Drake floated calmly in the center of the opening, his eyes unwavering as the gigantic white strings closed in. He ignored the attacks entirely.
"Shime Ito (絞糸)!"
Doflamingo crossed his arms with a growl. In an instant, all the massive ropes spiraled upward, forming a circle that closed around Drake, attempting to strangle him. The momentum was so fierce it felt like facing a tsunami.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Explosions rang out one after another as every giant thread was repelled upon nearing the sphere of light.
It didn't matter if the attack came from above, below, or the sides—none could touch the sphere, let alone Drake himself.
"Your defense is very good, brat, to repel so many of my attacks, Fufufufu…"
"Then this time, I'll use another form of attack."
Doflamingo pressed his hand to the ground.
"Shinkai Shirahama (深海白波)!"
In an instant, the earth transformed into white threads, rolling like waves. A white ocean surged forth.
But no matter how strong the waves were, even if they crashed like a tsunami, they could not reach Drake's sphere of light. Everything that touched it was repelled.
This time, Doflamingo was furious. He swore he would not stop until he shattered that defense.
"I don't think you can withstand my attacks this time… Go to hell, brat!"
"Hane Kōgeki Ito (羽攻撃糸)!"
With a sharp swish, countless threads shifted shape, forming flamingo‑like wings. At the end of each string appeared a black coating—Armament Haki.
With a thunderous bang, they surrounded Drake directly.
Yet Drake remained unchanged, hands folded before him, floating silently, ignoring the assault.
Boom! Boom! Boom~~
The explosion this time was far stronger than before. The air trembled, ropes rained down, the ground cracked, and dust rose high.
The two fighters were completely engulfed in threads, making it impossible to see what was happening inside.
Witnessing such a shocking scene, Drake's crew grew excited.
"To be able to force Doflamingo to this point—what strength!"
Law's pupils narrowed as he stared at the battlefield, surprise etched across his face.
Lafitte twirled his cane, smiling faintly. "Actually, Doflamingo's fate is already sealed. After all, the captain is too strong."
Burgess nodded, laughing loudly. "Wiihahaha! That's right. The captain trains day and night, to the extreme. How could he lose to that guy?"
Doc Q coughed, envy flickering across his aged face. "But the captain's defense… it's invincible."
Hana looked toward the battlefield, her beautiful eyes sparkling as she let out an excited sigh. "The captain is so good… he's so handsome."
Betty puffed on her cigarette, nodding with rare admiration. "A man who can change the world isn't just talk."
Perona fluttered in the air, her little face full of interest. "The captain's sphere of light is so funny, Horohorohorohoro…"
At that moment, the sound of battle finally ceased. A breeze blew, smoke and dust drifting away to reveal the scene.
Drake still stood within the ball of light, calm and unharmed. In other words, Doflamingo's great move had failed once again.
"Fufufufu…"
The veins on Doflamingo's forehead bulged as he growled, "I never thought a brat this powerful would appear on the seas. Very good… very good. You've pushed me to this point."
His eyes turned cold as he spread his arms arrogantly. "Next, I'll show you my finishing move."
"Jūroku Ya no Sei Dan: Kami no Shokei (十六夜の聖弾・神の処刑)!"
With a thunderous bang, sixteen massive white threads appeared behind him, writhing like giant serpents. In an instant, their bases turned pitch black, stretching high into the sky. Finally, all sixteen threads glowed with high‑density Armament Haki.
"Doflamingo, my patience is at its limit." Drake folded his hands before him, his eyes frozen. "If you don't stop, I'll kill you. Don't think your status as a Heavenly Dragon can scare me."
Shock.
Doflamingo was stunned. He never imagined Drake knew his old identity. It was incredible.
"Fufufufu…" Doflamingo covered his face, laughing arrogantly. "Interesting… very interesting. The newcomers of this era will make the sea boil."
Swish~~ Doflamingo leapt into the air, his figure vanishing swiftly, leaving behind a final declaration. "You little brat, when you become a Shichibukai, the alliance will officially begin."
With those words, Doflamingo disappeared completely…
Seeing him leave, Drake's crew erupted in noise.
"What Shichibukai? They're nothing compared to our captain! Wiihahaha!" Burgess laughed with joy.
Doc Q smiled strangely. "A shame we didn't get to see that finishing move. Truly a shame."
Lafitte straightened his top hat, speaking politely. "It seems Doflamingo knows how powerful the captain is. If he dared to continue, he would have been killed. After all, there's still a great gap between his strength and the captain's."
Law looked up at the sky, confirming Doflamingo's disappearance. A complex expression crossed his cold face. "He really won… Doflamingo wasn't his opponent after all."
At that moment, the shock within Law was indescribable.
Hana looked at Law strangely. "What do you think? Wasn't he supposed to be very strong, and our captain nothing before him? Doflamingo got away—are you disappointed? Do you still think he would win?"
Baccarat patted her shoulder gently. "From now on we're on the same team, don't talk like that. Law doesn't know Drake yet, so it's normal for him to be skeptical."
Betty nodded in agreement. "But after watching Drake's battle against Doflamingo, Law now knows his true strength. I don't think he'll question anything anymore."
At that moment, a calm voice came from the front. "Come on."
After Drake spoke, he walked directly toward the edge of the island. Without hesitation, the crew followed. Law, of course, was no exception—he was already a member of the Drake Pirates.
Soon everyone boarded the ship and set sail.
"Lafitte, tell Law about the ship rules." Drake gave the order, uninterested in explaining himself, and walked toward the practice room.
Baccarat smiled. "Let's go to the training room too." The women followed one after another.
"Bepo, come on, let's go fishing together."
Pato held a fishing rod, jumping excitedly. "Fishing is fun, come on, hehehe~~."
Since Pato was also an animal, Bepo didn't feel shy and quickly followed. "Pato, I don't know how to fish, you'll have to teach me."
Meanwhile, Law noticed words carved into the mast. He asked coldly, "What do these ship regulations mean?"
Lafitte placed his cane before him, speaking politely. "First of all, Law, congratulations on joining the Drake Pirates. I am Lafitte, the vice‑captain. Let me introduce you to the rules of this ship."
He smiled faintly. "On this ship, strength determines the right to speak. There are three kinds of battles: the battle for the captain, the battle for the vice‑captain, and the battle for division captains. The captain's position cannot be challenged, so I won't say more. The vice‑captain is me—if you want to challenge me, I'll face you anytime. As for division captains, that's between you and Burgess."
Burgess looked at Law and laughed loudly. "Wiihahaha! What do you say? Do you want to fight me? I want to settle the order of captains quickly."
Doc Q coughed, smiling strangely. "Me too… I enjoy watching battles."
"Three types of battles?" Law held Kikoku and said coldly, "This ship's environment suits me. Rampant or not, strength is what matters. But I don't plan to compete for positions yet. We'll talk about it in a few days."
Burgess shook his head, muttering. "I thought someone liked to fight, but I didn't expect it to be this bear."
Lafitte adjusted his top hat politely. "Next, I'll tell you about our upcoming journey, including our goal."
Inside the practice room, Drake stood by the window, lit a cigarette, and gazed silently at the blue sky and white clouds.
Seeing his unusual silence, the women exchanged puzzled looks and whispered among themselves.
"What's wrong with Drake? Why isn't he training?" Hana asked curiously.
Betty exhaled smoke. "It must be related to Doflamingo… probably the Shichibukai Alliance."
Baccarat nodded, brushing her hair back. "Plans can't keep up with changes. No one expected to encounter a big shot like Doflamingo. Drake must be making new plans. Let's leave him alone."
The training room fell silent. None of them dared disturb Drake's thoughts.
After a long time, Drake flicked his cigar out the window and spoke suddenly. "I'm going out for a while. I'll be back in two days."
The moment his voice faded, he vanished without a trace.
The women were stunned, wanting to ask something, but unable to.
"Our captain is too decisive. He never speaks without reason, and he doesn't like to explain." Hana shook her head with a wry smile.
Betty took another drag. "That's Drake's nature. I've gotten used to it."
Perona wrinkled her little face. "This princess doesn't like staying with him. It's boring."
Baccarat smiled faintly, saying nothing. She looked out the window at the sky, thinking to herself: Seeing the situation, he must be contacting other Shichibukai. That's the only possibility.
What she didn't know was that Drake had already rushed into the Calm Belt… to meet the world's most beautiful woman—Boa Hancock.