One Piece: I will become stronger by checking in

Kizaru looked down with a slightly helpless expression.

At that moment, something shocking happened—Doflamingo's iconic sunglasses, which had seemingly never been removed in a thousand years, were shattered. His now-exposed eyes were lifeless, his consciousness completely gone.

Shaking his head, Kizaru grabbed Doflamingo and made his way toward Marineford.

"Well, looks like you just lost a Warlord-level combatant."

On the other side, Kai stood still, watching Kizaru's actions with an indifferent gaze. He didn't even need to check—he knew Doflamingo was out cold. After all, that punch had been thrown with full force.

Honestly, the guy had it coming.

Kai turned his eyes toward the five figures standing atop the wall, a faint smile creeping onto his face.

Now that he had stepped in, there was no turning back.

Among those five, Boa Hancock was the only one he hadn't interacted with—yet. The others, though? He had crossed paths with all of them in one way or another.

Of course, if nothing unexpected happened, Hancock would likely become the one he interacted with the most in the future.

"Huh?"

When Kai's gaze landed on Hancock, he noticed something odd.

The moment their eyes met, she instinctively lowered her head, and then…

If his sharp observation skills weren't deceiving him—was she blushing?

Kai blinked.

Wait… what?

He was momentarily confused. Judging by Hancock's reaction, she didn't just have a neutral stance toward him—she had a favorable impression of him!

And if that was the case, getting her on his side would be easier than stealing candy from a Celestial Dragon!

The problem was…

They had never met before! Ever!

Sure, he knew he wasn't bad-looking, but this didn't make sense.

Hancock wasn't the type to fall for looks alone.

In the original story, plenty of men more conventionally handsome than Luffy had tried to win her over, and she despised them all. She never even considered interacting with them.

So what was going on?

After analyzing all the clues, Kai finally came to a realization. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

"Charlos, I guess your death wasn't completely pointless."

Now that he had figured it out, he was in a great mood. But this wasn't the time to approach Hancock.

There was only one reason—this wasn't the right atmosphere for romance.

As for whether the Marines would catch on and take action against Hancock? That didn't concern him at all. Strength was his greatest assurance.

Besides, the Warlord system was bound to be abolished in two years. Although things had changed drastically from the original timeline, it was still a possibility.

But none of that mattered.

Hancock only joined the Warlords to protect Amazon Lily.

And after today? Kai was confident that if he declared Amazon Lily under his protection, no one would dare to touch it.

After mulling over the situation for a moment, Kai shifted his gaze away from Hancock, scanning the remaining Warlords.

Unless something unexpected happened, Kuma had likely lost his self-awareness. He wouldn't act without orders.

Moria, on the other hand, was deliberately avoiding Kai's gaze. Clearly, he had no intention of exposing his strength just yet—he was waiting for the right moment to act.

As for Mihawk… well, there was no doubt that they would cross swords in this battle. But that time wasn't now.

Which left only one.

Kai locked eyes with the last remaining Warlord and spoke calmly, "Teach, how about a little warm-up?"

"Also, there's something I'd like to ask you… Who took the Golden Lion's body?"

"Zehahaha!" Blackbeard's signature laugh rang out as he grinned menacingly.

"Demon King Kai, last time you caught me off guard and beat me senseless. But this time, I'm gonna show you my true power!"

He spread his arms wide, exuding confidence. "All Devil Fruit abilities are useless against me!"

Then, as if remembering something, he let out another laugh. "As for the Golden Lion's body? Zehahaha…"

Blackbeard didn't finish his sentence. Instead, he slowly rose into the air, floating above Kai with a smug grin.

Kai narrowed his eyes.

"So, you knew about the Golden Lion's whereabouts all along."

"That's right!" Blackbeard smirked, his gaze sharp.

"It seems you were already conscious while I was fighting the Golden Lion."

"Which makes me curious—after I lost consciousness and collapsed, why didn't you kill me?"

This was something that genuinely puzzled Kai. Knowing Blackbeard's personality, he would never waste an opportunity to eliminate a threat.

If he had the chance to finish Kai off, he would have taken it without hesitation.

Unexpectedly, Blackbeard's face twisted with anger. He snarled, his expression ferocious.

"You think I didn't want to?! If not for some mysterious bastard in a black robe stopping me, you'd be six feet under right now!"

"A man in a black robe?" Kai muttered, deep in thought.

If Blackbeard was telling the truth, then that meant someone had intervened to save him after he blacked out.

"Hmm…"

Kai pondered the identity of this unknown figure.

But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't come up with a definitive answer. Whoever this person was, they clearly didn't want their identity to be known.

Yet they had saved him at a crucial moment.

That meant they had likely been observing him since his battle with the Golden Lion. And yet, Kai had sensed nothing.

Had the Golden Lion noticed them?

Wait—Golden Lion?

A sudden realization struck Kai, as if a missing puzzle piece had fallen into place.

For starters, why had the Golden Lion—who had been in hiding for so long—suddenly appeared on Jaya? And if he had sensed this mysterious figure, why hadn't he mentioned them?

And then, why had the Golden Lion, of all people, intervened to save Blackbeard?

Adding up all these factors, plus the fact that the man in the black robe had concealed their identity, and considering their likely strength…

A single figure popped into Kai's mind.

His expression darkened instantly.

If it was him… then everything made sense.