Admiration!

Doflamingo's Feathered Bullet String, imbued with a chilling killing intent, missed its mark as Nicolas vanished.

Bang, bang, bang...!

Like thousands of bullets being fired simultaneously, countless thin threads coated in Armament Haki instantly obliterated the buildings behind him, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.

Just as Doflamingo's attack missed, sparks of electricity flickered in the air again.

Nicolas, long accustomed to such rapid attacks, had already prepared a counter.

Lightning Slash!

Nicolas swung his long sword, its edge crackling with blinding lightning, aiming straight for Doflamingo's head with lightning speed.

Doflamingo's pupils contracted as he saw the approaching blade.

The strike was so fast he had no time to counter.

Just as the sword was about to strike Doflamingo, his body suddenly plummeted downward, narrowly avoiding the lethal slash.

Below him, Senor Pink's figure was slowly disappearing—he had saved Doflamingo at the last moment.

Doflamingo, half-buried in the ground, immediately pressed his left hand onto the ground.

In an instant, the ground transformed into a wave of white threads, surging relentlessly toward Nicolas in the air.

Doflamingo then raised his right index finger, curling the rest, and fired a bullet-like string at high speed toward Nicolas, aiming for his vital spots.

Bang, bang...!

More than ten thread bullets shot toward Nicolas.

Nicolas, however, effortlessly dodged them with a few quick movements.

While evading the thread bullets, Nicolas swung his long sword, slicing through the approaching wave of white threads.

He then turned his body, aiming another Conqueror's Strike at Doflamingo below.

A cylindrical shockwave formed in front of the blade, descending like a comet toward Doflamingo.

As the shockwave approached, Doflamingo swiftly pulled himself back, using strings attached to the Birdcage to escape the attack range.

The Conqueror's Strike hit the ground, causing a massive explosion.

"The injuries are affecting my performance," Nicolas murmured to himself as he watched Doflamingo dodge his attack.

If he were at full strength, Doflamingo wouldn't have had time to react to the Conqueror's Strike.

White Thread Surge!

Doflamingo's eyes were cold as he unleashed a massive wave of white threads, infused with Armament Haki, surging angrily toward Nicolas in the sky.

"This is a proper fight," Nicolas remarked, raising an eyebrow at the Haki-coated white threads. "No holding back from the start."

He smiled slightly, then swung his sword again, sending multiple Conqueror's Strikes toward the White Thread Surge and Doflamingo.

"Is this guy a monster!?" Doflamingo cursed as the white glow of the shockwaves reflected in his sunglasses.

The surging white threads, despite being heavily infused with Armament Haki, were shattered upon collision with the Conqueror's Strikes.

The countless broken threads, like a snowfall, were swept past Doflamingo by the shockwave's remnants, sticking to his face and his flamboyant pink coat.

As the aftershocks of the collision subsided, Doflamingo quickly began to track Nicolas's position.

"Damn it..."

As Doflamingo spotted Nicholas, the long blade was already reflected in his sunglasses, slashing toward him.

White Line Shield!

In that critical moment, Doflamingo crossed his arms, summoning numerous large threads from the ground that interwove to form a shield coated in Armament Haki.

The long blade struck the crossed white lines.

Crack!

Even though Doflamingo's White Line Shield was coated with Armament Haki, not all Haki is created equal. Clearly, Doflamingo's Haki was no match for Nicholas's.

The defense formed by the White Line Shield couldn't withstand Nicholas's strike, splitting apart.

The residual force of the slash hit Doflamingo squarely in the chest, sending him hurtling like a meteor into the buildings behind him.

Boom!

The impact of Doflamingo's body demolished a large area of buildings.

Lying on his back in the rubble, blood trickled from the corners of his mouth.

"The difference in strength is truly despairing..."

Feeling the pain coursing through his body, Doflamingo shivered internally.

He could tell that Nicholas's strength was severely weakened, yet even so, he seemed powerless against him.

This feeling transported him back over a decade, to the time when he faced the wrath of angry mobs after losing his Celestial Dragon status, and to when he held his father Homing's head, only to be rejected upon trying to return to the Holy Land.

"Fufufufu... what's wrong with me?"

Doflamingo chuckled bitterly, wiping the blood from his mouth.

Above him, Nicholas looked down from the sky.

In truth, Nicholas wasn't keen on killing Doflamingo. Despite Doflamingo's lackluster combat ability, his resourcefulness was impressive, having made him the king of the underworld. He had managed to secure the Ope Ope no Mi, the Mera Mera no Mi, and even Teseroo's Goru Goru no Mi.

"Let's finish this quickly," Nicholas muttered to himself. He gripped his sword and shot toward the rubble where Doflamingo lay.

Doflamingo looked up, his eyes glowing red as his Observation Haki worked at full speed.

Despite his best efforts, he could only track Nicholas's movements but not lock onto him. Nicholas was just too fast!

If he couldn't pinpoint him, then—

Sea Surge: White Waves!

Doflamingo pressed his right palm down, transforming the entire ground into a turbulent sea of threads. The waves of threads surged, reaching for everything on the 'surface.'

But Nicholas showed no fear, effortlessly dodging the grasping waves with swift movements. When evasion wasn't possible, he simply cut through them with his blade.

Slice—!

The fierce blade light flashed.

The surging sea of threads was abruptly split apart.

After slicing through the thread waves, Nicholas locked eyes with Doflamingo across the shattered threads, slashing out another strike.

Doflamingo's eyes narrowed as he swiftly retreated, pulling his hands apart to form five strands coated with Armament Haki in front of him.

The long blade collided with the strands.

The clash sounded like a saw grinding against steel, producing a shower of sparks as the strands bent like bowstrings under the pressure.

Boom!

With a loud explosion, the two separated once again.

Their gazes locked in mid-air.

Doflamingo's eyes held wariness, while Nicholas's gaze carried a hint of admiration.