Marineford's harbor was bustling.
Even though the sky was still dim and morning had only just arrived, many Marines had already begun their work.
Crates of supplies were being carried into the warship's storage hold by elite Marines.
The harbor was noisy, lively, and full of energy.
From a distance, Kai had just arrived at the harbor when he saw a massive warship docked near the edge of the port. Many Marines were busy loading supplies into its hold.
Before long, he spotted a familiar figure.
It was Tsuru.
Vice Admiral Tsuru was thin and elderly now, her face covered in wrinkles, yet her sharp features still carried traces of the stunning elegance she must have possessed in her youth.
Although Kai had not met Tsuru many times, he recognized her at once.
At the same time, Tsuru noticed Kai approaching the harbor.
She smiled and beckoned to him.
"Kai, come here."
Kai nodded.
He crossed the harbor, passing by the Marines transporting supplies, then climbed the gangway and stepped onto the warship's deck.
Stopping in front of Tsuru, he greeted her first.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru."
"How is it? You already know what mission we're carrying out this time, don't you?" Tsuru asked with a smile.
Looking at the five-year-old Kai in front of her, she felt extremely satisfied.
A peerless genius who possessed Vice Admiral-level combat power at only five years old…
Who would not be pleased with such a talent?
Even Tsuru, one of the veteran figures of Marine Headquarters, was no exception.
Toward a historic genius like Kai, her attitude was naturally warm and kind.
It was almost as if she treated him as one of her own juniors.
Garp's grandson could naturally be considered her junior as well.
After all, she and Garp had been comrades who had fought through life and death together for many years.
"I know. The main purpose of this voyage is to invite a Warlord of the Sea," Kai said with a nod.
"Since you already know the mission, I won't explain too much."
"For now, let me introduce you to our target."
Tsuru spoke briefly.
Then she took out a bounty poster and handed it to Kai.
"He is the person we're inviting this time."
Kai accepted the bounty poster and carefully read its contents.
At first glance, he saw an extremely arrogant portrait.
His gaze moved downward, and the name and bounty became clear.
Name: Donquixote Doflamingo
Bounty: 340,000,000 berries
Identity: Young master of the Donquixote Family
"Hm?"
"So the first invitation target this time is…"
"Doflamingo?"
Kai was not surprised.
Yesterday, he had already narrowed the possible Warlord candidates down to five.
Doflamingo was one of them.
So what Tsuru said now was something he had already expected.
"Doflamingo is a true great pirate with a bounty of over three hundred million."
"In terms of strength…"
"Even Whitebeard Jr. at his current stage might not be his opponent."
Kai thought silently.
Whitebeard Jr. had not yet fully grown into his peak strength, which was why Kai had been able to defeat and capture him alone.
Doflamingo, however, was already very powerful now.
"Feeling pressured?" Tsuru asked with a smile.
"Pressure? Don't we still have you here, Vice Admiral Tsuru?" Kai chuckled.
"You little fox."
Tsuru smiled and did not say much more.
She had always been stern and rarely smiled.
But facing such an outstanding young Marine genius, her mood became quite cheerful. She did not mind chatting with Kai for a while.
"If this were handed to you alone, could you handle it?" Tsuru suddenly asked.
Kai's eyelid twitched.
He lowered his head and glanced again at the extremely arrogant face on the bounty poster.
After a while, he said, "I can."
One word.
It revealed his confidence.
His absolute confidence in his own strength.
Even against the arrogant and powerful Doflamingo, Kai felt no fear.
"Confidence is a good thing."
"When the time comes…"
"I'll leave it to you."
Tsuru patted Kai's shoulder.
"What do you mean, Vice Admiral Tsuru?" Kai was slightly stunned.
"The matter of inviting Doflamingo to join the Seven Warlords will be left to you. I'll watch from the side and see how you handle it."
Kai's interest was immediately stirred.
Then he asked, "What method should I use to invite him?"
"As everyone knows," Tsuru said instead of answering directly, "Doflamingo has an extremely arrogant and vile personality. He burns, kills, plunders, and commits every evil imaginable. He is a true scoundrel."
"As for us Marines…"
"Doflamingo also detests us. He has obstructed Marine operations more than once."
"If you want a pirate with such a vile personality to join the Seven Warlords, there is only one method that will make him agree."
"That is…"
"Beat him."
"Beat him until he submits."
"That way, even if he doesn't want to join, he'll have to. Otherwise, I'll send him straight to Impel Down and lock him in the Eternal Hell."
Kai could not help sighing inwardly.
As expected of Vice Admiral Tsuru, a veteran powerhouse of Marine Headquarters.
This style…
was truly domineering.
Still, Kai liked this simple and direct way of doing things.
It suited him perfectly.
"Can you complete it?" Tsuru asked again.
"Of course."
Kai smiled.
He just needed to beat Doflamingo into submission.
Simple enough.
"Then I'll watch your performance."
"This old body of mine can't keep up with young people like you anymore."
Tsuru shook her head with a sigh.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru, don't worry. I'll complete the mission," Kai said seriously.
His eyes shone with anticipation.
It was obvious that he already could not wait to meet Doflamingo.
"I can tell you're eager to fight him."
"But don't get careless."
"Doflamingo is a very powerful great pirate. Even across the sea, his strength ranks among the best pirates out there."
Seeing Kai's excitement, Tsuru could not help reminding him.
She was genuinely worried that Kai might become too blindly confident and suffer for it.
"I understand."
Kai nodded.
Of course he knew Doflamingo was strong.
But precisely because Doflamingo was strong…
Kai was full of anticipation and excitement.
Soon, the roughly three hundred elite Marines finished loading all the harbor supplies into the warship's hold.
After that, they boarded the warship and stood on the deck, awaiting orders.
When they saw Kai standing beside Vice Admiral Tsuru, none of them were surprised.
Clearly, they had already learned that Kai would be joining this mission.
A five-year-old Kai participating in the difficult task of inviting a Warlord of the Sea—none of them dared object.
After all…
they all knew very clearly just how terrifying this seemingly young boy truly was.
"Pass down my order."
"Set sail."
"Target: Demon Town!"
Once all the Marines had gathered and preparations were complete, Tsuru gave the order expressionlessly.
According to Marine intelligence…
Demon Town, an island on the Grand Line, was the temporary base of the Donquixote Family.
Therefore, the warship led by Tsuru was heading straight for Demon Town.
A moment later, under the helmsman's control, the warship began raising its sails, lifting anchor, and setting out to sea.
Cool sea wind brushed past.
Splash!
The calm sea rippled, sending out waves and clear, pleasant sounds.
The massive warship parted the seawater, sending ripples spreading outward as waves rolled in every direction.
Kai stood by the wooden railing on the deck, quietly watching Marineford's harbor grow farther and farther away.
Eventually…
even the enormous island of Marineford became no more than a tiny black dot in his eyes.
Until it disappeared completely.
Only then did Kai withdraw his gaze.
He turned and looked toward the direction the warship was sailing.
Toward that endless stretch of sea…
"Doflamingo?"
"I'm really looking forward to meeting you."
A playful smile appeared on his face.
Over the past three days, every graduate, including Smoker and Tina, had been assigned to different places and had begun carrying out different missions.
Now…
it was Kai's turn.
This mission to invite a Warlord of the Sea was Kai's first mission after becoming a Headquarters Rear Admiral.
Naturally, he had to complete it beautifully.
He could not afford any mistakes.
…
Time passed quickly.
Day and night alternated.
In the blink of an eye, four days passed.
On this day, across the boundless blue sea, a huge warship appeared at the distant horizon.
The Marine flag flew high above it, fluttering in the wind as the ship slowly sailed in from afar.
It was about to arrive at Demon Town's harbor.
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