Nagato in One Piece - Chapter 37

In the palace on the Royal Plateau, Diamante hurtled toward the center of the Birdcage while Doflamingo chased after him desperately, not even caring about the blood dripping from Diamante that splattered onto his face.

Fortunately, the speed of retracting the strings was faster, and just as Diamante was about to crash into the Birdcage, Doflamingo managed to completely retract it. In an instant, Doflamingo was beside Diamante, catching him.

“Doffy…” Diamante was in critical condition, struggling to speak.

“Fufufu…” Doflamingo chuckled darkly, “Don’t worry, with Mansherry in our hands, you won’t die.”

After rescuing Diamante, Doflamingo turned, ready to deal with Nagato, only to find that he and his group were already flying off into the distance.

“Damn scum, running away again?” Doflamingo laughed in rage. Landing, he brought out another Doflamingo from thin air, sending it racing after Nagato’s retreating group.

It was Doflamingo’s Black Knight.

“Pica!” Doflamingo commanded as he landed, “Stop them before they leave this country!”

Pica nodded without speaking and vanished into the ground.

“Señor Pink,” Doflamingo handed Diamante over, “Take care of Diamante.”

“The rest of you,” he addressed the remaining members, “Follow me!”

With that, Doflamingo shot into the sky.

Meanwhile, with Nagato and his group:

“Nagato, what are you planning?” Law, being carried through the air by Nagato, couldn’t help but ask. “Are you thinking of giving up?”

Lucci, Kyros, and the others had similar doubts.

“No,” Nagato replied, “Just changing the battleground. Fighting in the center of Dressrosa causes too much destruction.”

Hearing this, Law and the others fell silent, while Kyros felt a deep respect.

Indeed, Nagato’s wish to avoid unnecessary casualties was one reason, but more importantly, he saw Dressrosa as his own domain. Fighting Doflamingo recklessly didn’t make sense if it meant destroying what he aimed to rule.

Nagato flew swiftly, carrying the group to the kingdom’s edge in just over ten minutes. They were about to leave the city for the rocky outskirts of Dressrosa when a massive stone statue rose, its colossal hand reaching out to grab them.

“Don’t think you can escape the Donquixote Family!” shouted Pica, the highest executive of the Donquixote Special Forces, using his Stone-Stone Fruit abilities.

Pica’s ability to merge with stone was indeed formidable, his three to four hundred meter tall form making him a near-invincible adversary for most. But to Nagato, this attack was full of openings. He deftly maneuvered his group through the gaps between Pica’s fingers.

Pica’s size alone was enough to make CP9 uneasy, but with Nagato’s skillful evasion, Jabura couldn’t resist mocking, “Hey, your voice is way too high-pitched for a big guy!”

Hearing this, the stone statue seemed to darken in anger. Pica roared, “Stone Stomp!”

Dozens of huge stone spikes erupted from Pica’s body in random directions.

“Fufufu… Bullet String!” At that moment, Doflamingo’s Black Knight arrived from behind, attacking from both sides.

Kyros and the others grew anxious, urging Nagato to let them down so they could fight, but before they could speak, Nagato acted.

“Universal Pull!”

Nagato continued flying toward Pica, extending his right hand in a grabbing motion before flinging it sideways. The massive stone statue instantly lost balance and toppled, crashing down with a thunderous quake akin to an earthquake.

The stone spikes meant for Nagato’s group were missed entirely.

The Black Knight’s attack also failed. Without Pica blocking the front, the strings lost momentum before reaching Nagato.

“I’m sorry, Doffy!” The huge stone statue clumsily rose, apologizing to the Black Knight. “I couldn’t stop them.”

“You have some skill!” Though Pica had failed, Doflamingo valued his capabilities highly. The Black Knight did not scold him but instead accelerated forward.

“Doflamingo is catching up,” Law said, seeing the Black Knight getting closer. “And he’s alone!”

By now, they had reached the rocky outskirts of Dressrosa. Nagato landed, bringing the group to the ground.

“Fufufu… So you decided not to run? How unusual, little mice!” The Black Knight sneered, landing not far behind.

Before Nagato could respond, Law countered, “Stop talking big, Doflamingo! Ahead lies the ocean. I bet you don’t dare follow us there!”

The Black Knight paused, momentarily speechless. His Sky Path required clouds for support, which Nagato could disperse. Following them to the sea would indeed be a death sentence.

“Five Color Strings!” True to his temper, Doflamingo didn’t bother arguing, his Black Knight lunging at Law.

Law was shocked, barely raising his sword in defense, but Nagato intervened, grabbing the Black Knight’s wrist, and stopping the attack just before Law.

“If I remember correctly, your name is Uzumaki Nagato.” The three-meter-tall Black Knight looked down, eyes piercing through his sunglasses. “What’s this? It seems your body is weak!”

With a sudden movement, the Black Knight’s five fingers dug down, breaking through Nagato’s grip and slashing Law’s chest, causing him to cry out in pain.

“Almighty Push!”

Nagato reacted, sending an invisible force that blasted the Black Knight back dozens of meters.

“Doflamingo!” Kyros, unable to contain himself any longer, leapt forward, slashing at the Black Knight through the dust cloud.

“I’ve told you before…” The Black Knight countered, blocking with five connected strings and clawing at Kyros’s head. “Don’t overestimate your rank, small fry!”

Seeing the deadly claws coming for his head, Kyros’s eyes widened, unable to dodge mid-air.

“Universal Pull!”

Nagato pulled Kyros back from behind, saving him from the deadly strike.

“Stand back.” Lucci, Kaku, Jabura, and Blueno prepared to attack, but Nagato stopped them.

“You are not his match,” Nagato said, stepping forward. “Stick to the plan and handle the other executives.”

CP9 hesitated before nodding, understanding the gravity of the situation.

“Fufufu…!” The Black Knight laughed, unable to contain his amusement. “Nagato, you really make me laugh…!”

His expression turned menacing. “I thought someone causing so much trouble in my country would be formidable, but it turns out you’re just an ignorant fool! It makes me furious!”

“I admit, your sneak attack caught me off guard, but now I see you’re just a lucky idiot with no real strength.”

Stepping forward, the Black Knight continued, “Let me educate you, kid. In the second half of the Grand Line, known as the New World, only those who master Haki can be called strong!”

“Your powers seem to be gravity-based… What a waste of a Devil Fruit! Your control is so superficial it makes me sick. From the look of you, you haven’t even touched the threshold of ‘Awakening’!”

Moving closer, the Black Knight’s presence grew oppressive. “To spare you the mystery of your demise, know this: I mastered Haki and Awakening ages ago!”

His words struck fear into Kyros, Law, and Lucci.

“This is the level of a New World monster…” Kaku murmured.

“Doflamingo…” Law and Kyros gritted their teeth.

Blueno swallowed hard.

“By the way…” Suddenly, another figure landed—it was a second Doflamingo!

Amidst their shocked gazes, Doflamingo stood beside his Black Knight, grinning. “The one playing with you was just my clone!”

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