"Bi–Big trouble, my lord..."
After Nicholas Saint's panicked command, the guards turned toward him with pale faces and trembling eyes.
Noticing their expressions, the Celestial Dragon stiffened and slowly turned around.
Behind him stood a tall young man with silver hair, his expression calm and relaxed—but his presence carried an oppressive chill, like standing inside an arctic storm.
Kaelen Tsukishiro.
Saint Nicholas's legs gave out. A sharp hiss escaped him as a warm yellow stain spread across the front of his trousers.
"D-Dea–Death! Death himself!"
The name barely left his lips, his voice shaking with terror. Tears streamed from his eyes, his snot bubbling at the corners of his mouth.
A pungent stench wafted up.
Kaelen frowned slightly and took two steps back in disgust. His gaze swept over the trembling Celestial Dragon.
"Heh. Typical trash," he muttered coldly. "You bully the weak and fear the strong. That's all you are."
The nearby guards gasped audibly, their eyes wide. No one dared speak.
To insult a Celestial Dragon like that… even knowing Kaelen's identity, it was still shocking to hear.
But none of them stepped forward. The name Reaper wasn't just for show.
"Trash...? Trash?" Saint Nicholas repeated, as if in disbelief. "I… I'm a noble…"
Kaelen raised an eyebrow and calmly corrected him. "No. Not even trash."
Silence swept the deck.
Kaelen's voice turned sharp. "I hear you enjoy watching slaves suffer. You like to see them crawl, fight, and beg for life."
He stepped forward and tapped the deck with his foot.
"Why don't you give us a performance?"
CRACK!
With a single stomp, the entire warship split apart beneath them.
Wood shattered, iron twisted, and the sea below surged upward.
Screams erupted.
All of them—Saint Nicholas, his guards, and the ship's crew—were swallowed by the sea in a violent whirlpool Kaelen had summoned with his control over lightning and ocean currents.
"AAAHHHHH!!"
Nicholas Saint flailed helplessly, spinning in the vortex. The bubble around his head shattered, and he choked on seawater. Tears, snot, and foam all blurred into one.
He looked like a drowning pig.
Exactly like the slaves he'd tortured.
Kaelen hovered mid-air, watching with unreadable eyes.
"Sometimes," he said quietly to himself, "you don't need to shed blood to kill someone. The fear of death… is worse."
None of the guards could save their so-called noble master. All they could do was watch.
As Nicholas Saint's head disappeared beneath the waves, a final streak of purple light burst from Kaelen's fingertips and pierced his skull—ending it cleanly.
It was over.
Kaelen turned his gaze to the remaining four warships.
Swish—Swish—Swish—Swish!
Four slashes of violet light cut across the sea, splitting the warships with terrifying precision.
Then, like fate itself had passed judgment, whirlpools formed around the wreckage and began dragging the ships into the deep.
"They followed a corrupt man," Kaelen said coldly, his voice lost in the sea breeze, "so they shared his fate."
He vanished midair, reappearing aboard the sailboat beside Robin.
---
A gentle wind brushed across the sea.
Kaelen's expression lightened, the sharp edge fading from his eyes.
"Now that we've seen the ocean floor," he said, smiling, "how about we head up to the sky next?"
Robin blinked. He had just killed a Celestial Dragon and wiped out five warships, yet he looked completely at ease again—like it hadn't happened at all.
"To the sky?" she asked. "You mean… the Sky Island?"
Kaelen chuckled softly.
"No. Somewhere higher than that. More mysterious."
He pointed toward the sky, toward the blazing sun.
Robin followed his gesture, shielding her eyes.
"The sun?" she asked skeptically. "You'll burn up before you even get close."
Kaelen twitched. "I'm not that dumb."
He smirked, then pointed higher.
"The moon."
Robin blinked again. "The… moon?"
Her curiosity quickly turned to concern. "But there's no air up there. Even the Sky Islands are barely breathable. You want to go that far?"
Her worry wasn't unfounded—she was well-read and knew how dangerous altitude could be.
Kaelen, however, seemed unfazed.
"We'll manage. I have a plan."
Having mastered the Goro Goro no Mi, Kaelen could generate oxygen through electrolysis, and with a few prepared oxygen tanks, the trip was entirely possible.
Robin watched him, interest sparking in her eyes.
"…Alright. I want to see it too. I wonder what's really up there."
Kaelen's grin widened. "Let's find out together."
He turned to face the open sea, his fingers flicking the sail. Lightning arced across the sky like a sign from the heavens.
The moon awaited.
---
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