Nearly two kilometers away from the casino district, a group of pirates stood huddled together in a dark alley.
No one spoke.
Their eyes were fixed on the scene in the distance.
The street that had once been one of Demon Town's busiest areas no longer existed.
Collapsed buildings littered both sides of the road. Deep fissures carved through the ground like scars. Dust still drifted through the air, refusing to settle.
The sight left everyone speechless.
After a long silence, one pirate swallowed hard.
"Are we... sure this actually happened?"
Another rubbed his eyes as if trying to wake himself from a nightmare.
"The entire street is gone."
"Even the Donquixote Family's casino..."
His voice trailed off.
Nobody needed him to finish.
Everyone could see it.
The luxurious casino that had dominated the district for years had vanished completely.
All that remained was a mountain of rubble.
The pirates exchanged uneasy glances.
When they had rushed over earlier, they had come for entertainment.
A five-year-old kid had openly marched into the Donquixote Family's territory.
Who wouldn't want to see how that ended?
In their minds, there had only been one possible outcome.
The child would die.
Painfully.
Yet now...
The casino was gone.
The street was gone.
And nobody knew what had happened inside.
"What in the world took place over there?"
A pirate muttered.
No one answered.
Because none of them knew.
Then—
Footsteps.
The faint sound drifted across the ruined street.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Everyone stiffened.
"Someone's coming!"
A pirate pointed toward the center of the destruction.
Immediately, every head turned.
A figure slowly emerged from the haze.
Small.
Young.
Walking steadily through the wreckage.
As the distance closed, the pirates gradually saw him more clearly.
He was shirtless.
Cuts and bruises covered his body.
Dried blood stained parts of his skin.
Yet despite those injuries, his posture remained relaxed.
His pace never faltered.
When the group finally recognized his face, several pirates nearly jumped.
"It's him!"
"The kid from earlier!"
Big Bear's eyes widened.
He remembered that face clearly.
After all, he had personally given directions to the boy.
Back then, he had only felt that the child seemed unusually calm.
Now?
His scalp tingled.
The same boy had entered the Donquixote Family's headquarters.
And somehow...
He had walked back out.
Alive.
Not only alive.
He looked like someone returning from an ordinary stroll.
"What the hell happened?"
One pirate whispered.
"He actually came out?"
"Didn't the Donquixote Family stop him?"
"They must have fought."
"Look at his injuries."
The more they thought about it, the colder their bodies became.
The Donquixote Family wasn't some random pirate crew.
This was the territory of Heavenly Yaksha Doflamingo.
One of the most dangerous pirates on the Grand Line.
Anyone who provoked them usually disappeared forever.
Yet the boy before them had walked straight into their territory and then walked right back out.
The situation was so absurd that it no longer felt real.
Soon, the boy reached their position.
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
No one dared move.
No one dared speak.
An invisible pressure seemed to descend upon the group.
Even breathing became difficult.
The young boy glanced around before stopping in front of Big Bear.
A smile appeared on his face.
"You're the one who gave me directions earlier, right?"
Big Bear froze.
"Y-Yes..."
"Thanks."
The boy nodded.
"Saved me quite a bit of time."
"If I'd searched for the Donquixote Family myself, it would've taken much longer."
Then he casually patted Big Bear's shoulder.
The simple gesture nearly made the burly pirate's heart stop.
His entire body became rigid.
Meanwhile, the surrounding pirates stared nervously.
Nobody dared interrupt.
Nobody even dared breathe too loudly.
Fortunately, the boy had no intention of lingering.
After thanking Big Bear, he continued walking toward the harbor.
His figure gradually disappeared into the distance.
Only when he was completely gone did the pirates finally release the breath they had been holding.
Several of them nearly collapsed.
"My god..."
"He really came out alive."
"That was Doflamingo's territory!"
"How is this even possible?"
The group erupted into discussion.
Shock filled every voice.
Big Bear looked toward the distant harbor.
His throat felt dry.
"I told you before."
"That kid wasn't ordinary."
"Good thing none of us tried anything stupid."
The others nodded frantically.
Now that they thought about it, they felt fortunate.
Very fortunate.
If they had attempted to rob or provoke that child earlier...
They probably wouldn't be standing here anymore.
A sudden thought crossed one pirate's mind.
His expression changed.
"Wait."
"I've seen that face before."
The conversation immediately stopped.
Everyone looked toward him.
"You know who he is?"
The pirate frowned deeply.
He searched his memory.
A few moments later, his eyes widened.
"I remember!"
His voice rose sharply.
"That kid..."
"He's Fist Demon Kai!"
Silence.
Complete silence.
The pirates stared at him.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody blinked.
For several seconds, the alley became utterly still.
Then the group exploded.
"What?!"
"Fist Demon Kai?!"
"The Marine monster who defeated Edward Weevil?"
"The strongest genius in Marine history?"
"No way!"
The pirate hurriedly nodded.
"It's definitely him."
"I saw his wanted poster recently."
"Same face."
"Same age."
"There's no mistake."
The group felt their hearts pounding wildly.
Recently, the name Fist Demon Kai had spread across the Grand Line like wildfire.
A five-year-old Marine.
A monster who had defeated Whitebeard Jr.
A once-in-a-generation prodigy.
Countless pirates had discussed him.
But discussion was one thing.
Seeing him in person was another.
Even more unbelievable was the fact that he had appeared in Demon Town.
A pirate suddenly spoke.
"If that really was Fist Demon Kai..."
His voice trembled.
"Then the destruction over there..."
The others slowly turned toward the ruined district.
A terrifying possibility emerged.
"Don't tell me..."
"Fist Demon Kai fought Heavenly Yaksha Doflamingo."
The statement sent chills through the crowd.
The more they thought about it, the more plausible it became.
Who else could possibly cause that level of destruction?
Who else could walk into Doflamingo's territory and leave alive?
Nobody.
Only a monster of the same caliber.
Big Bear looked at the devastated street and exhaled slowly.
"If those two really fought..."
"Then everything makes sense."
Another pirate immediately asked,
"Then who won?"
The question silenced everyone once again.
Who won?
Doflamingo?
Or Fist Demon Kai?
One pirate answered instinctively.
"It has to be Doflamingo."
"He's been famous for years."
"He's one of the strongest pirates on the Grand Line."
"Even if Kai is a monster, he's still only five years old."
Several people nodded.
But Big Bear shook his head.
"I don't think so."
The others turned toward him.
Big Bear stared in the direction Kai had left.
"If Kai lost..."
"Would Doflamingo really let him walk away?"
The pirates froze.
Big Bear continued.
"He wasn't seriously injured."
"He looked tired."
"He looked wounded."
"But he wasn't defeated."
"If you ask me..."
He swallowed.
"The most likely outcome is that neither side won."
The group stared at him.
"A draw?"
"A five-year-old fought Doflamingo to a draw?"
The words sounded ridiculous.
Impossible.
Absurd.
Yet after witnessing today's events, none of them could confidently deny it.
The ruined district stood before their eyes as proof.
A long silence followed.
Finally, one pirate muttered,
"If that's true..."
"Then Fist Demon Kai is even scarier than the rumors."
Nobody disagreed.
Because today, they had personally witnessed the aftermath of that monster's strength.
And before long, news began spreading throughout Demon Town.
At first, it moved through taverns.
Then gambling dens.
Then pirate hideouts.
Within hours, nearly everyone in Demon Town had heard the same shocking rumor.
Fist Demon Kai had arrived.
He had challenged Heavenly Yaksha Doflamingo.
And the battle had ended without a clear winner.
The entire town trembled.
Because whether the rumor was true or not, one fact could not be denied.
The Donquixote Family's casino had become rubble.
And that alone was enough to prove how terrifying the battle had been.
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