Chapter 43: Mastery of the Thread-Thread Fruit

"Did you hear the news? The Donquixote Family is finished!"

"Yeah, 'Big Money' Thompson is dead too. Heard it was the Four-Color Family and a pair of brothers who did it..."

In a warehouse, a group of men with long knives and short guns were excitedly discussing.

"Nonsense!"

The leader, a burly man, disdainfully slapped his subordinate who had just spoken, knocking him to the ground. His face, with bulging muscles that quivered, was filled with bloodlust and greed.

"That waste Thompson drowned himself in the sea!"

"A Devil Fruit user actually fell into the sea by accident, it's truly laughable! — I wish I had replaced him sooner, knowing he was so useless!"

This burly man didn't have a name; everyone called him 'War Machine.'

He stood over two meters tall, broad and sturdy, with muscles that were tough and powerful. Just looking at him brought to mind the notion of a 'monster.'

"It's not too late now, Boss!"

"Exactly, with the Boss leading us, taking down those guys will be a piece of cake."

These excited ruffians had gathered here to compete for the legacy left behind by the Donquixote Family.

As individuals who operated outside the law and conscience, they were well aware that there had been a fierce battle between the Four-Color Family and the Donquixote Family recently. Although the Four-Color Family emerged victorious, their manpower was nearly wiped out!

And now their current subordinates were mere commoners pulled in from the docks?

Meanwhile, the core four executives, as well as the two new recruits, had been holed up in the hospital, wrapped up like corpses. It was considered normal if they dropped dead at any moment.

"Those brats from the Four-Color Family, thinking they can dominate Spiders Miles now that they've recruited a couple of newcomers —"

Just as one of the thugs was spewing arrogant words, a loud crash interrupted him.

"Who—"

"You don't want to live anymore?"

"Dare to cause trouble here? Do you want to die?"

A group of thugs turned their heads towards the entrance, shouting various 'standard' lines for minor thugs.

"Hehehe, I'm the 'newcomer' you all were talking about."

With a kick, Doflamingo pushed open the door and strolled into the warehouse wearing his sunglasses. The people inside were stunned, and then:

"Hahaha~"

"Newcomer, go find your mommy—"

Bang!

A lead bullet pierced through the thug's forehead just as he was in the middle of speaking, silencing his trash talk.

?!

"No need for any more useless chatter,"

Drawing two flintlock pistols from his waist, Doflamingo raised the weapons in his hands, making an announcement to those around him.

"I am one of the leaders of the 'Donquixote Family,' the one who will send you all to hell. Remember this name—"

"Don Quixote Doflamingo!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!!

In a secluded warehouse in the garbage disposal area, a burst of intense gunfire suddenly erupted.

Mixed with shouts of anger and battle cries, the noise made Toriborou, who was outside the warehouse, worriedly look toward the direction of the door.

"Don't panic, they're just a bunch of small fry."

Wrapped in bandages and sitting in a wheelchair, Rosinante waved his hand.

Although Doflamingo had only consumed the Thread-Thread Fruit a few days ago, he had already produced threads of comparable resilience to spider silk. Coupled with Rosinante's 'guidance,' dealing with a group of thugs was undoubtedly a walk in the park.

"Their leader is 'War Machine,' who almost beat Picca to death barehanded. Don't be careless."

"Right, that guy's strength is much greater than mine. If Doflamingo is in danger—"

Standing behind Rosinante's wheelchair was a 'young' man of the same height, Pica.

Pica's strength had reached a point where his fists could punch through walls like biscuits. Even when Rosinante used 'Fei Lian' with all his might, he still couldn't match Pica's strength.

If the opponent's strength was really as formidable as this, it would indeed be a dangerous enemy for the former Doflamingo.

But, that was the past.

"Don't worry, you all underestimate Devil Fruits too much."

Normal Devil Fruits, with just a bit of development, could elevate one's strength to the level of bounties worth tens of millions. It's not like all of them were as lacking in combat abilities as Rosinante's 'Silent Fruit.'

Even the seemingly 'useless' Whisper-Whisper Fruit could communicate with ancient Zoan Sea Kings;

The Jacket-Jacket Fruit could deceive and boost the power of an imbecile like Whitey Bay to new heights in an instant;

Braunmango's 'Pocket Fruit' was akin to a mobile arsenal;

There were very few Devil Fruits that didn't improve combat abilities.

Just like Toriborou, without knowledge of his Fruit's weakness, it would be easy to be immobilized by his adhesive and instantly killed.

"But that's the Thread-Thread Fruit!"

Threads... what combat potential could they have?

Facing Toriborou, who was close to accidentally slinging snot onto his own face, Rosinante waved his hand again.

"I've already said, don't panic. Can I really harm Doflamingo?"

"Just be patient."

————

"This kid is too agile!"

"Ah, I've been hit! Help me..."

"Damn it, how can he pinpoint our positions—"

Inside the warehouse, Doflamingo's figure agilely darted left and right. In one moment, he was charging forward, and in the next, he would seemingly move sideways out of thin air, as if numerous invisible hands were pulling him to dodge.

Simultaneously, he kept firing his flintlock pistols, each shot followed by a pained scream.

Bullets were fired, and gunshots resounded.

Doflamingo was naturally unfazed, as there were enemies all around him.

For him, there was simply no possibility of 'friendly fire.' However, the thugs in the warehouse were somewhat at a loss. They had to guard against Doflamingo's attacks while also being wary of their comrades' treacherous hands.

What baffled them the most was that, despite hiding behind the warehouse's storage, pillars, and walls, the little boy seemed to possess 'x-ray vision.' He fired his gun without even looking, and yet he always accurately hit the hidden individuals.

"Mark!!"

Seeing his subordinates being laid out like corpses by a little boy while their opponent remained eerily unharmed, War Machine roared in anger.

Beside him, a gunner immediately lifted a flintlock pistol and took aim.

However, what was strange was that this gunner wasn't aiming at Doflamingo, but at the empty wall beside him.

Bang, bang, bang!

Without expression, the gunner fired three shots in succession. Dust and smoke splattered as these three shots all left shallow dents in the nearby wall. But while Doflamingo was racing to kill, his figure suddenly shook.

"Done."

The gunner coldly holstered his pistol.

In a world like this, even slightly powerful 'experts' could evade bullets. It wasn't that their speed was faster than bullets, but they instinctively moved swiftly to dodge gunshots!

This gunner had developed a technique called 'refraction shooting' to address this situation. By using angles to reflect, he seemingly shot at walls in a strange manner. The unique bullets he fired would refract towards his intended target on the battlefield, accurately hitting them.

"Intriguing, huh."

?!

Yet despite being hit three times, Doflamingo only sneered, continuing to fire his flintlock pistols. There was no sign of injury whatsoever, leaving the gunner who had already put away his weapon stunned.

What kind of—?

Bang!

The next second, bullets fired by Doflamingo came hurtling towards them. However, this gunner obviously didn't possess the same unknown means of Doflamingo's 'unhindered by blades or bullets' capability. He staggered backward, blood spurting out.

"Worthless!"

As his subordinates continued to fall around him, the burly War Machine could no longer sit idly. He stood up with a fierce determination, charging directly toward Doflamingo.

Thud, thud, thud!

With every step War Machine took, the warehouse trembled.

With his muscle density, he wasn't afraid of ordinary bullets.

Swish,

Facing the burly man charging at him with open arms, Doflamingo propelled himself 'skyward,' evading the attack.

Boom!

The wall behind Doflamingo was immediately smashed into a human-sized hole. Bricks, steel bars, cement, and dust exploded violently! The burly man turned and frantically scanned the area, looking for Doflamingo's figure.

Based on the strength he displayed, he could easily destroy this warehouse as if it were a toy model!

"Haha, a bit of brute force."

Performing a mid-air somersault, Doflamingo landed lightly on the ground, and with a reverse grip, he shot down a gunman who was attempting to ambush him from behind. Facing the angry 'War Machine,' Doflamingo spread his arms wide.

Swish,

Two flintlock pistols fell, eerily inserting themselves into Doflamingo's belt.

"I'll use you to test out my new move—"

???

"Looking to die!!"

Confronted with Doflamingo's action, the burly man's eyes turned red. Lowering his head, he charged at Doflamingo with a headlong rush.

Meanwhile, Doflamingo's ten fingers moved, and suddenly:

"Spiderweb Wall!"

With each step the burly man took, he left deep footprints on the ground. Shattered stones flew, the momentum was fierce, and it was quite imposing!

However, somehow, his footsteps grew lighter and lighter. His final step actually ended up stepping on air, and he was eerily suspended mid-air.

"What is this?"

"Let me go, put me down!"

The burly man, possessing strength far surpassing that of lions and tigers, struggled forcefully while shouting in anger.

However, he couldn't see the countless threads that bound and suspended him in mid-air. These threads flexed with force, were incredibly tough, and, with the burly man hanging in mid-air, his immense strength was simply unable to be unleashed.

It was as if he were the Greek mythological figure Atlas. Once he was detached from the earth, he lost the source of his prideful strength.

"Haha, Rosinante's idea is fantastic."

Doflamingo looked at the enemy he had suspended in mid-air. In a direct test of strength, the young Doflamingo wouldn't be a match for this burly man. But thanks to the Thread-Thread Fruit, he was effortlessly manipulating his opponent like a puppet.

"Farewell, Bullhead."

With a flick of Doflamingo's finger, circles of thread wound around the burly man's face, sealing his mouth and nose!

With Doflamingo's current mastery of the Thread-Thread Fruit, it wasn't easy to strangle this muscular man to death. However, it was quite simple to suffocate him.

Woo, woo, woo!!!

The burly man, hanging in the air by countless threads, struggled wildly. Yet, as more and more threads wrapped around and reinforced him, he eventually became encased in a white cocoon.

Just like prey ensnared in a spider's web.

————

Step, step, step,

With the sound of footsteps approaching, Rosinante, Pica, and Toriborou guarding the entrance all turned their heads, seeing Doflamingo walk out with a light pat on his suit.

"How did it go? Easy, huh~~"

"Indeed, this is the power of a Devil Fruit."

Doflamingo clenched his fist. This tangible, visible power was much more exciting to him than the 'King's Haki impact' whose effectiveness depended on the opponent's resistance. Especially with Rosinante's guidance:

"Transmit sound through threads, precisely grasp everyone's positions;"

"Use threads to move yourself, performing various incredible dodges;"

"Weave threads into small, fingernail-sized balloons to create 'bulletproof armor' against bullets and blades;"

"Rosinante, I wish you had eaten the Thread-Thread Fruit—"

These were all suggestions provided by Rosinante, instantly propelling Doflamingo's combat prowess several notches higher. It wasn't just about intimidating with Haki or shooting pistols.

Facing Doflamingo's regretful words, Rosinante, seated in his wheelchair, shrugged.

"Don't panic, even with the 'Silent Fruit,' I can develop formidable techniques. Just wait and see."

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(End of this chapter)