The path to the Dress Rose began with the first step to the island, known for its city of "happiness". People and toys roamed the streets freely, filling them with the sounds of conversation and laughter. This apparent serenity did not distract me from my task. The Dress Rose was Doflamingo territory, and my move here is the beginning of an elaborate invasion.
Our journey started from the bustling port of Akasia, where we were greeted by a motley crowd of fishermen, merchants and travelers. The narrow streets of the area were flooded with warm golden light reflecting off the checkered roofs. We moved undercover, using Absalam's abilities to go unnoticed. Stone buildings covered with wavy patterns seemed to be watching us, their shadows added mystery and increased the feeling of anxiety.
After passing through the maze of shopping malls, we approached the Bullfighting Colosseum. The gigantic arena towered like the crown of a city, its weathered stone walls echoing the screams of the crowd. Here, crowds of spectators flocked to watch the battles, and we used this fuss to take cover. Flygria created an illusory wall, distracting possible pursuers.
Moving on, we crossed the blooming Primrose district, where pink and red flowers cascaded from the balconies of buildings. The atmosphere here was deceptively calm: toys and people played together in the streets, but behind the smiles there was tension. The architecture resembled a utopia built on the contrast of old and new — simple rustic tiled roofs juxtaposed with ornate facades of modern times, symbolizing the power of the Doflamingo.
We walked through a Corridor, a long and narrow passage resembling a gorge. Walls of pastel-colored stone towered over us. Here Bruno opened a door portal to shorten the way, and we found ourselves on the outskirts of the Castle plateau. This was where the harder part of our journey began. The guards became more dense, and the magic of illusions required full concentration to hide us.
We were hiding in a spatial dimension created by Bruno's abilities. My puppets followed me: Absalam, Flygria, and Bruno himself. I studied the streets and buildings, noting their location and possible escape routes. At any moment, something could go wrong.
As we approached one of the intersections, it became clear that we were expected. Two massive silhouettes belonging to Pique and Diamante were passing by in the area. They were accompanied by a group of armed henchmen. We stopped, watching them from the shelter. However, Diamante, ignoring the shelters, turned in our direction.
"Who are you?" His voice cut through the air like a sharp blade.
He's already seen us. The will of observation allowed him to feel our presence. Before I could figure out how to continue, he attacked, aiming at the nearest puppet. The blow penetrated the shelter and wounded Absalam. I'll have to go out. The hide-and-seek game is over.
I came out of hiding with Bruno, Flygria, and the wounded Absalam. My actions were measured, my gaze remained focused on my opponents. We were surrounded. Diamante stared at me intently, waiting for an answer.
— The impudents. Who are you? "What is it?" he repeated. The question was aimed at establishing control, but I had already started using my spiritual body threads. Their movements became slower, but they quickly noticed it. Pica immediately disappeared into the surroundings, merging with the stone structures of the island, and Diamante broke the distance, preparing for the next attack.
To avoid a direct collision, I used Bruno's abilities. We disappeared back into the spatial dimension, but we didn't have time to take Flygria and Absalam away. They changed their location with the help of paper figures, using the personalities embedded in them. This divided us into two groups.
The peak began to increase using the abilities of Isi Isi no Mi. His huge stone appearance towered over 200 meters. The landscape has changed: massive rocks and obstacles created by his power have grown around us. Meanwhile, Diamante continued his pursuit using Hira Hira no Mi. The floor beneath us looked like fabric, which made it difficult to move.
Flygria and Absalam used all available means to avoid the attack of Pike and his henchmen. Flygria created a maze, confusing ordinary henchmen in the relief created by the Pike. Absalam was just hiding using invisibility. She dodged the massive attacks of the Pike by using teleportation through fire, constantly creating it and teleporting there.
At the moment, once again dodging the attacks of the Pike, she shifted into an uncomfortable position. A simple pirate managed to shoot her in the head, forming a hole in her temple. Her body shuddered, but she didn't fall. Touching the hole in her head, she turned towards the pirate who had fired. Like a wild animal, she pounced on the stunned pirate. And although she did not have strong physical parameters, using the power of the Faceless One, she became like a monster, growing claws on her hands, and began to tear apart the attacker.
Pica didn't stop for a second. When he saw that the henchman was dead, he continued to attack, changing the landscape into spikes and using his huge fists to put pressure on Flygria. However, at some point her spirituality was depleted, which turned my puppet into a bloody mess.
At the same time, Bruno and I began to retreat using teleportation through fire, maintaining a distance of 100 meters. Diamante, despite slowing down, continued to advance, not giving us a chance to stop. At some point, he smoothed the ground under our feet, leaving us vulnerable to a Pike strike. One of the huge stone fists crashed down on us, but we managed to escape from the affected area.
Diamante wasn't as destructive as Pica, but even under the influence of the gradual capture of his spiritual threads, he maintained his mobility. And thanks to the Will of Observation, he could follow us, even if we were hiding using illusions and a hidden world.
However, the lack of large-scale attacks made itself felt. Kiting him was not as difficult as it might seem, and the 15 seconds were slowly running out.
As soon as the time was up, the capture of the Diamante threads was completed. He was my puppet now, but I was in no hurry to reveal this fact. Instead, I flashed closer to the Peak, using Diamante to distract him.
I lost them. my newfound puppet commented.
Pike, did not lose his uniform, while maintaining combat readiness. All the while observing the landscape, he slowly moved his huge head.
Climbing up the giant body of the Pike, I began to capture its threads. He could sense my presence, but he couldn't pinpoint my exact location. Slow thoughts and lack of will to observe played a role. After 15 seconds, he became another of my puppets.
When the capture was completed, Diamante, on my command, declared that he had found me. He grabbed me and pretended to knock me out. After specially restraining me and adding a look of beatings, with the help of Faceless's abilities, we headed to Doflamingo Castle.