Utter Disrespect!
"Fuffuffuffu~ I'm not one of those monsters of the sea..."
Doflamingo's usual smile faded, replaced by a cold glare as he eyed the wound on Nicolas's abdomen. A flash of killing intent passed behind his sunglasses.
Clearly, the deaths of his family members weighed heavily on him. For someone who had killed his own father, Doflamingo had transferred much of his familial affection to his crew.
"With a wound like that, an ordinary person would be dead already."
Doflamingo's killing intent surged. If it weren't for Dragon's presence, he would have attacked without hesitation. The officers of his family had all mastered Armament Haki, making them a threat to Nicolas.
Considering that Nicolas had been heavily injured by someone in Mariejois, Doflamingo believed he had a chance to take him down.
Normally, he would avoid conflict with someone like Nicolas, but seeing Giolla's and Gladius's Devil Fruits filled him with an overwhelming urge to kill.
"Oh, you want to kill me that badly? Now's your golden opportunity since my wounds haven't healed. But don't think those small fry around you can do the job, Doffy."
Nicolas taunted, looking at Doflamingo struggling to restrain himself.
Besides strength, a top-tier fighter needed the right mindset. Like Luffy, who charged at any opponent without hesitation. Though he often narrowly avoided death thanks to plot armor, his growth was visible.
Post-Onigashima Luffy would likely defeat Doflamingo without a hitch.
Doflamingo's mindset was a weakness. The mere mention of Kaido made him fearful, unlike other Warlords. Even Moria, who was nearly killed by Kaido, showed defiance and later dared to confront Blackbeard alone to rescue Absalom.
Crocodile's fearless display during the Paramount War spoke volumes as well.
To become a strong fighter, one must embrace battles, honing combat skills and Haki. Doflamingo had avoided challenging the Yonkou or engaging in many high-stakes battles since his debut.
"Fuffuffuffu... You can insult me, but not my family!"
"Oh? Someone who killed his own father talks about family?"
Doflamingo's earlier concerns vanished, unable to suppress his intense killing intent any longer.
"Nicolas!"
Veins bulged on Doflamingo's forehead as he locked eyes with Nicolas.
"Actually, I could let you go if you hand over Pica."
Nicolas glanced at Pica with a playful look, genuinely interested in his fruit ability.
"Fuffuffuffu... Nicolas, it seems you've made up your mind to keep me here!"
Doflamingo's eyes were cold, filled with killing intent as Nicolas approached.
Both sides made no attempt to hide their intentions or killing intent.
"Just a subordinate. He can be replaced. Why risk your life?"
Nicolas, showing no signs of villainous remorse, taunted Doflamingo.
"What if I asked you to hand over Vista?"
Doflamingo's fingers twitched slightly as his gaze shifted from Nicolas's bandaged body.
"Sure..."
Nicolas replied with a strange expression. "But are you sure you can beat Vista? Don't get yourself killed."
Doflamingo: ...
Doflamingo was even more determined to kill the 'weakened' Nicolas here and now. He wasn't sure if he'd get another chance after missing this one, with Nicolas heavily injured.
How much strength did Nicolas have left? Fifty percent? Or even less than thirty percent?
"Dragon, can you handle those guys? Consider it a favor."
Nicolas turned to Dragon. His strength had significantly decreased, and while he could deal with Doflamingo alone, the additional enemies posed a problem. This was why he had brought Dragon along; with Dragon's help, he wouldn't risk a disaster.
"Sure, no problem."
...
Doflamingo watched Nicolas and Dragon approach, their distance closing rapidly.
Nicolas drew his long sword and strode toward Doflamingo.
"Fuffuffuffu, as expected of a monster. Even with such severe wounds, your presence is terrifying…"
Doflamingo didn't show any fear, wearing his usual smug smile. As he spoke, the strings connected to Scarlett and the others began to shimmer subtly.
"Ah! What's happening? I can't control my body!"
"My hand!"
...
"Get away…"
Scarlett, feeling her body uncontrollably drawing a sword and charging at Nicolas and Dragon's backs, screamed in panic.
The controlled Scarlett and the others looked terrified, with parasitic strings visible on their heads, necks, and shoulders.
"Doffy, still playing these childish tricks?"
"What will you do? Kill them?"
Doflamingo sneered.
Nicolas didn't respond. He simply swung his sword, sending a slash toward the side.
The dangerous-looking slash cut a deep groove in the ground, disappearing into the nearby buildings.
"Hey, I can move again."
"That was terrifying, just now…"
...
Watching his puppets break free of control, Doflamingo laughed.
"Fuffuffu… Truly terrifying. Not only is your Devil Fruit ability monstrous, but your swordsmanship is also incredible."
Doflamingo said with wariness, recognizing that Nicolas's slash had cut his strings.
"It's not that I'm too strong, it's that you're too weak. Your parasitic strings can only control those without Haki. Against strong opponents, such tricks are useless."
This was the limitation of the parasitic strings. They were unbeatable against weaker foes, turning them into puppets, but they were ineffective against stronger opponents. For instance, could Doflamingo control someone like Kaido with his strings?
Electricity crackled under Nicolas's feet as he almost teleported behind Doflamingo, swinging his sword.
In less than 0.003 seconds, Doflamingo counterattacked.
Thousand Arrows: Flap Thread!
The ground, secretly assimilated by Doflamingo's ability, erupted with thousands of Haki-imbued threads.
Doflamingo didn't hold back, starting with a lethal move.
Thousands of Haki-infused threads, resembling a flamingo's wings, closed in on Nicolas from both sides.
If hit, Nicolas would be skewered instantly.
Doflamingo gambled that Nicolas wouldn't risk further injury to land his blow.
And he won the bet.
The thousands of Haki-infused threads struck empty air, leaving only residual electric sparks among them.