On a distant mountain peak, Zean and Dofmingo’s battle had reached a fever pitch.

  Dofmingo’s clothes were in tatters, his face smeared with blood, and gruesome wounds dotted his body. Yet he seemed oblivious to the pain, pressing his hands to the ground to activate his awakened Devil Fruit powers.

  “Surge Wave White Thread!”

  In an instant, half the mountairansformed into a sea of white threads, surging toward Zean like a tsunami.

  Zean was just as battered, with a bloody gash across her cheek. Seeing the wave of threads closing in, she used Shave to retreat and create distance.

  “Don’t think you’re the only oh awakened powers! Thorned Moon Barrage!”

  From the ground, tless bck thored, f a dense forest that collided head-on with the white threads.

  The two forces cshed violently—threads slig through thorns, thorns tearing through threads—turning the entire mountain into a battlefield of bd white.

  “Five-Colored Thread!”

  Seizing an opportunity, Dofmingo unched a precise attack, aiming the razor-sharp threads at Zean’s neck for a swift decapitation.

  *So fast!* Zean’s pupils shrank as she realized she couldn’t dodge in time.

  She raised her Haki-coated arm to block the attack.

  The threads struck with a grinding screech, sending sparks flying. While her Armament Haki held, it wasn’t refined enough to pletely nullify the blow, and a deep gash was left on her arm, exposing the bone.

  Ign the searing pain, Zean tered. Maniputing the thorns, she unched several spikes directly at Dofmingo’s face.

  “Thread Shield!”

  A white-thread shield materialized before Dofmingo. While it was highly effective against sshes and blunt force, its defense against pierg attacks was g.

  There was a sharp crack as most spikes were stopped, but two broke through, impaling Dofmingo’s shoulder.

  Both batants retreated, heavily injured and panting, their eyes locked in a deadly stare.

  Zean clutched her bleeding arm, blood staining half her body. *Damn it, my arm’s useless now! And this blood loss... it’s too fast.*

  *It’s been years, and he’s gotteronger!**she thought bitterly.

  Unlike Zean, who had attehe Navy’s elite training program, Dofmingo had fought his way through tless life-ah battles. Zean had expected to domihe fight, but instead, they were evenly matched, both sustaining serious injuries.

  Dofmingo gritted his teeth as he yanked out the spikes from his shoulder. The agony turned his face pale, sweat mixing with blood as it dripped down his .

  “Fufufufu... Hahahaha!” Dofmingo’s sudden ughter echoed through the air.

  “After all these years, Zean, this is the first time we’ve crossed paths again. And it seems we’re still evenly matched!” he sneered.

  Zean scoffed. “If it weren’t for your ckeys meddling st time, you’d be dead already.”

  “Fufufu...” Dofmingo ighe jab, his grin unfaltering. “Once Pikra and the others finish off your subordinates, your time is up. Bme your own foolishness... and your ck of a family worth trusting.”

  “Ugh, spare me your 'family loyalty' nonsense!” Zeaed, rolling her eyes. “I’m not one of those idiots who’ll grovel for crumbs while you spin lies. You prey on fools, and that’s just low, even for you.”

  Dofmingo’s smile faltered, his expression darkening. “Fufufu... Say what you want. In the end, I’ll sever that clever little head of yours and turn your skull into my wine cup!”

  Without warning, Dofmingo leaped into the air, unleashing bck wind bdes that gouged deep craters into the ground.

  In the distance, Smoker and Hina approached using Geppo.

  “Hina, protect Rear Admiral Zean! I’ll handle him!” Smoker barked.

  “Uood!” Hina accelerated toward Zean.

  “Not so fast!” Dofmingo roared. “Five-Colored Thread!”

  The colorful threads sshed through Hina—only for her body to disperse into smoke and reform in front of Zean.

  “Logia?!”

  Dofmingo’s heart sank. These two marines were far more troublesome than he’d anticipated.

  Zean, barely holding on, mao mutter, “I’ll leave it to you,” before colpsing. With her sciousness fading, the thorny forest created by her awakened powers vanished.

  Zeon was finally at her limit, unlike Dofmingo, whose resilience seemed monstrous. Her earlier bravado had merely been a fa?ade to deceive him, f herself to stand tall despite her injuries.

  The truth was, Dofmingo could have ended her life with a single move moments ago.

  Now that the tension broke, Zeon could no longer hold on. She colpsed, unscious, her strength pletely drained.

  Hina, armed, quickly cradled Zeon in her arms and prepared to escape using Geppo.

  Dofmingo roared in fury, “Bring that woman back! I still need her head as a trophy!”

  Threads ced with Haki sshed through the air toward the two women.

  Hina gritted her teeth, holdiightly as she prepared to shield her with her body, brag for the impact.

  Suddenly, Smoker appeared in front of them.

  “Tekkai!”

  The threads struck with a screech, sparks and blood flying everywhere. Smoker’s chest bore five deep gashes, pain t his face as veins bulged on his forehead. Yet, he stood firm, stopping the attack.

  Dofmingo’s fiwitched.

  “Bullet String!”

  “Rankyaku!”

  The two attacks collided mid-air, erupting in smoke and debris.

  Taking the opportunity, Hina flew off with Zeon in her arms, creating as much distance as possible.

  “Fufufu... Such boldness for a mere Marine soldier to stand in my way!” Dofmingo’s manic ughter echoed as he jured a spear of white threads, hurling it at Smoker.

  “Dark Void!”

  A dark aura enveloped Smoker’s body, spreading to the ining threads and abs them entirely.

  Dofmingo’s eyes widened in shock. **What kind of ability is this?!**

  The unusual power momentarily stunned him, and Smoker capitalized on the distra.

  “Dark Pull!”

  Dofmingo, caught off guard, was yanked forward by an invisible force, his wrist caught in Smoker’s iron grip.

  “Hmph, hand-to-hand bat? Fine… Overheat String!”

  This move sent five threads from above, aiming to pierce through Smoker’s body.

  Dofmingo’s t height gave him the perfegle to execute the move, but theiced something uling—the attack didn’t work.

  “What’s going on?!”

  “Hmph… Figure it out yourself,” Smoker replied coldly, eling power into his fist.

  With a heavy punch, Smoker struingo’s abdomen. Though devoid of Haki, the sheer force sent Dofmingo flying dozens of meters, smashing through massive rocks and trees before crashing to the ground.

  Dofmingo tried to rise, but his body froze. He coughed up blood and colpsed, uo move.

  His earlier battle with Zeon had left him riddled with internal aernal injuries. While his retly developed ability to stitch wounds gave him an edge, it wasn’t enough. The cumutive damage and Smoker’s powerful blow finally drained his strength entirely.

  Smoker wasn’t about to let him recover. Charging forward, he prepared to deal the finishing blow.

  Suddenly, the grouo Dofmingo rippled.

  Senior Pink emerged, grabbing Dofmingo and attempting to escape into the earth.

  “You won’t get away!” Smoker bellowed. “Dark Pull!”

  The immense su forearly dragged both men upward. Senior Pink g to Dofmingo’s ah one hand and a massive embedded rock with the other, struggling to resist.

  But the pull grew stronger, and the rock began to loosen.

  Desperate, Senior Pink shouted, “Young Master! Wake up!”

  The harsh pull and the urgent cry stirred Dofmingo bai-sciousness. Gritting his teeth, he mustered the st remnants of his strength.

  “Shield White Thread…”

  A shield of white threads appeared in front of them, briefly blog Smoker’s pull.

  “Escape... underground...”

  With those final words, Dofmingo’s head drooped, and he passed out pletely.

  The white shield shattered uhe foroker’s power, but it had bought just enough time.

  Senior Pink dove into the earth with Dofmingo, vanishiirely.

  Smoker nded where they had disappeared, his face grim. He smmed the ground in frustration, leaving a deep crater.

  “Damn it!”

  Regret washed over him. If he had mastered Armament Haki, his earlier punch could have ended Dofmingood.

  Even Observation Haki would have sufficed—Senior Pink’s ability allowed him to swim through the earth, but he still needed air. Smoker could have tracked him, waiting for the moment they surfaced.

  But now it was too te.

  Without knowing which dire they fled, and with Senior Pink’s ability to hold his breath for several mirag them was impossible.

  *I o prioritize Haki training when I get back,* Smoker thought with a heavy sigh.

  Shaking off his frustratiouro find Hina and Zeoermiroup.