NOVEL NEXT Chapter 99: Fish
A red-skinned, middle-aged Fish-Man with a wrapped turban, thick facial hair, a typical Fish-Man's wide mouth, sharp teeth, and a dorsal fin, surfaced almost simultaneously with the Flamingo.
Diamante spotted him, and he, in turn, spotted Diamante and the Donquixote Family.
He didn't seem to care, unlike ordinary Fish-Men and Merfolk who either reacted with fear like a tiger or with unbridled rage—two polarized attitudes. He calmly flipped onto a small boat in the water, then jumped onto it, preparing to leave.
"This guy... he's quite tall! Tiger shark Fish-Man? Sea Bream Fish-Man? What kind of Fish-Man is he?" Diamante pondered, confused, as he sized him up.
The other party was indeed tall, at least three to four meters in height, dressed simply in a pair of shoes, long pants, and a T-shirt, revealing bulging muscles, giving him a powerful and imposing demeanor.
Doflamingo leaped onto the ship's railing. "Fufufufu~~ Hey, hey, care for a chat? I've heard of your great name, Fisher Tiger, the excellent adventurer and traveler who circumnavigated the world... Is this your first time embarking on a journey?"
"I've also heard of your great name, and it wasn't a good review, so I don't want to get involved! Warlord of the Sea, 'Sea Scourge' Doflamingo," Tiger stopped his small boat, staring at Doflamingo with uncertainty, and said indifferently.
Doflamingo twitched his fingers. "Fufufufufu~ As expected of the boss of Fish-Man District, well-traveled and full of guts! But this isn't right, not right at all..." The curve of his lips widened further, as he mumbled ambiguously, "Adventure? Travel? What's that! This isn't your destiny. You shouldn't waste your precious time. You can become... a hero! Hahahaha..."
"Bullet String: Duet!"
Boom boom boom!
Swish swish swish swish swish swish!
With his right index and middle fingers together like a gun, Doflamingo made a three-shot burst in a triangular pattern in front of him. Six high-speed, steel-like threads, as sharp as needles, blossomed and abruptly changed direction to attack Tiger.
"You bastard..." Tiger's eyes widened in anger. He hadn't expected Doflamingo to attack him out of nowhere, without even a disagreement; it was inexplicable. However, his reaction was swift. He twisted his waist, spread his feet, brought one hand to his waist, and unleashed a powerful punch: "Fish-Man Karate: Arabesque Brick Fist!"
Rumble!!!
A sonic boom suddenly erupted.
"Strings?"
Tiger's punch created an air current, and the condensed shockwave forced Doflamingo's Bullet String off course. But... he touched his cheek; the sharp threads had still grazed him, leaving glaring crimson bloodstains.
Swish swish swish swish!
Doflamingo didn't pursue after his initial attack failed. His hands swiftly moved, countless transparent threads secreting and dancing from his fingertips.
Clink clink clink!
Boom boom boom!
Splash splash splash!
Very close to the Red Line, Doflamingo connected the Red Line and the Flamingo with his strings, weaving a hundred-meter-long and wide, fine fishing net in the air on the sea surface. At the center of the net was Tiger. His threads pierced through Tiger's small boat, forcibly trapping Tiger and cutting off any chance of him escaping into the sea.
Veins bulged on Tiger's forehead. Doflamingo's actions made him realize Doflamingo's malice; it wasn't a test but a clear intention to kill or capture him!
"Bastard!"
"'Sea Scourge'! What exactly do you want?! Don't think I'm someone you can easily manipulate!"
"Water Shot!"
As Tiger roared, he gathered the remaining water droplets on his body in his palm and flung them forcefully.
Whoosh!
The water droplets, like bullets, swiftly darted towards Doflamingo's head.
Clang~~
The sound of metal clashing.
Smoothie's long sword precisely intersected the path of the water droplets.
"Smoothie?" Doflamingo turned his head. "This is my fight. Do you want to make me angry?"
Smoothie returned her sword to her back and sat down lazily. "Sorry, Doffy! But is this kind of opponent really worth you making such a big deal out of?"
"Fufufufu~ Who knows?" Doflamingo mumbled vaguely, then immediately leaped onto the fishing net he had woven. "Relax, smile! You'll find life's beauty, Tiger."
"Shut your damn mouth!" Tiger vigilantly stared at Doflamingo, extremely cautious.
Even though the Warlord of the Sea 'Desert King' had recently suffered a crushing defeat against Whitebeard, Tiger knew that not everyone had the right to challenge Whitebeard; that itself was a symbol of strength.
He believed that the World Government's description of the Warlords of the Sea—"each possesses catastrophic destructive power, power comparable to a nation"—was not false, hence his extreme caution.
"Tsk~" Doflamingo clicked his tongue, his smile still radiant. "Alright, alright, if you won't smile, I will, fufufufu~"
Doflamingo's laugh was so sarcastic, so sinister, that Tiger's heart sank. He tried to move again.
"Can't... can't move?" Tiger was startled, realizing he couldn't lift his hands, or any part of his body.
Doflamingo's fingers moved nimbly like playing a piano, his expression indescribably grim. "Fufufufu~ 'Don't think I'm someone you can easily manipulate'? Who do you think you are? ...Fish!"
From the moment Tiger stepped on Doflamingo's woven fishing net and didn't quickly escape, even if he just moved, his fate was sealed. His Observation Haki wasn't strong enough, and he focused too much on Doflamingo, completely neglecting that the fishing net under his feet was still manipulated by Doflamingo.
Extremely thin, invisible threads had penetrated his pores and, circulating with his blood, imperceptibly spread throughout his entire body.
"Parasite String: Modified."
This was one of the results Doflamingo obtained through his human experiment research.
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