Chapter 30: Kai's True Place in the World
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Kai and Vice Admiral Strawberry clashed fiercely as the battlefield rumbled beneath their feet. Despite the Vice Admiral's best efforts, every strike he threw was countered, every swing of his Haki-coated blade met by the elegant precision of Kai's magic. The difference in power was becoming painfully clear.
"Damn it!" Strawberry growled, wiping blood from his mouth after taking yet another hit from Kai's Night Shards. His eyes burned with frustration as he glared at Kai. "You're nothing but an upstart. How dare you mock the Marines! We've brought down far stronger than you, brat!"
Kai sidestepped another one of Strawberry's wild swings, his expression calm but mocking. "Stronger? If this is the best the Marines have, then your standards must be as low as your Haki."
Strawberry roared in frustration, his sword lighting up with a surge of Haki as he lunged forward. "I'll cut that arrogance from you!"
Kai ducked beneath the strike effortlessly, the sharp edge barely missing him. He weaved around the Vice Admiral, his Cleanrot Knight's Sword flashing as he struck back with a flurry of magical blades. The air shimmered as Night Shards pierced Strawberry's defenses once more, each one landing with deadly precision.
The Marine staggered, groaning in pain, but still standing. "Don't think... you've won yet!" Strawberry snarled, his breathing ragged. "You're just another criminal! I'll make sure your corpse is left for the seagulls."
Kai responded with a dry laugh, sidestepping another heavy swing. "You can't even land a hit on me. You really should've left this to Smoker."
As Kai's magic rained down on him, Strawberry's movements became more sluggish, his Haki weaker with each passing moment. The magical barrage was relentless. "What is this Haki? I've never seen anything like it...!" Strawberry groaned as the Glintstone Arc ripped across his chest. Blood gushed out, staining his uniform as he crumpled to the ground, clutching his chest in agony.
Kai approached slowly, eyes cold and unyielding as he raised his sword. "This one's for Fisher Tiger," he said, preparing to deliver the final strike
But just as the blade was about to land the killing blow, it stopped—mid-air.
Kai's eyes widened in shock. His muscles strained, but the sword wouldn't move. "What the hell...?" he muttered, looking down at the blade, only to notice something glinting—thin wires wrapped around it. No... not wires, strings.
A slow, sinister chuckle echoed behind him.
"Little toy..." The voice was low, menacing, and eerily playful. "I'm not one to save Marines... but it would be problematic for me to let you kill that Vice Admiral."
Kai recognized that voice instantly, though he'd never heard it in person before—only through the screen of an anime.
Kai spun around, his heart pounding in his chest, and standing there, controlling his sword with those ominous strings, was none other than Donquixote Doflamingo. The warlord's face was twisted into a malevolent grin, eyes obscured by his trademark pink sunglasses.
Kai gritted his teeth. Doflamingo. The very sight of him sent a chill down Kai's spine. The man radiated danger, his very presence suffocating the battlefield. And yet, that grin—so full of twisted amusement—made it clear that this was all just a game to him.
"Well, now..." Doflamingo's voice oozed mockery. "Let's see how long you can keep dancing."
.
Kai's heart pounded as he realized the gravity of his new opponent. Doflamingo was no ordinary foe, and if Kai wanted any chance of survival, he needed to shift tactics—fast. Without hesitation, he unequipped his Cleanrot Knight's Sword, letting it vanish from Doflamingo's threads. The strings snapped free, and Kai instantly created space, stepping backward, his eyes narrowing at the Warlord of the Sea.
He quickly re-equipped the Cleanrot Knight's Sword and clenched it tight. This was no time for hesitation. He had faced Marines, beasts, and horrors in Impel Down, but Doflamingo was on an entirely different level. Kai gritted his teeth and equipped Marika's Soreseal, feeling the immediate surge in his capabilities. His magic was about to become devastating, but he knew the cost: any hit he took now would hurt even more.
Risky... but worth it.
[Effects:
Mind +5
Intelligence +5
Faith +5
Arcane +5
Damage taken +15%]
The familiar feeling of the talisman's power surging through him was immediate. But Kai wasn't done. Without wasting another second, he reached for his Wondrous Physick Flask and drank it in one swift motion, the magical elixir coursing through his veins. A flash of energy surged within him, amplifying his magical capabilities even further.
[Effects:
Magic-Shrouding Cracked Tear: Increase in Magical Damage 20%, Duration 30 Minutes
Cerulean Hidden Tear: Eliminates all FP consumption, Duration 10 Minutes]
Kai grinned, feeling the immense power flowing within him. His magical energy was nearly infinite for the next 10 minutes, and he planned to make every second count. He needed every advantage he could muster against a foe like Doflamingo.
Finally, he opened up his system. The Runes he had collected from the war, Smoker, Strawberry, and his previous escape mission were all ready for use.
'Time to level up'
Kai reviewed his totals—10K Runes from the war, 15K from Smoker, 10K from Strawberry, and 20K from the Impel Down mission. A massive 55,000 Runes sat in his system, waiting.
He breathed in deeply as he began to channel them
[
Name: Kai Silver (RadahnAndGone)
Race: Human
Age: 20
Class: Prisoner
Faction: None
Level: Rune 28->36
Current Runes: 177->55177->3,321
Stats:
Vigor: 19->22
Dexterity: 14
Mind: 17 (5+)
Intelligence: 22->26 (+5)
Endurance: 11 ->12
Faith: 6 (5+)
Strength: 12
Arcane: 9 (+5)
Inventory: Prisoner's Armor Set, Estoc, Glintstone Staff, Rift Shield, Cleanrot Knight's Sword, Meteorite Staff
Talismans: Marika's Soreseal
Flasks: 5….3 (1) Flasks of Crimson, 2(1) Cerulean Tears –Refills Every 24H
Ash of War: Ash of War: Blood Tax
Magic: Magic Glintblade, Glintstone Arc, Night Shard
]
Kai wasn't holding anything back.
With an unrelenting barrage of Glintstone Arcs and Night Shards, he unleashed his magic with reckless abandon, the effects of the Wondrous Physick still coursing through him. The sheer volume of his attacks painted the battlefield in a cascade of shimmering blue light, streaking toward Doflamingo like a storm of blades. For the next ten minutes, he had unlimited power, and he planned to make every second count.
But then, something impossible happened.
The attacks all connected with Doflamingo—every Glintstone Arc, every Night Shard—but instead of breaking him, they bounced off harmlessly. Kai's eyes widened in disbelief as Doflamingo deflected each strike with nothing but his coat. his flashy pink coat that was so well-known.....it seemed darker this time, more sinister. And yet, Doflamingo stood there, mocking him with that same sadistic grin.
"You're going to have to try harder than that," Doflamingo sneered, as a sea of strings emerged from behind him, shooting toward Kai like spears.
Kai responded in an instant, slashing through the threads with his sword and casting Glintstone Arc to cut through the air. His blade met the strings, cleaving them in two. However, despite his best efforts, some of the threads moved too fast, too thin to be seen, cutting deep into his body. He gritted his teeth as he felt the sting of wounds opening across his flesh, but the pain was dulled, the invisible strings not as potent as the visible ones.
Doflamingo's smile grew wider as he watched Kai struggle. "Your Haki... it's strange," he mused, his voice taunting. "You don't even know how to use it properly...You don't know how to use Haki do you? Only those strange attacks of yours... those are the only ones imbued with Haki."
Kai's heart sank as the truth hit him. Doflamingo had figured out his secret.
With a flick of his wrist, Doflamingo sent another flurry of strings hurtling toward Kai, this time in greater numbers. They were everywhere—like a web of death, encircling him, cutting into his skin from all directions. He could barely keep up. The strings seemed endless, and every move he made only delayed the inevitable. His blood stained the battlefield, dripping from his wounds as Doflamingo toyed with him like a predator playing with its prey.
The anger swelled within Kai. He was being treated like a joke, a mere plaything for Doflamingo's amusement. With a furious shout, Kai dashed forward, closing the distance between them, determined to land a blow. His Cleanrot Knight's Sword gleamed as he slashed at Doflamingo.
But Doflamingo was ready. His strings caught the blade effortlessly, stopping it cold. That condescending grin spread wider across his face, but Kai was prepared.
A second Glintstone Arc shot from Kai's staff, catching Doflamingo off guard. The blue blade of magic sliced across Doflamingo's cheek, drawing blood. For the first time, Doflamingo's smile faltered, his eyes narrowing with fury.
"You little..." Doflamingo snarled, his voice now filled with venom. Without warning, he unleashed a torrent of strings, far more than before. They were everywhere, cutting through the air with lethal precision. Kai barely had time to react, deflecting most of them with his sword and magic, but one slipped through.
One was all it took.
Kai felt a searing pain tear through his arm as the string sliced clean through it. His staff fell from his grasp, his severed hand tumbling to the ground. Pain exploded in his mind, and he let out a scream, dropping to his knees, clutching the bleeding stump of his arm. The agony was unbearable, and the sight of his severed hand lying in the dirt only intensified the horror.
Doflamingo chuckled darkly, towering over him. "Pathetic," he hissed. "You're not strong enough to play in this world."
Kai was at his limit. He could feel the darkness closing in, Doflamingo ready to end him once and for all. The Warlord raised his hand, preparing to deliver the final blow, but before he could strike, the sky above them erupted in flames.
Lava.
Tens of molten rocks rained down from the heavens, crashing into the battlefield with violent force. One of the meteorites slammed into the ground between Kai and Doflamingo, cutting off the Warlord's advance. Kai looked up through his pain, realizing that Akainu had entered the fray. The Admiral was launching a devastating attack on Whitebeard's forces, but in doing so, he had inadvertently saved Kai's life.
Kai didn't waste the opportunity. He staggered to his feet, clutching his bleeding arm, and retreated as fast as his battered body would allow, slipping behind Whitebeard's fleet, where Doflamingo couldn't reach him for now.
He collapsed, breathing heavily, pain throbbing through every inch of his body. His arm, his wounds, the agony of it all... He had come so close to death. Too close. Kai looked up at the falling lava rocks and realized something that hit him harder than any of Doflamingo's strings.
He was weak. Incredibly weak.
If Doflamingo had been serious, if he had truly wanted to kill him, Kai would already be dead. The frustration welled up inside him, mixing with the determination that had carried him this far. He wasn't strong enough now, but one day... one day, he would become powerful enough to challenge anyone. No Warlord, no Admiral, no Pirate, no Marine—no one would stand in his way.
One day, he would take down every single one of them.
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Chapter 31: Desperation
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Kai fell back onto the frozen ground, a ragged, sharp breathe tearing its way from his throat as he clutched the raw stump his arm had become. His entire body was in razor-sharp pains, molten fire coursing with every pulse of his heart, threatening to burst his chest apart. He groaned through gritted teeth, mumbling to himself, "I need to do something about this." almost inaudibly against the chaos of the battlefield around him.
Before his fuzzy vision, the shining interface fluttered to life, displaying his status:
[Blood Loss: Critical.]
A red alert blipped steadily in the corner, flashing a dire message,
[Recommended item: Stanching Boluses.]
Kai cursed, fumbling to open the in-system store. His vision danced as it appeared on the screen, and his heart sank at the number that displayed 4000. Shit. i have only 3,321." His voice shook with frustration. He didn't have enough for the purchase, not now-not when he needed it most.
With no other choice, Kai hastily ripped a strip off his already-shredded clothes, grinning through the agony. Blood oozed down his side onto the cold ice beneath him, but he didn't have much time to wallow in the pain. Wrapping the cloth tightly around his shoulder, he tied it off one-handedly, wincing in excruciating pain. The pressure from the improvised tourniquet was barely enough to slow the bleeding meter building up, but it would have to suffice for the time being.
Panting, he forced himself to his feet, wobbling slightly as the world tilted around him.
His left hand reached down, gripping the Cleanrot Knight's sword with white knuckles, the weight of it oddly reassuring. As he looked forward, Akainu's attack had already begun to melt much of the ice, producing steam rising from the battlefield, as the only passage that would remain towards the plaza would be through the water. "So, basically we have to swim." Kai spat, his stomach churning at the thought of entering freezing/boiling water after having sustained so much blood loss. But there was no time for second-guessing. He needed to keep going-moving, which, however, he could not do before a nagging thought hit him-one which he had almost forgotten in the chaos.
"Shit," he snarled, turning his head back to the battlefield behind him. His eyes flashed towards Whitebeard, who still stood proudly on his ship, as immovable as a mountain against the storm. And then it clicked.
"Squardo." Kai's voice was raised in a cursing tone and his stomach just dropped. "That son of a bitch. he's gonna stab him."
The only hope to turn the tide in this insane war, Whitebeard would be betrayed by one of his very own men. Kai's mind was racing, putting fragments of a story together that he knew. If Squardo struck Whitebeard now, everything would come crashing down. The war would end in disaster, and nothing would be left to save Ace-or change the future.
"I have to warn him. I need that old man to remain intact if I want even a chance to alter what's going to happen here." He glanced down at his missing arm, the bloodied rag clinging to his shoulder. He was in no shape to run back, but he didn't have a choice.
Kai spun back toward the ship, every fibre in his body shrieking in protest, but he forced his legs to move, pushing through the pain. "No matter what" he thought, "I have to get to Whitebeard before it's too late"
Kai went forward, in a stumbly gait, his body still in agony, the blood-soaked bandage on his hand barely stemming the bleeding. Silent oaths continued to spill from his lips as frustration ate at him for being unable to do anything but run back to the ship. The battlefield spread out far too wide, with too much chaos between.
"Think, now, Kai. what am I supposed to do to draw his attention to me?" he growled, pacing and practically racing his mind. There was no time, no energy to spare, but somehow, he had to get Whitebeard's attention.
An idea, after a beat, came together, reckless but better than nothing. "I just hope I don't get killed for doing this," he grumbled. His hand had already switched to his Meteorite Staff.
The instant he did, Kai gestured the staff to the faraway ship of Whitebeard without hesitation. He began to chant each and every spell in his arsenal one by one: Glintstone arc, Night Shard, Glintblade-any of them all. Every spell tore through the air, trails of gleaming magic lighting up the chaotic battlefield as they zeroed in on Whitebeard himself.
Still standing tall and unshakeable, Whitebeard narrowed his eyes to a squint as he watched the barrage of magical attacks streak towards him. He didn't bat an eyelid-to him, there was no need to. Years upon years of experience had honed his instincts to perfection.
A blur of blue flame across the battlefield, before the attacks could reach him, finally cut through the volleys. Marco, in his hybrid phoenix form, swooped down. His wings were wide, casting a large shadow as he intercepted the incoming spells. Kai watched his magic slam right into Marco's flaming wings, dissipating harmlessly against the regenerative properties of the phoenix.
"Pops!" Marco called back, his voice oozing with sarcasm as he looked back over his shoulder toward Whitebeard. "I told you we can't trust these prisoners. This is the third one now trying to attack you."
Whitebeard said nothing. He eyed the scene before him with calculated composure, his bisento leaning against his enormous bulk. His eyes chanced upon Kai and for one moment, the brow of the big man furrowed slightly. Then in a low rumble he spoke: "That boy. he's in a sorry state."
Marco's eyes widened in surprise, but he didn't hesitate. "Alright, Pops, I'm on it," he said, not waiting for the full order. He shifted into his full phoenix form, brilliant blue flames crackling around his body, and shot into the sky. His wings cut through the air as he flew toward Kai in a fiery streak, leaving a trail of embers behind him.
Kai's eyes shone with a pained smile as he watched Marco charge straight for him. It worked.
The moment the Whitebeard Pirates saw what Marco was doing, a number of them moved to intercept the perceived threat - Kai. Still too weak to do much else, Kai sent them down without much effort, creating Night Shard spells that pierced cleanly through them with quick, unseen strikes. A few managed to reach him before falling, clutching at wounds they hadn't even seen.
But his little victory was only short-lived. From above, a shadow fell right on him, and before Kai could do anything, Marco landed hard enough, skidding the breath from his lungs. His talons were deep in Kai's shoulders, holding him firm. Kai felt searing pain across his body as he was hoisted into the air, his feet dangling uselessly below.
Kai groaned in agony as he was hauled upward, his vision swimming, the battlefield shrinking below him. Pleading, he shouted above the rush of wind. "Marco, listen! You gotta protect Whitebeard!"
Marco still clutched him tightly as he stared down, his voice degrading in tone. "Goes without saying, from you and other idiots who really think they can take Pops down. Just give it up and die. or help us take out the Marines. Not that you'd do much, but-"
"No, fuck that!" Kai yelled, hoarse, as the wind whipped around him. "That's not what I'm after! Squardo! Your allied captain is gonna stab him! Whitebeard won't expect it!"
The world hung still for a moment. Marco's eyes widened in an unbelief that let his talons loosen ever so slightly. Kai could see the surprise ripple through him as the words hit their mark: Squardo, Whitebeard's very own ally.
And then, without warning, Marco dropped Kai, and he tumbled through the air before his body hit the deck of a Marine warship with a deafening crash. The whipping air cut around him as Kai dropped, his chest exploding in pain as the breath got knocked from his lungs, but he refused to black out.
Marco landed beside him with a soft thud, the phoenix flames still crackling around him as he folded his wings. He knelt down staring at Kai with accusing-hard eyes. "Why would Squardo of all people do that?" Marco's voice was sharp and riddled with skepticism.
Kai struggled to push himself up from the wreckage, wincing at the pain coursing through him. "Akainu.", he rasped out with his strained voice, " you are wasting your time with me. Squardo... He's been manipulated. something about a grudge against Roger, some kind of betrayal. I don't have time to explain everything, I know it just Trust me!, my interest lies in you guys winning this war, and we can't do that with a half dying whitebeard"
The catch in Kai's voice, the desperation, was enough to stay Marco's hand.
Whitebeard's life hung in the balance, and Marco couldn't afford to take the risk of ignoring the warning.
"I'm going to hold you to that," Marco finally said, eyes narrowed. "In fact you're coming with me." He didn't finish the sentence.
With that said, Marco spread his wings once more, this time carefully picked Kai up, and shot back into the sky toward Whitebeard's ship.
As Marco lifted Kai into the air, his phoenix wings beating powerfully and sending gusts of wind swirling beneath them, Kai clenched his teeth against the ache still pounding from where his arm used to be. The pain of blood loss was gnawing at him, weakening him with every passing second. But now, flying over this battlefield again,
Gritting his teeth, Kai opened the interface and quickly scrolled down to the list of his available items. The Stanching Boluses, he had barely managed to scrape together enough from defeating those pirates earlier. For a split second, his finger hovered over the purchase button before confirming it.
Instantly, the Boluses materialized in his hand. In the same moment he crunched down on the healing item mid-flight, feeling the strange texture dissolve in his mouth. A cooling sensation spread through his body and the interface's Blood Loss status bar began to disappear, draining away like water. The relief was immediate.
He let out a deep sigh; now, his breathing was proper as the gnawing pain subsided. "Finally." he muttered, as for the first time his body was not on the verge of collapse.
//********************************************************\\
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