Luo Chen did not need to worry about the aftermath.
Led by Violet, the group arrived at the King's Plateau. Luo Chen entered Doflamingo's castle and selected a temporary room to begin his closed-door cultivation.
Issho returned to the casino, eating ramen while placing his bets. Nami was brought down and took up temporary residence in the castle on the King's Plateau. Hancock and Baccarat spoke with Robin over the phone, communicating the events that had transpired in the Dressrosa Kingdom.
Violet and Rebecca stood nearby, waiting quietly.
On the streets near the Corrida Colosseum, a man with only his right leg remaining hopped rapidly toward the King's Plateau. Passersby watched in shock and suspicion.
"Is that... the Captain of the Royal Army, Lord Kyros?!" someone cried out.
Now that they had been restored from their toy forms, the people finally remembered the Captain of the Royal Army.
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Inside the Corrida Colosseum, a prisoner entirely encased in armor removed his helmet. His face was aged yet resolute, and tears welled up, soaking his graying beard.
"Kyros... you didn't die... thank god..."
If anyone were to see his face, they would surely recognize him. This armored gladiator hidden within the colosseum was none other than the former king, Riku Dold III.
Years ago, he had been controlled by Doflamingo's String-String Fruit to massacre his own subjects. He was subsequently driven from the throne by his people. King Riku had remained hidden within the Corrida Colosseum all this time, waiting for an opportunity to overthrow Doflamingo.
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Far away in Wano Country, at the Flower Capital.
A banquet was being held within the Shogun's palace. Numerous geishas danced and sang in the center of the hall, their voices soft and their eyes flickering like waves.
Kaido sat cross-legged in the center, his physique towering and his aura overwhelming. He picked up a bowl of sake and downed it in one go.
To his right, Doflamingo waited for him to finish before smiling. "Fuffuffuffu, have you made up your mind, Lord Kaido? If you form an alliance with me, it won't be long before every member of the Beasts Pirates becomes an Animal-type Devil Fruit user. Even if the Jinghai Army and Luo Chen wish to crusade against you, they would have to think twice."
Kaido glanced at him coldly and slammed the sake bowl onto the square table.
On his left, Kurozumi Orochi, who was indulged in the beauty of the geishas, flinched in fear. Not daring to vent his anger on Kaido, he could only continue to enjoy the performances.
He was particularly focused on the lead geisha, Komurasaki. Her pinned-up emerald hair, brilliant makeup, and slender figure kept Orochi's eyes glued to her. He praised her repeatedly: "As expected of Wano's number one beauty! Excellent! Excellent!"
Komurasaki's exquisite face bore a bright, infinitely charming smile. However, deep within her eyes—hidden where Orochi could not see—was a profound, cold murderous intent and hatred.
She hadn't expected to see the two enemies who had killed her closest kin in one place today: Kurozumi Orochi and Kaido of the Beasts.
Years ago, her father, Kozuki Oden, and her mother, Kozuki Toki, died at their hands. Kozuki Hiyori had endured for years, even taking the name "Komurasaki" as a geisha, just to find an opportunity for revenge. Knowing her strength was insufficient, she had never found the right moment.
But today, from the conversation between Kaido and the others, Kozuki Hiyori learned of a new name.
The Jinghai Army.
The man who looked like a flamingo, Doflamingo, was discussing an alliance specifically to oppose the Jinghai Army. From Kaido's occasional words and expressions, it wasn't hard to notice that he felt a certain dread toward this organization.
Kozuki Hiyori was astonished. She had seen how strong Kaido was in her childhood. He could transform into a massive azure dragon, and a single breath of his heat could instantly level a mountain. All the samurai of Wano were no match for him. Without Kaido's support, Orochi would never have been able to become the Shogun of Wano. It was Kaido alone who had suppressed all the samurai and extinguished all resistance.
Yet this powerful Kaido was showing a rare display of wariness at the banquet toward the names "Jinghai Army" and "Luo Chen."
Kozuki Hiyori was intensely curious, desperate to know what the Jinghai Army truly was. Wano was isolated from the outside world; before today, she had never heard of them or Luo Chen.
Kaido looked at Doflamingo with a mix of mockery and coldness. "Do you truly think that with just you and me, we can handle the Jinghai Army? Putting Luo Chen aside for a moment, they have nine Jinghai Army Admirals. I can deal with one, and Linlin can deal with one. Are the remaining seven all for you to handle?"
Hearing this, the smile on Doflamingo's face stiffened. He had a clear understanding of his own strength. A single Jinghai Army Admiral would be enough to grind him into dust, let alone seven.
He remained silent for a moment, appearing somewhat helpless. "Lord Kaido, what else can we do besides resist? Are you willing to submit to a brat like Luo Chen? The Jinghai Army hasn't made its move yet. We pirates are already at a disadvantage; if we don't unite, we will eventually be wiped out one by one."
There was a heavy sense of powerlessness in Doflamingo's tone. Kaido gripped the edge of his sake bowl and fell silent as well.
During this time, he had been considering his choices. He certainly wasn't willing to submit to the Jinghai Army and allow Luo Chen to dismantle the Beasts Pirates. Charlotte Linlin wasn't willing either.
But what could be done? If they resisted, they clearly couldn't win. If they didn't resist, they would have to surrender. To Kaido, surrender was a massive humiliation. He had been at sea for decades, fighting Marine Admirals, the Four Emperors, the Five Elders, Rocks, and Imu. He had never surrendered. Submission to Luo Chen and the Jinghai Army was something he would never do, even if it meant death.
Charlotte Linlin felt the same way. Both were already prepared for the worst-case scenario of a final stand.
Doflamingo could roughly guess Kaido's thoughts, which was why he had risked coming here. Kaido would surely resist until the end.
Doflamingo smiled. "For you, Lord Kaido, this is also an opportunity. Whitebeard of the Four Emperors has already joined Luo Chen's side. Red-Haired Shanks keeps a low profile and acts alone. You and Charlotte Linlin hold Wano; two Emperors united in one place. Once you issue a call to the world to resist Luo Chen, ninety-nine percent of the pirates in the New World and the four seas will be willing to flock to your banner. Defeat Luo Chen, defeat the Jinghai Army, and you will be the King of the New World—no, the King of the whole world!"
Seeing Kaido looking moved, Doflamingo continued to encourage him. "As long as we can cause trouble for the Jinghai Army and create a crisis for Luo Chen, the World Government will act. They surely want Luo Chen dead even more than we do!"
Kaido frowned and asked, "Artificial Devil Fruits... if we go all out, how many can be produced per year?"
His own strength could not be improved in the short term. The hope of opposing Luo Chen and the Jinghai Army could only be placed on recruiting more subordinates while using Artificial Devil Fruits to bolster their power.
Doflamingo laughed. "If everyone in Wano is put into production and Lord Kaido provides the raw materials, we can produce fifty thousand a year."
Wano was wealthy. Seastone originated here. Kurozumi Orochi and Kaido had massive funds, and Wano had a large population. If an Artificial Devil Fruit production line was established here, the efficiency would be far greater than his production in Dressrosa. Fifty thousand a year was a conservative estimate.
Of course, this was a strategy of total mobilization. Using the entire nation's resources for production meant that within four or five years, Wano's resources would be depleted.
Kaido said in a deep voice, "Fine. Start production as soon as possible."
He had no other choice. He had to try.
The doors to the banquet hall were suddenly pushed open. King "the Wildfire" of the Beasts Pirates walked in.
"Big Brother Kaido, a group of pirates has appeared in the skies above Wano. The leader calls himself 'Golden Lion' Shiki."
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