One Piece: I will become stronger by checking in

"Yeah," Kai nodded.

He had no ulterior motive in telling Sabo all this. He just wanted Sabo to remember his brothers now, so he wouldn't have to wait until Ace's death to be reminded of his past, like in the original timeline.

"So... what's your plan?" Kai asked. "Are you going to wait here for news, or are you coming with me to rescue them?"

Kai had changed his mind. He thought it might be a good idea to bring Sabo along. After all, it would be a chance for the brothers to reunite.

"Of course, I'm coming with you!" Sabo said without hesitation.

If he hadn't remembered Luffy and Ace, it might've been different. But now that he did, he couldn't just sit back and watch his brothers suffer in Impel Down.

"Alright then. We'll go rescue them together," Kai said.

"I'm coming too!" Koala chimed in quickly. Almost instantly, the surrounding Revolutionary Army members erupted into chaos, all shouting that they wanted to join.

Seeing their reactions, Sabo was deeply moved. "Thank you, everyone! But I can't let you take this risk with me. Luffy and the others are my brothers, so it's my responsibility to save them. But you... I don't want to put you in danger because of my personal matters."

"What are you talking about, Sabo? Your business is our business!" one of the Revolutionary soldiers said, clearly annoyed.

"Yeah, your brothers are our brothers too. We're coming with you!" Koala said firmly.

"Everyone..." Sabo's voice wavered, his eyes glistening with emotion.

But before the moment could stretch any further, Kai's gruff voice cut through the air, shattering the mood.

"Why are you all shouting like this? Do you think more people means a better chance? Don't you realize the more people you bring, the higher the risk of getting caught?" Kai snapped.

Kai didn't want these people tagging along. They'd only be a liability. After rescuing Luffy and the others, there was bound to be a fierce battle, and Kai had no intention of babysitting anyone. The last thing he needed was to end up rescuing them from Impel Down only to have them captured again.

Thinking this, Kai decided to shut down their enthusiasm. "Your strength is too weak. If you come, you'll just be dead weight."

The moment those words left his mouth, the Revolutionary Army members glared at him with hostility. One of them, a man who looked like a crow, stepped forward. "Demon King Kai, I know you've got a 2 billion berry bounty, but that's no reason to look down on us!"

"Yeah, don't underestimate the Revolutionary Army! If you don't believe us, let's settle it with a fight!" a woman with purple hair and a cigarette dangling from her lips added coolly.

"Oh? Is that so?" Kai's eyes narrowed slightly. In the next second, an overwhelming wave of Conqueror's Haki burst from his body, crashing down on everyone like a tidal wave.

Black and red lightning crackled around him as the sheer force of his Haki sent the surrounding people stumbling back, their faces pale with shock.

Kai felt a thrill as he unleashed his Conqueror's Haki. Ever since he woke up, he'd noticed that his Haki had reached a new peak, its intensity on a whole other level. This was as much a test of his own power as it was a way to shut down the Revolutionaries' enthusiasm.

He was satisfied with the results, though he noted that his Haki still couldn't cause physical damage or control someone's body from a distance like Shanks could.

"Still a bit of a gap between me and Red-Hair," Kai muttered under his breath.

Just then, an equally powerful wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from the room, clashing with Kai's. Dragon stepped out, his gaze sharp as he stared at Kai. "Kai, don't go throwing around your Conqueror's Haki so casually."

Kai raised an eyebrow, impressed. Dragon's Conqueror's Haki was clearly at the peak level as well. After a moment, Kai retracted his Haki and looked at Dragon calmly. "I was just trying to talk them out of going to Impel Down."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Dragon asked, confused.

After a quick explanation from Koala, Dragon turned to his subordinates. "He's right. You're not strong enough to go."

"But, Chief—" Koala started.

"I said no!" Dragon cut her off firmly. Then he turned to Sabo, his expression softening. "Be careful."

Dragon wouldn't stop Sabo from rescuing his brothers. In fact, he'd planned to join Kai in the rescue mission himself. But bringing the entire Revolutionary Army? That was out of the question. More people meant a higher chance of exposure, and Impel Down wasn't a place you could just waltz into.

As a former Marine, Dragon knew all too well how heavily guarded Impel Down was. He could handle it himself, but the others? No way.

Shaking off his thoughts, Dragon looked at Kai with a mix of curiosity and respect. It hadn't been that long since they'd last met in Loguetown, and yet Kai had grown so much. Back then, Dragon could've easily defeated him. Now? He wasn't so sure.

After a moment of silence, Dragon got down to business. "Four of Luffy's crew are imprisoned on Level 6, and the other four are on Level 5."

Kai frowned. That didn't make sense. Level 6 was reserved for the most dangerous criminals, those with bounties over 100 million berries. Why would Luffy's crew be locked up there?

But in a way, it made things easier. If they were all grouped together, rescuing them would be simpler. The only question was whether Ace was still there. According to the newspapers, Ace was scheduled for execution at Marineford tomorrow.

Time was running out.

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NO DOUGHNUT THIS TIME BOYS