38 Love and String

( Vanze POV )

'This is bad...'

As I continued to watch the fight between Hancock and Doflamingo, I realized that Hancock couldn't keep up when Doflamingo was serious. 

[ Yes, she is being cornered by him now. ]

'I know, Seele. Who would have thought that pink guy already mastered his devil fruit power,' I mused to myself. I thought he wasn't at that level yet, but I guess I'm wrong.

[ I guess he abandoned his Haki training and pursued mastery over the devil fruit power at this time. That's why even though Hancock's Haki is more powerful than his, Doflamingo can still manage to endanger her with his ranged attacks. ]

I agreed with Seele; Hancock is good at hand-to-hand combat, but her disadvantage is also quite clear for her enemy to see. 

Seeing Hancock getting injured and trying to avoid that bastard's attacks, I really can't stand it anymore. 

[ Are you going to interfere now, brother? ] Sensing that my mood is getting worse with each passing moment, Seele asked me.

'I really want to... But Hancock will be upset if I interfere...'

[ You know, it's good that you care a lot about your partner, but if you're always sheltering them from the storm, it won't work. In the future, our journey will only get harder with a lot of hardships and challenges. You need to let them grow; they need it... ]

'I know, Seele... I know... I just feel worried for her. I mean, how could I not? Hancock is a great and lovely woman, all of my partners are, and I consider them as my family. I just don't want to see them hurt...'

I understand what Seele means, but it's hard for me to see them in that kind of situation. In my past life, I never felt a family bond. In this life, I once had that with my grandma, but she's gone. Now that I have a new family in this sea, it's hard not to be protective of them.

'I just don't want to lose my precious treasure ever again...'

[ I know brother, but this is necessary. We don't want our guild to end up like Whitebeard, right? ]

Whitebeard, huh...

'Fine, I'll restrain from intervening for now, but if she is in a dangerous situation that could potentially take her life, I'm going to end that bastard myself! Fuck character development!'

[ Sigh... Poor Doffy... ]

Now I could only hope that Hancock would create a miracle. Seeing the surrounding area being transformed and controlled by that bastard, even an average pirate in the Grand Line would definitely be crushed to death by him.

'I think I need to motivate her with a date if she could win...'

Hmm, that's actually a good idea, hehe.

.....

( 3rd POV )

After successfully parrying Hancock's Rankyaku attack, Doflamingo descended from the sky, sustaining only a slight injury on his body.

"I've had enough. It's likely the others are also under attack now. I don't have much time left. It's time to counterattack," Doflamingo murmured slowly as he bent his body and touched the ground with both arms.

"What are you doing?" she said, eyeing Doflamingo suspiciously as she stared at him warily.

He grinned like a maniac, locking eyes with Hancock, who stood not far from him. "Fufufu, I'm actually surprised that you managed to push me to this situation, especially for a woman. You have my respect, but it's time to get serious...

Awakening...!"

Suddenly, the ground trembled, and the surrounding area transformed into a land full of white strings, including the trees, boulders, and ruins.

"What!?" Sensing the changing landscape, Hancock felt shocked. She quickly backed away from Doflamingo and attempted to use Geppo to evade whatever was coming.

"Fufufu, rejoice! This is the first time I've ever used this technique on my enemy since my devil fruit awakened. You should be honored. Now, I'll show you what true power looks like, bitch!" Doflamingo declared, grinning and laughing, the red sunglasses on his face flashing a cold look toward Hancock.

"Off White!" Without hesitation, Doflamingo generated two large masses of strings from the ground near him before aiming and swinging them at Hancock, who was maneuvering through the air. He refused to give his adversary a moment's respite to adapt to his assault.

"Damn, this guy! So, this is a Paramecia devil fruit awakening, huh? There is no information in Robin's reports that he is able to do it..." Hancock murmured while exerting herself to evade his attacks mid-air. She activated her Kenbunshoku Haki to its fullest to discern the direction of his onslaught.

"Now you understand how different we are in terms of power! Are you satisfied!? Fufufu, how the tables have turned... You know I'm not the type of guy to leave a grudge easily, so don't expect that you can escape now, fufufu," Doflamingo snarled with a tone filled with hatred.

"You!" Hancock's expression turned grim upon hearing his words. She continued to navigate through the air using Geppo and successfully avoided the massive pillars with the assistance of her Haki, though she knew she couldn't sustain it indefinitely.

Now, Doflamingo focused all of his remaining power on controlling his awakening. The movements of the giant pillars made of strings became faster and sharper.

'I can't let this continue any longer... There's still the white-haired guy watching...' He said in his heart while on the outside, his body already drenched in sweat. 

Maintaining his awakening state for a long time was not something he could freely do now, and the same went for Hancock, who couldn't maintain her Kenbunshoku Haki to the extreme while using Geppo in the air. In the end, it became a battle of stamina.

"Tsk, I need to find a wa-! Ugh!!!" As Hancock pondered, she was struck on her back by his attack and plummeted to the ground.

Boom!

"Hancock!!!" Vanze shouted, feeling concerned after witnessing Doflamingo's assault.

Before Hancock could rise from her predicament, the ground around her, already transformed into strings, suddenly moved and tightly ensnared her left foot.

"Cough, cough, these abominable strings...!" Hancock coughed up blood as her body writhed in pain from Doflamingo's previous onslaught.

"God Whips!" Doflamingo grinned, realizing his opponent lacked time to react to his attack.

Hancock was hoisted into the sky by the tightly bound strings around her feet before being forcefully slammed to the ground. Even worse, Doflamingo repeated the action several times before releasing her.

Boom! Boom!

"Gahk...!" After being flung, the once-mighty woman teetered on the edge of consciousness, her body bearing numerous injuries on the ground. Yet, she managed to maintain her defense with her remaining willpower, cloaking her body with her Busoshoku Haki.

'Is this my limit...? I never imagined I would be defeated by a former Celestial Dragon... Damn it, perhaps I deserve it for underestimating him during our fight... But I refuse to surrender! Our journey has only just begun, and I can't falter now... Especially not with my beloved watching over me, this despicable fiend is humiliating me! Unforgivable!!!' 

As Hancock teetered on the brink of exhaustion and succumbed to her injuries, she summoned her last ounce of strength, fueled by the knowledge that Vanze was watching her. She refused to worry him or let him down. 

Meanwhile, Doflamingo, panting heavily as he caught his breath, observed his adversary attempting to rise once more not far from him. "Fufufu, what tenacity. But this time, you won't escape my final moves... Flap Thread!" 

Doflamingo condensed an immense amount of string from the surroundings into countless arrow points infused with Busoshoku Haki before unleashing them in Hancock's direction, forming them into two wing-like formations. 

"It's my win...!" He grinned maniacally as his attacks closed in on Hancock from all angles.

"Hancock! Fuck, I'm going in!!!" Vanze, who was watching not far away, already pulled out his sword and was about to rescue her, regardless of her own wish. 

"Hmm... Wait, what's happening there? Is that... Hancock!? I'm coming!" Also, not far away, a figure of a girl with white hair was moving through the air with Geppo from the direction of the town. Seeing the familiar figure badly injured and being attacked, without any hesitation, she charged directly toward her, intending to help. 

As multiple sharp strings almost reached her with incredible speed, Hancock, struggling to stand, muttered something under her breath with her head bowed low. "Unforgivable... Unforgivable... I won't accept this... Not in front of... Vanze... I'M NOT GOING TO LOSE, DOFLAMINGO!!!" 

With a roar full of determination that seemed to echo on the wind, the air around Hancock shimmered and twisted with an otherworldly presence, even causing the onlookers to pause in their actions. As if something was about to be unleashed, the ground beneath Hancock suddenly trembled, and pink tendrils of energy coalesced around her. The landscape, once full of strings, abruptly changed into stone. 

The change happened so swiftly that it covered the entire area, even managing to petrify Doflamingo's attack that was just about to hit her. Witnessing Hancock thwart his attack and triumph over it, Doflamingo felt disbelief for a moment before it turned into frustration, evident as the veins on his forehead throbbed intensely. 

'Huft... huft... This woman, even on the brink of death, managed to awaken her devil fruit power... Instead of falling into despair, she makes me her springboard!' He realized, acknowledging that he had inadvertently pushed her to this point. Though his body showed only minor injuries from their battle, he felt drained internally.

"Hahahaha, good job, Hancock! Come on, I know you can do it! Let's go on a date when this is over, Hancock!" Vanze, watching from a distant cliff, shouted to her, attempting to encourage her. Beside him stood another girl with white hair, holding a kanabo in her arms. 

"Sigh, thank goodness she pulled through... I almost had to step in if Hancock couldn't handle her predicament." Vanze exhaled with relief, though his gaze remained fixed on the ongoing battle with concern. 

"Yeah, that was close... So, that's the awakening of a Paramecia devil fruit, it looks cool and tricky at the same time... But are you sure she'll be alright, Vanze? Hancock looks exhausted and injured; I doubt she can hold on much longer..." The girl, impressed by the clash of two awakened devil fruits, voiced her concern for her sister. 

"I hope so, but her opponent is also running out of stamina if you notice. This time it will be their last attack, because they canceled each other's awakening power just now and it drained both of their stamina. It'll be over soon, Yamato." Vanze commented on their battle situation. 

He knew maintaining an awakening state was really hard, especially for those who had only recently reached it. After hearing his evaluation, Yamato could only continue to watch for now. She had just arrived after her battle in the town against Pica and was about to help Hancock, but she knew her sister wouldn't like that. So, she joined Vanze on the cliff and stayed. 

Back on the battlefield, Doflamingo gritted his teeth with hatred as he glared at the bloodied Hancock. "No matter how many times you fall, you always get back up, you damn berserker. That's right, the weak don't get to decide anything, not even their own deaths... So, let's decide it between us, who will laugh at the end!!!" 

"Hmph! Just as I want!" Hancock retorted, her gaze firm despite blood trickling down her forehead. 

"Luxuria Arrows!" 

With that, she initiated her first attack, summoning a pink energy bow that materialized in her hands. A barrage of a thousand arrows shot forth, hurtling toward Doflamingo at great speed.

This was Hancock's awakened power, improved with a power boost card. She could control the love energy of her devil fruit more flexibly and freely compared to Doflamingo, who could only change the matter around him. She could use it without any restraint. 

Seeing thousands of dangerous arrows in the sky covering every path of his retreat, Doflamingo launched his defensive moves once again. "Kumo no Sugaki!" 

The arrows in the sky dived down with great momentum and collided with his huge web made of string that protected him on the ground. While Doflamingo focused on the rain of arrows that could petrify him, Hancock set out toward his direction with great speed despite her injured body. 

Seizing the opportunity while he was busy defending, Hancock appeared next to Doflamingo, catching him off guard before delivering a strong kick to his abdomen. 

"Ughk!" Though he couldn't entirely evade the blow, Doflamingo managed to block it with his remaining Haki. 

Not to be outdone, Doflamingo retaliated against her attack with his own punch covered with Haki, while Hancock also did the same. Both engaged in a brutal brawl, exchanging fists in an attempt to knock each other out, draining their remaining stamina. It was clear that Hancock had the upper hand in terms of Haki. 

After exchanging numerous punches, Doflamingo staggered, pushed back by exhaustion, while Hancock seized the moment. With a swift kick to his chin, she sent him hurtling into the sky.

Without waiting for him to descend, Hancock leaped after him, ascending higher than her target. With a final maneuver, she prepared her ultimate attack in the sky before hurtling toward Doflamingo like a descending comet.

"Luxuria Overdrive!" A pink energy suddenly covered Hancock's entire body as she descended, especially her feet, which were even covered with her Haki. 

Descending toward Doflamingo like a pink comet from the sky, sensing the danger, Doflamingo, who had already landed on the ground, summoned his last reserves of strength.

"God Thread!" Since Hancock was no longer on the ground, he could use his awakening power again. Doflamingo summoned sixteen thick, Busoshoku Haki-infused bundles of string that formed sharp points and sent them at Hancock in a piercing formation. 

"Haa!!!" Both combatants roared as their attacks clashed in the sky, The collision was so fierce that it sent strong winds even toward Vanze and Yamato. 

The attacks tried to overpower each other, but suddenly Doflamingo's strings got petrified. The pink energy around Hancock crawled its way toward the strings in front of them and nullified most of their power. 

Luxuria Overdrive, a technique that Hancock only managed to use after achieving an awakening. It was an aura that petrified whatever attacked that came near it before reaching Hancock. It could even send a mental attack, making her opponents lose focus and lust over her, even if they had Haoshoku Haki. 

She could even mold the love energy into whatever she wanted; only her imagination was her limit. It was a superior move compared to Vanze's Timeless Time Barrier because he couldn't use it as Hancock did yet. 

But right now, she also incorporated the essence of Rukougan into both of her feet, making it even more dangerous if it landed on her opponent's body. 

Crack... Crack...!

"What—!?" Disbelief clouded his eyes as he watched his assault crumble before her. He realized he had reached his limit, resorting to cloaking himself entirely in his remaining Busoshoku Haki.

'I've been defeated by a nameless woman? Not even from a D family? The new era has just begun, and my journey is already at its end...!? Don't be kidding! I, Doflaming---' 

"Falldown, Doflamingo!!!" With a resounding shout, she delivered her final blow.

Boom!

The ground cracked, and a massive shockwave spread out from the center of the impact. The land tilted into two sides, and a giant hole that went quite deep was created where Doflamingo was sent into. 

Hancock landed not far away from it and stumbled before she tripped. Before she could land on the ground, someone suddenly held her gently and whispered something to her. 

"Good job, babe. Chew this and leave the rest to me; you could rest now." She heard her beloved's voice before something like a bean entered her mouth, and she chewed it with a slight smile before succumbing to her exhaustion. 

Vanze, realizing that she had already chewed the green bean and fallen unconscious, just picked her up in a princess carry before checking the giant hole with his KG. 

He smiled slightly before a malicious grin appeared on his face, but he was interrupted by Yamato, who had also just arrived next to him. 

"Whew, what a crazy fight... Even if I put myself in Doflamingo's shoes, I doubt I'd come out intact..." She commented while also scanning the aftermath of Hancock's battle. 

"So, what's the next plan, Vanze?" She turned her head toward him and asked about their next moves. 

Hearing Yamato's question, he once again revealed his malicious grin, which even sent shivers down Yamato's spine. 

.....