Doflamingo looked over, eyes bloodshot.

Pica had used the power of the Stone-Stone Fruit to assemble a hundred-meter-tall rock giant, its every step causing the earth to tremble.

But such a massive stone giant was nothing more than a giant target in front of Gion.

With Konpira in hand, Gion easily sliced the rock giant apart with a few sword swings.

No matter how Pica twisted and dodged through the stone, he couldn't escape the lock of Gion's Observation Haki. In the end, he was struck down by a single sword.

Pica tried to get back up and continue fighting, but he no longer had the strength.

"So this is... an admiral candidate…"

Pica collapsed to the ground with a bitter smile.

Against Gion, he didn't stand a chance.

He was never meant to face someone of her level.

The other two top officers nearby didn't fare much better.

Gecko Moria, having regained his fighting spirit—and shed some weight—completely overwhelmed Diamante.

This high-ranking officer, user of the Ripple-Ripple Fruit, was toyed with from start to finish.

If Moria hadn't been intentionally drawing things out to enjoy the nostalgia of his prime, Diamante would've been defeated even faster.

Once Gion wrapped up her battle with Pica, Moria immediately stopped holding back and stomped Diamante into the ground.

"Now that's more like it!"

Moria laughed loudly, clearly pleased with himself.

Even though he was bullying someone weaker, the joy of combat had returned. It felt like he was reliving his days in the New World.

Diamante's face turned green with resentment.

Damn it! One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea actually toyed with him like a clown!

Trebol had it even worse. He had already been turned into a statue and couldn't speak.

He was the first of the three elite officers to fall.

Hancock had used Mero Mero Mellow to incapacitate him instantly and turned him to stone.

Hancock gazed at Caelan with starry eyes, utterly intoxicated by his strength and presence.

Doflamingo had been crushed in a single exchange. Her Caelan was truly invincible!

Doflamingo turned his head and looked toward his other officers… only to see they had all been captured.

Tashigi, having transformed into a Nekomata swordswoman using the Cat-Cat Fruit, captured Baby 5 with ease. Even with her Weapon-Weapon Fruit barrages, she was no match. Assassins are always a threat to ranged bombers, after all.

Vivi transformed into a Garuda using the Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Garuda, and utterly dismantled Buffalo.

Kalifa, with her Mythical Zoan Pink Dragon form, flattened Lao G with overwhelming force.

Uta's Song-Song Fruit resonated across the battlefield, trapping several of the Donquixote officers in dreamlike illusions, their bodies collapsed while their minds sank into a world of melody.

The overwhelming strength of these Devil Fruits meant every battle was a one-sided rout.

Each of them could be compared to top-tier executive officers.

Beating these second-rate cadres was effortless.

The Heart Army, Diamond Army, Spade Army, and Club Army—Donquixote's four major forces—were all crushed by the advancing G-5 Marines.

And whenever a Marine soldier was in danger, Caelan would casually swing Shusui, instantly obliterating the attacking enemy in a mist of blood.

The Marines would cheer again, their admiration for Caelan reaching new heights.

Caelan's side had completely crushed the Donquixote Family, as if it were a dimensionality reduction strike.

Even more shamelessly, Caelan used the battle to gain reputation and boost morale.

"We lost… All of us lost…"

Doflamingo muttered to himself in despair.

In just over ten minutes, the entire Donquixote Family had been completely crushed by Caelan. From the top officers down to the grunts, not a single one was spared.

The empire he had spent years building crumbled like paper before Caelan.

It was all over. Everything he built was gone.

In contrast, Caelan stood tall, brimming with spirit.

"We really beat Doflamingo!"

The Marines of the G-5 branch roared in triumph.

In all their years serving as Marines, this was the first time they had defeated such a powerful pirate.

In one sentence: We, with Caelan, are truly unstoppable!

Hina was so excited that she chirped like a bird around Gion.

"…"

But Gion, Nami, and the other girls remained calm, only offering quiet smiles.

Compared to Caelan's earlier feats—fighting two admirals on the Sabaody Archipelago or unleashing the God-Slaying Spear in the East Blue—defeating Doflamingo wasn't particularly impressive.

Doflamingo listened to the victorious cheers and looked at his fallen officers. His mind teetered on the edge.

"Hehehe… hehehe… burn it all down!"

Doflamingo cackled maniacally, overcome by hysteria and rage.

"Birdcage!"

He poured every last ounce of his strength into one final move.

Thousands of razor-sharp white threads shot into the sky and, upon reaching their peak, began to fall like a meteor shower.

Countless threads wove together in midair, encasing the entire island of Dressrosa in a massive cage.

As the cage continued to shrink, its thin, sharpened threads would cut through everything—ultimately annihilating Dressrosa.

"I'll destroy Dressrosa!"

"You get NOTHING!"

Doflamingo screamed at Caelan with a deranged, sorrowful grin.

This was his final card. His strongest, most desperate technique.

With him actively compressing it, the birdcage would shrink rapidly. In just a few seconds, it could obliterate the entire kingdom.

Even if Caelan could cut the strings, he couldn't possibly destroy the entire birdcage in mere seconds.

You want to take my kingdom?

You'll get nothing!

And that treacherous woman Violet—I want her to watch as everything she loves turns to ash!

Doflamingo laughed wildly, his face twisted with malice.

"Caelan-sama!"

Violet cried out in panic.

She knew exactly how dangerous this technique was.

Stone walls and houses meant nothing to those razor-sharp threads. And fragile human bodies? Even less.

If the birdcage completed its compression, Dressrosa would become a graveyard.

"Birdcage…"

Watching Doflamingo unleash that all-too-familiar technique, Caelan felt a strange sense of nostalgia.

Once upon a time, that birdcage had trapped one of the Yonko and a Marine admiral.

That had been Doflamingo's peak.

He wondered how Doflamingo would feel reading the papers from prison later.

But Caelan wasn't interested in dragging this out.

"Secret Sword: Swallow Return – Septuple Strike!"

Caelan gripped Shusui and whispered.

Inspired by Sasaki Kojiro's famous technique from Fate, he unleashed three slashes at the same time, each curving like a swallow's flight path.

Naturally, such a technique wasn't purely physical. Achieving it required mastery of time, perception, and sword control beyond conventional means.

Normally, the "Swallow Return" was already considered an impossible triple-slash.

But Caelan?

He multiplied it by seven.

Secret Sword: Swallow Return – Septuple Strike!

In an instant, twenty-one shimmering sword arcs burst from his blade, covering the entire sky.

The birdcage, barely formed and yet to even begin shrinking, was sliced into short fragments in midair.

Doflamingo looked at the raining threads in stunned silence. His twisted grin froze.

He stared blankly at Caelan.

What the hell is this guy…?

How can he be this strong!?

"What were you planning to destroy?"

Caelan stepped in front of Doflamingo and looked down at him.

"Haha… You monster…"

Doflamingo spat bitterly.

Then he collapsed completely, silent and still.

(To be continued.)

***

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