One Piece: A King's Path Anew

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: So Much for a God



The intense light emanating from the temple caused Doflamingo and his crew, who had just arrived, to squint and shield their eyes.

Losing his vision for a moment, Doflamingo immediately sensed something was wrong. He quickly activated his Observation Haki to assess the situation inside the temple. He saw Vergo half-kneeling on the ground, clutching his eyes in pain after being struck by the bright light. The enemy, showing no mercy, was attempting to take advantage of the opportunity to finish Vergo off. Doflamingo couldn't tell the extent of Vergo's injuries, but without his sight, Vergo was in a perilous position against the sudden attack.

Doflamingo was extremely anxious. Vergo couldn't afford to be taken out. Doflamingo was already short on capable fighters, and losing even one was a blow he could ill afford. Moreover, Vergo was a crucial part of Doflamingo's plan, and absolutely could not be lost. He immediately pushed off with his legs and sprinted towards the temple.

"Die, blasphemer!" The God, feeling victory was within his grasp, spoke with a tone of excited anticipation.

He clenched both hands into fists and lunged at Vergo.

Vergo, hearing the God's voice, knew his vision was impaired and his situation was dire. He was no match for his opponent in this state. Without hesitation, relying on the sound of the God's voice to pinpoint his location, he quickly erected a Spider Web Wall to block the attack, hoping to stall the offensive and buy time for his eyes to recover.

The God, seeing his attack blocked, realized that his voice had given away his position. He immediately launched several slashes from different directions towards Vergo, aiming to mislead him and create an opening. The God himself also took action, seizing the opportunity to strike. He knew the principle of striking while the iron was hot and wouldn't let this golden chance slip away.

Vergo, hearing the whistling sound of slashes coming from multiple directions, understood the God's intentions. But he had no other choice. His vision was gone, and he couldn't see the God's position, making effective attacks impossible. He could only resort to a clumsy method, swinging his strings in all directions to deflect the attacks.

A perfect opportunity! The God, having already circled behind Vergo, delivered a powerful punch, striking Vergo squarely in the back. The immense force sent Vergo flying.

Vergo used his strings to stabilize himself, bracing for the God's next attack, not even taking the time to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.

The situation was critical, and Vergo was at a severe disadvantage. He tried to open his eyes to see his enemy, but the pain was too intense. He could only squint, seeing a blurry shadow. But that was enough. Vergo quickly saw the God's attack approaching.

"So fast," Vergo muttered unconsciously.

The God charged towards Vergo, holding a shell in his hand, its purpose unknown.

The God rushed at Vergo with the Reject Dial. It has to be said, the God was a ruthless character, using the Reject Dial, which was ten times stronger than the Impact Dial. This was a weapon that could even endanger the user, but the God didn't care. He didn't know how many enemies there were, and if Vergo recovered, it would be much harder to deal with him. Therefore, he launched his strongest attack, hoping to finish Vergo off in one fell swoop.

Vergo also sensed the danger and hastily created a Spider Web Wall in front of him to block the God's attack.

The Reject Dial's impact was incredibly powerful. The moment they collided, both parties felt the strain. The powerful force caused Vergo's Spider Web Wall to quickly rupture, and the residual force struck Vergo's body. He was sent flying, vomiting a large amount of blood in mid-air, his breath weak, severely injured. The God wasn't much better off. The powerful recoil caused his right arm to bleed profusely, and his arm trembled uncontrollably.

"I won. This is the consequence of defying God." The God was satisfied with his attack. Although his right hand was also severely injured, it was all worth it.

"Vergo!" Doflamingo, finally arriving, shouted anxiously as he saw Vergo flying through the air.

Doflamingo quickly caught the airborne Vergo, feeling for his heartbeat.

"Vergo, can you hear me?" Doflamingo looked at Vergo with concern, but Vergo had already lost consciousness and couldn't respond.

"Thank goodness, that was close," Doflamingo said instinctively.

Seeing that Vergo was still breathing, Doflamingo's heart finally settled. But Vergo's severe injuries filled him with rage.

Diamante and the others arrived shortly after, and seeing Doflamingo's furrowed brow and clenched fists, they knew their Young Master was furious. Seeing the unconscious and gravely injured Vergo, they understood.

"Doffy, is Vergo alright?" Diamante was the first to reach Doflamingo's side, asking anxiously.

The bond between the four of them—Diamante, Trebol, Pica, and Vergo—was deep. Seeing Vergo in this state filled them with hatred.

"He's still breathing. You guys take care of Vergo's treatment. I need to deal with someone," Doflamingo said, handing Vergo over to Diamante. He then turned and walked towards the God.

The God was also startled by the sudden arrival of this group, caught off guard by the sheer number of invading enemies. However, no matter what, the final victor would still be him. The God remained supremely confident.

"Was it you who injured Vergo?" Doflamingo asked calmly as he approached the God.

"That's right. It was this God who struck him down," the God replied coldly.

"God? What a joke. You're just a frog in a well," Doflamingo scoffed.

"You... blasphemer! You deserve to die!"

Enraged, the God immediately attacked Doflamingo.

"Good! Let me show you what real power is," Doflamingo, rather than being worried, was pleased. He met the God's fist head-on.

Boom!

The instant their fists connected, the God was blasted back by the immense force. His already injured hand was now so damaged that he couldn't even lift it.

"You... you have such strength!" The God was shocked. He had initially underestimated Doflamingo, thinking that his young age and lack of special powers meant he was weaker than Vergo. But the damage from their brief exchange forced him to take Doflamingo seriously.

There was nothing he could do. The God's situation was dire. The Four Priests were either dead or injured, and the guard force was almost completely wiped out. There was no one left to help him.

Doflamingo didn't care what the God was thinking. All he wanted to do was quickly defeat him and avenge Vergo.

"Armament: Hardening!"

Doflamingo stopped being casual and started to fight seriously, determined to defeat the God.

The fist, encased in Armament Haki, whistled through the air, about to make intimate contact with the God's face. But the God wasn't completely helpless. He had anticipated this and quickly retreated, using his undamaged left hand to unleash slashes, attempting to block Doflamingo's advance.

Doflamingo had also anticipated this. Using his Observation Haki, he swiftly dodged, trying to close the distance.

Seeing that he couldn't stop Doflamingo's advance, the God was greatly alarmed. He had just seen the power of Mantra on Doflamingo. That such a young man had awakened this power made the God take him even more seriously.

Doflamingo pressed his attack relentlessly, forcing the God to temporarily avoid direct confrontation.

"Is this a God? All you do is run away. So much for a God," Doflamingo's speed still couldn't match the God's, who was boosted by Jet Dials. He couldn't catch up, and the distance between them widened further. To close the gap, Doflamingo began to use verbal attacks, targeting the God's pride.

"Damn it!"

Hearing Doflamingo's taunts, the God's face contorted in rage. Although he was furious, he wasn't stupid enough to fall for such a simple trick.

"Tsk tsk, look at this. This is your God," Doflamingo, seeing that the God hadn't taken the bait, stopped his attack and immediately addressed the Birkan crowd that had followed them.

"Is... is this really our God?"

"He's so weak."

"A God wouldn't run away like that."

"Do we have any hope? If even God is this weak, what are we going to do?"

"I don't want to die! Why isn't God defeating the enemy?"

Various voices spread through the crowd. The God, hearing these words, turned pale with anger and shouted at the people:

"You lowly commoners, what do you know? Shut up!"

The four-person group, who had initially been full of confidence upon seeing the God, began to despair. God was not invincible after all.

Doflamingo wouldn't let this opportunity slip. Taking advantage of the God's mental disarray, he launched another attack.

Enel watched the God's pathetic state with great amusement, reveling in his misfortune. He even laughed without restraint.

"Yahahaha! What God? He's weak!"

"Enel, you bastard! You're siding with the enemy, you traitor!" A guard, seeing Enel following Doflamingo, immediately questioned him.

"That's right, my esteemed Guard Officer. I brought them here. Yahahaha, what are you going to do about it?" Enel's attitude was arrogant, and he felt a surge of satisfaction. So this is the thrill of revenge? It's truly interesting and captivating.

"Enel, you really are a menace. It seems I must eliminate you today. God cannot be insulted!" The guard's face was ashen, looking as if he wanted to kill Enel immediately.

"As if I'm afraid of you! Come at me if you dare!" Enel, like a pig unafraid of boiling water, looked down on the guard.

"Prepare to die, traitor!"

The guard, unable to resist the provocation, drew his sword and charged at Enel.

Enel wasn't afraid. This was the perfect opportunity to teach these usually arrogant guards a lesson, to show them that there's always someone stronger.

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