When Luffy rushed to Kai's side, he couldn't believe what he saw.
How had someone as strong as Kai ended up like this?
The Kai in front of him was completely different from the powerful figure he had always known. There wasn't a single spot on his body left unscathed, and his aura was so faint it was almost nonexistent.
At the same time, the rest of the crew who heard Luffy's shout ran over. When they saw Kai lying on the ground, they all wore the same shocked expression.
Nami, in particular, immediately threw herself beside Kai, tears welling up in her eyes. Her heart broke seeing him covered in so many injuries. She reached out, wanting to touch him, but hesitated, afraid she might cause him more pain.
Suddenly, Nami seemed to remember something. She turned sharply to look at Chopper, her face filled with anger.
"Chopper! Why are you just standing there? Hurry and check on Kai!"
"Oh! Right!" Chopper, startled by Nami's yell, rushed over.
Nami looked terrifying to him right now!
Chopper quickly examined Kai's injuries, his expression growing more serious. After a moment, he spoke in a grave tone: "Almost all of Kai's bones are broken. He's lost a dangerous amount of blood, and his pulse is weak. We need to treat him immediately, and…"
"And what? Stop delaying!" Nami shouted again.
Chopper hesitated before continuing, "And... the chances of a full recovery are very slim."
"What!?"
Everyone gasped in shock, their faces dark with worry.
"Chopper, if you can't save Kai, I swear I'll have venison tomorrow!" Nami threatened, her voice filled with fury.
Chopper trembled and quickly replied, "I'll save him, I promise!"
At the same time, he thought to himself, This woman is so unpredictable. Yesterday she was calling me cute, and today she's threatening to eat me!
As Chopper continued treating Kai, a group of pirates slowly approached. They spotted Kai lying in a pool of blood and began whispering amongst themselves.
One pirate said, "He's seriously injured... What if we finish him off now?"
"Yeah, that's an 800-million bounty! With that money, we'd be set for life!" another pirate added, his face lighting up with greed.
Hearing this, most of the pirates started to get the same idea. The temptation was too great.
Luffy and the others turned toward the pirates, their expressions growing cold.
Zoro calmly drew his sword from its sheath and said, "If any of you want to die, step forward."
In an instant, everyone except Chopper moved to stand protectively in front of Kai. The air grew tense.
Suddenly, one pirate shouted, "Kill them! Let's take them down!"
This ignited the crowd, and the pirates surged forward, attacking Luffy and his crew.
Without hesitation, Luffy and the others charged into battle, defending themselves against the horde.
At one point, a pirate with spring-like legs rushed toward Luffy. Luffy prepared to strike but quickly noticed that the man wasn't targeting them—he was attacking the pirates they were fighting.
Luffy was confused but grateful. "Thanks!" he called out.
The man, Bellamy, ignored Luffy and continued cutting through the pirates.
As Bellamy kept defeating pirate after pirate, one finally shouted, "Bellamy, what the hell are you doing!? Don't you want the 800-million bounty?"
Bellamy shot back, "Don't compare me to you lowlifes!" and charged back into the fray.
"Fine then, brothers, take him down!" another pirate roared.
The battle raged for nearly an hour before Luffy and his crew finally defeated all the pirates. Everyone was breathing heavily, worn down from the fight.
Though the pirates weren't especially strong, there were so many of them that even Luffy's crew struggled. As the saying goes, enough ants can take down an elephant.
Luffy approached Bellamy, speaking again. "Thanks for the help."
Bellamy glanced at him and replied coolly, "I only respect strength. I didn't want a man like Kai to die at the hands of nobodies."
Zoro stepped in, nodding, "Either way, thanks."
"Whatever you say." Bellamy turned and walked off.
"What a weird guy," Sanji muttered, taking a drag from his cigarette.
"Let's go check on Kai. We need to take him to the orangutan's boss!" Luffy said.
"Yeah, let's move!" the others agreed.
...
"It's... dark in here," Kai thought as he floated in a strange, dark space. He couldn't feel his body anymore—only his consciousness seemed to exist, making him uneasy. He struggled to break free from this state.
His consciousness continued to push against the darkness. Finally, he saw a glimmer of light and instinctively moved toward it.
"Huh? Where am I?" Kai murmured as his eyes slowly opened.
His soft voice immediately woke Nami, who had been keeping watch by his side. Her eyes sparkled with relief as she shouted, "Kai! You're awake!!"
Nami wanted to hug him but was afraid of hurting him, so she hovered awkwardly, unsure of what to do.
Her excited voice drew everyone else in. Luffy burst through the door, shouting, "Kai! How are you feeling?!"
"Why are you yelling so loud!?" Nami scolded, "Can't you see Kai just woke up?"
"S-Sorry!" Luffy stammered.
Seeing this, Kai chuckled weakly before asking, "Where are we?"
"We're at the orangutan boss's place! Look, that's him!" Luffy pointed to a shirtless man with chestnut-colored hair standing nearby. This time, he didn't yell.
"Thank you," Kai said, nodding to the man.
"No problem. It wasn't much," the man replied, waving it off.
Kai then asked, "How long was I out?"
"Half a day," Nami answered.
"Chopper said you'd be unconscious for at least ten days, but I guess you're built differently," she added with a sly glance at Chopper.
Chopper, startled, quickly responded, "In a normal case, yes! But Kai's body is really strange!"
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Power Stones would be appreciated if you liked the story.