Just as a thin, transparent thread touched the merchant ship, Kavi's eyes snapped open from his nap.
A glint of red light flickered in his pupils.
In the next instant—he vanished.
Ping!
He reappeared at the bow of the ship, casually extending a single finger to block the silk thread mid-air.
Lifting his head slowly, his gaze landed directly on the pink pirate ship ahead.
His eyes locked with Donquixote Doflamingo's—freezing the arrogant smirk on the pirate's face.
A tense silence fell over the sea.
Kavi, without saying a word, took one glance at the ship and immediately understood.
'Ah, I see.'
His ship must have been blocking their way. Given Doflamingo's pride, there was no way he'd step aside. And since Kavi had been asleep, he hadn't known or cared.
Even if he'd been awake, he wouldn't have moved aside. For a pirate? For this pirate?
Donquixote Doflamingo wasn't nearly enough to warrant that kind of respect.
Doflamingo's face slowly regained its usual arrogance. He tilted his head and muttered thoughtfully,
"An old man...? For a second I thought it was nobody, but... why does he look so familiar?"
Beside him, Trebol suddenly broke into a cold sweat.
He fumbled through his coat with shaking fingers and pulled out a folded newspaper, quickly comparing it with the man on the ship.
His voice trembled, barely audible.
"Y-Young Master... that man… he's…"
He held the paper up to Doflamingo, who snatched it and scanned the front page.
There, printed in black and white, was a photo—Kavi mid-battle against Admiral Sakazuki, fists colliding in the air like titans.
Below it, printed clearly:
Wanted — Kavi-Demon Guardian: 1,500,000,000 Berries.
Doflamingo's eyes twitched. That bounty was more than the total of his entire executive crew combined.
'This... wasn't good.'
He bit back his pride and turned stiffly to Trebol, muttering under his breath,
"We're taking a detour. No need to cause trouble. Don't want to attract Navy attention."
It sounded like strategic thinking—like he was protecting the family. But inside, he knew it was pure survival instinct.
Trebol nodded quickly. He would've liked to see the Young Master make a stand, but he understood.
'Their time hadn't come yet.'
As he turned the wheel, steering the ship aside, a calm voice rang out behind them—low, measured, and bone-chilling:
"Are you two planning to just leave… like this?"
Kavi stood aboard the pink flamingo ship, expression calm, eyes sharp.
Trebol froze mid-step.
'He crossed that distance… instantly?!'
Doflamingo's body tensed. Both men immediately took up fighting stances, eyes locked on Kavi as if he were a beast made flesh.
He was no bounty poster anymore. He was real. And terrifying.
Doflamingo gritted his teeth, trying to keep calm.
"What do you want?"
Kavi tilted his head slightly and looked Doflamingo over, as if evaluating an unruly child.
"You. Boy. Was it you who made the move earlier?"
Doflamingo stepped forward. His face contorted as he forced a polite bow.
"Senior... my apologies for earlier. I was disrespectful."
Kavi raised an eyebrow.
This was Tianyasha? The king of the underworld groveling like a schoolboy?
Kavi nearly chuckled. 'So, he can bow when needed, huh? Flexible spine for a proud man.'
But Kavi had overestimated his patience.
Doflamingo's grin twisted as his fingers jerked forward—madness dancing in his eyes.
"Go to hell, old man! Five-Color Strings!"
Threads gleamed in the sunlight—five deadly lines fired toward Kavi like bullets, intending to pierce his chest clean through.
Trebol grinned from the sidelines. Now that's the Young Master he knew.
Even before the Celestial Dragons, Doflamingo bowed to no one.
The attack landed.
Bang!
The colorful threads slammed into Kavi's chest—
But they stopped.
No blood.
No scream.
Not even a scratch.
The threads had hit flesh—but refused to sink in.
They simply stopped at his skin, trembling.
Kavi looked down at the threads with mild interest. Picked his nose casually. Then looked up.
No words.
Just a calm, confused expression.
Boy... what are you doing?
That look hit harder than any punch. Doflamingo's face warped in disbelief.
Trebol's jaw dropped.
It wasn't haki. It wasn't a devil fruit.
Kavi had physically blocked the attack.
Without even trying.
Without even moving.
Doflamingo's grin evaporated.
In that moment, he didn't care that he looked like a fool. He only cared about surviving.
He turned to Trebol, yelling in panic:
"Attack together!"
They had no choice now.
This wasn't about pride.
This was about making it out alive.