Chapter 101: Chapter 101 : A Taste of Violet
"Hey everyone, I need a bit more time to correct mistakes, rewrite, and edit this book. I apologize for the delays due to name changes in the story. I'll have everything updated in 2-3 days and promise a high-quality translation. Feel free to check out my other work, '(One Piece: Marine of the Straw Hat Pirates),' to see the quality of my translations."
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After Violet heard Hikaru repeat himself twice, she finally grasped his meaning. A sigh of relief escaped her as she clung to Hikaru's shoulders, whispering, "I understand!"
"Good, just understand~"
Hikaru leaned down, lightly savoring the scent of Violet's hair. The delicate, sweet aroma, reminiscent of licorice but not overpowering, filled his nostrils.
Wonderful! Wonderful!
With a flash of lightning, Hikaru zipped out of the palace. Violet's soft gasps and exclamations of delight reached his ears, making him feel the joyous rush of flying with her once more.
Just as Hikaru was returning along the palace corridor, several sounds of tearing air echoed from the side.
Shhhhhh!
"Five-Colored String!"
Hikaru glanced around, a flicker of surprise in his eyes at this "weak attack." He didn't even need to dodge. Simply holding Violet closer, he raised a hand and unleashed a bolt of lightning, shattering the five sharp strings into countless pieces.
In the distance, Doflamingo, wearing his signature sunglasses, sported his usual wide smile. However, a closer look would reveal a hint of awkwardness beneath it.
"That's a clone Doflamingo created using his Devil Fruit power! Be careful, he's very strong!" Violet explained, her voice urgent.
"Hmm? No wonder the attack was so weak. So he just left a clone in the palace~"
Hikaru had already spotted the real Doflamingo in the sky when he flew out of the palace, heading towards Dressrosa Port. While Doflamingo's string clones could mimic all his techniques, they could only speak or unleash their full power when his actual body was nearby.
"Since we've encountered it, let's finish it!"
Hikaru shielded Violet behind him, took a deep breath, and then unleashed a searing column of fire at Doflamingo's clone.
"Blue Dragon: Roaring Fire!"
"Super Strike Whip!"
Devoid of human control, the clone instinctively launched its attack. The blazing column of flame collided with the white, whip-like string. After a brief stalemate, the fire engulfed the string and its clone, burning it into wisps of black smoke that dissolved into the air.
Strings are vulnerable to fire. Is that a problem? No problem at all.
The string clone, without Doflamingo's direct control, was far too weak. It seemed it had already been easily dispatched, much like how Kyros would effortlessly cut down foes.
Before Hikaru could even speak, Violet eagerly threw herself into his arms and murmured, "The bullfighting arena is on the west side of the King's Highlands, in a very conspicuous spot. You'll see it immediately."
Hikaru nodded, held her close, and flew westward.
Inside the SMILE Factory, five hundred Tontatta Dwarves continued to cultivate SMILE fruits. They were tragically trapped, having been deceived by the Donquixote Family's lies, believing they were working to "cure" Princess Mansherry.
Currently, Quinn, the director of the SMILE Factory (who famously kissed Franky in the original story), was leisurely enjoying the services of the dwarves.
The scene outside the SMILE Factory, however, was dramatically different.
Gedatsu bit his upper lip, his eyes rolling, as he bellowed, "God's Warriors, kill! Let their blood bring great vitality to our new territory!"
"Move quickly and protect all the equipment we've 'stored' here! We must eliminate them before they cause any damage!"
"Oh no~ Where's Señor Pink!? Come save us~"
"Señor Pink, please come out quickly!"
Several scantily clad women, eager to show off their assets, shrieked and cried. They were often seen with Señor Pink, their lives seemingly dependent on the "perverted" gentleman.
As if summoned by their pleas, Señor Pink gracefully swam out from the right wall of the SMILE Factory in a freestyle stroke, landing on the ground with a stylish flourish, eliciting cheers from the ladies. He was a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user, possessing the powers of the Swim-Swim Fruit, which allowed him to turn any ground or wall into a liquid and move freely through it.
Señor Pink was portly, wearing a pink baby bonnet and biting a pacifier. This "unusual" appearance would certainly draw considerable attention if he were seen on the street.
"You're quite prepared! So many of you came here without anyone noticing!"
Gedatsu looked at him with indifference, then spread his hands wide and declared:
"Our Lord God is right behind us, protecting us! Divine Warriors, send these heretics to the place of eternal peace!"
"Oh~!"
The next moment, Gedatsu transformed into a black horse and galloped directly into the fray.
This chaotic scene was replicated across the island!
On Lovers' Avenue, Machvise, the user of the Ton-Ton Fruit from Diamante's army, and the elderly martial artist Lao G, who practiced the Jao Kun Do, were locked in a fierce battle with Sargent Shyarly and Rabbit Ohm. Their hand-to-hand combat, a flurry of fists and blows, made for an entertaining spectacle, though it wasn't happening in the bullfighting arena.
Slightly northeast of the King's Highlands, Pica's Army Special Attack Force clashed with the priests.
High above, beyond everyone's reach, Nami, Vivi, Nico Robin, Perona, and other powerful women observed the unfolding situation from atop clouds, waiting for the opportune moment to act. They were encircled by a barrier of Negative Hollows, creating an "invincible defense."
Pica, utilizing his Stone-Stone Fruit powers, merged with his massive stone golem, a formidable, unshakeable turtle shell. Shura was not in a hurry to fight him directly. He found that engaging Pica in his Spinosaurus form significantly improved his combat proficiency.
The constant explosions across the battlefield were the result of Gladius's Pop-Pop Fruit power, inflating the ground with bombs, and Gloria's Spring-Spring Fruit ability, which counteracted them.
Buffalo, being relatively weaker, could only observe from the sidelines, occasionally spinning his body to rush towards the Divine Warriors. Little did he know, he had already caught Nami's eye and was about to be struck by thunder and brought crashing down.
The island where the Dressrosa Kingdom was located was encircled by massive rock formations, with only a narrow passage leading to Green Bit Island and a smaller opening serving as the island's port.
Here, the rocks had been utterly demolished by "God's Judgment," widening the port entrance significantly.
A lone, battered soldier who had somehow survived the onslaught stumbled towards the island, only to be unexpectedly overshadowed by a towering figure.
"Fuffuffuffu~" Doflamingo stared at the enormous gap in the coastline, his voice cold. "What in the world happened here?"
The soldier flinched, then, recognizing Doflamingo, quickly stammered, "Master! I... I only saw a massive 'pillar of light' fall from the sky. We had no time to react and were engulfed by it..."
"Hmm? A beam of light?"
Doflamingo, having nothing urgent to do, had merely come to investigate the sounds of the explosions, but he hadn't seen the lightning pillar himself.