After Kai and Doflamingo stopped fighting, the battle finally came to an end.
What remained was a devastated field of ruins.
Doflamingo's Devil Fruit Awakening had caused massive damage to the surrounding environment.
Most of Kai's attacks were focused, single-target strikes. Their destruction was brutal, but still relatively contained.
Doflamingo was different.
Once he unleashed his Devil Fruit Awakening, he directly destroyed more than a thousand meters of the surrounding street, collapsing countless buildings into rubble.
"Hah…"
Doflamingo exhaled heavily and forced his breathing back into rhythm.
This battle had drained him far too much.
He had to admit it.
Fist Demon Kai, despite being only five years old, was an extremely terrifying opponent.
Even after going all out, Doflamingo still could not see a clear path to victory.
In the end, he had no choice but to stop.
It was humiliating.
But for the sake of the Donquixote Family's future, Doflamingo had to back down.
As for the destroyed casino?
He did not dare pursue the matter any further.
Still, deep down, he made a silent vow.
One day…
He would reclaim everything he lost today.
"Hiss…"
Pain pulsed through every part of his body, making Doflamingo inhale sharply. His face turned pale, and his body felt as if a mountain were pressing down on it.
Even his movements had become sluggish.
For an ordinary person, injuries like these would already be fatal without immediate treatment.
But Doflamingo was no ordinary person.
With his monstrous physique and stubborn vitality, these wounds were serious, but not enough to kill him.
Even without treatment, he was confident he could recover in three to five days.
"That monster, Fist Demon Kai…"
"He really didn't hold back."
After checking his condition, Doflamingo's expression grew ugly.
Four bones in his chest were cracked.
Eight ribs were broken.
Three bones in his back were fractured.
His entire body was covered in wounds.
This was the worst injury Doflamingo had suffered in years.
No one had ever beaten him into such a miserable state.
Yet today, five-year-old Kai had done it.
Dragging his exhausted body, Doflamingo felt sharp pain with every breath. He was about to turn and leave when Kai suddenly tossed him an envelope.
Doflamingo froze.
"What does this mean?"
He caught the envelope and frowned, looking at Kai with suspicion.
He did not open it immediately.
"An invitation from the Marines?"
"What are the Marines planning?"
Doflamingo's eyes sharpened.
So Kai had come prepared.
He had not simply wandered into the Donquixote Family's territory by coincidence.
Had he come all this way just to deliver this invitation?
Thinking about it, that seemed very likely.
Otherwise, unless Kai had lost his mind from boredom, there was no reason for him to travel all the way to Demon Town just to cause trouble.
"So…"
Doflamingo's mouth twitched.
"This entire fight was just because Fist Demon Kai got excited for a battle? He wasn't sent here to destroy the Donquixote Family?"
That damn monster.
He relied on his strength and did whatever he wanted.
Damn it!
So all of this…
had been a fight Kai started on his own whim.
The casino had been destroyed for nothing.
If Doflamingo had been stronger, he would have torn Kai apart right there to ease the hatred in his heart.
"You should read it first."
Kai did not bother explaining too much.
"Once you finish, you'll understand why I came here."
Doflamingo's frown did not loosen.
He took a deep breath, brushed the dust from his body, tore open the envelope, and pulled out the white invitation inside.
It had come from the Marines.
His eyes moved to the words.
At first glance, his pupils shrank.
His expression changed.
"The Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
Doflamingo's face shifted.
He focused fully and continued reading.
A moment later—
"Hah…"
He exhaled heavily.
After finishing the invitation, Doflamingo's heart shook violently.
The contents had shocked him.
Only after a long pause did he suppress his emotions and look at Kai again with a solemn expression.
"Is this real?"
"The Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
"Will the World Government truly recognize this?"
"Will the Marines truly recognize it?"
He had too many questions.
If the invitation was real…
Then losing one casino today no longer mattered.
Even though that casino was currently the Donquixote Family's largest source of income.
Compared to this invitation, its value was nothing.
Not one casino.
Not even ten casinos could compare to the value of the invitation in his hand.
"If this is true…"
"Then the plan I've been preparing for years can finally begin."
"Return to the New World."
"Take back what should have belonged to me."
Doflamingo's eyes gleamed.
He was an ambitious pirate.
If not for the Marines, he would never have stayed hidden in Demon Town on the first half of the Grand Line, using this small territory as the Donquixote Family's base.
But now…
If the invitation was genuine, he no longer needed to fear the Marines.
He could finally move toward the thing he had always wanted.
Dressrosa.
The entire island.
The land that should have belonged to him.
The Donquixote Family's rightful property.
For years, he had been planning to take Dressrosa back.
He had only lacked the right opportunity.
Now the opportunity had arrived.
The Seven Warlords system was the key.
"I can tell you clearly."
"Everything written in that invitation is true."
"It was approved by the World Government and personally issued by Fleet Admiral Kong."
Kai answered Doflamingo's doubts calmly.
Then he asked, "Now that you've read it, give me your answer."
"Will you join the Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
Kai waited.
Doflamingo fell silent.
He weighed the gains and losses.
But no matter how he thought about it, the answer was obvious.
Joining the Seven Warlords would bring far more benefits than drawbacks.
At least for a pirate like him, who wanted to seize Dressrosa, becoming a Warlord was the best possible choice.
Without that status, taking back Dressrosa would be far more difficult.
"Once I become one of the Seven Warlords, I'll receive recognition from the Marines and the World Government."
"I'll become a pirate acknowledged by the sea itself."
"From then on, the Marines won't attack me."
"They won't interfere with the Donquixote Family's businesses either."
"With that, I can expand freely, recruit more manpower, and grow the family's power…"
Doflamingo thought deeply.
After considering everything, the conclusion was simple.
The price he had to pay was small.
The benefits were enormous.
Why would he refuse?
This invitation was practically tailor-made for him.
After thinking it through, Doflamingo slowly reached a decision.
He raised his head, gripping the invitation tightly, and looked deeply at Kai.
Then he asked in a strange tone, "If I refuse today, will you attack me again?"
He was testing Kai.
"Who knows?"
Kai smiled.
"But you can try refusing and find out."
Seeing Doflamingo's expression, Kai already knew his answer.
A pirate as ambitious as Doflamingo could never resist the temptation of becoming a Warlord.
The benefits were too great.
He would not refuse.
"In that case…"
Doflamingo met Kai's gaze and smiled.
"I accept."
"I will join the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
And with that, the sea's first Warlord was born.
Visit my patreon for more chapters
Advance 60+ Chapters Available
patreon.com/ZeusOp