In the mountains behind Ohara, West Blue, frightened animals occasionally burst from the forest and fled in every direction.
Powerful gusts erupted between the trees at irregular intervals, shaking leaves from their branches.
It sounded as though two people were fighting deep within the woods.
That was exactly what was happening.
Doflamingo spun several times through the air before landing on a massive boulder.
A figure with both arms coated in Armament Haki appeared in front of the rock almost instantly, as though he had predicted exactly where Doflamingo would land.
Vergo drove a fist toward him.
Doflamingo made no attempt to evade.
He raised one leg and brought his foot down against Vergo’s fist.
Their Armament Haki collided.
The boulder beneath Doflamingo trembled as thin cracks spread across its surface.
The clash lasted only a moment.
When Vergo realized that his punch had been stopped, he immediately retracted his arm, stepped forward, and slammed his shoulder into the boulder.
The already damaged rock shattered beneath the impact.
Dust and fragments exploded across the clearing.
Vergo charged into the cloud before it could settle.
A rapid series of impacts rang out from within the dust, accompanied by bursts of compressed air.
Once Vergo caught Doflamingo at close range, he refused to give him any opportunity to create distance.
His fists accelerated with every strike.
Within seconds, the barrage became so fast that it resembled a machine gun firing through the smoke.
Doflamingo focused entirely on defense and counterattacks.
He opened his fists into palms while his eyes moved constantly behind his sunglasses.
Observation Haki sharpened his perception, allowing him to judge the path of every incoming strike with remarkable precision.
One after another, he redirected Vergo’s punches.
When two fighters were relatively evenly matched, the rhythm of combat was often simple.
Receive the attack.
Neutralize it.
Then retaliate.
Vergo’s relentless offensive was powerful, but no one could maintain that pace indefinitely.
After more than ten seconds, the muscles in his arms began to strain.
His punches slowed by the smallest margin.
That was enough.
A sharp light flashed in Doflamingo’s eyes.
For an instant, Observation Haki made the storm of fists before him perfectly clear.
Vergo’s movements seemed to slow.
Doflamingo’s hands shot through the barrage and seized both of Vergo’s wrists, stopping the entire offensive at once.
Vergo had exhausted the force behind his previous attacks but had not yet recovered enough to launch another.
His arms were also sluggish from the sustained strain.
He attempted to pull free, but Doflamingo’s grip held firm.
Surprise appeared in Vergo’s eyes.
Doflamingo briefly considered making some dramatic remark about speed deciding every battle.
Then he remembered that Vergo could simply stamp on his foot and decided against it.
The instant he caught Vergo’s arms, Doflamingo raised his left knee.
He pulled Vergo toward him and drove the knee toward his abdomen.
Vergo recovered from his surprise almost immediately.
As he was dragged half a step forward, he lifted one leg and coated it in Armament Haki, positioning it between himself and the incoming strike.
Their Haki collided once again.
A violent current of air erupted between them and swept outward through the forest.
Sparks crackled around them as the force of the clash made the surrounding air shudder.
Doflamingo had launched the attack first.
Vergo’s hurried defense could resist him only briefly.
A deep impact echoed through the clearing.
Vergo was sent flying like a cannonball.
He struck the ground and carved a trench more than ten meters long before friction finally slowed him.
He regained his balance almost immediately.
Then a shadow fell over him.
Vergo looked up.
Doflamingo was descending from above.
His exceptional flexibility allowed him to spread his legs nearly to their limit as he brought one heel down in a powerful axe kick.
Vergo pushed his Observation Haki as far as he could.
The moment he saw Doflamingo, he calculated the path of the attack.
There was still time.
He could avoid it.
Vergo planted one hand against the ground and prepared to throw himself aside.
Then his pupils contracted.
An invisible force struck him before Doflamingo’s leg reached him.
Vergo recognized the power immediately.
Armament Haki.
But that should have been impossible.
There was still a clear distance between them.
Before Vergo could understand what had happened, the unseen impact drove him into the earth.
The ground shattered beneath him.
A cloud of dust erupted from the newly formed crater.
More than ten seconds passed before the dust finally began to clear.
Doflamingo stood at the edge of the crater.
He casually brushed the dirt from the pink feathers covering his shoulders.
“Fuffuffuffu… It seems I reached the next step before you, Vergo.” Inside the crater, Vergo struggled upright.
The clothing over one shoulder had been torn apart, revealing badly bruised skin beneath it.
A trace of blood stained the corner of his mouth.
He appeared injured, but not seriously enough to cause concern.
Such wounds had become normal for the two of them.
They had trained and sparred together since childhood.
Neither held back enough to make their fights safe.
Sometimes Doflamingo finished with internal injuries.
Other times, Vergo left with broken bones.
Their training emphasized genuine combat.
“Armament Haki emission?” Vergo asked excitedly.
“You finally managed it?” Despite losing, he showed no disappointment.
He was genuinely pleased that Doflamingo had become stronger.
“That’s right.” Doflamingo nodded.
“For the past two days, I felt as though I was close to understanding it, but something was still missing.” He adjusted his sunglasses, and a smile spread across his face.
“When I brought that kick down just now, the feeling came naturally.” “I followed it without thinking.” “And the Haki flowed beyond my body.” “I knew you were talented,” Vergo said with a grin.
“You always claim otherwise, but you’re clearly gifted.” “No.” Doflamingo shook his head without hesitation.
“Compared with the true monsters of this world, I still have a long way to go.” He might possess greater talent than someone like Vergo, but the seas were filled with beings who existed on an entirely different level.
Kaido was nearly impossible to kill.
Charlotte Linlin had possessed monstrous strength from birth.
Compared with people like them, Doflamingo’s natural gifts were far less impressive.
Then there was the Straw Hat who would appear in the future.
Within barely two and a half years of setting sail, that lunatic would defeat veteran powers who had dominated the world for decades.
There was no reasonable comparison.
Vergo had never encountered monsters of that level, so he assumed Doflamingo was simply being modest.
He did not argue.
Instead, he asked eagerly, “What about your Observation Haki, Doffy?
Have you felt yourself approaching its next level?” Doflamingo shook his head regretfully.
“No.” “Compared with Armament Haki, I haven’t found even the slightest clue about how to advance my Observation Haki.”