The void around had no sound. No wind. No horizon.
Only the black stone platforms, floating like islands torn from time.
Riser stood at the center, his coat swaying slowly, though no air existed here. The Mangekyō Sharingan spun with hypnotic precision in his left eye, projecting dimensional windows before him that revealed Marineford in real time.
The images hovered like living veils.
Ace in chains. Sengoku in silence. Hancock waiting. Kizaru overly radiant.
The battlefield of war was set.
Riser looked away.
Behind him, Kalifa stirred. A tremor in her body. Her breathing shallow. Her fingers clenched against the surface of the floating stone.
She woke with a start.
Her body rose in a tense motion, her hair disheveled by the lingering waves of energy. Her gaze, lost, darted in every direction, trying to decipher the absurdity around her.
"But… what—?"
She stumbled back two steps.
The black platform had no visible edges. Everything around was pure, rippling darkness, as if the universe had been dissolved.
"Is this… a dimension? A dream?"
Her voice trembled.
Riser didn't turn.
"You wanted to know how I travel."
The projection of Marineford flickered slowly before dissolving like dust. He took a step toward the platform where Kalifa now breathed as if the air itself poisoned her.
"Now you know."
"Is this a Devil Fruit?"
The question came quickly. Desperate.
"Maybe."
"Maybe not."
Riser's tone was hollow, as if spoken from a place even further than where they stood.
Kalifa frowned, her heart pounding too loudly. Her hands instinctively reached for her pockets, but nothing there answered her will.
"Is this… real?"
Riser extended his hand.
A golden light flared in the air, revealing an inventory window. Objects floated, motionless, categorized with cold precision. He pulled something from it.
A small black crystal vial, sealed with silver. The red liquid inside seemed alive—as if it breathed.
Kalifa stepped back again.
"What is that?"
Riser raised his arm. The vial floated between them, held by nothing.
"Something you need to drink."
Kalifa narrowed her eyes. Instinct screamed. Something primal. Something every CP9 agent was trained to recognize: a veiled threat disguised as a choice.
"Is it poison?"
"It's a bond."
"Why would I do that?"
"Because if you don't… I'll consider it betrayal."
The last word carried no anger. No emphasis. Just certainty.
Like a judge who doesn't need to shout the verdict.
Kalifa's stomach churned.
Her hands trembled. The vial floated before her like an invitation. Or an ultimatum.
She looked at him—at the man who was supposed to be an ally but now seemed more like an ancient king, risen from ashes and broken promises.
'I work for the Government.'
'But the Government threw me into his arms.'
'Spandam told me to seduce. To obey. To pretend.'
'And now… they're saying if I refuse this, I die a traitor.'
She closed her eyes for a second.
'Damn it.'
'The curse of being a spy.'
'The curse of thinking I controlled anything.'
Her fingers closed around the vial.
The glass was icy. The contents, warm as freshly spilled blood.
She brought the liquid to her lips.
Swallowed.
A shiver climbed her spine like an icy hand. The taste was bitter, metallic, strange. And yet… it awakened something. Not pain. Not pleasure. Change.
The vial fell from her hand and vanished into the air like smoke.
Kalifa gasped. Her eyes wide. A second of absolute silence.
Then… everything became clearer. The beating of her heart. The sound of her own blood. The metallic scent of the void.
She looked at Riser. Something was different about him now. Or perhaps about her.
"You…"
Riser finally turned.
His golden gaze met hers.
"Now you're in."
The platform trembled beneath her feet.
"In what?"
"In what's to come."
Kalifa had no more questions.
Only the silence of those who had crossed a point of no return.
---
Enies Lobby
Enies Lobby stood motionless under its artificial sky. The eternal light that never set now seemed sickly, pale, almost cold.
Hurried footsteps echoed through the main corridor.
The Marine, too young for his uniform and too tense to hide his fear, crossed the marble floor with sweat dripping beneath his chin.
His weapon hung at his side. Untouched. Useless.
'I need to deliver the order. Spandam needs to know…'
The sound of his breathing echoed between the wide walls, muffled only by the distant roar of the island's turbines.
He stopped before the main door of the Command Room.
Raised his fist.
Knocked three times.
"Mr. Spandam?"
Nothing.
The silence from the other side bit like an omen.
"Sir… orders came straight from Marineford. It's urgent."
Three more knocks. The wood answered with a dry vibration. But no voice. No sound. No life.
He hesitated.
'I can't open it. The punishment would be immediate. Article 11 of the disciplinary protocol: entering a superior's room without formal orders means military prison.'
His gaze darted to the sides. The corridor remained empty.
His fist trembled over the bronze handle.
He closed his eyes.
'Damn it.'
He turned it.
The door opened with a sharp snap.
"Sir, I'm sorry for barging in, but…"
The sentence broke mid-air. His eyes widened. The air froze in his lungs.
The room was steeped in dimness.
The smell hit first—iron, ash, and something else… something rotten, ancient, clinging to his nostrils like hot mud.
On the floor, bodies.
Jabra slumped in the corner, his throat marked by a dark burn line. Fukurou lay sprawled beside the command desk, his chest zipper half-open. Kumadori rested in a contorted pose, like a dead flower folded under its own weight.
Spandam…
His body was charred to the waist. His face unrecognizable. The wall behind blackened by the impact. He still clutched a dead Den Den Mushi.
The Marine swallowed hard.
His stomach lurched.
His hands trembled as they neared the desk.
"My God…"
He grabbed the spare Den Den Mushi.
The snail was cold. Lethargic. Its antenna blinked.
He dialed.
Pururururu. Purururu.
Nothing.
He tried another channel.
Pururururu… silence.
The line to Marineford was dead.
"This is Enies Lobby Command Tower… we… we have an incident… I repeat… a critical incident. Spandam is…"
The Den Den Mushi closed its eyes.
No response.
The Marine fell to his knees, his gaze lost among the wreckage and dried blood.
'This wasn't a fight.'
'It was an execution.'
The hall of justice had been silenced.
And the echo of that absence… was louder than any scream.
---
Water 7
The constant clatter of metal rails cut through the air like the pulse of an industrial heart. Steam rose from the boilers, staining the sky with a poisoned white of coal and saltwater.
Iceburg hurried along the dock walkways.
His work coat slapped against his thighs with each step, and sweat dripped from his forehead despite the cold wind from the sea.
"She should've been back by now. I clearly said I needed the copies of the barge 73 blueprints."
The clipboards under his arm swayed lightly. He pursed his lips as he rounded the corner of the main warehouse. Two men stood in the shade of a motionless crane, speaking in low tones.
"Lucci. Kaku."
The pigeon on Lucci's shoulder turned its head in sync with its master.
"Iceburg."
"Kalifa's gone. I need her now."
Kaku adjusted his cap. The sun glinted off the rail he leaned against.
"Haven't seen her since yesterday."
"You're sure?"
Lucci crossed his arms. His gaze was so sharp it cut.
"Kalifa knows how to be invisible when she wants. But never for this long."
"She vanished without telling anyone. And after that chaos with the north base engineers, I can't afford to lose my secretary right now."
Iceburg strode off with purpose, huffing.
"If you hear anything, let me know."
The two CP9 members stayed silent until he disappeared behind the cargo racks.
Kaku looked to the horizon.
"This is wrong."
Lucci tilted his neck slightly.
"Kalifa doesn't vanish. And Blueno's been unreachable too."
"He hasn't answered any frequency since last night."
"Time to split up."
"I'll check the bar. See if he's there."
"Go. I'll head to Franky."
Their boots clacked against the iron floor.
Above them, on a rooftop covered in broken tiles, three female figures crouched among crates and shadows. The steam rising from the chimneys below veiled their faces at intervals, like temporary curtains.
Kaya leaned forward first, her golden eyes reflecting the light of the rails.
"They're splitting up the search."
Alvida cracked her neck, rolling her shoulder as if warming up for a performance.
"Good. I'll take the pigeon guy."
Nojiko pulled her hair back, tying it in a makeshift knot.
"Kaku's mine."
Kaya stood carefully.
"I'll go with Alvida. And if Franky's there… I'll handle him."
Alvida turned.
"You can handle Franky?"
Kaya's smile was thin.
"It'll be fun."
The three vanished from the rooftop as if carried by the wind.
The hunt had begun.
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