One Piece: A King's Path Anew

"Justice is merely a name attributed by the victors! And right now, I am justice."

Doflamingo spoke inexplicably, standing beside the lifeless body of Rosinante. No one could fathom his current emotions – whether sorrow outweighed triumph, or perhaps, a measure of both churned within him.

"Young man, have you seen Marine Commander Rosinante? I'm looking for him, y'know!"

A voice suddenly pulled Doflamingo from his complex thoughts, startling him. He looked up to see Borsalino, clad in a white pinstriped suit. A sense of familiarity washed over Doflamingo. Though not yet the Admiral Kizaru in his iconic yellow suit and "Justice" coat, there wasn't much difference. That uniquely lazy, drawling tone wasn't something just anyone could replicate.

"Well now, young man, could you perhaps answer my question?" Borsalino pressed, noticing Doflamingo's somewhat dazed expression.

"The man you're looking for is already dead. I killed him! What are you going to do about it?" Doflamingo tilted his head, a wide, almost innocent grin spreading across his face as he looked at Borsalino.

"Oooh! Now that's quite a predicament, isn't it? Are all young people these days so terrifying? Killing a Marine Commander just like that. Well then, I suppose I'll just have to arrest you to close the case, hmmm? Donquixote Doflamingo." Borsalino said lazily, hands tucked into his pockets.

"Fuffuffuffuffu. So you do know who I am, Vice Admiral Borsalino," Doflamingo chuckled, his smile stretching even wider, as if mocking Borsalino's little act.

Borsalino remained unfazed. As one of the Marines' three "monsters," he naturally possessed a certain pride. Though Doflamingo's words pricked at him, a small flicker of annoyance sparked within Borsalino.

"Speed is weight. Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light, Donquixote Doflamingo?" Borsalino drawled, but his body had already transformed into a flash of light, hurtling towards Doflamingo.

"Such a twisted sense of humor you have, Vice Admiral Borsalino," Doflamingo remarked, not at all intimidated. He swiftly raised an arm, blocking Borsalino's light-speed kick.

"How scary! To think you blocked my attack so easily, Donquixote Doflamingo," Borsalino commented, a hint of surprise in his voice, though his words still dripped with his usual nonchalance. He was genuinely a little shocked that his light-speed kick had been parried with such ease.

"Heh. Speed is weight, you say? Have you ever been kicked by lightning, Borsalino?" Doflamingo retorted, mimicking Borsalino's tone.

In an instant, Doflamingo vanished, reappearing above Borsalino, a lightning-wreathed kick descending upon the Vice Admiral.

Borsalino, not to be outdone, quickly blocked Doflamingo's strike with his arm. They seemed evenly matched for the moment, neither gaining an immediate advantage.

Borsalino was quite irritated by Doflamingo's taunt. After blocking the attack, he intended to teach Doflamingo a lesson, but Doflamingo gave him no such chance. His attack having missed its full impact, he instantly teleported, creating distance between them.

Both were merely testing the waters. Doflamingo had no real desire to engage in an all-out battle with Borsalino. Everything was resolved, and Law was waiting for the Op-Op Fruit. Doflamingo wasn't keen on wasting time here with this particular fellow.

"Oooh, how frightening! The power of lightning. Is this what gives you your confidence, Donquixote Doflamingo?" Borsalino knew that Doflamingo, wielder of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, would be a troublesome opponent. However, he had his orders. Sengoku had explicitly tasked him with bringing back Commander Rosinante. A mere Commander dying wasn't a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but if he didn't at least put on a show, he'd have a hard time explaining things to Sengoku. This was a matter of appearances, and Borsalino understood priorities. This directly impacted his ability to slack off on the job in the future. Yes, very important. Besides, Doflamingo was seriously getting on his nerves. Who told this bastard to imitate his way of speaking? The worst part was, he was annoyingly good at it! How could someone be so punchable?

"If you're not going to fight, I'm leaving," Doflamingo stated flatly, not wanting to waste any more breath on Borsalino, and prepared to depart.

Borsalino felt a bit helpless. Why wasn't this Doflamingo playing by the usual script? Letting you leave? Not a chance. You have to play along with my act first. Borsalino directly shot into the sky and unleashed his signature move.

"Yasakani no Magatama!" Borsalino roared.

"Took you long enough! Divine Judgment!" Doflamingo, seeing Borsalino make his trademark move, didn't hesitate either. It was time to see whose "pretty light show" was stronger.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Tremendous explosions rocked Minion Island. The snow on the ground was blasted everywhere, and the impacts kicked up immense plumes of smoke, obscuring the figures of the two combatants.

Far away on Rubeck Island, Law, his body still wracked with illness, watched the commotion on Minion Island. After all, the ruckus Doflamingo and Borsalino were creating was truly immense.

What's happening? Did something go wrong? Is Mr. Doflamingo in danger? Law worried. He didn't want Doflamingo to lose his life trying to help him. If that happened, he would never forgive himself, living a life consumed by guilt.

"Rosinante! Rosinante!" Law, dragging his sick body, called out Rosinante's name on the Ark, but there was no reply.

"Have you seen where Rosinante went?" Law found some of the crew members on the Ark and questioned them.

"Law, we haven't seen any sign of Lord Rosinante. Could he have gone out?" The crew members, upon Law's inquiry, quickly searched the Ark but found nothing.

"How can that be! Where on earth could Rosinante have gone at a time like this?" Sweat beaded on Law's forehead as he fought back waves of pain.

"Law, are you alright?" a crew member asked with concern, seeing Law's condition.

"I'm fine," Law replied softly. With the crew's help, he returned to his room to rest.

Just as he lay down, a realization seemed to strike Law. He struggled to sit up and quickly made his way back to where the crew members were.

"Quick, search the island and see if Rosinante is still here! If not, he's probably already left." Law didn't say the rest, but the implication was clear. Rosinante was the one left to guard the Ark, and now he was the one missing. The meaning was self-evident. A heavy feeling settled in Law's heart. He hadn't expected Rosinante to be this kind of person. Any shred of goodwill he'd felt towards him instantly vanished.

Back on Minion Island, the commotion caused by Doflamingo and Borsalino was noticed by others. However, apart from the members of the Donquixote Family who headed towards Doflamingo, the remaining survivors desperately suppressed their terror and fled frantically off the island, praying they could escape with their lives.

"It's been too long since I faced a strong opponent! Yahahahaha! Lord Enel has arrived!" Enel cackled, flying through the air towards Doflamingo's location.

"Doffy, have you encountered an enemy?" Diamante looked grimly towards the explosions. He decided to return and fight alongside Doflamingo.

Pica merely glanced at the source of the disturbance before sinking into the earth, heading towards Doflamingo's position.

On the southern side of Minion Island, Doflamingo and Borsalino descended from the sky, facing each other. The surrounding environment had been ravaged by their battle, leaving a barren, lifeless wasteland.

"You're not all that, Borsalino! How about something a little more exciting?" Doflamingo said arrogantly.

Borsalino wasted no words and shot directly towards Doflamingo.

Their fists and feet clashed in mid-air, their movements incredibly fast. An ordinary person wouldn't be able to follow their actions, let alone see them clearly.

This was the advantage their Devil Fruits granted them. Whether it was Doflamingo or Borsalino, killing each other would be an incredibly difficult task. Even if outmatched, they could escape. However, Doflamingo now believed his own strength was not inferior to these monsters.

"You truly are a monster, Donquixote Doflamingo," Borsalino said lightly, using the force of Doflamingo's blow to propel himself backward, landing in an open space.

"Monster isn't the word for me. You guys are the monsters, aren't you? Everyone knows about the Marines' three great monsters!" Doflamingo stabilized himself and retorted.

Just as Borsalino was about to say something more, a hearty laugh echoed from the sky.

"Yahahaha! A Marine monster? Looks like I didn't miss out after all!" Enel proclaimed with a grin, riding on a cloud.

"Cloud Flow Annihilation!" Enel couldn't resist making a move, eager to test the strength of these "monsters." Doflamingo was happy to oblige; if there was one person he'd rather not fight seriously, it was Borsalino – too troublesome, too difficult to deal with. Since Enel was so eager, let him experience the gap between himself and a true monster.

Borsalino raised a finger, and a dazzling beam of light shot towards Enel.

Their attacks collided in mid-air, creating an explosion. However, remnants of the laser beam still streaked towards Enel.

"Indeed, you're strong! A Marine monster!" Enel dodged the remaining force, his voice filled with excitement. Borsalino was now his prey.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Borsalino rapidly formed into a giant stone hand, attempting to crush him within its grasp.

However, Borsalino was not one to be so easily caught. Golden light spilled from between the stone fingers, and he quickly reformed his body.

"A Logia type? How detestable," Pica thought resentfully.

"Half-Moon Sending-Off Slash!" Just as Borsalino reformed, a sword aura shot towards him. He didn't dodge; the attack passed straight through his chest, kicking up a cloud of dust on an empty patch of ground nearby.

"How terrifying, these young people nowadays," Borsalino remarked, his expression turning a bit more serious as he looked at the three new arrivals.

"I don't believe it! Take this!" Enel shouted, charging directly at Borsalino.

Doflamingo watched the two fight with a calm, unreadable expression. Pica and Diamante stood by, ready to support Enel.

Borsalino reacted minimally to Enel's charge, simply raising his fingers and firing several lasers. Enel, using his Observation Haki, skillfully dodged them.

Enel rapidly closed in on Borsalino, their fists and feet colliding. Enel was kicked away, but in the instant he was sent flying, he had already surrounded Borsalino with several clouds.

Soaring through the air, Enel let out a low cry: "Cloud Drift—Dust Explosion!"

A violent series of explosions erupted, but Borsalino, with his superior speed, had already escaped, reappearing right in front of Enel.

"Light-Speed Kick!"

Enel hurriedly imbued his arms with Armament Haki to block Borsalino's kick.

Bang!

A heavy impact resounded, and Enel was slammed into the ground below.

"Effeminate!" Pica called out, a hint of nervousness in his high-pitched voice. "Are you okay?!"

Borsalino hovered in the air, watching. Pica's comical voice didn't stir any reaction in him.

"Cough, cough."

Enel's coughing came from the crater he'd created. His voice followed: "Not dead yet! But damn, he really is a monster!"

"That's enough, Enel," Doflamingo interjected, stopping Enel, who seemed eager for another round with Borsalino.

Enel ceased his movements and stood beside Doflamingo.

"Oooh? What's this, Donquixote Doflamingo? Fancy a few more rounds with me?" Borsalino said, turning to Doflamingo.

The snow continued to fall from the sky. Doflamingo tilted his head back, letting the cold snowflakes land on his face, his expression grave.

Doflamingo extended his hands, lightning crackling in both palms. This resonated with the massive Heaven and Earth Net of lightning enveloping the island. The net began to descend upon Minion Island, a meteor shower of electricity lighting up the sky.

"Take this!"

Everyone except Doflamingo looked up at the sky. Meteor-like bolts of lightning rained down upon them, an attack seemingly designed to sink the entire island of Minion!

"How terrifying! Well, I'm done playing with you all," Borsalino said seriously. He had no intention of continuing this fight. With an attack of this scale, there surely wouldn't be any friendly forces left on the island anyway. There was no need for him to linger.

Doflamingo watched Borsalino leave without attempting to stop him. It would have been futile; Borsalino, determined to leave, was unstoppable.

"Doffy, this..." Diamante began, unsure what to say.

"Let's go. We've got what we came for, and I've personally dealt with the traitor," Doflamingo said to his crew, retracting his gaze from Borsalino's departing figure.

"It's about time we left," Diamante said, a little nervously. After all, countless bolts of lightning still hung overhead, making his scalp tingle.

The four of them departed one after another. The lightning in the sky rained down, smashing into the island.

"RUMBLE... BOOM!" The sound echoed across Minion Island. All living creatures on the island were decimated. Although Minion Island wasn't sunk, it would take a very long time for it to recover its former prosperity after this day.