Luffy shrugged and turned his attention to a set of polished armor. He had always been fascinated by such things. Even though he did not truly need the extra protection, he still liked the way it looked. After rummaging through several wooden boxes and cabinets, he finally managed to put it on. He was soon covered in metal from his head down to his feet.
The Marine staff member in charge of inspecting the equipment trembled as he spoke. He looked at the pirate with a nervous expression. He explained that there were strict regulations for the martial arts tournament. He told Luffy that his equipment could not exceed a certain weight limit.
Luffy tilted his head in confusion. He asked if such a rule really existed.
When the staff weighed the gear, the results were clear. Luffy's equipment was far over the allowed standard. Luffy looked distressed as he was forced to remove several pieces of the armor. He continued to weigh himself and remove parts until only a helmet and a black cloak remained.
Ace held his hand to his forehead and sighed. He looked at his younger brother with a helpless expression. He told Luffy that he did not actually need any armor to fight.
Luffy looked back at him and spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He asked Ace if he didn't think wearing armor looked cool.
Ace did not think so at all. Zoro, Sanji, Tashigi, and Brook all took several steps back quietly. They did not want to admit that this strange young man was their captain. Even though he was now known as one of the Five Emperors, he still acted like a child.
Zoro decided to change the subject. He asked the others which groups they were assigned to for the tournament. He mentioned that he was in Group A.
Luffy looked at his own entry form. He told Zoro that he was in Group C. He then asked the others about their positions. Sanji was placed in Group B. Tashigi and Vista were both in Group D. Brook was assigned to Group G, while Marco was in Group E. Ace found himself in Group F.
It was a surprise to everyone that they were almost all in different groups. Luffy could not help but complain about the organization. He asked why there were so many separate groups. He suggested that everyone should just fight at once. He thought the last person standing should simply be the champion.
Ace tried to explain the logic again. He said that a massive brawl would be too chaotic for the audience to follow. He noted that it was normal for a martial arts meeting to be divided this way. He explained that more groups allowed for more participants. He told Luffy that the only thing that mattered was to keep winning matches.
While the reason made sense, the number of groups was still very high. Zoro and Sanji shared a look. They both suspected that this was a trick played by Doflamingo. Their main goal was to defeat Doflamingo, and the villain surely knew it. He had organized this tournament to slow them down.
By forcing them to fight through seven groups plus a final round, Doflamingo was buying time. He was also trying to drain their energy. If they had to face Doflamingo after several exhausting battles, they would be at a disadvantage. It was a clever plan, but Doflamingo had forgotten one thing. Luffy's current strength was far beyond a normal fighter. He could win the championship without breaking a sweat.
Even if a master like Katakuri was in the bracket, Luffy was confident. Furthermore, Carl had not entered the tournament at all. Even if Luffy ended up tired, Carl would be there to finish the job. Doflamingo had nowhere left to run.
At that moment, Doflamingo was already trying to escape. He used his Devil Fruit powers to hook his threads onto the clouds. He swung through the air, moving quickly toward Dressrosa. However, he was not fast enough. Carl and Law used a giant sword to fly through the sky and block his path. Carl even unleashed a bolt of lightning to stop him.
Doflamingo was forced to change his direction. He knew that if he could not reach Dressrosa, he would be in grave danger. If Carl caught him, the fight would end quickly. He had to run as fast as possible to survive.
Carl shouted at the fleeing pirate. He told Doflamingo that he could not escape and should accept his fate. Carl swung his blade, the Third Generation Kitetsu, with great force. A massive shockwave tore through the air and headed straight for Doflamingo's back.
Doflamingo's face turned pale. He quickly created a wall of strings behind him to defend himself. However, the shockwave was too powerful. It tore through the defensive lines as if they were made of paper. The attack was moving too fast for him to dodge completely. Doflamingo had no choice but to coat his back in Armament Haki to take the hit.
The impact was devastating. Doflamingo coughed up a large amount of blood. There were even small bits of internal organs in the blood, showing how much damage he had taken. Despite the pain, he used the momentum of the blast to push himself forward. He managed to increase the distance between himself and Carl. He ignored his injuries and continued to flee.
Carl sighed as he watched the man run. He admitted that Doflamingo was very good at escaping. He kept up the chase without slowing down.
Law was on his Den Den Mushi at the same time. He had used the opportunity to call Bepo. He had ordered Bepo to take the Heart Pirates' submarine to Dressrosa. Bepo reported that they had run into some trouble, but they were safe for now. He mentioned that they were receiving help from a group of small people.
Law was confused by the news, but he trusted his crew. Since they were not in danger, he focused back on the target. He knew that everything would be over once Doflamingo was dead. But as Carl had pointed out, the man was proving very difficult to catch.
Doflamingo was now moving away from Dressrosa. It did not look like he was running aimlessly. He seemed to be heading toward a very specific location. This caused Carl to frown in concern.
Soon, Carl's fears were confirmed. A massive green dragon appeared above the clouds. It was flying directly toward them. Doflamingo looked relieved when he saw the creature. It was clear that he had expected this arrival.
Carl bit his lip in frustration. He realized that Kaido had arrived. This made the task of killing Doflamingo much harder. Doflamingo had likely reached out to the Beasts Pirates for help. They had a long history of trading weapons and Devil Fruits. Kaido valued Doflamingo as a business partner.
Kaido would not stand by and let the Straw Hats kill his associate. Furthermore, the conflict between Kaido and Luffy's crew had started long ago in the first half of the Grand Line. Kaido had promised to crush them once they reached the New World.
The massive dragon opened its mouth and spoke with a booming voice. He called Doflamingo a coward for running away in such a mess. He said that Doflamingo hardly deserved to be his partner if he was this afraid of Carl.
Doflamingo did not argue. He gave a flattering smile instead. He told Kaido that Carl was strong enough to challenge a Marine Admiral like Akainu. He claimed that only a legendary figure like Kaido could defeat such an opponent. He asked Kaido if it wasn't natural for him to run under those circumstances.
Kaido let out a loud laugh. He liked the compliment. He told Doflamingo that his life was safe for today. He declared that as long as he was there, no one would be allowed to kill him.
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