After Kai's identity was exposed, Doflamingo's wariness toward him rose sharply.
He knew very well that the five-year-old boy in front of him only looked young and weak.
In reality, that small body contained terrifying power.
Power capable of shaking the sea.
At only five years old, he already possessed strength enough to overturn the world.
Strength no weaker than a Marine vice admiral.
No—
Even Whitebeard Jr., a monster-level pirate, had been defeated and captured by him.
That alone showed how terrifying Fist Demon Kai truly was.
Facing such a monster, even someone as arrogant and unruly as Doflamingo did not dare underestimate him.
"According to the rumors…"
"Edward Weevil, Whitebeard Jr., possesses the blood of the World's Strongest Man and the strength of Whitebeard in his youth."
"Even I wouldn't be absolutely certain I could take down a monster like that."
"And yet this Fist Demon Kai defeated and captured him alone, then sent him to Impel Down."
The more Doflamingo thought about it, the stronger his wariness became.
This was a dangerous enemy.
Very dangerous.
So dangerous that even Doflamingo did not dare act rashly.
He was now on full alert.
Focused completely.
At the same time, Kai smiled faintly when he heard Doflamingo's words.
"Looks like you've recognized me."
"That saves me the trouble of introducing myself."
Doflamingo's eyelid twitched.
He asked coldly, "Why did you come to my territory and cause trouble? This is the Donquixote Family's territory. Don't you Marines know that?"
On this sea, there was an unspoken rule.
The Marines usually would not waste enormous effort pursuing the strongest pirates unless necessary.
It was too troublesome and often not worth the cost.
That was why Doflamingo could not understand it.
Why would the Marines send a monster like Fist Demon to Magic Town, a territory controlled by the Donquixote Family?
What were they planning?
What did they want?
No matter how much he thought about it, he could not figure it out.
If not for Kai's strength, Doflamingo would not have bothered speaking this much.
But Kai was too strong.
Doflamingo could only face him cautiously, unwilling to attack unless absolutely necessary.
Kai's strength was real.
He had defeated Whitebeard Jr. alone.
Even Doflamingo had no absolute confidence he could beat him.
Of course, Doflamingo still trusted his own power.
Even if he could not defeat Kai—
He did not believe he would lose either.
That was Doflamingo's confidence in himself.
"Of course I know this is the Donquixote Family's territory."
"But so what?"
"I came all the way from Marineford to Magic Town precisely because of your Donquixote Family."
"Besides…"
"Even knowing this is your territory, isn't it perfectly normal for me to come here? Marines arrest pirates. Isn't that only natural?"
"You are pirates. I am a Marine."
"Since when does a Marine need a reason to arrest pirates?"
Kai laughed softly.
"You!"
Doflamingo flew into a rage.
Did this brat really think he was some soft target?
Did he really think the Donquixote Family could be easily trampled on?
"Fist Demon, you're too arrogant!"
He stared coldly at Kai.
After a moment, he took a deep breath and said with guarded seriousness, "I admit that you're strong. At your age, to possess power like this, your talent is terrifying."
"But…"
"That is not a reason for you to cause trouble in my territory."
"Even if your strength stands at the top of this sea, don't forget where you are. This is my territory. I am Doflamingo!"
"You caused trouble in my territory. Even if you're Fist Demon, don't think you can walk out of this casino unharmed!"
He glared at Kai.
Kai was powerful.
But Doflamingo was not afraid.
A true top-tier pirate would never fear others so easily.
And Doflamingo, by nature, was an arrogant and ruthless man.
The only person who could make him feel even a trace of fear was Kaido of the Beasts, one of the monsters of the New World.
Other than Kaido—
Not even Whitebeard could make Doflamingo bow his head in fear.
"So…"
"You don't intend to cooperate with me?"
Kai smiled.
He looked deeply at Doflamingo, his expression filled with interest.
A faint crimson gleam flashed through his eyes.
A terrifying aura, like that of a prehistoric beast, slowly spread from his body.
Sharp.
Oppressive.
It filled the entire hall.
"Doflamingo, I heard your strength stands among the top ranks of this sea."
"I'd like to see it for myself."
"I hope you won't disappoint me."
Kai narrowed his eyes, his tone filled with anticipation.
The Warlord invitation?
That could wait.
Right now—
What interested Kai more was fighting a monster like Doflamingo.
He had even temporarily forgotten the purpose of his visit.
He had come here to invite Doflamingo to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
But now that he had met a worthy opponent, he chose to ignore that for the moment.
As for how he would explain it to Vice Admiral Tsuru later?
Kai had already thought of an excuse.
Doflamingo refused to cooperate.
So he had no choice but to use force.
"You'll see it."
Doflamingo stared coldly at Kai. His fingers moved like he was playing a piano, dancing through the air with strange precision.
At first glance, it looked like nothing more than a bizarre habit.
But in reality, as his fingers moved, countless invisible threads had already appeared in the air.
Thin beyond ordinary sight.
Almost impossible to detect with the naked eye.
Those threads stretched like piano strings, incredibly tough and razor-sharp.
Their cutting power was terrifying.
And now, they had silently spread across the entire casino like a spiderweb.
This was Doflamingo's Devil Fruit ability.
The Paramecia-type String-String Fruit.
It allowed him to control countless threads.
Threads with terrifying destructive force.
Threads with terrifying cutting power.
Their sharpness was no weaker than famous blades of the sea.
And each thread was extremely durable.
Nearly impossible to snap with brute force alone.
Even Seastone weapons would struggle to sever them.
This was Doflamingo's greatest weapon.
It was also the reason he had built such a fearsome reputation on the sea.
His power came from the String-String Fruit.
Compared to his Devil Fruit mastery, even his Haki was secondary.
After all, Doflamingo had already developed his Devil Fruit to its ultimate stage.
Awakening.
Any Devil Fruit user capable of awakening their power possessed strength that could shake the world.
Doflamingo was one of them.
He had turned what seemed like an ordinary String-String Fruit into a terrifying weapon.
That alone proved just how outstanding his personal ability was.
There were no useless Devil Fruits.
Only useless users.
Doflamingo was the perfect proof of that saying.
At this moment, sensing the threads filling the air, Kai's eyes gleamed.
"String-String Fruit, huh?"
Under the casino's bright lights, he could clearly see the strands spreading through the air like a spiderweb, almost sealing the entire hall.
Then Kai said nothing more.
He slowly raised his right arm, grabbed the Marine justice coat on his shoulders, and tossed it aside.
Then he rolled his shoulder and grabbed the collar of his shirt.
With one pull—
Rip!
The sharp sound of tearing cloth echoed through the hall.
Kai tore his shirt apart with one hand.
The shredded pieces scattered through the air and fell messily at his feet.
At the same time, his upper body was revealed.
Perfect muscle lines covered his frame.
Veins like coiled centipedes bulged across his skin.
Every muscle looked like a volcano waiting to erupt, containing unimaginable power.
His body radiated a terrifying pressure.
And on his back—
The demonic pattern emerged.
Savage.
Terrifying.
Chilling to behold.
It looked like the mark of a devil carved into his body.
Thick, violent killing intent spread from Kai's frame.
His ferocious aura surged outward like a tide.
At this moment—
Demon-Back Kai had appeared.
"Doflamingo…"
"Today, let's have a real man-to-man slaughter."
Kai raised his head, looked at Doflamingo, and grinned.
The air tightened.
The battle was about to erupt.
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