Violet disappeared into the elevator.
Only then did Kouta turn to Guina and ask, "What do you think, want to fight this guy?"
"This guy?"
Guina stared at Doflamingo, an arc of electricity flashing in her eyes. Clearly, with her warlike nature, she was eager to fight him.
But thinking of the imminent arrival of Charlotte Linlin, she shook her head, retracting the fighting spirit and electricity from her eyes.
"Forget it! Although I feel this guy is strong, he's not strong enough for me to fight all out. I'd rather save my strength for Charlotte Linlin!"
"Mmm! That's fine too."
Kouta nodded and turned his gaze back to Doflamingo.
At this moment, Doflamingo was also gritting his teeth, enduring the pressure, and looking at him.
"Well! Still quite stubborn."
Seeing Doflamingo's defiant stance, Kouta's lips curled into a cruel smile.
Then his eyes narrowed.
Crack!
Thunder erupted from the void.
An exceptionally powerful, kingly aura, like that of a beast king, emanated from Kouta.
The boost from Conqueror's Haki made him appear as a true demon in the eyes of the Donquixote family's executives.
"Don't get too arrogant, silver-haired brat."
Doflamingo glared at Kouta.
Even though his aura was weaker, even though he was bent over by the pressure, even though his mind was shaken by Kouta's inexplicable killing methods.
But who was he?
He was a Shichibukai, the "Heavenly Yaksha," a Celestial Dragon, the king of Dressrosa, a true king, Doflamingo.
Bang!
The two Conqueror's Haki clashes whipped up a fierce gale.
"Interesting."
With a thought, Kouta retracted his spatial domain.
Outside.
The moment Kouta's spatial domain retracted, a deafening clamor rose from the streets below the royal palace's high ground.
However, these sounds did not affect anyone.
Instead, the thunder from the collision of Kouta's and Doflamingo's Conqueror's Haki, emanating from within the spatial domain, from the palace, and spreading across the entire high ground, that massive purple-black lightning instantly silenced the noisy streets below.
"What is this?"
Below the high ground, outside the artificial Devil Fruit factory, Ahua, who had grown to four meters tall, punched away Señor Pink, who stood in their way.
Seeing the bruised and battered Señor Pink fall unconscious, tears welled up in his eyes.
A complex expression flashed in Ahua's eyes.
He could feel that the man before him must have had an interesting past.
But he had no intention of inquiring about his past. Other people's lives were not his to dictate. All he knew was that the man before him was a pirate, a bad pirate.
So, he bent down, picked up a weapon that someone had carelessly dropped nearby, and without hesitation, raised his blade, severing Señor Pink's neck with a single strike.
Then, he dropped the weapon and turned to the factory, shouting loudly, "Alright, you can come out now."
After rescuing the Tontatta, he had dealt with this gate, while Ahua and two others were still inside handling the guards.
"Oh! Mr. Ahua, are they all dealt with?"
From behind the gate, a group of Tontattas, led by a doll-like little person with a pointed nose, long golden hair tied into two braids, and a small green flower on each side, rushed out.
"Wow! Lord Ahua, you're amazing!"
Upon seeing Señor Pink lying on the ground, beheaded, the Tontattas showed no fear, instead looking up at Ahua with excited faces.
"That's right, who am I?"
"I am the great Ahua!"
Seeing the Tontattas' adoring gazes, Ahua puffed out his chin with pride.
Just then.
Crack!
Thunder echoed in the clear sky.
Looking at the spreading purple-black lightning overhead, Ahua's smile vanished.
He then lowered his head, looked at the Tontatta leading the group, and said, "Princess Mansherry, you all wait here for King Riku and the others to come up!"
"Then, then, then what about you, Mr. Ahua?"
Mansherry, having just been rescued, was still somewhat frightened.
"Me?"
Ahua tilted his head back. "Of course, I'm going up to deal with Doflamingo and the others!"
"Then, then, alright! Mr. Ahua, please be careful!"
"Hahaha!! A mere Doflamingo is no problem at all."
"Yo! Bragging again."
Just then, at the main entrance, Allo and others emerged with more Tontattas.
Upon seeing Allo and the others, the Tontattas quickly bowed, "Greetings, Lords Allo, Atao, Robin, Indigo, and Brook."
"Mm!"
Allo and the others responded with nods.
Ahua stared intently at Allo.
This guy always interrupted his show-off the moment he appeared. He deserved a beating.
Thinking this, he loudly replied, "Who's bragging? Come and fight me if you dare!"
Without Guina by their side, their courage was naturally amplified.
"Bring it on, who's afraid of who."
Allo cracked his neck, slicked back his punk-style hair, and looked down at Ahua with a dismissive half-glare.
"Alright, alright!! It seems I need to show you how powerful my fists are."
Ahua, of course, was not afraid of Allo. He clenched his fists and stepped forward, ready to fight.
"Enough, enough."
Robin, seeing the two about to fight, quickly stepped forward to intervene. "Kouta and the others are waiting for us upstairs! We should hurry!"
"Alright, alright!"
The two exchanged glances, a flicker of fire in their eyes, but it eventually died down.
The mission was important. They would have plenty of opportunities to fight later. Not to mention, Kouta had likely left opponents for them upstairs.
With this thought, they quickly turned and walked towards the entrance.
"Let's go!"
Watching the two eager individuals, Atao leaned against the doorframe and took a deep drag from his cigarette.
"Idiots!"
His eyes were filled with contempt.
Then, he flicked the cigarette butt, straightened up, and crushed it with his foot before turning and entering the door.
Ahua and the other wanted to fight, and so did he.
Doflamingo was out of the question, and so were the Yonko. However, the executives of the Donquixote Family, and potentially the approaching Yonko crew, they should be able to find their respective opponents.
The thought of so many opponents made them restless with excitement.
Since their four-month training on Little Garden, although they had acquired their weapons and Atao had obtained a Devil Fruit, their physical condition had plateaued, unable to break through.
It was like a membrane, visible but untouchable, and impossible to break through, leaving them with the feeling of seeing a beautiful woman but being unable to have her.
However, during their fight with Vergo in Punk Hazard, they had sensed hope for a breakthrough.
That hope lay in fighting against Haki users.
Through countless battles, they could use Haki to pierce that membrane, thereby advancing their physical condition and Haki.
Robin and the other two watched Ahua and his companions' retreating backs, shaking their heads helplessly. They then explained Kouta's plan to the Tontattas, telling them to wait for King Riku here before turning and entering the gate, heading towards the elevator to the upper levels of the royal palace.
Strictly speaking, the three of them were not combatants; they were going up to watch the show.
They knew they couldn't help Kouta in his fight against the Yonko, but they also didn't want to cause trouble, so they weren't running around aimlessly.
Whatever needed to be done could be done later.