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Clouds churned, and rain poured down.
The fires caused by the volcanic eruption were gradually extinguished by the heavy rain.
Gladiatorial arena, ring.
"That was a really satisfying fight!"
Daichi sat cross-legged next to Katakuri, stretching with a big yawn.
Katakuri's eyes shifted, looking at Daichi beside him.
In that final moment, his Peerless Mochi hit Daichi, but Daichi's hand-chop struck the ground next to him.
If he had been hit by such an attack, he would have surely died.
"Why did you hold back?"
"It's just a fight, no need to go that far."
Daichi scratched his bleeding head.
Having been hit by Katakuri's ultimate move, his head was still a bit dizzy. Luckily, in his beastman form, he had a helmet.
Heh!
Of all his body armor, his head was the hardest part.
"Besides, I was going to win anyway, so what's the harm in letting you have a bit of a lead?"
"Also, if you kept clashing head-on with me, weren't you just asking for trouble? If you had maintained your future sight the whole time, I really wouldn't have had many good options."
"Of course, even then, I would have still been the one to win in the end, hahahaha, just because I am a just little bit stronger than you, just a little bit!"
Katakuri's face darkened.
Can this guy not read the room?
"Your younger siblings are here."
Daichi stood up and waved his hand.
"When you're feeling better, let's have a drink."
"Alright."
Katakuri looked up at the sky.
He had lost.
The image of the perfect older brother he had always strived to maintain in front of his younger siblings completely crumbled at this moment.
What perfect man, what back never touching the ground.
It was all a lie.
He just wanted to protect his younger siblings.
"Katakuri-nii!"
"Quick, bring the medical kit!"
"Damn Daichi the Destroyer!"
Everyone anxiously treated Katakuri.
Katakuri felt bitter inside.
"Sorry, I lost."
The ministers exchanged glances quietly.
No one wanted to speak.
They wanted to comfort him but didn't know how to start.
Katakuri's defeat was indeed hard for them to accept, but they had witnessed the intensity of this battle.
Brother had given his all.
They were too busy feeling sorry for their brother to blame him.
Let's shift the blame!
"That damned Daichi the Destroyer must be faking it!"
"He must be unable to walk!"
"Maybe he's collapsed somewhere right now!"
"Next time we fight, Katakuri will definitely win!"
Katakuri's face darkened.
If you can't speak properly, then don't!
That guy was an opponent he respected!
The Central Fighting Tournament officially concluded, yet there were few witnesses. Only the major powers knew the final outcome.
The event, which should have been widely publicized, was eerily quiet, with even newspapers not publishing much information.
Several days passed in a flash.
At the port, the Groudon docked.
"Daichi!"
Ulti and Page One rushed to Daichi, their eyes filled with admiration. They had already heard the results of the final.
Defeating Katakuri was a world-shaking piece of news, even Kaido was so shocked that he drank several barrels of sake to celebrate.
Unfortunately, for some reason, the newspapers didn't publish the results of the match, which made them very angry.
That damned Morgans must have taken money from the World Government and Totto Land; everyone knew that guy was a greedy miser.
Daichi looked at the siblings strangely.
"How did you get here so fast?"
"After we returned to Wano Country, we immediately rushed over!"
Ulti proudly puffed out her chest. She had even reported her work via Den Den Mushi, but unfortunately, she was still a few days
Daichi nodded. late.
It was good that they came early; he couldn't leave without a ship. If he had to walk, it would take ages to get home.
The siblings then noticed the two people next to Daichi. They knew Caesar, but they hadn't seen the other girl.
Ulti stared at Kikara.
"Daichi? Who is this girl?"
"She's Kikara, a new employee I hired a few days ago."
Daichi introduced her casually.
"Let's go, come with me to the banquet."
"A banquet?"
The siblings exchanged glances.
Three days had passed, and the chaotic situation on the island had finally stabilized. All parties had begun to strategize.
There were more than a dozen invitations just for Daichi to drink.
They didn't go far; the place inviting him to drink was at the port.
Or rather, a ship.
Queen Mama Chanter!
The gangplank had been lowered and covered with a red carpet. On both sides, there were many Chess Soldiers holding flags.
"Welcome, Daichi-sama!"
The display was grand.
Daichi led a few people onto the ship, and guided by a minister, they quickly arrived at the open-air banquet hall on the top floor of the ship.
Like a fairy tale world, the banquet hall's decor was quite dreamy, with candies and delicious pastries everywhere.
The ministers were all present.
Seeing Daichi arrive, they all suppressed their indignant emotions, because this banquet was personally hosted by Katakuri for Daichi.
"Caesar, you come with me. The others can find a seat and drink wherever."
Daichi instructed, then led Caesar towards the main table.
There were only three seats at the main table. Katakuri was already seated, and Daichi pulled up a chair and sat down, leaving one seat empty.
"Fufufufu~~"
Soon, Doflamingo appeared.
The theme of this banquet was Caesar!
"Joker!"
Caesar saw Doflamingo and was so excited he almost cried. He knew that if he had known he would end up in this situation today, he would never have gone to the Pleasure District.
Unfortunately, Doflamingo didn't even look at him.
The three sat down, all unceremoniously propping their legs on the table, eyeing people sideways, acting incredibly arrogant.
You can lose a fight, but you can't lose your aura.
Daichi solemnly reminded Katakuri: "Let's get this straight, we can talk things through slowly, don't use your future sight!"
Katakuri nodded silently.
Heh, he'd use it secretly.
"Then let's begin."
Daichi nodded with satisfaction, picking up his drink.
"Let's have a toast first!"
"Alright."
With a drink down, the banquet finally had some atmosphere.
"Now, let's talk."
Daichi looked at Katakuri, pointing to Caesar beside him,
"All our friction is because of this guy; solving the problem also depends on him."
Katakuri nodded.
No matter what, Mama's order must be completed. He lost to Daichi and couldn't forcibly take Caesar, so now he could only negotiate terms.
Daichi smiled slightly: "Katakuri, Caesar is my subordinate now. If you want to take him back to Totto Land, it's not impossible."
"What are your conditions?"
Katakuri spoke calmly.
He knew very well that the other party would not easily hand Caesar over to him, otherwise, it wouldn't have escalated to this point.
Caesar was a bit bewildered.
Daichi-sama was going to hand him over to Totto Land?
What was going on?
"Instead of conditions, let's call this a collaboration between us." Daichi said with a smile: "I can lease Caesar to you!"
"Lease?!"
Katakuri was stunned for a moment.
"Yes, lease."
Daichi chuckled.
Land can be leased, houses can be leased.
Caesar can be leased too!
He was short on money!
"Katakuri, Caesar is one of the world's most outstanding scientists, and he was a colleague of Vegapunk, working together for many years!"
"His scientific research capabilities are evident for all to see!"
"I don't know what you in Totto Land want him for, but it should be related to scientific research. I can lease Caesar's next research project to you."
"Considering Caesar's 300 million Berries bounty, plus the fact that research cycles generally take several years, this account isn't easy to calculate."
"How about this, I'll give you a discount price!"
Daichi extended his palm, fingers spread open.
"5 billion Berries!"
"For just 5 billion Berries, I'll lease Caesar's next research project to you. Isn't that a great deal?"
Katakuri was dumbfounded, crushing the wine glass in his hand with a "crunch".