Clang—
The broadsword and longsword clashed as the two slave gladiators lunged at each other once more.
Doflamingo's fingers danced across the air as if playing a piano, deftly manipulating the poor souls who had become his marionettes, driving them to charge recklessly at Caesar's Thralls.
Thud!
Two muffled sounds rang out simultaneously as the longsword and broadsword plunged into each other's bodies.
Doflamingo smirked. "What a pity. It seems like a draw."
"No, how could it be?" Caesar shook his head slightly.
As soon as he spoke, a sudden change occurred.
The Thrall controlled by Caesar suddenly raised its head, a pair of crimson eyes gleaming with a bloodthirsty chill. It opened its mouth wide and viciously bit into its opponent's shoulder.
Amidst a desperate scream, the pirate controlled by Doflamingo deflated like a punctured balloon. In the blink of an eye, the burly man, who had been over two meters tall, was reduced to a withered, desiccated corpse!
"Do controlled individuals also possess Vampire abilities?"
Watching the pirate whose wounds healed rapidly after drinking blood, Doflamingo fell silent for a moment, his wariness of Caesar deepening.
This ability not only allowed for the creation of an army that feared no death but also provided immense benefits to the individual.
It meant that in battle, Caesar could continuously recover from injuries by draining the blood of his enemies.
In other words, using sheer numbers to overwhelm him would be utterly futile.
Even in a one-on-one fight, one would likely fall into a disadvantage due to injuries.
Unless one's strength far surpassed his, the only way to defeat him would be for several individuals of similar strength to join forces.
A Vampire, a Mythical Zoan…
Originally, he had estimated the value of this Devil Fruit to start at two billion Berries. Now, it seemed that even doubling that price wouldn't be unreasonable.
"Fufufu, what a failure!"
Doflamingo chuckled, covering his forehead with his hand. He waved dismissively, and a tall, thin man in a red cape hurriedly stepped forward, presenting a box of Berries with both hands.
Caesar remembered this man as Diamante, one of Doflamingo's top executives and the person in charge of this coliseum.
As for the storyline from Dressrosa to Wano Country, Caesar only remembered the general outline—just the characters and the plot progression. The details were completely lost to him.
The reason? The anime adaptation was just too damn draggy!
It had made him drop the series multiple times, and he eventually switched to reading the manga.
But Oda's art style was too cluttered, and he ended up reading it in a haphazard manner. Caesar couldn't even remember who had defeated this Diamante.
Throughout the Dressrosa arc, aside from Sugar, the dangerous Hobby Fruit user, the person who left the deepest impression on him was actually the announcer of this coliseum!
As for the reason…
The announcer had spent half an episode dragging out the announcement of Luffy's victory. Even now, thinking about that part of the anime, Caesar couldn't help but feel a surge of murderous intent.
"Care to bet again?"
Caesar looked at Doflamingo.
"Let's not."
Doflamingo's lips curled into a meaningful smile. "Your abilities are too unpredictable. Unless I personally step in, no matter how many times we bet, the result will likely be the same."
"Personally step in?"
Caesar scoffed inwardly. Sure enough, this guy couldn't resist the urge to test him.
"What? Are you suggesting we—spar?"
"Fufufu… I wonder if I have the honor?"
Doflamingo's smile widened, though he wasn't entirely confident in his heart. Fortunately, he had left himself enough room to retreat.
It was just a spar, after all…
Winning or losing was a normal thing.
Even if he couldn't match his opponent, he could still use the excuse of a friendly match to gracefully admit defeat.
But if Caesar showed any sign of weakness, that would be a different story.
Through his Observation Haki, Doflamingo sensed that Caesar was strong, but he wasn't entirely sure just how strong.
"My appearance doesn't come cheap," Caesar rubbed his fingers together. "How much are you planning to pay for my presence?"
"How about another hundred million?"
"I'm not short on money," Caesar shook his head slightly. "A Devil Fruit!"
"And what if you lose?" Doflamingo was itching to act.
Caesar didn't respond, simply standing up silently as his massive black wings, several meters wide, slowly unfurled.
"Then name your price!"
As his words fell, the figure in the original spot gradually dissipated.
Doflamingo's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly turned his gaze toward the arena.
Inside the coliseum, Caesar was calmly looking at him.
"Such speed…"
Doflamingo fell silent for a moment, slowly wiping the fake smile off his face.
He had to admit, just the speed Caesar had displayed was enough to give him a sense of pressure.
A faint glimmer of silver light flickered at his fingertips as Doflamingo's figure flashed, landing in the arena.
On the commentator's platform, the golden-armored commentator, seeing the two enter, was about to excitedly say something when he was suddenly chilled by Caesar's sweeping gaze, causing him to slump back into his seat.
"Fufufu, why bother getting angry at a mere commentator?" Doflamingo didn't understand why Caesar would be hostile toward a small-time commentator, simply assuming he disliked fat people.
"Should I kill him for you?"
"That won't be necessary. It's just that I found his incessant chatter earlier quite annoying."
Caesar scoffed lightly, beckoning Doflamingo with a playful tone, "Come on, let me see what the so-called… Royal Shichibukai is made of?"
Doflamingo's gaze fell on the sword at Caesar's waist. "Aren't you going to use your blade?"
"Afraid not," Caesar shook his head regretfully. "This sword has only cut down two people since it was forged. The last one was Queen, and the one before that was King. I'm saving the third spot for Kaidou."
"Looks like I won't have that honor."
King and Queen?
Cut down?
Well… whether it's true or not, we'll find out in a fight…
Doflamingo spread his hands, and nearly invisible threads silently spread around him.
Suddenly, his figure flashed, appearing right in front of Caesar in the blink of an eye.
His large hand came down heavily!
"Five Color Strings!"
In terms of fighting style, Doflamingo and Caesar were both speed-oriented.
The difference was that while Caesar's combat habits leaned toward speed, his strength was also monstrous.
Doflamingo, perhaps hindered by his Devil Fruit, had an attack power that Caesar found somewhat… lacking.
Boom!
Facing the incoming five-colored threads, Caesar threw a fierce punch!
Without even using Conqueror's Haki Coating, the compressed and released Armament Haki instantly shattered the threads, slamming heavily into Doflamingo's fingers!
Crack!
With a crisp sound, Doflamingo let out a muffled groan and retreated as if struck by an electric shock! His entire back was instantly drenched in cold sweat!
Damn, that hurt!
The pirate world didn't have the word "damn," but that was exactly how Doflamingo felt in his heart at that moment.
"Huh—what the hell was that noise?"
Caesar was also startled: "Why are you so brittle?"
Crack…
With an expressionless face, Doflamingo straightened his fingers and forced out a nearly ingratiating smile despite the pain.
"Fufufu… How about we call it a day here?"