Pirate: I'm about to do something big!

"Alyosha Ran, hailed by the Marine Headquarters as a commodore capable of competing with Vice Admirals Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru for the rank of Admiral. A strongman like you would actually attend my auction? Hmph, that's really puzzling."

In the VIP room of the auction, Doflamingo presented information about Alyosha and raised his glass in a gesture of respect.

Alyosha, with a beaming smile, also raised his glass to clink with Doflamingo's and downed his drink in one gulp.

"Mr. Doflamingo has done a great job with intelligence. But you probably don't know that I have no intention of competing with the three seniors, Red, Blue and Yellow, for the position of admiral. My responsibility for recruiting students across the four seas is a signal I'm sending."

"So, what is Mr. Alyosha's purpose in attending this auction?"

"Of course, it's because of you, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."

"I?"

Upon hearing this, Ming-ge didn't get angry but laughed instead.

"Fufufufu, you're very direct, Mr. Alyosha. My auction is just as good as the one in Sabaody Archipelago. Take whatever you like. It's on me, consider it making friends with you."

"Hahaha, I'm not a pirate, I'm a Marine. Marines take things and make money in a legitimate way, and equal exchange is my principle. So I brought my bargaining chips: two Devil Fruit users and one fish-man slave."

"Very good. Take a look at this list, Mr. Alyosha. These are the guests attending my auction tonight: the World Government, the Navy, kingdoms, pirates, and slave trading groups. They all bring tempting goods and Beli. I can act as your middleman."

With a flick of his finger, Ming placed a list in front of Alyosha.

Alyosha put the list into his pocket without even looking at it, and the Den Den Mushi hidden in his sleeve captured the moment when Doflamingo voluntarily submitted the list.

This is crucial evidence.

"Mr. Doflamingo, I think you didn't understand what I just said. I said I came here for you, a Shichibukai. The others are just minor characters and can't satisfy my appetite."

"You want me?"

"To be precise, I want everything you have here, whether it's the money they traded with you or the goods you're putting up for auction, I want it all."

When Alyosha revealed the purpose of his trip, Doflamingo still wore that extremely arrogant smile, but as soon as Alyosha finished speaking, a wave of his Conqueror's Haki was released from his body, enveloping the entire room.

Doflamingo controlled the invisible Conqueror's Haki in this VIP room. As Doflamingo's right and left hands, Diamante and Trebol were sweating profusely under the pressure of Doflamingo's Conqueror's Haki.

Alyosha, however, sat there as if nothing had happened, smiling at Doflamingo, completely unaffected.

"Doflamingo, stop this pointless probing. I know you're a Shichibukai, and I know how many connections you've built in the underworld. These connections protect you. Theoretically, as long as you don't cross the line, even if Mr. Garp were here, he couldn't arrest you as a criminal and lock you up in Impel Down."

"Fufufu, you know very well, Alyosha Ran, I'm sitting right here, what can you do to me? The World Navy is nothing but the Celestial Dragons' dogs. If you're going to be a dog, you should act like one, understand?"

"That does sound true, but you seem to have misunderstood something, Doflamingo. As one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, you are also a dog of the Celestial Dragons."

When Alyosha said those words, he could see the veins bulging on Doflamingo's face.

Even though Doflamingo is now one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, it doesn't mean he can forget his past as a Celestial Dragon.

Those are his scars. Everything he does now is simply to use the power and status he has gained to choose a suitable island nation in this "lower realm" that he considers dirty, and to replicate his former transcendent status as a Celestial Dragon.

But now, Alyosha tells Doflamingo in the most straightforward way.

All the tricks you've pulled and all the harm you've caused to so many people can't change the fact that Donquixote Doflamingo is no longer a Celestial Dragon.

It's one thing to fool others, but don't fool yourself too.

The Conqueror's Haki that Doflamingo had been controlling in the VIP room began to spread uncontrollably as Doflamingo's emotions were stirred up by Alyosha, affecting the venue below.

Many representatives of various factions who had just arrived at the venue and were trading had no time to say more than a few words before their eyes rolled back and they fainted under the influence of Doflamingo's Conqueror's Haki.

Chaos erupted at the auction.

"Dover..."

Faced with Doflamingo's anger provoked by Alyosha, Diamante and Trebol, as the core executives' right-hand men, dared not speak up to persuade him, nor did they dare to lay a hand on Alyosha.

Seeing that he had provoked Doflamingo's anger, Alyosha continued his sarcastic remarks.

"Looks like I was right, Doflamingo. Let me say a few more words. As one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, while the World Government and the Marine Headquarters are pardoning you and your subordinates for your past crimes and freezing your arrest warrants, you must also abide by the rules we have set for you. You can only attack pirates on the high seas and legally plunder undeveloped lands, such as non-member states. Moreover, you must hand over 70% of the profits from your plunder to the Marine Headquarters and the World Government."

"Your business seems pretty big. I don't care whether you've paid your share to the World Government, but what about the Marine Headquarters' share? You've been a Shichibukai for almost two years now, why haven't I seen your share in the Headquarters' budget? Even if the World Navy is the World Government's dog, it's still the biggest and strongest. So it seems you haven't figured out your place. The Shichibukai aren't irreplaceable. Whether you can be a Shichibukai depends on whether we give it to you, understand, Doflamingo? If you understand, say a few words, hehehe~"

Threads, countless transparent and sharp threads, instantly filled every corner of the building where Alyosha and Doflamingo were located.

The building was shattered by Doflamingo's String-String Fruit, and the two core members who sensed the danger immediately jumped out of the building and landed in the meeting room.

The overwhelming power of Conqueror's Haki and the collapse of the building threw the auction into chaos. Representatives from various factions looked in the direction of the collapsed building and angrily cursed Doflamingo.

"Hey! Joker! What are you doing?!"

Before he could finish speaking, a transparent thread pierced the head of the representative of the faction, and the chaotic auction venue was immediately silenced by Doflamingo's brutal act.

The dust from the collapsed building has settled.

In this space filled with threads created by Doflamingo's String-String Fruit, Alyosha remained seated on the sofa. An invisible aura emanated from him, enveloping him and the sofa beneath him, protecting him from Doflamingo's thread attacks.

This is a technique that Alyosha developed by combining his own talent with the Six Powers and Armament Haki; its name is:

Iron Block - Dust-Free Land!

The principle is to attach Armament Haki to the life energy field that spreads out from oneself, forming an absolute defensive force field within a three-foot radius.

Armament Haki only appears black when it is attached to oneself or an object; otherwise, it is invisible.

Only when it is extremely intense will it create a visible scene around the body, as if flames are enveloping the body and distorting the air.

This is a high-level application of Armament Haki, also known as Ryuo in Wano Country.

Alyosha was very glad that he had finished reading the Wano Country arc before his transmigration and had persevered until the end of the new version update of the One Piece manga's power system.

This is what enabled him to develop so many practical moves.

"Fufufu, Alyosha Ran, if you've come to provoke me, then you've succeeded, but have you thought about what price you'll pay?"

Seeing that Alyosha did not move an inch during his sudden attack, Doflamingo knew that his opponent was up to no good, but given his confidence in his own strength, Doflamingo was not afraid to fight Alyosha.

"Oh? I really haven't thought it through. Why don't you tell me what price I'd have to pay?"

String Fruit - Beyond the Whiplash!

In response to Alyosha's provocative question, Doflamingo answered with his own attack.

Doflamingo stretched his hand back, and this attack animation was very similar to Luffy's Gum-Gum Rocket starting stance. However, Doflamingo could not extend his arm. Instead, he gathered the dense threads around him into the palm of his hand, forming a thread column the thickness of his palm.

With a powerful swing, the thread shot straight into the dustless force field activated by Alyosha.

The force applied to this thread pillar, along with the sharpness from the Thread-Thread Fruit, continuously cut through Alyosha's Dustless Field force field, knocking Alyosha and the sofa beneath him off a height.

Alyosha and the sofa he was sitting on were knocked off with a thud, sending dust billowing up.

But this is not the end.

String-String Fruit - String Bounce (Fire)!

Doflamingo extended his index fingers, and thin lines formed at his fingertips, firing at Alyosha in the smoke and dust below as if firing guns.

Each thread, traveling at bullet-like speed, falls densely like rain, accompanied by flames generated by friction with the air.

Flames, explosions, and smoke filled the entire venue as Doflamingo unleashed his combo.

Doflamingo went berserk, no longer caring about the crime of killing a Marine Headquarters Commodore as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. He only wanted to turn Alyosha Ran, who had repeatedly provoked him, into a human pig!

The auction venue was engulfed in flames by Doflamingo's venting attack, and he faced a deadly attack that could reach him at any moment.

The various factions who came to the auction to trade had no interest in the goods they handed over to the auction backstage. At this moment, they only wished that their parents had given them two more legs, and fled the venue without looking back.

Even Donquixote's core members, who had left the center of the battle earlier, were doing the same. All they could do was gather their fighters, follow these guests out of the venue, and wait for Doflamingo to finish venting before bringing the guests back to continue the previously interrupted transaction.

Doflamingo used the silk threads to stand high in the air, looking down at the scene below that had been turned into a sea of ​​fire by his venting attack. In the sea of ​​fire, only he remained standing high above the venue, looking down at all the living beings.

Seeing this, Doflamingo couldn't help but burst into wild laughter.

That's the feeling he wanted—the feeling of standing high above and toying with the people of the mortal realm.

They could only kneel obediently on the ground and accept their manipulation.

Doflamingo's laughter echoed through the fire, but before he could finish laughing, he heard Alyosha's voice coming from the still-burning sea of ​​fire below.

"Do you enjoy standing at high places, Doflamingo?"

As the smoke cleared, Alyosha stood unharmed amidst the sea of ​​fire. The Dustless Ground Force Field around him had doubled in size, effectively isolating him from the flames.

He had somehow drawn the wooden sword from his waist and was holding it in his hand. Armament Haki had already coated the blade. He looked up and smiled at Doflamingo, whose smile had abruptly stopped.

Crescent Moon Sky Piercing!

Thread-Thread Fruit - Spider's Nest!

Alyosha raised his hand and unleashed a black, blade-shaped shockwave that shot straight towards Doflamingo's face.

The blade-shaped shockwave, a mixture of Armament Haki and life energy, easily severed Doflamingo's threads in mid-air.

Without the slightest hesitation, Doflamingo used his Devil Fruit power to construct a sturdy spider web in front of him to block Alyosha's slash.

Spider Nest is the most defensive move among the many techniques developed by Doflamingo using the String-String Fruit, but in the face of Alyosha's blade-shaped shockwave, this spider web, constructed from countless hard threads, is gradually breaking apart until it completely collapses.

Doflamingo crossed his arms in front of him, applying Armament Haki, barely managing to block the attack. However, his body was out of control and he was sent flying by Alyosha's Crescent Impact.

Shave - Instant Step!

The next moment, Alyosha's figure disappeared from the ground and appeared behind Doflamingo ahead of time, slashing at Doflamingo's neck with his sword.

Shadow Rider Line!

Alyosha's blade flashed, and Doflamingo's body was severed from his head.

But in Alyosha's presence, he also transformed into a substitute made of silk threads.

Shave your feet!

Taking advantage of the opening created by his Stand, Doflamingo arrived above Alyosha's head, raised his long leg high, and delivered a tomahawk-style downward chop to Alyosha.

Several thin lines of Armament Haki slashed down from the toe of Doflamingo's pointed leather shoes.

If this strike lands, it could easily slice a building to pieces.

However, Alyosha used the same move.

Paper painting·afterimage!

Doflamingo's Foot Shave attack missed, adding another scar to the auction hall below.

When he came to his senses, he saw Alyosha's figure appear all around him. These clones of Alyosha, created through the Paper Drawing and Afterimage, all made a synchronized sword-raising motion, with the tips of their blades aimed at Doflamingo.

Finger Pistol - Shockwave!

More than a dozen shockwaves, some real and some fake, were released at the same time, leaving Doflamingo, who was in mid-air, with no way to avoid them. He could only throw out a spider web made of silk threads around himself and use his Armament Haki to defend himself.

But Alyosha's move is not as powerful as his Crescent Moon Heavenly Strike that he just unleashed.

Crescent Moon Strike is a blade-shaped shockwave, three-dimensional and with a large range. Therefore, Spider's Nest, a defensive skill, can block most of Alyosha's slash power, and then use Armament Haki to offset the remaining damage.

However, the shock wave is linear, more like a beam of light, and the diameter of the beam depends entirely on how much force Alyosha wants to exert.

This means that Doflamingo's spiderweb with holes cannot completely defend against Alyosha's barrage-like attacks. It can even only reduce the effectiveness of the attacks by half, because the shockwaves can penetrate through the holes in the spiderweb and directly attack Doflamingo behind it.

At the same time, Alyosha possesses the highest level of Observation Haki.

His positioning and the angle at which the shockwave was released created blind spots for Doflamingo's defense.

Doflamingo's spider web did not stop any of the shockwaves; more than a dozen shockwaves slammed into Doflamingo solidly.

His Armament Haki defense was shattered, and his limbs were twisted into irregular shapes by the shockwave.

Even the sunglasses he always wore on his face were blasted off and caught by Alyosha.

The battle ended with the shockwave unleashed by Alyosha.

Doflamingo, who hasn't yet developed his String-String Fruit to the point of awakening, was no match for Alyosha. He didn't even have the strength to utter a harsh word before crashing straight to the ground.

Before falling into a coma from severe injuries, the last thing Doflamingo saw was Alyosha standing in the sky, raising his hand to summon the sofa, which had remained undamaged from the start to the end of the battle, to his feet, where he slowly sat down.

Looking down at the battered and bruised Doflamingo, he asked with a smile:

"Now, who stands in the sky? Don Quixote Doflamingo?"