On the other side, Violet snapped out of the sudden dramatic turn of events and immediately dropped to her knees before Kai, pleading desperately with raw emotion.
"Lord Kai, please save my family! As long as you can rescue them, I'm willing to do absolutely anything."
The heavy atmosphere in the room made Kai shift uncomfortably in his seat.
This makes me appear like some kind of villain.
Kai touched his chin thoughtfully and readily agreed: "I'll ensure King Riku's family remains protected. Trebol, that won't be a problem, will it?"
If he could earn Violet's genuine loyalty with such a simple gesture, this arrangement would prove worthwhile.
What could Trebol possibly say in response?
"Of course there's no problem whatsoever, Lord Kai."
Young Master, please wake up quickly! I can barely maintain this diplomatic charade anymore.
Trebol wailed internally while maintaining his forced smile.
"Thank you sincerely, my lord." Violet felt overwhelmed with joy and relief.
She hadn't expected that something she'd considered impossible just seconds ago would be resolved by Kai's casual remark the very next moment.
But the situation wasn't quite that straightforward.
King Riku himself remained imprisoned within the royal palace, but his eldest daughter's family had successfully escaped and was currently hiding somewhere within Dressrosa's borders.
Kai casually instructed with authority: "Ulti, Page One, you two accompany Violet to locate and bring her family safely aboard our ship."
"Finding people is such a tedious hassle."
Ulti complained verbally but still obediently stood up and departed with Page One and Violet.
At that same moment, the Young Master that Trebol had been desperately hoping would return finally awakened successfully and made his entrance.
"Fufufufufu! Lord Kai, my sincere apologies for my earlier absence."
Doflamingo, his head wrapped thoroughly like a medical patient, appeared incredibly humble, behaving as if the serious injury to his skull and his compromising photograph had never occurred.
Truly worthy of someone who could eventually thrive in the New World's harsh environment.
Just this remarkable ability to bend and adapt made him deserve opportunities to develop and grow stronger.
Kai smiled slightly but didn't stand up from his position, only raising his wine glass in casual acknowledgment.
Doflamingo bowed respectfully and retrieved his own wine glass, gently touching it at a lower position to show deference.
"I'll drink everything. You drink as you please."
After speaking, he drained the entire glass in one smooth gulp.
Kai sipped the red wine in his glass with measured appreciation: "Now we can discuss the specific details of our cooperation."
Doflamingo retrieved a cooperation proposal he had prepared from within his coat, handed it respectfully to Kai, and began explaining its contents.
To demonstrate his sincerity, Doflamingo even voluntarily reduced his commission percentage.
Kai readily agreed without attempting to negotiate the price further.
Although Doflamingo could potentially operate without profit or even at a financial loss to preserve his life, Kai still needed to leave people a reasonable path to survival.
"Pleasant cooperation?" Seeing how smoothly the negotiations proceeded, Doflamingo felt considerably more confident, his condition improved noticeably, and his tone became much more assured.
"Pleasant cooperation indeed!"
Kai shifted the conversation: "I heard you were once a Celestial Dragon? I'm extremely curious about the Holy Land Mary Geoise and the Celestial Dragons. How about sharing some details with me?"
"The Beast Pirates' intelligence capabilities seem quite different from the outside rumors."
Doflamingo sighed deeply and tacitly acknowledged this sensitive fact.
His background wasn't exactly classified information. Although the Celestial Dragons intentionally suppressed details about his fall from grace, that man hadn't hidden his identity from surrounding commoners after willingly abandoning his privileged status.
With deliberate investigation, these facts could eventually be uncovered.
Thinking of this painful history, Doflamingo unconsciously recalled those shameful childhood memories, and his expression immediately darkened with old wounds.
Kai didn't rush him and waited patiently in respectful silence.
After an extended period, Doflamingo returned to the present: "My apologies, I became lost in thought. Since Lord Kai wishes to hear it, allow me to share what I know."
"There should originally be twenty Celestial Dragon families, corresponding to the twenty kings who founded the World Government eight centuries ago, but the Nefertari family of Alabasta renounced this privilege and chose to remain in their homeland."
"These nineteen families, after eight hundred years of careful reproduction, currently have approximately three thousand legitimate Celestial Dragons."
Oh? After eight centuries, nineteen families combined only produce this many descendants?
But considering the situation logically, it made perfect sense. To maintain pure bloodlines, probably only offspring produced through intermarriage between established families counted as legitimate Celestial Dragons.
Children born from unions with non-Celestial Dragons definitely wouldn't be included in that count.
Just like Bonney, who possessed half Celestial Dragon blood, the Celestial Dragons showed no concern for her existence. Saturn would experiment on her without any hesitation.
From observing the Donquixote and Rosward families, it appeared Celestial Dragons controlled their birth rates carefully. Two children per family, just sufficient to maintain population numbers without excessive growth.
The Celestial Dragons probably understood that the world couldn't support too many of their kind.
Doflamingo's explanation continued: "Even as the supposed pinnacle of world power, the Celestial Dragons still have higher-ranking authorities within their ranks: the Five Elders!"
"Below the Five Elders, there's also a mysterious organization: the God's Knights. They even possess the authority to judge and execute fellow Celestial Dragons."
Speaking of this topic, Doflamingo's expression became increasingly ugly, clearly having suffered at the hands of the God's Knights.
Years ago, attempting to return to the Holy Land, he had brought that man's severed head back to Mary Geoise.
But he was rejected by the Five Elders and even forcibly expelled from Pangaea Castle by the God's Knights.
This grudge would remain with him for life!
Kai's face showed growing interest instead of concern.
Finally, something genuinely intriguing.
"Tell me more about these God's Knights."
"The God's Knights are composed of the most martially powerful Celestial Dragons in terms of combat ability. They enjoy access to the world's finest resources. Naturally, their strength proves exceptionally formidable. Any single member released into the sea could cause tremendous upheaval."
Doflamingo's eyes flashed with deep wariness: "The entire God's Knights organization combined could potentially overturn the ocean's entire power structure."
"Who serves within their ranks?"
"I don't know specific identities."
"Excuse me?"
Kai frowned with disappointment. After all this buildup, it seemed he already knew more than Doflamingo about these matters.
At least he was aware of Figarland and his son, Saint Topman, Saint Mars, and other key figures.
Faced with Kai's questioning expression, Doflamingo felt genuinely annoyed. How was this lack of intelligence his fault?
"I was removed from the Holy Land since childhood. My understanding of Mary Geoise remains limited to that man's oral accounts. How could I possibly have access to something as secretive as the God's Knights?"
If it weren't for the fact that the God's Knights could manage all Celestial Dragons, and that man wouldn't have shared even these basic details to avoid potential conflicts.
Despite this limitation, Doflamingo still introduced the God's Knights structure and important figures he knew about.
Of course, because he'd left the Holy Land at such a young age, his version was considerably outdated.
However, Kai still heard a familiar name: Figarland Garling Saint.
In Doflamingo's version, he was still merely a captain, not yet promoted to commander level.
After finishing with the God's Knights topic, Doflamingo also revealed to Kai a previously unknown aspect of the Celestial Dragons.
Numerous elite Celestial Dragons maintained control over key departments throughout the World Government.
"So-called justice and law are nothing but their elaborate one-man performance," Doflamingo sneered with bitter experience. "If they declare you guilty, you're guilty even if you're completely innocent. If they proclaim your innocence, you're clean even if you're utterly evil."
Kai wasn't surprised by this revelation. For the Celestial Dragons to rule the world peacefully for eight centuries, it couldn't be based solely on the supposed merit of founding the World Government.
No matter how capable the Five Elders proved to be, they still required the unwavering support of elite Celestial Dragons throughout the system.