"Space Pirates?"
Kaelen narrowed his eyes. The term rang a bell—he vaguely remembered a mention of space pirates from an old comic, and he was sure Enel had encountered them after arriving on the moon.
He hadn't expected them to actually exist in this real version of the world.
Seriously?
He suppressed the urge to sigh. What are cosmic pirates doing up here on a dead rock like this, instead of exploring the ocean below?
Maybe they hadn't discovered the world beneath yet. Or maybe… something else was keeping them up here.
Kaelen didn't care enough to guess further.
If they turned out to be enemies, he'd simply wipe them out.
Beside him, Robin watched the rabbit-like creatures with quiet intensity. He could hear her mutter under her breath:
"I really want to catch one and keep it…"
Kaelen blinked. Terrifying.
With a shake of his head, Kaelen fixed his gaze on the leader of the group, his tone cold and disinterested.
"'Isais Space Pirates,' huh? Never heard of you."
"I'm Kaelen Tsukishiro—Commander of the Reaper Legion, bearer of the Death Flame, and Lord of the Dark Star."
Whoooom!
The air behind him distorted as a void of swirling black energy formed—hellish shadows and crimson flames spiraled upward, twisting like serpents through the sky.
Kaelen stood tall in the middle of it all, motionless. He looked like something that had crawled out of a myth—his presence oppressive, his eyes glinting like embers.
The rabbit creatures flinched. Even their leader instinctively lowered his head, unable to withstand the pressure.
"Death Flame… Dark Star…"
They'd never heard of those titles before, but they didn't need to. The power behind those words was unmistakable.
The leader, ears twitching, forced himself to stand upright and spoke with respectful restraint.
"Unit Fifty-Six, reporting. We greet you, Lord Kaelen."
Kaelen didn't bother acknowledging the salute.
"Why are you here?" he asked flatly.
Robin, arms folded behind her back, couldn't help but smirk. There he goes again—showing off. Crush first, ask questions later. Classic Kaelen.
Still, it was effective. Why use subtlety when overwhelming power got you straight answers?
The rabbit leader's face twitched with frustration, but fear kept him calm.
"We were pursuing an enemy across starfields," he said. "They fled here. We followed."
So they weren't native to the moon after all.
Kaelen's eyes glinted. "Chasing someone, huh? And you just happened to land on my territory?"
His aura surged again—thicker, darker, more suffocating.
The rabbit leader was slammed to the ground instantly, as if gravity had tripled.
"Captain!"
"Boss!!"
The rest of the squad moved on instinct, pulling out their weapons and aiming at Kaelen.
"Hmph."
Kaelen released a sharp pulse of Conqueror's Haki, and the pressure exploded outward like a shockwave. In a split second, all the remaining rabbits collapsed, unconscious.
"Pathetic insects," Kaelen said coldly. "Next time you raise a weapon at me, there won't be any warnings."
He let the air settle, withdrawing the Haki.
The rabbit leader groaned, trembling as he pushed himself upright.
"Thank you… Lord Kaelen… for your mercy."
He didn't dare meet Kaelen's gaze. That pressure from before—it felt like staring directly into death itself.
Even our Commander… doesn't give off an aura like this… the leader thought, pale-faced.
Kaelen's tone remained cold. "Speak. Where are you from?"
"We hail from Termo Star," the leader replied. "Our Commander is the great Lord Isais."
The reverence in his voice when he mentioned the name was unmistakable—adoration, fear, and loyalty all bundled together.
So Isais is strong. Dangerous, Kaelen thought.
"And where is this… Lord Isais?" he asked.
"I—I don't know, Lord Kaelen," the leader stammered. "I am only a unit commander. I haven't received orders from him directly in cycles."
Kaelen tilted his head slightly, his smile razor-sharp.
"Oh? Is that so?" he said, voice now laced with amused cruelty. "You're quite the bold little rabbit, lying to my face."
The rabbit leader froze.
Kaelen's Observation Haki had been active from the start. He'd tracked every heartbeat, every nervous twitch, every flicker of deceit.
Aside from the name "Isais," nothing else the rabbit had said was true.
"Die."
Before the rabbit could react, Kaelen raised one finger. A thin, searing-red energy beam shot forward with surgical precision—piercing straight through the creature's forehead.
The leader staggered a few steps… then fell.
Kaelen barely spared him a second glance. He turned toward the rest of the squad—still unconscious—and fired a wide, flaming punch into the crater.
A firestorm erupted, consuming the rabbits instantly. By the time the wind passed, only ash remained.
A breeze swept the battlefield clean.
Kaelen exhaled slowly. "Let's move."
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