Dressrosa, SMILE Factory
Pica knelt on one knee, clutching his stomach as blood seeped between his fingers. His massive frame trembled slightly from the impact he had just endured. In front of him stood Jack, arms crossed, his expression filled with disdain as he looked down on the fallen executive.
"Is this all Doflamingo's subordinates are capable of?"
Behind him, members of the Beasts Pirates burst into arrogant laughter. Their mocking voices echoed through the factory grounds. Torrebol and the others clenched their fists, their anger boiling over. Diamante slowly drew the rapier from his waist and pointed it straight at Jack, his voice filled with fury.
"Bastard! This is the Darkside Family's territory! Even if you serve one of the Four Emperors, you cannot act however you please here!"
Jack threw his head back and laughed loudly, his voice filled with ridicule.
"Hahaha! The Darkside Family? We gave you too much respect before, and now you think you are something important?"
Those words completely ignited the rage of Doflamingo's executives.
Gladius was the first to move. As Pica's direct subordinate, he refused to tolerate such humiliation. He raised his arm, firing several stones toward Jack using the mechanism attached to his body. In the next instant, he activated his Devil Fruit ability, turning those stones into explosive charges.
A chain of violent explosions erupted around Jack, flames and smoke engulfing his massive body.
However, when the dust settled, Jack stood there completely unharmed.
As a Fish-Man and a user of an Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit, his defense was monstrous.
Diamante's expression hardened. Without hesitation, he swung his rapier forward, releasing a sharp and narrow slash.
"Half Moon Burial!"
This time, Jack took the attack slightly more seriously. He coated his arms in Armament Haki and crossed them in front of his chest. A chilling metallic sound rang out as the slash collided with him, yet once again, he remained uninjured.
Jack was one of the Three Disasters of the Beasts Pirates, a Yonko Commander. Even if he was not the strongest among them, his strength was still far beyond that of ordinary fighters. Being injured by a mere executive of a Shichibukai crew would be nothing short of disgrace.
His eyes gleamed with mockery. Stretching his neck, he suddenly charged forward like an unstoppable war machine.
As he ran, his nose extended and transformed into a thick elephant trunk, wrapped in Armament Haki.
Pica forced himself to stand and immediately merged with the surrounding stone using his Devil Fruit ability. His body expanded rapidly, forming a towering stone giant that stood in front of the others as a shield.
Boom!
With a deafening impact, the stone giant shattered instantly under Jack's charge. The force sent Pica flying out from within, blood spraying from his mouth as he crashed into Torrebol, knocking him unconscious on the spot.
Jack did not stop.
He swung his trunk, sending Lao G and the already weakened Pica flying across the battlefield. Gladius detonated the ground beneath Jack's feet, but the massive Fish-Man only staggered slightly before regaining his balance.
Another swing of his trunk sent Gladius crashing away.
Diamante led the remaining executives forward, continuing their assault, but it was clear they were struggling. Behind Jack, the Beasts Pirates simply watched, their expressions filled with amusement.
Jack rampaged through the battlefield, enduring every attack while tearing apart everything in his path. The ground collapsed beneath his feet, and the surrounding structures began to crumble.
The SMILE factory itself was on the verge of being destroyed.
At that moment, several enormous stones suddenly descended from the sky, crashing down with overwhelming force and burying Jack completely.
A figure slowly descended from above.
Doflamingo.
He landed lightly on the ground, his pink feather coat swaying slightly. His crimson sunglasses reflected the chaos around him.
"Doflamingo!"
Diamante called out, relief evident in his voice.
Doflamingo gave a slight nod. Without even glancing at the battlefield, he ordered the severely injured Pica and others to be taken away. Only then did he turn his attention to the pile of rubble that buried Jack.
A cold glint flashed behind his glasses.
"Roar!"
The rubble exploded outward.
A massive brown mammoth burst forth, its enormous form shaking the ground. Steam shot out from its nostrils as its huge eyes locked onto Doflamingo.
"Doflamingo… it seems you truly intend to become an enemy of the Beasts Pirates!"
Doflamingo's lips curled into a cold smile.
"Jack, you injured my Darkside Family. If you do not pay the price today, you are not leaving this place."
His gaze shifted to Jack's massive tusks, and his smile turned cruel.
"Fufufufu… those tusks of yours look quite valuable. They would make a fine offering to that Lord."
Jack froze for a brief moment, then his rage exploded.
"You are asking for death!"
He let out a furious roar and charged forward in his full beast form. Each step caused tremors to ripple across the ground, his momentum overwhelming.
Doflamingo remained completely calm.
Just before Jack could crash into him, he shot into the air using his strings.
Jack missed.
He swung his massive head around, searching for his opponent.
Above him, Doflamingo sat casually atop the SMILE factory roof, looking down like a king observing a beast.
He raised his hand slightly.
In an instant, countless nearly invisible strings spread across the battlefield.
Two massive stone slabs were pulled together by those strings, slamming into Jack from both sides and trapping him in between like a pressed slab of meat.
But it did not end there.
Even as Jack broke free, the ground beneath him began to ripple unnaturally. The earth itself twisted and surged like waves, wrapping around him and attempting to restrain him completely.
This was the awakened power of the String-String Fruit.
Everything around him had become Doflamingo's weapon.
Even Jack's subordinates were caught in the shifting terrain, while Diamante and the others were lifted safely into the air by strings, avoiding the chaos below.
Swoosh!
A figure burst upward from the ground.
Jack had shifted into his hybrid form.
His expression was twisted with fury.
He understood now that his full beast form was too slow and cumbersome against an opponent who controlled the battlefield from the air.
With a powerful stomp, he launched himself like a cannonball toward Doflamingo.
But once again, Doflamingo simply moved aside effortlessly.
Jack landed heavily, missing yet again.
His patience snapped.
He looked up at the sky and roared.
"Doflamingo! You cowardly insect! If you have any guts, come down here and fight me!"
Doflamingo floated in the air, arms crossed, his grin wide and mocking.
"Fufufufu… an insect?"
His voice carried a chilling arrogance.
"I am Heavenly Yasha. If you are dissatisfied, then come up here, you foolish beast."