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Gradually, the wind and snow settled. The white Marine cloak fluttered loudly before falling silent.
Blue arcs of lightning crackled violently while Haoshoku Haki surged and coiled around the figure standing ahead with his back turned.
Even without seeing his face, Rosinante recognized him almost instantly, just from that voice alone.
He was the man Rosinante had once admired more than anyone else, the man he had looked up to for nearly his entire life:
The legendary Marine Vice Admiral, Kojin!
Since the execution of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, and his own covert infiltration mission, Rosinante had rarely heard any news about Kojin. Even when he asked Sengoku, the answers were always vague.
"I invested a great deal of effort in you. And I believed you had tremendous potential." The calm voice of the man ahead caused Rosinante's expression to change again.
"Yet I never expected... That when I saw you again, you would be so disappointing.'
Kojin let out a soft sigh.
"I'm sorry! I've let you down!"
Rosinante's lips trembled and tears burst from his eyes. After more than ten years, he had finally managed to force out those three words.
"Boom!"
Thunder roared across the sky. Lightning streaked through the void, tearing across the heavens above them.
The coldness on Kojin's face suddenly faded, replaced by a hint of warmth and pity.
"But you are still my most beloved subordinate. As your senior officer, it's only natural for me to overlook all your shortcomings."
After a brief pause, his gaze shifted towards the man in front of him.
"You dared to lay hands on my subordinate. Are you prepared for the consequences?"
The icy tone of his voice made Donquixote Doflamingo stiffen, and sweat began to form on his forehead as he held the pistol.
"Legendary Vice Admiral… Kojin!" He spoke the name slowly, his face filled with gravity.
He knew this man, of course; he would never forget him. He had seen him once, on that execution platform.
He was a Marine whose terrifying record could make even his fellow Marines tremble. Just hearing his name was enough to shatter one's will to fight.
"I remember him! He... he's Kojin!" At that moment, one of the Donquixote Family officers had shouted in shock and terror.
As the name left his mouth, he involuntarily stepped back, his entire body trembling.
"Why is this monster here on Minion Island?!"
"Is Corazon his subordinate?"
"So he infiltrated the family under Kojin's orders?!"
"But how is that possible? With this man's strength, he could easily wipe us all out!"
Fear and confusion spread through the officers.
"You're Doflamingo, aren't you? You've made quite a name for yourself on the seas lately." Kojin said indifferently, his eyes resting on Doflamingo.
"Fufufufufu… How interesting. I didn't expect to meet the long-retired Vice Admiral Kojin here."
Doflamingo's expression steadied and his eyes narrowed as he smiled.
Many pirates of the current era had indeed not seen Kojin for a long time; he was almost like a recluse.
"If I were still serving at Headquarters… You would never have had the chance to become famous." Kojin replied coldly.
"You may have had great fame in the previous era… But that's just the glory of a bygone age, Vice Admiral Kojin. Right now, we're living in one of the rarest times in history. 'The Great Age of Piracy! '" Doflamingo spread his arms wide. Behind his sunglasses, the fear had vanished, replaced by excitement and madness.
Yes, what he feared was the Kojin of that execution day. But more than ten years had passed since then.
He was no longer that weak boy.
He was stronger. More mature.
Now he was qualified to stand among the world's top powerhouses.
"If you dare stand in my way... Even you... I won't hesitate to strike!"
A sharp glint flashed across his sunglasses, and his figure vanished instantly, reappearing right in front of Kojin.
His right leg rose high and came crashing down ruthlessly.
"A foolish brat. In my eyes, you're still that weak boy hiding in the corner of Loguetown, trembling as you watched me." Kojin sneered.
He raised his leg and kicked forward.
"Bang!"
Their legs collided violently in an instant.
"A weak boy can become a dragon! And I'm no longer who I used to be! Clinging to past glory is exactly how you old relics start to decline!" Doflamingo grinned savagely, his eyes widening.
"Buzz...!"
A vast, domineering aura erupted from him, crashing forward like a tidal wave.
But it was useless.
It didn't even cause the slightest change in Kojin's expression.
Instead... An even more terrifying and overwhelming force surged back.
It was like mountains crashing down from above.
"Your Haoshoku... The purity is far too low!" Kojin sneered.
In an instant, a black-and-red storm of aura swept across Minion Island. Doflamingo's Haoshoku Haki shattered in a single breath, torn completely apart.
Even his sunglasses cracked.
"What a terrifying aura!"
The expressions of the Donquixote Family officers changed drastically. The weaker ones rolled their eyes back and collapsed unconscious on the spot. In the face of such overwhelming pressure, anyone with weak willpower couldn't even remain standing, let alone stay conscious.
"Talking about the decline of the older generation... Talking about the so-called Great Age of Piracy… In my eyes..."
A low voice suddenly echoed in his ear.
Donquixote Doflamingo trembled violently, sensing a terrifying presence closing in behind him. He wanted to turn around, but under that savage, crushing aura, even the slightest movement felt impossible.
The opponent's Haoshoku was far too terrifying!
"...It's nothing more than the cowardly self-consolation of the weak!"
A large hand suddenly pressed down on his head. Blue lightning crackled violently in an instant, jolting his entire body and causing a twisted expression of agony to appear on his face.
It felt as though his skull was about to be crushed.
"Absolutely ridiculous!"
A surge of power engulfed his entire body like a bursting flood. Before he could react or evade, he could only watch Doflamingo's face draw closer and closer to the snow-covered ground.
Bang!
A thunderous impact rang out. The snow within a radius of a thousand meters trembled violently. The members of the Donquixote Family stared ahead in horror as their worldviews collapsed and their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
Their seemingly invincible Young Lord had his head slammed straight into the ground.
That single hand seemed to possess infinite strength, pressing cracks into the earth like a spreading spiderweb.
"Young Lord!" Trembling voices rang out as fear of that figure reached its peak.
"Is that all?" Kojin shook his head as he slowly straightened up and withdrew his hand.
Looking down at Doflamingo, whose head was embedded in the ground, he filled his eyes with disdain and mockery.
"More than ten years have passed, and you're still the same boy who hid from me all those years ago." His calm voice blended with the howling wind and snow.
Lying on the ground, Doflamingo's fingers suddenly twitched.
"Clang!"
A crisp sound rang out as five nearly invisible, razor-sharp slashes shot through the air towards Kojin. Kojin stood completely unmoving, showing no sign of dodging, like a mountain.
The next second, cuts suddenly appeared on his neck, chest, abdomen, thighs and calves, tearing through his clothes.
Doflamingo yanked his head out of the snow and quickly retreated.
"Fufufufufu… As expected of the feared Kojin! You're forcing me to go all out right from the start!"
A low laugh echoed as his fingers trembled again.
"Goshikito - Five Color Strings!"
Thin threads snapped taut like blades and sliced across Kojin's body.
Shrrrk!
The sound of fabric tearing echoed as his clothes were cut apart. Yet his expression didn't change in the slightest. His body remained as immovable as a mountain.
"Is that the ability you're so proud of?"
"Putting on a little embroidery show in front of me?"
Kojin said calmly, lifting his head.
Doflamingo's pupils shrank. His sharp threads had only torn the man's clothing.
That body was like steel.
When the threads struck, sparks even flickered.
"Well then… Now it's my turn."
These simple words caused Doflamingo's expression to change again.
The moment the voice reached his ears, Kojin was already in front of him.
A fist followed, moving at an impossible speed.
Bang!
The punch slammed into his cheek. His feet left the ground in an instant and his body shot sideways like a cannonball.
"Not even enough for a warm-up." Kojin shook his head and sighed.
But, to his surprise... After a short while, Doflamingo staggered back to his feet.
His face was covered in blood, his sunglasses were shattered, and he looked utterly miserable.
Yet he still stood.
"Not bad." Kojin smiled faintly in approval. "You've got some tenacity, at least."
However, at that moment, Doflamingo was filled with frustration and rage.
He had to admit it. The gap between them was enormous. It was like a chasm that could never be crossed. All his previous bold declarations now seemed like a complete joke.
His Five Colour Strings couldn't even cut through Kojin's skin. Even when his Observation Haki predicted Kojin's next move, his body simply couldn't keep up.
This was a resounding defeat. It shattered his pride, leaving only despair and fear behind.
"Well then… Try this." Kojin's voice rang out again, causing Doflamingo's expression to turn grave.
When he saw the crackling blue lightning gathering between Kojin's fingers, condensing into a towering pillar of thunder, his eyes rolled back.
The next second... His body, which had only just managed to stand, collapsed heavily to the ground. Blood soaked into the snow and spread into a crimson pool. Deep, horrifying wounds were visible across his face and skull.
The severe injuries he had sustained in that brief battle had robbed him of consciousness.
Leaving him unable to continue any longer.
(End of Chapter)