Chapter 52: Ch 52. Giving Doflamingo a Beat Down, Audience in Shock!
At that very moment, Doflamingo made his move.
He had felt it—the very real killing intent radiating from Roman.
That killing intent was so chilling that even an underworld emperor like Doflamingo instinctively shuddered the first moment he sensed it.
Thus, with no hesitation, Doflamingo chose to strike first.
"Overheat Whip!"
He extended his palm backward, and from it burst dozens of near-invisible strings. The thin threads quickly intertwined, twisting into a thick cable as thick as braided hair.
Then, with a swing that stretched to its limit, he launched the whip toward Roman.
Though the motion looked elaborate, Doflamingo's mastery over the String-String Fruit had long reached an extraordinary level.
The entire process was completed in the blink of an eye.
A violent slicing sound tore through the air as the whip flew straight at Roman!
Whoosh—!
The overwhelming force of the attack even carved through the wind, whistling ominously.
Everything happened in an instant.
The surrounding onlookers hadn't even reacted yet when they saw the thick string whip already in front of Roman.
Roman simply gave a small shake of his head.
Then, without hesitation, he coated both his hands with peak-level Armament Haki.
The moment the dark colored Armament Haki emerged, Doflamingo's heart shuddered violently.
His pupils constricted sharply!
BOOM!!
Like catching a blade with bare hands, Roman caught Doflamingo's Overheat Whip with ease!
But that wasn't the end.
A dangerous glint flashed in Roman's eyes.
"Shave!"
The pinnacle of the Marines' Six Styles was activated.
With a blur of motion, his feet tapped rapidly across the ground—in the next second, Roman appeared directly in front of Doflamingo!
Too fast!
Doflamingo didn't even have time to react.
All he could see was a darkened palm rapidly enlarging in his vision.
BAM!!
Roman grabbed Doflamingo's face and lifted his entire body high into the air—then ruthlessly slammed him into the ground!
BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!!
Those who had distanced themselves could only watch in horror—
Roman had seized Doflamingo by the head and was repeatedly smashing it into the ground!
Each impact left behind a massive crater.
The surface of the island was already crumbling beyond recognition!
As dust flew and cracks spread across the ground, Roman smiled while slamming Doflamingo's head again and again.
"You didn't forget you're a pirate, did you? I'm a Marine Admiral. If I don't arrest you, I'd be feeling pretty embarrassed."
With several more brutal slams, Doflamingo—drenched in blood and dizzy beyond belief—forced his arm to reach out, grabbing tightly onto Roman.
Roman glanced at him with narrowed eyes.
And then—
BOOM!
A terrifying burst of Conqueror's Haki exploded from Doflamingo's body!
Centered on him, the powerful aura surged outward, sweeping through the entire area.
The pressure it carried struck everyone around like a tidal wave.
Many began hallucinating—feeling like countless wild beasts had surrounded them, baring their fangs, leaving them helpless to resist.
One after another, the spectators collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Faced with this eruption of Conqueror Haki, Roman remained calm.
He simply let out a small trace of spiritual pressure, an aura very similar to Conqueror's Haki, shielding Ain behind him.
Ain watched in shock as person after person collapsed under the force of Doflamingo's Conqueror's Haki.
She could feel it clearly—Roman was protecting her.
Without him shielding her, she would have likely fainted on the spot too.
"Oh? So now you're angry? Your Conqueror Haki's decent... but that's all there is to it. Let me show you what real Conqueror's Haki looks like."
Roman spoke softly, and as his voice fell—
He slowly closed his eyes.
Then, in a flash—
He opened them wide!
BOOM!!!
A spiritual pressure, far more terrifying, erupted from Roman's body.
It pressed down on Doflamingo like a mountain, instantly distorting the air.
The skies over the Sabaody Archipelago—previously dry and stifling—suddenly turned dark, as thunderclouds gathered overhead!
It was as if the entire sky had been torn apart!
Doflamingo looked up blankly, gazing into the ominous heavens.
Feeling the crushing force pressing down on him, he muttered in disbelief:
"How is this possible?! This… this is impossible! You... you have Conqueror's Haki too?! And it's this strong?!"
He recalled the terrifying figure he'd once encountered on Seawing Island—a man who emitted the same level of overwhelming spiritual pressure.
The same intensity… the same fear…
But there was one difference.
He felt no fiery heat in Roman's aura.
Otherwise, Doflamingo might've truly believed—Roman was the same man from Seawing Island!
Yet Roman gave him no time to think.
The grin on his face widened.
Using explosive force in his legs, he launched himself with Doflamingo's head still in his grasp—
Like a missile shooting straight downward!
"Doflamingo... ever heard of a move called 'Earth Slam'?"
Before Doflamingo could even respond—
A tremendous force pulled him down even faster than before!
BOOOOOOM!!!!
The thunderous crash echoed across the entire Sabaody Archipelago!
Everyone could hear it—clear as day!
Doflamingo's head was driven directly into the earth, splitting the ground open like a spiderweb!
Dust and gravel scattered, falling into the cracks.
With the impact's force spent, Doflamingo's body went limp, and he collapsed.
Descending slowly from the sky, Roman landed beside Ain once more.
He said softly:
"Report this to the Fleet Admiral. Tell him to send someone to arrest Doflamingo and throw him into Impel Down."
When Sengoku received Ain's message, his expression turned bitter, a helpless smile on his face.
He knew Doflamingo's true identity.
This man… was once a Celestial Dragon.
Even though his father had forsaken that status—his bloodline remained.
"Good thing Roman doesn't know that. I guess we can say 'ignorance is innocence.'"
What Sengoku didn't know—
Was that Roman knew everything.
That was why, from the very beginning of the fight—
He made sure to grab Doflamingo's face and shut his mouth, giving him no chance to speak at all…