Chapter 173: I, Doflamingo, Would Like To Call You The Strongest!

On Beehive Island, in the buildings outside the skull, many pirates climbed on the roof, observing the current situation.

And as the smoke and dust caused by the collapse of the huge skull before gradually dissipated.

Most people were able to see the situation clearly.

At the forefront of the battle are two formidable swordsmen: Vicky Ristel, the vice-captain of the Arc Star Pirates, and Dracule Mihawk, who has garnered significant attention at sea lately with his ambitious quest to claim the title of the world's greatest swordsman.

Their exchange is relentless, with a flurry of slashes intertwining in rapid succession, almost too swift for the eye to follow. Dozens of strikes collide with each other, and the combatants' figures become a blur of constant motion. Each encounter triggers explosive clashes of Haki as their wills clash fiercely on the battlefield.

The battle was very intense and very exciting.

In addition, the boss of Beehive island, a veteran pirate who has traveled all over the world for decades, the great pirate Ochoku, is also fighting with someone.

Soon, everyone recognized the participants.

Good guy, I just saw him in the newspaper this morning, Seven Warlords of the Sea·Heavenly Yaksha·Don Quixote·Doflamingo!

"Why did the Heavenly Yaksha go to war with Ochoku-sama!?"

"I don't know, when did he come? Are the cadres of the Donquixote Family here?"

"No, if that were the case, this would be a total war"

"I heard that Dracule Mihawk and Don Quixote Doflamingo are very good friends. Is it because of this reason?"

"Then what is their purpose?"

"If Mihawk's goal is to challenge Vicky, does Doflamingo want to capture Beehive Island?

Just as the pirates were communicating with each other, suddenly, Doflamingo spread his bat wings behind him and flew into the air, and a red light flashed suddenly, almost blinding everyone's eyes.

One of the pirates was the first to notice something was wrong!

"Why are you injured?" A certain pirate pointed to his companion and asked.

The companion was stunned for a moment, then looked down, and there was a cut on his arm that was bleeding.

Glancing at the wound casually, he remarked with indifference, "It's nothing, probably just a scrape from when I climbed up to the roof earlier... Oh... could you lend me a hand?"

That's right, before this guy could finish his sentence, the wound opened suddenly and became very terrifying. A large amount of blood gushed out from his wound. Almost instantly, the blood in his body was drained and he turned into a mummy.

And after the blood left his body, it exploded in the crowd like a bomb, injuring many people again. In the blink of an eye, only a group of mummified corpses were left on the roof. The blood gathered into a torrent and quickly spread across the entire Beehive island.

On the clock tower, a Marine agent is reporting the news through a den den mushi. 

"Yes, it's confirmed. The Seven Warlords of the Sea, Heavenly Yaksha Don Quixote Doflamingo, and Dracule Mihawk are indeed engaged in combat on Hive Island, facing off against Ochoku and Vicky. Currently, the battle appears evenly matched, but this is the stronghold of the Arc Star Pirates. If any of their top officers are around..." The Marine's voice trailed off as he registered the escalating cries of battle echoing around him.

He stood up, looked out, and then saw a river of scarlet blood attacking him from the air!

"No...don't!!!" The Marine agent wailed.

The torrent of blood submerged him, and when he reappeared, he was already a mummy. With a bang, he fell off the bell tower, his corpse dispersing in the wind.

"Hey!? Beryl? Are you okay? What happened!?"

The transponder snail yelled a few times, but never got a response.

G-1 Marine Base, Sengoku and other Marine officers have just returned here.

They would rest here before crossing the Red Line to escort Douglas Bullet back to Naval Headquarters and eventually through the Gateway of Justice to Impel Down for his eternal rest.

After getting off the boat, Sengoku stretched a little and said: "After this matter is settled, we can start organizing the escorts for the upcoming World Summit..."

"You are the best at this kind of clerical scheduling work." Garp said with a smile.

"Yeah, it can be considered as a vacation for me." Sengoku said frowning.

Compared to going out to sea to fight and kill, Sengoku hopes to spend every day peacefully.

The two had just exchange a few words, when they saw Chief Staff Officer Tsuru walking towards their side.

As soon as Sengoku saw Tsuru, he cheered up, straightened his back, tried to make himself look more presentable, and waved: "Oh, Tsuru, did you come to greet us as soon as you heard we were back? Hahahaha"

Chief Staff Officer Tsuru didn't respond with a smile on her face, and walked over in a few steps.

Sengoku and Garp frowned when they saw Tsuru's expression, realizing something was wrong.

Garp was the first to ask, "Did something happen? Tsuru?"

"Hmm..." Chief Staff Officer Tsuru nodded and said, "That guy Doflamingo is causing a big fuss on Beehive Island!"

"Making trouble on Beehive Island?" Sengoku was stunned for a moment, and then quickly reacted, and asked in surprise, "He went to trouble Ochoku!?"

"That's right!" Chief Staff Officer Tsuru responded, "I'm also very surprised. Before this, we have never investigated any conflicts between Doflamingo and Ochoku, so this conflict came very suddenly.

"This individual, if he escalates the situation, he might ignite a new conflict in the New World," Sengoku muttered with a furrowed brow.

As one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Doflamingo's actions could be misconstrued as representing the World Government's authority.

It's concerning that Doflamingo, in his capacity as a Seven Warlords member, has unexpectedly launched an assault on the Arc Star Pirates, a group with whom he has no apparent enmity, establishing a stronghold on Ochoku's Hive Island.

This situation is very likely to be interpreted by the rest of the great pirates of the New World as the World Government planning to start attacking the New World'!

As tension mounts and panic spreads, the likelihood of an accidental skirmish breaking out increases significantly.

"Wasn't he supposed to return to rest and prepare for the World Summit?" Garp voiced his confusion, echoing the sentiments of many. The sudden turn of events left him bewildered, like the others gathered.

After thinking for a while, Sengoku said: "Although we must pay close attention to the situation on Beehive Island, we Marines must not act aggressively at this time, so as not to cause those big pirates to go berserk!"

After a pause, Sengoku waved his hand again and said, "As for that guy Doflamingo...let him go."

At this time, Sengoku recalled what Doflamingo had said to him when he left.

He feels that if he provokes Doflamingo again during this period of time, maybe he will really anger this guy. When he goes crazy and does something irreversible, it will be troublesome.

So Sengoku decided not to provoke Doflamingo in this short period of time.

The reason the Marines swiftly received news from Beehive Island is because it's renowned as the foremost pirate haven in the New World, naturally drawing constant surveillance.

Similarly, it's not just the Marines; numerous pirate factions maintain their own covert presence on Beehive Island.

Thus, when Doflamingo and Mihawk joined forces, major figures like Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, Whitebeard, Silver Ax, and other prominent pirates in the New World were promptly informed of the developments.

Everyone was puzzled, what kind of medicine did Doflamingo take wrongly? Why did he have to make trouble with Ochoku?

Meanwhile, on Beehive Island, Ochoku's figure flickers across the island!

And several torrents of blood, like beasts chasing their prey, shuttled back and forth across the island, chasing down the after shadows of Ochoku!

As Ochoku stood firm on the rooftop, a torrent of blood surged toward him. With a deafening crash, the immense structure collapsed, reduced to rubble.

Yet, Ochoku's figure vanished in a flash just moments before impact, reappearing on the distant clock tower.

From his vantage point high above, Ochoku surveyed the carnage on Beehive Island. It struck him that Doflamingo hadn't unleashed his full fury upon them. In truth, Doflamingo seemed to have exercised restraint, refraining from exterminating them all.

Indeed, Doflamingo possessed the capability to swiftly eliminate every lowly pirate and scoundrel on the island within minutes. However, not all the torrents of blood were the result of the islanders' actions; most stemmed from the potent power contained within the few blood beads Doflamingo carried with him.

In the sky, Doflamingo's bat wings unfurled, casting a sinister silhouette against the faint starlight and moonlight. Suspended like a demon king poised to unleash devastation upon the world, he exuded an aura of ominous power. Several torrents of blood, akin to crimson silk, swirled around Doflamingo intermittently, enhancing his imposing presence.

Following several intense skirmishes, Doflamingo had come to a sobering realization: he could never emerge as the dominant force solely through close combat, martial prowess, or combat skills alone.

In terms of 'martial arts', Doflamingo would like to call Ochoku 'the strongest'.

At least the strongest he has ever seen!

So Doflamingo resolutely gave up the fight with Ochoku, and directly chose to use his ability to overwhelm the other with pure power!

From the current point of view, Doflamingo has indeed regained the advantage.

On one front, Doflamingo directed the blood to pursue Ochoku relentlessly. Meanwhile, Mihawk's swift and devastating strikes threatened to level half of the hive island. His duel with Vicky Steyr remained unresolved.

The level of swordsmanship displayed by both combatants was so extraordinary that Mihawk couldn't help but perceive them as true rivals in the art of the blade.

Mihawk couldn't shake the feeling that if he hadn't relentlessly challenged swordsmen and pushed his own limits since entering the Grand Line, he might have met his match in Vicky Steyr. It was entirely possible that he would have been defeated.

But in just a split second, Mihawk's falcon-like eyes lit up again, and he shouted: "But now I will never lose!!!"

At the same time as his voice fell, he slashed out with his sharp sword, splitting the sky and the ground again, forcing Vicky Steyr to retreat!