53: Celestial Demon

Bang!

A Marine couldn't hold back, and under an overwhelming wave of fear, he fired a shot at Doflamingo.

Doflamingo snapped his fingers.

The bullet split in mid-air instantly.

The Marine student's neck was pierced by an unseen force, causing blood to spurt out.

As the Marine collapsed to the ground, Zephyr's eyes widened, his pupils contracted, and he roared furiously:

"Doflamingo! You're asking for death!"

Zephyr disappeared from his spot, reappearing before Doflamingo, his Armament Haki-hardened fist swinging straight at him!

"Hahaha, he attacked me first, Zephyr," Doflamingo sneered, raising his hands.

"Spider's Web."

Doflamingo wove countless threads into a web that intercepted Zephyr's rage-filled punch.

Their auras collided, a gust of wind rippled outward, shaking the Marine ship and causing the seawater to churn around them.

Zephyr's fist soon broke through the web, prompting Doflamingo to jump into the air to avoid the blow.

"Hahaha, even at this age, you've still got some strength left, Black Arm Zephyr. You're quite the legend," Doflamingo taunted from above, smirking. "But you still can't protect these students you care so much about."

He spread his fingers, directing his hand toward the Marines below.

Ron's eyes narrowed, and he shouted to Ain and the others behind him, "Get back!"

But it was too late.

Sharp, deadly white threads fell from Doflamingo's fingers above.

In an instant, several Marine students who hadn't realized what was happening were pierced and sliced!

Blood spattered everywhere!

Ron swung his thunder-clad sword, slicing through some of the threads aimed at densely packed groups.

"That boy…" Doflamingo noticed, narrowing his eyes at Ron from beneath his sunglasses.

"Doflamingo, you're asking for death!" Zephyr's rage-filled voice echoed as he used Moonwalk to appear before Doflamingo, slamming him back down onto the Marine ship.

"Tempest Kick!"

"Grow, Grow!"

Ain and Binz attacked simultaneously.

Several threads sliced through the air.

Their attacks were instantly broken through, the white threads racing toward them.

Zephyr dropped down in time, stepping in front of them, tearing through the threads with his Armament Haki-hardened hand.

Doflamingo emerged from the rubble, his face filled with dark arrogance.

"Zephyr, you've angered me."

Doflamingo spread his fingers again, looking at Zephyr and the group of Marines with a wicked smile. "I've decided—I'll kill all these beloved students of yours."

Zephyr was done talking and prepared to strike.

But just as he was about to, gunshots and the sound of swords slashing came from behind him.

Zephyr let out a groan of pain.

The gunshots and slashes hadn't been aimed at Doflamingo—they had all landed on his back!

"Sensei!!" Ain and Binz's expressions changed drastically.

Ron's brow furrowed.

Shuji shouted angrily at those who had attacked Zephyr, "What are you doing?!"

The Marines who attacked Zephyr wore expressions of terror and panic.

"I'm sorry, Sensei! I—I can't control myself, stop!"

"Stay away from me, get away!"

"No, no, please!"

The Marine students cried and screamed, attacking their own comrades without control.

"Hahaha, what a delightful sight, Zephyr. How does it feel to be attacked by your beloved students?" Doflamingo sneered at Zephyr.

Wounded by four bullets and three sword strikes, Zephyr stared at him, teeth clenched in fury.

"Die."

Doflamingo raised his hand, sending more threads slashing toward the wounded Zephyr.

Although Zephyr raised his Armament Haki-hardened arm to block, he was still pushed back several meters.

Doflamingo extended his fingers again, wrapping more threads around the remaining Marine students, forcing them to fight each other.

"This is truly a masterpiece of carnage."

Doflamingo savored the scene.

"Stop, stop it!" Zephyr, unable to endure it any longer, dragged his old, wounded body forward to attack Doflamingo.

But soon, several Marines controlled by Doflamingo stood in his way.

Some attacked him, while others turned their weapons on themselves.

"Is it okay if all your beloved students die, Zephyr?" Doflamingo's sinister voice echoed in Zephyr's ears. Looking at the terrified, familiar faces of his students, Zephyr trembled all over.

He couldn't bear to see them die.

Doflamingo's mouth curved into a cold, cruel smile as he appeared in front of Zephyr, aiming a kick at him.

"Foot String!"

"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"

With a thunderous crack, golden lightning flashed across the deck of the Marine ship.

Doflamingo's razor-sharp threads directed at Zephyr's leg were sliced in an instant.

A longsword wrapped in golden lightning blocked Doflamingo's kick aimed at Zephyr.

Doflamingo glanced at the black-haired boy holding the sword in front of him, his hair fluttering in the wind as he blocked the attack, his eyes narrowing.

"Oh?"

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T/N:

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