Aeridar's eyes widened as he hastily retreated.
A spray of blood blossomed through the air, bright red droplets falling from above.
Aeridar's expression darkened. He clutched his left shoulder with his right hand. His clothes had been ripped open by a gash over ten centimeters long, stretching from his shoulder down across his chest. Blood flowed freely, soaking his upper garments.
It was clear now—Aeridar's Armament Haki was still much weaker compared to Donquixote Doflamingo's.
"Fufufufufu~ What a shame," Doflamingo cackled from the air not far away, his sadistic laughter echoing as his gaze locked onto the blood pouring from Aeridar's wound. His tongue slid across his lips in a grotesque, predatory motion.
Of course, when he said "what a shame," he wasn't mourning Aeridar's injury—he was lamenting the fact that he hadn't achieved his true goal yet.
"Captain's been hurt!"
"Damn it! As expected of a Warlord of the Sea... He injured the captain so quickly!"
"Should we jump in and help—?"
On board the Chris, the crew erupted in alarm as they saw Aeridar wounded.
Especially Backan, one of the newest recruits—he was stunned.
The captain who had effortlessly defeated him... had been injured by Doflamingo almost instantly.
"Hehehehehe~ Hahahahahahaha~"
Suddenly, Aeridar let out a low, chuckling laugh.
It grew louder and louder until he threw his head back, laughing uproariously.
"Oi, oi... Did you lose your mind or something?"
Doflamingo's brow furrowed in confusion, uncertain what his opponent was planning.
Lowering his hand from his wound, Aeridar stared at the blood staining his palm, grinning broadly.
"The Paramecia-type String-String Fruit truly is an insanely powerful Devil Fruit. You really do live up to your reputation as 'the most dangerous man among the Seven Warlords of the Sea'—the Heavenly Yaksha. Even without going all out, you're clearly stronger than me. I'll admit that much."
"Fufufufu~ You don't seriously think a few sweet words are gonna make me spare you, do you?"
Doflamingo sneered, his fingers twitching ominously.
Aeridar smirked, utterly unfazed.
"Flattery? No, I'm just stating the truth. Besides..." His grin widened. "You won't be killing me today. At best, we'll die together."
"Fufufu... Hahahaha!"
Doflamingo burst into laughter again—an ugly, twisted sound.
It had been a long time since he'd met someone this interesting.
The last one... was Trafalgar Law—a little brat who had been dying of Amber Lead Syndrome.
Still, he had to admit:
The man standing before him wasn't half bad.
He hadn't used his full strength yet, but the mastery Aeridar showed over his Devil Fruit powers, Armament Haki, and Observation Haki...
He was already on the level of a genuine great pirate.
Sure, he lacked experience, but that wasn't a fatal flaw.
Experience would come with survival and constant battle.
Doflamingo's smile vanished in an instant.
His towering figure—over three meters tall—leaned forward menacingly, like a beast ready to pounce.
His voice dropped to a chilling whisper:
"Before you start making big claims, you might want to check the state of your own shoulder first. You think you can take me down with you? Don't make me laugh."
"I'll slaughter your little crew like pigs, shred your pretty little ship to pieces... and finally, rip your head clean off!"
Aeridar's face remained calm.
"Death... is something I accepted long before I ever set sail," he said coolly.
Then he smiled—a sly, dangerous smile.
"Besides... you're forgetting something important. Without clouds, you can't fly, can you?"
Doflamingo's expression shifted instantly.
Aeridar had figured it out.
"Your ability to fly," Aeridar continued, voice dripping with mockery, "relies on your strings anchoring to clouds so fine they're invisible to the naked eye. You tether yourself to the sky to move freely through the air."
"But—" he leaned forward slightly, grinning like a fox, "—if there are no clouds to latch onto, if there's nothing overhead..."
"You fall. Straight into the ocean."
Aeridar's grin widened.
"If you try to massacre my crew or destroy my ship, I'll unleash my ability and shatter every cloud in a wide radius. With no clouds and no foothold, you'll plummet into the sea, helpless. And then... we drown together."
In his previous life, Aeridar had been fond of Doflamingo's character.
He had researched him extensively.
Doflamingo was a tyrant—a man who defied heaven and earth, cruel and ruthless, proud and cold.
He embodied the principle: Even the gentlest man harbors bloodlust.
And those who refuse to bow must be broken by force.
Aeridar agreed wholeheartedly with those beliefs.
He also admired Doflamingo's philosophy from the Summit War:
"Pirates are evil, the Navy is justice?"
Those ideals can shift depending on your perspective. Only those standing at the top define good and evil.
Thus, Doflamingo remained neutral in the battle, siding only with victory itself.
That worldview resonated deeply with Aeridar.
After all, the Seven Warlords of the Sea were supposed to straddle both light and darkness—dealing in illegal trades with pirates, rebels, and mafias while maintaining official ties with the World Government.
Doflamingo embodied that duality better than anyone.
"Heheheh~ Hahahahaha~ Fufufufufufu~"
Doflamingo clutched his forehead, veins bulging on his shining brow.
He laughed so hard his body nearly doubled over—but despite the laughter, his face grew darker and darker, almost dripping malice.
In a voice like frozen steel, he hissed:
"You... little... brat! You know me pretty damn well, huh?"
"But don't get cocky. You're seriously pissing me off now. And when I get pissed—"
He chuckled coldly, "—I laugh ."
Aeridar's words had struck a nerve.
Without clouds, Doflamingo couldn't maintain his aerial mobility.
And out over open sea, with nowhere to stand... even he could drown.
"Believe me," Aeridar added, his voice low and deadly.
Doflamingo's fingers twitched spasmodically—a sign of barely contained rage.
"Fufufufufu~ You almost had me cornered. Not bad at all..."
Doflamingo finally composed himself.
He stared at Aeridar from behind his sunglasses, the glint in his eyes sharp as blades.
"You wouldn't have said all that... if you didn't have something else up your sleeve."
Aeridar grinned mischievously and nodded.
"Heh heh heh... What else would I expect from 'JOKER', the King of Dressrosa and a true lord of the underworld?"
He spread his arms wide.
"So, what do you say, Doflamingo? How about... an alliance?"
"A Seven Warlords' Pact!"
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