"Using someone else to kill him?"
Doflamingo's expression shifted slightly.
He had long suspected the Five Elders wouldn't let this go.
But he hadn't expected Saint Topman Warcury to come up with a plan so quickly.
"Warcury, what method do you have to kill that brat?"
Doflamingo asked urgently.
He had always considered himself the strongest among the Seven Warlords.
He had navigated the shadows between the Five Elders and Kaido with ease.
But Luo Yu's sudden rise had shattered everything he'd built.
To Doflamingo, Luo Yu was his natural nemesis.
And he knew—if he wanted to reclaim what he'd lost, he had to eliminate Luo Yu completely.
Only then could he return to being the one and only flamboyant, untouchable Doflamingo.
"Doflamingo, are you interested in joining us?"
Warcury asked coldly.
Doflamingo hesitated, then forced a cruel grin.
"I want to know how you plan to kill him. If there's no certainty, I'm not risking it."
"Heh… Doflamingo, looks like that brat scared you good," Warcury sneered.
"You've lost the guts you once had."
"But don't worry. That brat has already stepped beyond our control. He no longer has the right to exist."
"To ensure his elimination, we'll strike with absolute certainty."
"Kaido was indeed defeated and sank into the sea," Warcury continued.
"But his Devil Fruit is a special type. The sea may suppress his power, but over time, he'll adapt. Survival isn't a problem."
"Nusjuro, I'll send you to him. Find Kaido—and make him our pawn."
"Kaido's not dead?"
Doflamingo froze.
But then it clicked.
Kaido had always been obsessed with suicide. He'd been captured by the Navy dozens of times.
He'd endured every form of torture—blades, bullets, even the dreaded Sea Prism Stone punishments.
And yet, he always survived.
The reason? His Fish-Fish Fruit—a rare Zoan-type tied to the sea itself.
That was why Kaido was called the strongest creature on land, sea, and air.
Even the Navy couldn't execute him.
After all, what's easier than tossing a Devil Fruit user into the ocean?
"Warcury, this time, to make sure it's done right, I'll go myself. I need to vent this rage!"
Nusjuro growled, gripping his katana tightly.
Warcury had expected this. He pulled out another jade talisman and tossed it to Nusjuro.
But before it reached him, Nusjuro slapped it away.
"Hmph. That thing made me a laughingstock across the seas. I don't want it."
"Or do you think I'll lose to that brat again—without even a chance to escape?"
Warcury caught the talisman, saying nothing.
He knew Nusjuro's temper—rash and explosive.
But when it came to real combat, a mere brat like Luo Yu was no match.
Especially not with the trap they had prepared.
"Fine. If you're going personally, no one will object. You and Doflamingo will go together."
Warcury said coldly.
He slammed his cane into the floor.
A vast wave of spatial energy surged outward.
Before Doflamingo could react, his vision blurred—and he vanished from the hall.
Meanwhile, dozens of nautical miles from Impel Down…
A battered pirate ship drifted on the sea.
On its deck stood two figures—King and Queen, the top commanders of the Beasts Pirates.
Hundreds of pirates were diving into the sea, using salvage tools Queen had developed, frantically searching.
They remembered the battle from just hours ago.
Even their most revered leader, Kaido, had been defeated and sunk into the ocean.
They knew—if the Navy found Kaido first, a brutal clash would be inevitable.
If not for Luo Yu, they wouldn't have feared it.
But Luo Yu's unpredictable power had shaken even them.
"That bastard… I'll kill that arrogant brat!"
ROAR!
A dragon's roar echoed from the deep.
A massive form surged upward from the sea.
Queen's eyes lit up. His mechanical arm shot out and latched onto Kaido's body.
With a powerful pull, he dragged Kaido out of the water.
ROAR!
Kaido burst into the sky.
His body, once only ten meters long, rapidly expanded without the sea's suppression—growing to dozens of meters.
He hovered in the air, his blood-red eyes burning with killing intent.
"Boss Kaido! You're alive! That's great! What do we do now?"
Queen shouted in joy.
The remaining pirates looked on with hope.
"What do we do?"
Kaido's face twisted with rage.
"The Navy's still fighting Whitebeard, right? We go there now. I'll use the chaos to kill that brat!"
His roar shook the heavens.
King and Queen exchanged uneasy glances.
But before they could speak, a voice rang out—calm, ancient, and unexpected.
"Kaido… still as unkillable as ever."
"But I've got bad news. Whitebeard's already been slain—by that brat."
"If you go now, you'll be walking into a trap."
"You used to rampage through Marineford because no one could kill you."
"But now… there's a new variable. Aren't you afraid he might actually succeed?"
The voice echoed across the sea.
"Who's there?!"
Queen and King spun around.
What they saw made their faces go pale.
Two figures stood behind them.
"We are the Five Elders. Don't worry—we want the same thing you do."
"To kill that brat."