chapter 16

The muscles all over his body were tense, and Feijers stared at Mu Feng with intense focus. However, Mu Feng showed no intention of making a move. Instead, he turned his gaze towards the dense forest and spoke, "Three little bugs from the Doflamingo family, do you really want me to find you?" As soon as his words fell, Mu Feng unleashed a powerful Tempest Kick, obliterating countless trees and revealing three figures. At the forefront was a tall and thin young man dressed in a red cloak, resembling an indigenous tribesman with two red facial lines that gave him a comical appearance. To his left stood a man with an explosive hairstyle, and to his right, a tall and beautiful woman with long black hair dressed in a maid costume. They were Diamanti, Guradius, and Baby-5, three of Doflamingo's high-ranking subordinates, all possessing Devil Fruit abilities. Diamanti, the highest-ranking cadre, had the flying fruit ability, Guradius had the popping fruit ability, and Baby-5 possessed the weapon fruit ability. Among the Doflamingo family, they were considered formidable cadres.

"What an impressive display of Marine Six Styles. It seems our young master was right to warn us to be cautious of you. Your death would undoubtedly cause great distress to the Marines," Diamanti remarked.

Mu Feng nodded in agreement. "I believe so. If I were to be killed, not only would the old man be furious, but it could also escalate the conflict between the Marines and the Pirates. Doflamingo probably has the same idea."

Curiosity piqued, Mu Feng turned to face Diamanti and asked, "Tell me... if I were to kill you, would Doflamingo go insane?" Although Doflamingo was a despicable individual, his presence and involvement in the dark activities of the New World were significant. However, when it came to his subordinates, especially those above the Don Quijote family cadres, Doflamingo treated them well as long as they remained loyal.

Diamanti chuckled. "Ah, you're young and full of energy. Allow me to teach you a lesson before I die. The New World is not a place where you can simply tread. This is the world of pirates." With those words, Diamanti unsheathed his Western sword and hurled it towards Mu Feng. Simultaneously, he shouted, "Fluttering Bullfighting Scepter!" The flying fruit ability allowed Diamanti to turn any object he touched into a lightweight and flexible form. The object's material remained unchanged. Diamanti transformed his sword into a fluttering, cloth-like form, resembling a bullfighting cape, before reverting it back to its original hardness, creating a formidable steel bullfight. The steel bullfight charged towards Mu Feng with an immense impact.

Mu Feng countered with his Tempest Kick, using his Death Cross technique. The collision of the death cross and the bull scepter created a devastating vacuum wave that shattered the steel bullfight. If Diamanti hadn't sensed the tremendous power emanating from the hilt and evaded at the last moment, he would have been sliced into four pieces by the death cross.

"Guradius, Baby-5, attack!" Diamanti commanded. Without hesitation, Guradius and Baby-5 launched their own separate assaults. Guradius, with his explosive fruit ability, unleashed a barrage of black rocks towards Mu Feng, while Baby-5, with her weapon fruit ability, transformed into a giant missile and propelled herself towards Mu Feng with a powerful kick. The black projectiles expanded rapidly, and just as they were about to hit Mu Feng, Baby-5's missile struck him, causing a massive explosion. The blast engulfed an area of fifty meters around Mu Feng.

Diamanti anxiously observed the center of the explosion as the smoke gradually dissipated. His pupils contracted in disbelief. "How... how is this possible?" he muttered. He had never expected that such an attack would fail to defeat Mu Feng. After all, Mu Feng possessed the formidable Marine Six Styles and was likely skilled in Armament Haki. However, the Mu Feng before him had endured the violent explosion without using Armament Haki, relying solely on his Iron Body-King Kong defense. The extended skills of his Iron Body technique provided defense comparable to Armament Haki.

Mu Feng seized Baby-5 with one hand, immobilizing her effortlessly. She struggled to break free, but to no avail. Mu Feng's lips curled into a faint smile as he addressed her, "I need you... I need you to stand aside and remain still, alright?" Baby-5, taken aback by his words, asked, "You... you need me?" Mu Feng nodded, his smile widening. "Absolutely. I have always needed someone to take care of my daily life on my ship, and I think you would be a perfect fit. So, if I were to kill you, I would be quite upset."