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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