Sailing: I was falsely accused of watching Nami bathe, but I'm blind.

However, after a moment of silence, Fujitora-senpai slowly nodded!

"Well... since Lord Joker has extended such a warm invitation, it would seem rather impolite of me to refuse again."

Fujitora still wore that humble smile, but Kai could sense that his senior seemed to have other plans in mind! "Perfect timing, I also want to see for myself (using my mental perception "653") just how prosperous and flourishing your renowned 'Kingdom of Love and Passion' truly is."

"

Fujitora-senpai… actually agreed?! Kai was filled with astonishment! Didn't senpai know this could very well be a trap? Or… was he deliberately playing along, wanting to infiltrate the lion's den and uncover more secrets about Dressrosa and Doflamingo?!

Kai couldn't fully fathom Fujitora's thoughts.

But since his senior had already made the decision, he, as the accompanying lieutenant general, naturally had no room for objection.

"Since Your Excellency agrees, I will comply."

"Kay said calmly."

He also wanted to... personally experience what secrets were hidden inside that palace shrouded in countless lies and darkness!

"Fufufufu... Great! Please, both of you!" Doflamingo's smile became even brighter (and more hypocritical).

He seemed very proud of being able to "invite" the two naval commanders into his palace.

And so, in an extremely strange and turbulent atmosphere, Admiral Fujitora and Vice Admiral Kai, at Doflamingo's "enthusiastic invitation," left the ravaged Greenbit Forest and returned to the Kingdom of Dressrosa, heading towards the royal palace that symbolized power and luxury, but also lies and evil.

Kai knew that the upcoming trip to the palace would not be as easy and pleasant as it seemed on the surface.

There, more secrets and more dangerous confrontations are surely hidden!

The moment Kai followed Fujitora and Doflamingo into the Dressrosa Palace, even with his perception that was accustomed to all kinds of luxury and evil, he couldn't help but be slightly shocked by the magnificent yet eerie scene before him.

The palace's architecture is extremely luxurious, with gold decorations, precious works of art, and exquisite sculptures everywhere.

The air was filled with the aroma of fine spices, wines, and delicacies.

Waiters and maids in gorgeous uniforms moved about like puppets, their faces bearing stiff, lifeless smiles that were uniform yet devoid of life.

However, beneath this dazzling luxury and seemingly perfect order, Kai could clearly sense a... venomous, chilling, sinister, oppressive, and... terrifying aura dominated by twisted rules! It permeated every corner of the palace!

Especially when he sensed those figures sitting on either side of the palace hall, each with a different but exceptionally powerful and malevolent aura, his vigilance reached its peak!

He can feel it!

A... nauseating aura, like sticky snot, yet containing immense stickiness and explosive power! (Trebol! Special Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user, Sticky-Sticky Fruit user!)

A... an extremely tall figure, like a rock giant, capable of merging with the earth, exuding an aura of immense pressure and terrifying power! (Pica! Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user, Stone-Stone Fruit user!)

An aura... sharp as a blade, brimming with the thrill of battle and the urge to slaughter, skilled in using various weapons (especially swords?) for brutal combat! (Diamanti! Paramecia-type Flutter-Flutter Fruit user!)

These three auras undoubtedly belong to... the top executives supporting Doflamingo's rule over Dressrosa—Trebol, Pica, and Diamante! Each of them is likely at the top level of a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral! Perhaps even stronger?!

Besides these three top executives, Kai also sensed many other... equally formidable family executives! For example, Jorah, who could turn anything into a work of art (?), Sugar, who seemed like a little girl yet could control giant dolls (this aura was particularly strange and dangerous!), and Señor Piqué, who was good at swimming (?) yet could move at high speeds on land...

The core fighting force of the entire Don Quixote family was almost entirely gathered in this palace! Like venomous snakes and ferocious beasts lurking in the darkness, they scrutinized Kai and Fujitora, these two "guests" who had intruded into their lair, with eyes full of scrutiny, hostility, and... a hint of cruel mockery!

This was no royal banquet! It was clearly... a trap! A power game filled with murderous intent and probing!

Kai's heart grew even colder and more wary.

He knew that he and Fujitora-senpai had stepped into an extremely dangerous den of dragons and tigers!

While Kai and Fujitora were engaging in a hypocritical and turbulent "exchange" with Doflamingo and his family's executives in the palace, Kai's perception never wavered in its monitoring of the rest of Dressrosa.

Soon, he caught a piece of information that left him speechless yet somewhat expected.

Straw Hat Luffy! That guy who just allied with Law in Green Bit and whose sights were set on Doflamingo and Kaido! He actually... didn't immediately begin executing their "grand plan"! Instead... he went under the alias "Lucy" and went to participate in... the Krita Colosseum, controlled by the Doflamingo family and located in the heart of Dressrosa?!

And... his purpose in participating in the competition was actually to... win a Devil Fruit as the champion's prize?!

And that Devil Fruit… it was actually… the Flame-Flame Fruit?! That is… the Logia-type Devil Fruit that "Fire Fist" Ace once possessed?!

The moment Kai sensed this news, he was simply... speechless.

This Luffy... how exactly does his brain work?!

What time is it?! They've just clashed with Doflamingo! They're in the heart of the enemy territory! They could be hunted down by the Donquixote Family at any moment! Instead of thinking about how to implement his plan quickly, or at least hide, he actually... has the mind to go and participate in some kind of arena?! Just for... a Devil Fruit?!

Although... that was Ace's Devil Fruit.

Kai understands that this fruit must have an extremely special and irreplaceable significance for Luffy.

But... at a time like this, is it really worth doing something so...reckless, putting yourself and your companions at great risk?!

Kai felt deeply puzzled and... a little contemptuous of this.

In his view, Luffy's behavior—always swayed by emotions and impulses, completely disregarding the big picture and consequences—was simply... utterly foolish! No wonder they always get into all sorts of trouble!

However, Kai also keenly realized that the appearance of the Flame-Flame Fruit and Luffy's participation in the competition would inevitably bring even greater chaos and uncertainty to the already complex situation in Dressrosa!

Ace's Devil Fruit! For those pirates who once followed Whitebeard or harbored special feelings for Ace, this is an irresistible temptation!

The appearance of Straw Hat Luffy will attract countless eyes! Whether it's the Marines and bounty hunters who want to capture him for a bounty, or other forces that want to ally with him or oppose him (such as the various strong fighters who are also competing in the arena)!

Krida Arena... that place will likely soon become... another massive vortex center in Dressrosa, following in the footsteps of Grinbit! Various factions will inevitably engage in a new round of fierce competition and struggle over the Flame-Flame Fruit and Straw Hat Luffy!

Kai could sense that even Admiral Fujitora beside him, after learning (perhaps through the Navy's intelligence system) about the situation at the arena, had a slightly imperceptible fluctuation in his usually calm demeanor...? Senior... seems to be paying attention to what's happening there too? Is he interested in the Flame-Flame Fruit? Or... is he worried about Straw Hat Luffy, this "variable"?

Kai kept all of this in mind without making a sound.

He knew that the game in Dressrosa was becoming increasingly complex, and increasingly... interesting.

Perhaps... he could also... use the chaos in the arena to create some... opportunities for his actions here?

His gaze (in his mind's eye) once again fell upon the depths of the palace, and... that sitting in the main seat, still wearing an evil smile, as if everything was under his control... Donquixote Doflamingo.

The real show seems to be about to begin.

After the hypocritical and probing "dinner" at the Dressrosa Palace (though it never actually took place), Kai did not choose to remain in the palace to accept Doflamingo's "hospitality" and surveillance.

He left the palace, citing the need to familiarize himself with the environment and understand the local customs (General Fujitora agreed and seemed happy to let him move freely), and returned to the seemingly bustling streets of Dressrosa.

Of course, he didn't really want to "understand the people's conditions".

What he needs is... to use his own methods to unveil the false veil of this "paradise" and to explore the true darkness and secrets hidden beneath the sunlight!

Like an ordinary, somewhat reclusive blind traveler (he had changed out of his conspicuous naval vice admiral uniform and into a more inconspicuous set of civilian clothes), he wandered aimlessly through the neighborhoods of Dressrosa, leaning on his "Mindfulness" cane.

However, his "inner vision" is like the most sophisticated scanner, silently probing everything around him.

Soon, he noticed those...toys that were almost everywhere, coexisting harmoniously with humans!

All sorts of toys live in an orderly fashion.

There are toy soldiers dressed in uniforms, standing guard; toy housewives carrying baskets, shopping at the market; toy children playing and frolicking in the park; and even toy laborers pulling rickshaws or working in factories!

They can think, speak, and act like humans, and have their own "work" and "life".

The surrounding human inhabitants seemed to have gotten used to it, even to the point of feeling unnatural!

Kai could clearly sense that when the human inhabitants interacted with these toys, their emotions seemed to lack something... the "connection" that should have been there? Their attitude towards the toys was more like that of... a convenient tool, or... a "backdrop" they had to accept and had long been accustomed to? Their smiles, their enthusiasm, seemed... somewhat... empty and... deliberate when facing these toys?

What chilled Kai even more was that... when he channeled his Observation Haki more deeply and intently into the toys themselves, he actually... sensed from those cold toys made of wood, cloth, plastic, or metal... a faint, yet undeniably real, residual aura of "life"?!

That wasn't the vitality inherent in the toys themselves! Rather, it was more like... the mark left behind by once vibrant lives, forcibly imprisoned within these cold shells... a mark filled with sorrow, resentment, anger, and... a deep, forgotten despair!

These toys... aren't products of magic or technology at all! They... were originally... living, breathing people?!

This terrifying guess struck Kai like lightning! It sent a chill down his spine!

If this is true... then... who?! With what cruel power did they turn living people into toys?! And those human residents who... "coexist harmoniously" with these toys... have they... forgotten that these toys were once their relatives, friends, and lovers?! How can they... live so comfortably... with these "walking corpses"? 4.4!

A tremendous, suffocating sense of terror gripped Kai's heart! He finally understood that beneath the glamorous exterior of this so-called "kingdom of love and passion" lay... an unspeakable, inhuman darkness!

Doflamingo! The king of this country! All of this... is absolutely related to him! In fact... it's very likely that he was the one who caused it!

Kai's fist clenched involuntarily once again! At this moment, his deep-seated pursuit of "order" seemed to... subtly overlap with his extreme hatred for this evil that trampled on life and distorted humanity?

He decided he had to... secretly investigate everything! Find out the truth behind these toys! Find out what Doflamingo really did to this country!

Perhaps... this is the truly "just" thing he should do after coming to Dressrosa? Even if... this might conflict with his identity as a member of the Navy, or even with his own set of "necessary evil" beliefs?

Kai was once again caught in a struggle.

But this time, the anger stemming from conscience and basic respect for life seems to... subtly gain the upper hand.

Just as Kai began secretly investigating the secrets of the Dressrosa toys and trying to find clues, his extremely wide-ranging Observation Haki unexpectedly captured some... extremely special and secretive information flow.

He sensed that in a secret passage beneath the Kingdom of Dressrosa, several... auras that did not belong to the Donquixote Family, yet were equally formidable, were secretly gathering and planning something!

One of the auras seemed familiar to Kai… it was that long-nosed guy with the strange mask who called himself the "Sniper King," the one who had left a deep impression on him in Water 7 and Enies Lobby! (Usopp!) He didn't go to the arena with Luffy? Instead, he's here conducting a secret operation?

Chapter 118 Nami kneels and calls him "Daddy!" You know you're wrong? You know you're going to die!

Another aura surprised Kai even more, and made him...a little wary! It was a special energy fluctuation...like a deep, ancient pool, filled with wisdom, calmness, and...something that could decipher the secrets of history! It was Nico Robin?! She was with Usopp too?!

Joining them were... countless tiny, yet numerous, beings brimming with astonishing power and speed, and imbued with a deep-seated hatred for Doflamingo... the aura of little people!

It's the Tontatta tribe! Those mysterious little people who live beneath Green Bit! They actually... infiltrated Dressrosa! And... teamed up with Usopp and Robin?!

What exactly are they trying to do?!

Kai immediately focused his senses intently, carefully "eavesdropping" on their conversation and plans.

Soon, a battle plan that seemed both absurd and shocking to him was clearly presented in his "mind network"!

Operation codename: "SOP"!

Operational objective: Raid the stronghold of Sugar, a special agent of the Donquixote Family, located deep within the Dressrosa underground trading port! And... knock her unconscious?!