[~1300 Words]
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After repeating James's words twice in her mind, Violet gradually grasped his true meaning.
A quiet sigh of relief escaped her lips.
She leaned closer, clinging gently to his shoulder, and whispered,
"I understand."
"Good. I'm glad you do~"
James lowered his head slightly, drawing in the soft fragrance that lingered around her.
Her scent was gentle and sweet—something like licorice, but far more delicate and refined.
It lingered pleasantly in his senses.
Simply intoxicating.
In the next instant, lightning flashed.
James shot forward, darting out of the palace at incredible speed.
Violet's voice trailed behind him—half murmured, half breathless—as she reacted to the sudden acceleration.
For James, however, the sensation of flying through the sky with a woman in his arms was something he never grew tired of.
Just as he returned to the palace corridor along his original route—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several sharp sounds sliced through the air from one side.
"Five-Color String!"
James glanced sideways, mildly surprised.
"This… is rather weak."
He didn't even bother to dodge.
Holding Violet securely, he simply raised his hand and released a bolt of lightning.
⚡ Crack! ⚡
The five razor-sharp threads shattered instantly upon contact.
In the distance, Doflamingo stood with his signature sunglasses and trademark grin.
But upon closer inspection—
That smile was stiff.
Unnatural.
"That's a clone!" Violet explained quickly.
"It's created using his Devil Fruit ability. Be careful—it's still very strong!"
"Oh?"
James smirked faintly.
"No wonder it felt so underwhelming."
"So it's just a string clone left behind in the palace."
He had already sensed Doflamingo's real body earlier.
At this very moment, the real Doflamingo was moving from the port toward the SMILE Factory.
The clone, though capable of using his techniques, lacked true strength and awareness without direct control.
"Since we've run into it…"
"Let's just deal with it."
James shifted Violet behind him protectively.
Then he opened his mouth and took a deep breath.
The air around him seemed to grow tense.
"Divine Dragon: Roar!"
A blazing pillar of fire erupted forward.
"Super Shock Whip!"
The clone reacted instinctively, lashing out with a massive string whip.
For a brief moment, flame and thread clashed in midair.
But it lasted only seconds.
The fire overwhelmed everything.
The white threads burned away, and the clone itself was reduced to black smoke, dispersing into nothingness.
Strings being burned by flames?
Normally, that wouldn't be so simple.
But without Doflamingo's direct control, the clone was far too weak.
In fact, it was not stronger than the one Kyros had once decapitated.
Before James could say anything—
Violet had already nestled herself back into his arms.
Her voice was soft as she guided him.
"The Corrida Colosseum is on the western side of the King's Plateau."
"It's very easy to spot. You'll see it right away."
James nodded.
Without another word, he flew westward.
Meanwhile…
Inside the SMILE Factory—
Over five hundred members of the Tontatta Tribe were still being forced to cultivate artificial Devil Fruits.
They had once been deceived by the Donquixote Family's lies, believing their work would help "heal" Princess Mansherry.
Instead, they had been enslaved.
The factory's director leisurely enjoyed their labor, treating them as nothing more than tools.
Outside the factory, however—
Chaos had already erupted.
Gedatsu bit his lip, his eyes rolling wildly as he shouted,
"Divine Soldiers—advance!"
"Let their blood nourish this land and give birth to new life!"
"Move quickly! Protect the equipment we've taken!"
"We must eliminate them before they can cause widespread damage!"
"Ahhh~!"
"Where is Senior-sama!?"
"Please save us!"
"Senior-sama—please come out!"
There were several women in skimpy outfits who were screaming in desperation.
They relied entirely on Senior's protection for their survival.
As if responding to their cries—
The ground rippled.
Senior Pink emerged from the wall in a smooth, swimming motion, landing gracefully on the ground.
Cheers immediately erupted from the women.
As a user of the Swim-Swim Fruit, he could move freely through solid surfaces as if they were liquid.
Senior was obese, wore a pink baby bonnet, and bit a pacifier.
This "perverted" appearance would certainly turn heads on the street.
"You're very well prepared! You quietly brought so many people!"
Gedatsu glanced at him indifferently.
Then he spread his arms wide and declared,
"The Divine One watches over us!"
"Divine Soldiers—send these heretics to eternal peace!"
"OH—!"
In the next moment, Gedatsu transformed into a massive black horse and charged forward, leading the assault.
Across Dressrosa…
The battlefield had already spread.
On Lover's Avenue—
Machvise and Lao G clashed fiercely against Shadley and Ohm.
Fists collided with raw force, creating a brutal, close-quarters spectacle that rivaled any arena match.
To the northeast of the King's Plateau—
Pica's Assault Unit battled the Divine Officers.
Pica merged with stone, forming a colossal giant—an immovable fortress.
Shura, in his Spinosaurus form, didn't rush the fight.
Instead, he used the opportunity to sharpen his combat abilities.
Explosions echoed continuously.
Gladius detonated the battlefield with his Pop-Pop power—
Only to be countered by Gloria's Spring-Spring abilities.
Meanwhile, Buffalo hovered nearby, too weak to engage directly.
He occasionally spun forward in reckless charges—
Unaware that he had already caught Nami's attention.
His defeat was only moments away.
High above the battlefield—
Nami, Vivi, Robin, and Perona observed everything from the clouds.
They waited patiently.
Surrounded by Perona's Negative Hollows, they were virtually untouchable.
Pica used his Stone-Stone power to merge into a stone giant for combat, like an unshakeable tortoise shell.
Shura was not in a hurry to determine a winner with him; he found that fighting him in his Spinosaurus form could significantly increase his proficiency.
The constant explosions in the field were the power of bombs created by Gladius using his Pop-Pop power to make the ground swell, and Gloria was countering him with her power.
Buffalo's strength was rather weak, so he could only observe from the sidelines, occasionally spinning his body and charging towards the Divine Soldiers.
Unbeknownst to him, he had already caught Nami's attention and was about to be struck down by lightning and crash.
At the Port…
The island of Dressrosa was encircled by towering rock formations, with only narrow openings connecting it to the outside.
Now—
Those formations had been shattered.
The aftermath of God's Judgment had blasted the port wide open.
A lone soldier, having miraculously survived the tidal destruction, struggled to crawl inland.
Before he could go any further—
A shadow loomed over him.
"Fufufufufu…"
Doflamingo stood there, staring coldly at the devastated coastline.
"What happened here?"
The soldier trembled violently.
"Y-Young Master…!"
"I only saw a massive pillar of light descend from the sky!"
"We didn't even have time to react before everything was destroyed!"
"…A pillar of light?"
Doflamingo narrowed his eyes.
He had only come here after hearing the explosion.
He hadn't witnessed the attack himself.
But now—
Something far more dangerous was unfolding.
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