Chapter 63 63 Direct Confrontation
Almost at the same time.
A miniature air door appeared directly above Doflamingo's head.
A fist burst through, striking straight for the crown of his skull.
"Shield White!"
Several pillars of string shot up rapidly, interlocking to block the iron fist.
*BOOM!!!*
The violent collision sent shockwaves rippling through the air.
A massive amount of string was snapped by the impact.
But with the endless replenishment from the white waves of string, the iron fist remained unable to break through; it even looked as though it would soon be ensnared by the extending threads.
He decisively withdrew.
The arm retracted into the air door.
The interlocking pillars didn't return to the white waves. Instead, even more pillars rose, weaving a massive defensive net around Doflamingo in the blink of an eye.
It was clear.
Zane's attacks using the Door-Door Fruit's power had made Doflamingo extremely wary, leaving him unable to afford even the slightest lapse in concentration.
"He's certainly not easy to deal with!"
Inside the Door-Door Space, Zane frowned as he watched Doflamingo maintain his tight defense from the outside.
In the current state of battle, Zane seemed to hold the high ground while remaining inside the Door-Door Space.
But in reality...
Paramecia-types aren't like Zoan-types.
Maintaining an awakening for a long time was indeed a heavy burden on physical stamina.
But the same applied to him.
Staying inside the Door-Door Space for an extended period also consumed a significant amount of his stamina.
'Should I activate Prohibition Mode then?'
"If I did that, it would be far too boring!" Zane chuckled softly.
If his only goal was to win, why wouldn't he have activated Prohibition Mode from the very start?
By disabling Devil Fruit powers, his chances of winning would certainly be much higher.
He hadn't done so not because he coveted the String-String Fruit, but because he was using Doflamingo as a whetstone. He also wanted to measure his own capabilities.
Measuring what, exactly?
His current level within the world of pirates, of course.
Doflamingo's strength was mid-tier among the Seven Warlords.
Within the grander scale of the world, he was upper-middle rank.
While he couldn't be compared to Admirals or the Four Emperors, he was certainly a "silver medalist" caliber fighter.
If he could defeat such an opponent with his true strength, Zane would be better equipped to judge his future prospects on the high seas.
An air door manifested.
But it didn't appear near Doflamingo this time.
Dozens of meters away.
Zane stepped out from the opening.
The manifestation of the air door was immediately noticed by the wary Doflamingo.
'Did he give up?'
Doflamingo felt a chill when he saw Zane step out.
After their exchange, he had long since lost the composure he arrived with, now viewing Zane as a powerful enemy on his own level.
The white waves of string surged.
Even though he didn't understand why Zane was moving away, Doflamingo didn't relax for a second.
"Off-White!"
The white waves spread to Zane's feet, churning violently like a frenzied tidal wave, attempting to sweep him up and entangle him.
"Steel Wings!"
He leaped into the air.
Two metallic wings composed of countless iron feathers extended from Zane's back, one on each side.
Hidden within the wings were dense arrays of tiny pores, each containing a small fan.
Powered by the Spin-Spin Fruit, the fans blasted strong air currents from the pores, making the heavy metal wings exceptionally light and allowing Zane to fly freely.
Flight is an innate dream of humanity.
Zane was no different.
To this end, after obtaining [Body of Steel], he used its shape-shifting Nen properties to develop these Steel Wings.
"Flap Thread!"
Doflamingo, who had originally planned to restrain him with the waves, immediately shifted his offense upon seeing Zane's ability to fly.
He swung both arms, and in an instant, countless threads infused with Armament Haki shot out frantically in the shape of flamingo wings.
"Ten Thousand Arrows: Spinning Wings!"
Learning on the fly, Zane calmly spread his Steel Wings to face the oncoming flamingos.
He gave his wings a powerful beat.
Because they were part of his own body, the countless feathered arrows were controlled by the Spin-Spin Fruit, firing out in a rapidly rotating barrage.
The arrows, infused with Nen and Armament Haki, took the shape of soaring wings.
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
The flamingos and the soaring wings collided.
Sharp threads sliced through feathers, while rotating arrows shredded the strings.
Sparks flew continuously in the intense clash.
In terms of pure power, the soaring wings held the advantage.
After all, with the boost from the Spin-Spin Fruit, the spiraling arrows possessed immense piercing and tearing force.
Thus, an arrow would often grind through over a dozen strings before being stopped.
However, the reality of the clash was that the soaring wings were being suppressed.
The reason was simple.
The difference in numbers was too vast.
The awakening of the String-String Fruit granted Doflamingo a seemingly infinite supply of thread.
With constant replenishment, the flamingos brute-forced their way through the soaring wings and continued their sweep toward Zane with undiminished momentum.
"Door-Door Fruit: Absolute Defense!"
Raising his hand, a massive air door manifested.
Amidst the sound of frantic impacts, the flamingos were intercepted by the air door.
No matter how many threads struck it, they could not break through.
He spread his wings and soared high.
Taking advantage of the interception, Zane leaped up from behind, his wings beating out violent air currents as he dove toward Doflamingo like a meteor.
"Overheat!"
Doflamingo whipped his right hand behind him.
A massive amount of string coiled into a thick pillar, stretching out before snapping back with incredible force, erupting from his hand like a beam of white light.
*BOOM!!!*
Diving down, Zane didn't dodge; his metalized right arm spun at high speeds, using the momentum of his descent to meet the white beam head-on.
The two collided instantly with a tremendous impact.
Amidst the explosive roar, visible shockwaves swept outward.
Dazzling sparks erupted where the fist met the pillar of string.
The addition of high-speed rotation undoubtedly granted Zane's fist a terrifying drilling force.
After a brief stalemate, the tip of the string pillar was shredded, blooming outward like a mangled flower.
'This is...'
Doflamingo's pupils constricted as he stared intently at Zane's spinning right arm.
He wasn't frightened by the attack; rather, he saw the unmistakable traces of the Spin-Spin Fruit in Zane's rotating arm.
Though shocked, there was no time for Doflamingo to dwell on it.
Seeing Overheat being overwhelmed, his left hand immediately fired off another pillar of string.
"Overheat!"
Compared to the previous strike, this one was smaller in scale and power, but significantly faster to deploy.
'Not enough!'
Sensing another pillar incoming, Zane's eyes sharpened.
"Aggressive as Fire: Ripper Incineration Cannon!"
The [Ripper Cyclotron] charged up.
Searing flames swirled around his right arm like a tornado.
*BOOM!!!*
A terrifying crimson blast erupted from his fist, not only annihilating both string pillars but also hurtling toward Doflamingo with violent intensity.
Danger!
Detecting the crimson blast with his Observation Haki, Doflamingo's expression shifted; he immediately felt a threat potent enough to take his life.
"Mega Shield White!!"
The white waves surging beneath him rose up entirely, transforming into a massive white shield.
*KABOOM!!!*
The heat was savage.
In an earth-shattering explosion, the crimson impact slammed into the white shield.
Layers of shockwaves radiated outward, churning the air in every direction.
Forcing its way forward.
The white shield began to cave inward.
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