"Captain, we have a major situation. Alvis Island has been attacked!"
Arlan's grave voice crackled through the Den Den Mushi, his words landing like a heavy bombshell.
"What?! Alvis Island was attacked? Are you joking?" Aeridar stood stunned, unable to believe his own ears.
Who could possibly reach a height of five thousand meters to strike Alvis Island? Were Calamodus, Dorot Otto, and the island's entire defense force just sitting idly by?
"It's true. The Revolutionary Army and the Neo Marines have joined forces. Several thousand men used dozens of the new airship models we've been researching to launch a direct assault on the Research Center!" Arlan gritted his teeth as he continued. "They rescued Sabo, the Revolutionary Army's Chief of Staff, and made off with over five hundred vials of SS-Serum and a hundred vials of XT-Serum. On top of that, over three hundred vials of SS and dozens of XT were destroyed in the chaos!"
Aeridar's mind went blank, his vision swimming. The loss of over eight hundred SS-Serums and a hundred XT-Serums was a catastrophic blow. The raw materials for these serums were incredibly rare and expensive; now, they might not even be able to fulfill the orders placed by the Yonko.
"Any other bad news? Spit it all out at once!" Aeridar growled, forcing each word through gritted teeth.
"Many uncontrolled or berserk experimental creatures were released, wreaking havoc throughout the facility. If I hadn't rushed there the moment I got word, Dr. Dalt, Dr. Vade, and the others would likely have been abducted by the revolutionaries or the Neo Marines," Arlan added.
"A mole! There's definitely a mole!"
Aeridar's face turned a bruised shade of purple, his voice absolute with certainty.
Dozens of airships capable of reaching five thousand meters? Even they didn't possess that many of the new models yet. Someone had clearly leaked the design blueprints.
Furthermore, the cold storage for the SS and XT Serums was a high-security zone. The entire vault, including the doors, was constructed from a new alloy reinforced with Seastone. Without a key, even a Navy Admiral or one of the Yonko would struggle to break in by force. Someone had stolen the keys.
The traitor had to be high-ranking, at least a mid-level researcher. Otherwise, even if they knew the location of the vault, they would never have had the chance to steal the keys, let alone access the airship blueprints.
"I know. We're investigating now, but many researchers were either killed or taken by the enemy. It will take time," Arlan replied heavily. As the kingdom's High Minister in charge of all affairs, he knew the responsibility for the Alvis Island disaster fell squarely on his shoulders.
"I'm coming back. Now."
Aeridar dropped the cold remark and ended the call with a sharp clack.
While Aeridar was on the phone, the animated constructs in the sky had ceased their assault on Malha, circling idly. Borsalino had also stopped his attacks, quietly observing Aeridar. A strange, eerie silence had fallen over the battlefield.
Having overheard the news of the attack, Borsalino's expression remained unchanged. He asked in his usual drawl, "So, what's the plan, Aeridar-sama?"
Aeridar didn't speak. He shot a look at Borsalino, then stared at Malha for several long seconds.
"Looks like I won't be dying today," Malha smirked, sitting down casually on the blood-soaked ground.
"Hmph. What if I let you go?"
Aeridar snorted coldly, his voice low and haunting. "Remember this: next time we meet, it won't matter if the Gorosei themselves call me. You're dead."
With that, Aeridar ignored Malha and Borsalino. The constructs in the sky began to ascend toward the clouds, leaving only one massive metallic Black Dragon hovering behind.
Down at the shoreline, Tashigi and the G-5 Marines watched the sudden withdrawal of the constructs, completely baffled.
"Is the battle up there over? Or is it something else?" Tashigi's brow furrowed. She turned to her subordinates. "Some of you take the wounded back to the warships. The rest of you, follow me up there!"
"Yes, Captain Tashigi!" hundreds of Marines shouted in unison.
…
"Stop the fighting!" Aeridar called out to Zhurong, Enel, and Oliver.
"As you wish, Master!" Zhurong gave Smoker a final murderous glare before flying back to Aeridar's side.
"Tch. Consider yourselves lucky," Enel spat. With his vast Observation Haki, he already knew what had happened. He didn't linger, transforming into a bolt of lightning and seating himself upon the back of the metallic Black Dragon.
Meanwhile, on another part of the battlefield…
"One-Sword Style: Dragon Severing Strike!!!"
Ryūkawa sheathed his blade, focusing his spirit and essence before unleashing a sudden, blinding draw. The world seemed to brighten as a peerless, unstoppable force surged toward the heavens.
"Two-Sword Style: Demon God!!!"
Oliver sheathed both his blades as the shadowy silhouette of a massive demon manifested behind him. He drew with blinding speed, the demonic phantom merging into the strike. A similarly terrifying, heaven-piercing force erupted.
CLANG—!
In less than a heartbeat, steel met steel with a crisp, ringing sound. The two warriors crossed paths, standing back-to-back.
A circular shockwave exploded outward. A brilliant katana spun into the air, rotating several times before plunging into the earth nearby, buried deep in the soil.
"I... I actually... lost?"
Ryūkawa's hands were empty; the webbing between his thumb and forefinger had torn, dripping with blood. He looked down in disbelief at the thin red line across his chest.
SHLICK—!
A second later, blood sprayed violently as the wound tore open. A hideous gash appeared across Ryūkawa's torso, stretching from his left side to his right hip. His chest was sliced wide open, drenching his white kimono in crimson.
"Phew... I win."
Oliver exhaled a long breath of turbid air. He turned slowly, walked up behind Ryūkawa, and delivered a swift, final stroke.
Fwish!
A flash of blade-light, and Ryūkawa's head flew into the air, a fountain of blood erupting from his neck.
Thud.
Ryūkawa's body collapsed. His severed head landed a short distance away, eyes still wide as if still wondering how he could have possibly lost.
CRACK—!
A thunderous sound split the air. A massive fissure, nearly two kilometers long, tore through the earth, splitting the very strait in two.
This commotion drew the attention of Aeridar, Borsalino, and Malha. They watched as Oliver approached, two swords at his waist and a third in his hand, stepping forward with deliberate pace.
"My, my... the clash between two top swordsmen has concluded. Quite impressive," Borsalino remarked, clicking his tongue and shaking his head.
"He lost? A bitter lesson indeed," Malha's pale face darkened with a sinister scowl.
"At least we took one of them down. That's acceptable," Aeridar's expression softened slightly.
Oliver and Ryūkawa had been close in strength, making their duel a true life-or-death struggle. Oliver had simply been one step ahead in technique.
"Captain, I can still fight!"
Oliver came to a halt before the group, grinning at Borsalino. The sheer, concentrated bloodlust radiating from him made the Marines' eyelids twitch.
"Forget it. We haven't reached the point of full-scale war with the Navy yet," Aeridar said, waving him off. As the metallic Black Dragon descended, Aeridar took a seat upon its back.
Though he didn't know the reason for the sudden retreat, Oliver followed his Captain onto the dragon.