflamingo's spider-threads.
Watching Law fail to manifest his Room several times, Doflamingo laughed triumphantly. "I should truly praise you for making it this far. To think you've mastered the Op-Op Fruit to this extent... it's almost a waste to kill you."
"How about it, Law? If you perform the ultimate ability of the Op-Op Fruit, the Perennial Youth Operation, on me, I'll let your comrades go." Doflamingo extended his palm, speaking in a mockingly conciliatory tone.
"Heh... sure. But let's change the terms," Law rasped. "Bring Corazon back to life right now, and then go lick the boots of every single person on this ship. Then maybe I'll help you."
Doflamingo's expression darkened into a cruel sneer. "Fuffuffu... what a pity. When Alucard took down the World Government, I wasn't there to see the look on the faces of those idiotic Celestial Dragons in Mariejois. By the time I arrived, you were gone and the place was nothing but ruins."
"Is that all you have for a final testament?" Law asked coldly.
"Hardly, Law."
Doflamingo charged forward like a wild bull. "The one dying here is you, Law!"
Unable to open his Room, Law gripped his remaining sword with his only hand and charged. He met Doflamingo in a direct head-on clash.
Law was already a tier below Doflamingo in base strength, and now, with his stamina, endurance, and speed failing, it would take a miracle for anyone other than Doflamingo to walk away from this.
"This is my last chance... let's end this, Doflamingo!"
Law screamed internally, swinging his blade with everything he had left.
"Fuffuffu... Law, you're still too weak!"
Doflamingo's right hand curved into a claw, five different colors shimmering at his fingertips. "Awakened: Penta-Chromatic Strings!"
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