"Die!"
Lima, in his mantis form, dove towards the five Mafia bosses, initiating the slaughter.
"Quick! Protect us!" Warner shrieked.
The other bosses watched Lima's terrifying approach with wide eyes, their only hope now the subordinates desperately forming a protective ring around them.
"Quite a show, wouldn't you say? Such lovely drama, love turning to hate…" Doflamingo commented idly, having noted Lima's actions. He turned to the girls beside him. "Robin? Ibes? What do you think?"
"It really is exciting," Robin replied, a flicker of dark amusement in her eyes.
"Very exciting," Ibes agreed softly.
"And we have you to thank for it, Robin," Doflamingo said gently, reaching out to stroke her hair again.
"Hm?" Robin looked up, puzzled.
"If you hadn't prompted him about sincerity, how would we have gotten such a fine performance?" Doflamingo reminded her.
"But… wasn't it you who agreed to his offer, Big Brother?" Robin asked, feigning wide-eyed innocence, fluttering her eyelashes.
"Did I? Did I say something like that? Ibes, did you hear me say anything?" Doflamingo turned to Ibes, feigning confusion.
"No," Ibes replied bluntly after a moment's pause.
"See? I didn't! Robin, I never said such a thing," Doflamingo smiled.
"Oh. Then I must have misremembered," Robin murmured softly, adding inwardly, "Brother, you're so wicked… but I love it."
While Doflamingo enjoyed the unfolding drama, Enel and the others were stuck doing the hard work, relentlessly battling their opponents.
"Baldy! Hurry up and surrender! I might just spare your life!" Enel taunted Sindersen arrogantly.
"You think I'm like that traitor Lima? I still have my pride!" Sindersen shot back. He had witnessed Lima's betrayal, and though he too feared death, he possessed at least a shred of integrity.
"Is that so?" Enel sneered, unimpressed. "Then let me kill you. The weak have no right to pride in my presence." As far as he was concerned, anyone who became a pirate should have accepted the possibility of death from the start. Mere talk of pride was useless.
"Bring it on then! Let's see if you have what it takes!" Sindersen roared, his bull-like eyes fixed hatefully on Enel, determined to take him down.
"Armament: Hardening!" Enel decided to stop holding back, coating his fists in shimmering black Haki.
"What's that?" Sindersen's sharp eyes caught the change, a flicker of doubt entering his mind.
"Die! You don't even recognize the power of Haki?" Enel mocked, offering a final, condescending explanation even as his Haki-infused fist shot forward.
Haki? Sindersen thought, bewildered, as he blocked the blow with his transformed hoof. CRUNCH! "So hard! It's like armor! Even harder than my hoof!" He'd suffered for his ignorance. So this is the power of Haki…
"Soru!" Enel knew Zoan types were durable and wouldn't go down easily. But he wasn't the novice he once was. Now proficient in both Observation and Armament Haki, he met the standard for a New World elite pirate.
He vanished, reappearing in flashes, darting around the slower, bulkier Sindersen like an annoying fly. Each reappearance left another stinging blow on the bison-man's body.
"Aaargh!" Sindersen roared in pain and frustration. He was too clumsy, completely unable to track Enel's speed, reduced to a passive punching bag. His defeat was only a matter of time.
Meanwhile, Pica wasn't faring much better visually. His body was covered in bleeding claw marks courtesy of Trif Hawke.
"My, my. He's really desperate to awaken his Observation Haki, isn't he?" Doflamingo noted Pica's ragged state, impressed by his sheer determination, yet shaking his head internally. He's going about this the wrong way. The power difference between Pica and Hawke wasn't significant enough; Hawke couldn't provide the extreme pressure needed to force an awakening. Although Pica looks rough, those are just superficial wounds. Nothing serious.
"Pica!" Doflamingo finally called out. "Stop dodging pointlessly and finish it! He can't give you the pressure you need! You'll never awaken Observation Haki like this, not even in a hundred years!"
Pica, who had genuinely thought his desperate dodges were yielding results, froze, his face flushing crimson with embarrassment. He immediately decided to vent his frustration on Hawke.
Nearby, Enel overheard Doflamingo's critique and burst into laughter. "Yahahahaha! So stupid, Squeaky!"
"Damn you, Big-Ears! I'll deal with you later!" Pica snapped back. The moment he spoke, his high-pitched voice caused even some of the nearby enemies to nearly double over laughing. Seeing this, Pica's embarrassment turned to incandescent rage. "DIE, YOU DAMNED BASTARDS!"
"Armament: Hardening!"
Hawke, still underestimating Pica after landing so many hits, charged recklessly. They clashed – Haki-coated fist against Zoan strength. It wasn't even a contest. With a single, powerful blow from Pica, Hawke collapsed, foaming at the mouth, eyes rolled back, completely unconscious.
"Tch. All show and no substance," Pica spat contemptuously, already scanning the battlefield for his next target.
"Yo! Nice work, Squeaky!" Enel called out, momentarily impressed.
"Just finish your own opponent already, Big-Ears!" Pica retorted instantly.
"Yahahahaha! Really thought you had me underestimated, huh?" Enel laughed again, though his tone held an edge now. He turned back to his own opponent. "Trouble you to fall down quickly now!" he said to Sindersen.
"In… your dreams…" Sindersen gasped weakly, battered and bleeding.
"Goodbye, then. Judgment Fist!" Enel gave Sindersen no further chance to resist. His fist, wrapped in powerful Armament Haki, slammed into the Zoan user's chest. Sindersen crumpled to the ground, defeated.
Enel stood amidst the carnage, his eyes cold as he glared at the surrounding fodder, who instinctively hesitated, intimidated by his power.
"The outcome is decided," Doflamingo observed calmly. With Enel and Pica having finished their main opponents, he knew Diamante and Trebol wouldn't be far behind.
"Half Moon Requiem - Burial Rite!"
"Sticky Destruction Cannon!"
Seeing their comrades victorious, Diamante and Trebol stopped holding back. Unleashing their full power on the pirates surrounding them – who weren't particularly strong to begin with – they quickly cleared their areas.
"KILL THEM ALL! THE NORTH BLUE IS OURS!" Diamante roared, proving himself quite skilled at boosting morale, already anticipating Doflamingo's ultimate goal without needing explicit orders.
Doflamingo, flanked by Robin and Ibes, watched the ongoing slaughter from their vantage point, his expression unreadable. Robin, too, now observed the chaos with remarkable calmness.
Back near the shoreline, Lima's actions were swift and brutal. The guards immediately surrounding the five bosses stood no chance against his transformed state; he cut them down effortlessly, like reaping wheat. Though there was no challenge, no sense of accomplishment – just butchery – he knew it was necessary for his survival. He had to continue.
"Lima… do you really have to do this?" Buto stammered, his voice laced with a desperate plea for mercy.
"Sorry. It's kill or be killed," Lima replied coldly, his face impassive, offering no comfort. "Besides, the North Blue doesn't need so many rulers. Doflamingo alone is enough. I believe under his leadership, the North Blue will truly prosper."
"Save your breath! We may die today, but we were the rulers of the North Blue!" Dole spat, his face pale but his voice defiant, showing more backbone than Buto.
"Lima…" Coy simply stared, his eyes burning with a hatred so intense it felt physical, wishing he could tear the traitor apart piece by piece.
"Never thought… it would end like this," McNeil murmured, a grim, resigned smile on his face.
"Hahaha… we brought this on ourselves! It's our loss. You've won, Doflamingo!" Warner declared, finding a strange sense of release in acceptance.
"Goodbye," Lima said curtly, wasting no more words. His gleaming scythe-arms flashed, swift and merciless, ending the lives of the five men who had once ruled the North Blue.
From this moment forth, the seat of power in the North Blue had officially changed hands. It belonged to Donquixote Doflamingo.
Seeing their bosses executed by the traitor Lima, the remaining thousands of subordinates forgot about the Donquixote Family entirely. Consumed by rage and grief, they surged towards the giant mantis with blood-red eyes, howling for revenge.
"Hahaha! You want to die too?" Lima laughed, initially unfazed by the swarm. He raised his blood-stained scythes, ready to continue the slaughter. Killing one or killing thousands – what difference did it make now?
"Damn it, why are there so many?!" Lima soon cursed aloud. He hadn't expected such fanatical loyalty or sheer, stubborn persistence from mere fodder. They attacked relentlessly, suicidally, seemingly content to die if they could just land a single blow, tear off a piece of him. He found himself struggling against the sheer weight of their vengeful, fearless assault.
The Donquixote Family members watched this turn of events with surprise, which quickly turned to disdain as they fully grasped Lima's betrayal. No one likes a traitor.
"Doflamingo! Help me! Quick, save me! I did this for you!" Lima shrieked, finally panicking as he became buried under the tide of furious attackers. He wasn't afraid of their individual strength, but their sheer numbers and berserker rage were overwhelming.
"I don't recall asking you to do anything," Doflamingo replied casually from his perch.
"Bastard! You promised me!" Lima screamed back in fury and desperation.
"When did I promise you anything?" Doflamingo countered smoothly. He turned to Robin. "Robin, did I promise him anything?"
Robin dutifully shook her head. "No, Big Brother didn't say a word!"
"DOFLAMINGO! YOU BASTARD! DAMN YOU!" Lima raged, utterly beside himself, while still desperately fending off the vengeful mob determined to tear him apart.
"Now, now… my temper isn't very good, you know," Doflamingo said, his voice dropping, laced with chilling menace. "You shouldn't curse me like that. I suppose I can't just stand by and watch anymore… Let me help you find release." His smile widened, devoid of warmth. "Allow me to give you all… a magnificent funeral!"
With another shua, Doflamingo launched himself high into the sky. Channeling his lightning, he stimulated the clouds above, rapidly gathering a massive, dark storm cell. The once clear sky turned ominously black, flickering with internal discharges of electricity.
"Ten Thousand Thunders!"
Doflamingo's voice echoed across the battlefield as he unleashed the heavens' fury upon the remaining enemy forces below.
"AAAAHHH!"
One bolt, then two, then countless bolts of immense lightning rained down relentlessly. Enemies caught in the barrage were instantly vaporized, turned to ash, their final screams swallowed by the thunder.
Lima's face turned deathly pale. He saw his chance – the suicidal subordinates surrounding him were scattered or obliterated by the lightning. He could spread his wings and escape!
"Where do you think you're going?" Doflamingo's voice cut through the storm. "God's Punishment!"
A targeted bolt slammed into Lima, sending him crashing back to the earth. Before he could recover, the relentless storm of Ten Thousand Thunders descended upon him.
"The war… is over. We won." The realization dawned on everyone simultaneously, friend and foe alike, though most were still simply staring in stunned silence at the raw, devastating power Doflamingo had just unleashed.
Having concluded his work, Doflamingo quietly descended, landing softly beside Robin once more. He looked down at her, his gaze deep and searching for a moment, before gently patting her head again.
Robin, though undeniably shaken by the scale of the destruction, found herself less shocked than she had been by Raigo. She had witnessed something even more terrifying before. She leaned into his touch affectionately, offering silent reassurance.
Everything had proceeded exactly as Doflamingo had envisioned. A deep sense of satisfaction settled within him.