Mr. 8 Shotgun!"
As Mr. 8 unleashed his attack, countless bullets exploded from his hair, spewing fiery trails towards Kai's golden barrier.
But...
"How... how is this possible?" Mr. 8's eyes widened in horror.
The bullets, after colliding with the shield, simply fell to the ground, harmless. Not even a ripple disturbed the barrier's surface.
Minutes later~
With the ground littered with bullets and the shield still intact, Mr. 8 sank to his knees, despair washing over him. He glanced at Kai, who was casually inspecting the battlefield.
Kai raised an eyebrow at the absurd amount of ammunition Mr. 8 had concealed in his hair. "Impressive," he mused. "So that's why your hair is so thick."
Meanwhile, Zoro had wrapped up his fight, leaving the rest of Baroque Works sprawled out on the ground, defeated.
"Well, I guess I should..."
Kai began to stand, about to say something, when he sensed a sudden shift in the air. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Interesting."
Turning to Zoro, he said, "I'll leave the remaining three to you."
With a casual wave of his hand, the golden barrier vanished, and Kai's figure disappeared in an instant.
Zoro, frustrated, yelled at the spot where Kai once stood, "Damn it, you left me with this mess again!"
Mr. 8, seeing the barrier disappear, wasted no time rushing to Vivi's side. He shook her vigorously. "Miss Wednesday, are you okay?!"
Still unaware that their true identities had been exposed, Mr. 8 continued to address her by her code name, despite his growing worry.
After a moment of shaking, Vivi came to. She immediately grabbed Mr. 8 by the shoulders, panic evident in her eyes. "Igaram, we need to run! That man is out of our league!"
She called him by his real name, fully abandoning the pretense. The memory of Kai effortlessly splitting an entire iceberg had shaken her to her core. She couldn't even fathom resisting someone like him.
"Princess, you..." Igaram began, but his words were cut off by a voice from a distance.
"Well, well, look who we have here—the traitors from Baroque Works!"
A woman with an afro and an umbrella strode toward them.
"Mr. 5, Miss Valentine!" Igaram gasped. "What... what traitors are you talking about?"
"Still playing dumb, Captain Igaram of Alabasta's Royal Guard?" Mr. 5 sneered. "And you, Princess Vivi, or should I say, Miss Wednesday!"
Vivi and Igaram's faces paled at the revelation.
"How... how do you know our real identities?" Vivi stammered.
"Did you really think you could hide from us?" Mr. 5 said, his voice dripping with malice. "Baroque Works isn't as simple as you think."
"Now that we've had our fun, it's time to send you off. You dug too deep into the boss's secrets. Time to pay the price."
Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine slowly approached, flicking their explosive boogers in preparation.
Zoro, watching the scene from the sidelines, was mildly curious. "What's going on here? Some kind of internal fight?"
He didn't know the full context, but that didn't stop him from enjoying the spectacle. Zoro sheathed his swords and watched, intrigued.
Meanwhile, on a nearby mountain peak overlooking the town...
A figure in a white coat and hat stood watching the events unfold with a faint smile. "So, Princess Vivi, how will you handle this?"
Before the figure could ponder further, a voice suddenly broke the silence.
"Curious about her, too?"
The figure jumped, startled, and immediately spun around. Standing a few feet away was none other than Kai, wearing his usual indifferent expression, a slight smirk playing on his lips.
"Why are you here, Demon King Kai Vane?" The figure, revealed to be Nico Robin, asked cautiously.
"Oh, so you recognize me. I suppose that makes you smarter than most," Kai said with a chuckle. "Most people wouldn't know me if I stood right in front of them, making it hard for me to show off."
Robin, unsettled but composed, stared him down. "What are you doing here?"
Kai's smile widened slightly. "I could ask you the same, but... I'm just here for fun."
Robin tried to maintain her calm, though she knew there was no escape if Kai decided to make a move. Luckily for her, he didn't seem particularly interested in fighting.
"I came here out of boredom, just to observe," Robin said.
Kai studied her for a moment before replying. "Alright."
"Ah?" Robin was taken aback. "You believe me?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Kai shrugged.
Robin, confused by his casual trust, couldn't help but feel a little flattered. Was he really this easygoing, or was there something more to it? Before she could question further, she realized overthinking would get her nowhere. Her life was in his hands now, and all she could do was go with the flow.
Just as she started to relax, an overwhelming pressure suddenly bore down on her, causing her body to freeze and her back to break out in a cold sweat.
"Leaving already?" Kai's voice cut through the air. "Why not stick around and watch the show with me?"
Robin let out a shaky breath. "Do I have a choice?"
"No, not really," Kai responded cheerfully.
"Then why bother asking?"
...
A few minutes later~
Kai and Robin stood on a nearby rooftop, observing the battle below with interest.
At the center of the chaos, Luffy and Zoro were locked in combat. Unlike the original events where they were evenly matched, Zoro was clearly dominating this time.
"Thanks to me," Kai murmured to himself, rubbing his chin. After all, it was his constant (forced) training sessions with Zoro that had pushed him to his current level. Without it, Zoro wouldn't be nearly this strong.
As Kai continued to watch, a thought crossed his mind. "Maybe I should train the rest of these brats... they're still too weak for my liking."
Suddenly, something caught his eye. Standing abruptly, Kai's figure disappeared in an instant, leaving Robin alone on the rooftop, her mind racing with questions.
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Power Stones would be appreciated if you like the story