"—Huff…!"
Trafalgar Law sprinted desperately through the forest, his chest heaving violently as he pushed his ROOM · Shambles ability to its limits.
His figure flickered between trees and boulders, constantly swapping positions and blinking across the battlefield to widen the gap between himself and the man chasing him.
This was precisely why he had been holding back earlier—conserving his stamina.
Because large-scale use of Shambles drained his strength at a terrifying rate.
Originally, Law's plan had been simple.
He intended to lure the enraged Donquixote Doflamingo to the narrow single bridge ahead—a location he had chosen carefully.
There, using the terrain and whatever stamina he had left, he would make one final desperate stand. The goal wasn't victory.
It was chaos.
Enough chaos to create a single fleeting opening.
And at the very last second—during that razor-thin sliver of time—he would teleport himself to the Thousand Sunny, which was anchored along the eastern shore.
Once aboard, the Sunny's mobility would give them a strong chance of escaping pursuit and sailing away to freedom.
Unfortunately—
even the best-laid plans could collapse in an instant.
Just as Law neared the predetermined location—close enough that he could glimpse the distant sea horizon through the gaps in the trees—
"HELP MEEE—!!!"
A panicked scream suddenly pierced through the forest from the direction of the eastern shore.
The cry carried a desperate sobbing tone.
It rang clearly through the woods—
reaching both Law and Doflamingo.
It was Momonosuke.
Along the eastern coastline, the Thousand Sunny of the Straw Hat Pirates was indeed anchored there.
But it was far from safe.
Because the ship had moored too close to shore, it had been surrounded by the waters' native predators—ferocious, herd-hunting sea beasts known as Bullhead Fish.
The massive creatures slammed their horned heads against the ship's hull repeatedly.
On the deck, only four Straw Hats were present:
Sanji, Nami, Brook, and Chopper.
They were scrambling frantically, trying to drive the beasts away.
And the timid Momonosuke—who had never seen anything like this before—had panicked completely, screaming uncontrollably for help.
Unfortunately—
that single cry for help became the worst possible sound at the worst possible moment.
It was like striking the wrong gong on a battlefield.
Because the voice caused Doflamingo—who had been relentlessly pursuing Law—to suddenly stop.
"Oh?"
A flicker of surprise crossed his face.
Then his signature grin spread wide again, brimming with malicious delight.
In an instant, he understood everything.
"Trying to smuggle yourself away under my nose, huh?!"
"Fufufufufu…!"
The laughter faded.
Doflamingo immediately abandoned his pursuit of the flickering Law within the forest.
His body shot upward.
Threads shot into the clouds above, and he rode them along his Sky Path, carving a sharp arc through the air as he changed direction completely—
rushing straight toward the Thousand Sunny on the coastline.
"Damn it!"
Seeing this, Law's heart dropped.
His entire plan had been exposed.
Doflamingo no longer cared about chasing him.
Instead, he had targeted Law's only escape route—the Sunny and the allies aboard it.
At that moment, Law stopped worrying about conserving stamina.
He expanded ROOM to its largest possible range and began teleporting madly toward the shoreline.
"Straw Hat-ya!!"
"Why the hell did you bring along that useless coward samurai brat?!"
As Doflamingo descended upon the Thousand Sunny, the ship's only true frontline fighter launched himself upward from the deck.
Sanji.
"Diable Jambe!"
Sanji roared as his legs spun violently in midair, friction igniting them until they glowed a blazing red.
Wreathed in scorching heat, his flaming kick shot straight toward Doflamingo in the sky.
"Fufufu…"
Faced with the sudden assault, Doflamingo merely sneered in contempt.
He didn't even bother to dodge.
Instead, he casually raised an arm coated in Armament Haki.
"BANG!"
The flaming kick collided with his arm.
Shockwaves rippled through the air.
Yet Sanji's Diable Jambe was blocked effortlessly—unable to push forward even an inch.
"So this is the famous 'Black Leg,' huh?"
Behind the reflective lenses of his sunglasses, Doflamingo's gaze was full of mockery.
"Your power's nowhere near enough."
Sanji's pupils shrank.
But the moment his attack was blocked, his combat instincts kicked in instantly.
His right leg had been stopped—
but his left leg whipped around in a savage arc toward Doflamingo's temple.
However, Doflamingo displayed unbelievable agility in the air.
With a full 360-degree midair spin, he not only avoided the kick—
he reappeared directly behind Sanji in an instant.
"Too slow."
The cold voice whispered beside Sanji's ear.
Doflamingo flicked his hand backward.
Five dazzling yet deadly threads burst from his fingers.
"Five-Color Strings!"
The threads merged into a razor-sharp blade, slicing through the air with a shrieking whistle.
"SHK!"
Despite twisting his body desperately, Sanji couldn't avoid it.
The threads slashed across his shoulder and back.
Blood burst into the air.
The brutal impact and tearing pain made him grunt as he lost balance completely—
and fell uncontrollably from the sky.
"SANJI!!"
On the Sunny's deck, Nami, Chopper, and the others screamed in horror.
"BOOM!"
Sanji crashed heavily onto the deck.
But almost immediately, he forced his trembling arms beneath him and pushed himself back up.
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
His eyes glared fiercely at the enemy above.
"Bastard…!"
"I won't let you… hurt my crew!"
After a brief gasp for breath, Sanji kicked off the air again with Sky Walk, circling behind Doflamingo.
His legs became countless red afterimages as blazing kicks rained down toward Doflamingo's back.
"Diable Jambe: Boeuf Burst!"
Yet Doflamingo didn't even bother turning around.
His pink feather coat fluttered outward as if moved by an unseen wind.
The feathers danced and spread—
forming an impenetrable barrier.
"BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM—!!"
Rapid impacts exploded through the air like drumbeats.
Every blazing kick slammed into the feather coat—
and was effortlessly blocked.
Sparks flew everywhere.
But Doflamingo himself remained completely unharmed.
Meanwhile, Sanji—already badly injured—felt his stamina plummet rapidly.
His kicks slowed visibly.
His breathing grew heavier.
And a massive opening appeared in his offense.
"Fufufu… had enough?"
Doflamingo sneered coldly.
He had finally lost patience.
His finger twitched.
"Parasite Strings."
Invisible threads instantly wrapped around Sanji's joints.
Sanji's body stiffened violently.
Like a puppet on strings, his movements froze completely—
suspended helplessly in midair.
"The game's over, Black Leg."
Doflamingo raised his palm.
A dark red Overheat whip condensed in his hand—glowing with intense heat as it extended outward.
"I'll use this thread…"
"…to send you straight to hell."
The scorching whip lashed forward, tearing through the air toward Sanji's immobilized head.
"ROOM!"
A hemispherical transparent field suddenly expanded.
It enveloped Sanji instantly.
"Shambles!"
FLASH!
Just as the burning whip was about to devour him—
Sanji vanished into thin air.
The lethal strike slammed into the spot where he had been.
Missing its target, the attack crashed down onto the ocean below.
"BOOOOOOM—!!!"
The sea itself seemed to split apart.
A massive trench carved through the water as if an invisible blade had cleaved it open.
Waves exploded skyward into towering walls of water.
The sheer destructive power turned the faces of everyone aboard the Sunny pale.
Moments later—
light flashed again across the Thousand Sunny's deck.
Law appeared there.
Beside him stood a shaken Caesar Clown—
and Sanji, whom Law had just rescued with his ability.
Sanji was covered in blood, kneeling on one knee as he struggled to breathe.
High above the ship, Doflamingo hovered in the air.
His eyes locked onto the man on the deck—the one who had ruined his plans again and again.
Trafalgar Law.
The smile on Doflamingo's face disappeared completely.
What replaced it was pure fury—
and naked killing intent.
The boy he once regarded as nothing more than a disposable pawn…
had now escaped his grasp multiple times—
and repeatedly destroyed his plans.
"…Trafalgar."
"…Law."