Kyle stood up, kicking aside the four empty boxes that had been his only companions for the past hour. A wave of irritation washed over him.
The news had promised that God Valley's treasure vault contained countless rare and exotic treasures, including at least six Devil Fruits. He had come all this way, risking everything, only to watch the Boba Fruit and Paw-Paw Fruit vanish into other hands. And now, nothing remained for him.
"Damn it!" Kyle muttered under his breath, clenching his fists. "Where are the other four Devil Fruits?"
He stared at the empty boxes, wondering if some cruel trick had been played on him. This entire expedition felt like a complete waste.
Just as he was considering searching other areas, a sudden, indescribable tremor shivered through the earth beneath him.
Boom—!!!
It wasn't a normal earthquake. It felt far more intense, as though the island itself was letting out a painful, guttural groan. Kyle's golden pupils narrowed sharply, scanning the distant sky.
That was the center of the storm.
The previously clear sky had turned dark, ominous, and fractured. Black and crimson lightning interwove into a chaotic net, violently striking the ground. But these were not mere bolts of lightning—they were the materialization of pure willpower. The very air seemed to vibrate with Conqueror's Haki, concretized into terrifying energy.
Three distinct yet equally formidable auras collided at the island's center, tearing at the fabric of reality. Even from kilometers away, Kyle felt his soul tremble under the oppressive pressure.
"Oh my… this is insane," he muttered, smacking his lips in excitement rather than fear. "They've practically ripped a hole in the sky."
Only a handful of people in the current era could create such chaos:
Rocks D. Xebec
Gol D. Roger
Monkey D. Garp
And now, it seemed, the D Clan was throwing a party.
Kyle hoisted his black-gold naginata onto his shoulder, a wide grin forming on his face. "Heh… the main show is finally starting. A battle of gods with no admission fee? Truly a gracious event. I should join the fun."
With a sudden surge of speed, he transformed into a black blur, moving toward the apocalyptic battlefield where sky and earth collided in fury.
---
The closer Kyle got, the more terrifying the scene became. The once lush and vibrant forest had been utterly obliterated, replaced by a barren wasteland. The earth was torn open, forming bottomless ravines. Massive boulders had been forcibly ripped from the ground by unimaginable force, only to be shattered into dust midair.
Kyle found a relatively intact clifftop and crouched, carefully concealing his aura. From this vantage, he could observe without being seen.
He gasped.
The battlefield stretched for thousands of meters, a true vision of hell made manifest. In the very center, a tall man with fiery, untamed hair stood proudly. He wielded an ancient-looking longsword, but the aura radiating from him was far more terrifying than any weapon. Simply standing there, he warped the space around him, bending reality with the sheer weight of his presence.
Rocks D. Xebec, overlord of the seas and captain of the legendary Rocks Pirates, dominated the center of the battlefield.
Facing him were two equally formidable figures.
Gol D. Roger, his legendary blade "Ace" wrapped in dark Armament Haki, moved with the confident laughter of a king destined to carve through fate itself. Every swing carried the weight of absolute authority.
And Monkey D. Garp, shirtless and muscular, stood covered in scars. His fists alone were weapons, each strike sending waves of air that groaned under the unbearable pressure, creating visible shockwaves.
Kyle couldn't help but whisper under his breath, eyes wide in awe. "Holy… crap…"
This wasn't a battle. It was a natural disaster in motion.
Rocks D. Xebec laughed, slamming a fist into the earth.
"Abyssal Tide!"
Dark energy surged outward like a tide, obliterating everything in its path. Rocks' power wasn't just destructive—it erased matter and energy alike.
Garp, undaunted, raised a punch to meet the dark tide.
"Fist Bone: Meteor!"
Rumble—!!!
The two powers collided head-on, one consuming everything, the other shattering stars. For a moment, silence reigned. Then a shockwave of unimaginable destruction swept across the battlefield, disintegrating the cliff beneath Kyle's feet. He stumbled back several hundred meters, narrowly avoiding being swallowed by the aftershock.
Roger's voice rang out over the chaos. "Hey! Garp! Don't just show off! This guy's Haki can pull people in!"
Before he finished, Roger leapt high into the air, his beloved sword slashing downward. The black-red arc tore through the battlefield with an aura of absolute authority.
"God Avoidance!"
Rocks raised his hand, meeting the kingly slash with a black barrier of Conqueror's Haki.
"Overlord of the Seas!"
The collision of sword energy and Conqueror's Haki tore through the clouds, forming a massive vortex above them.
Kyle's eyes sparkled. A true warrior was this—not someone who merely survived, but someone whose very presence reshaped the world.
Every movement here carried world-altering consequences. They didn't even need to attack intentionally—the aftershocks of their battle altered the landscape, tearing the earth asunder.
Kyle compared their power to his own. His Quake Mountain: Earth Roar Wave was child's play in comparison to Garp's mountain-splitting fists. His Light Blade: Heaven's Rainbow Cut seemed like a flickering firefly against Roger's overwhelming God Avoidance.
"Tsk, tsk… so this is top-tier Armament Haki with Conqueror's Haki coating," Kyle muttered, stroking his chin. "Attacking the soul and internal organs directly… I've learned something here… I've learned something!"
He had no intention of intervening. At his current level, stepping into the fray would result in instant annihilation from the aftershocks alone.
Rummaging through his pockets, he found only hard ship rations—no peanuts, no popcorn. A faint frown appeared on his face, but his excitement remained undiminished.
He continued watching, eyes glued to the battle, heart pounding with fervent desire.
Once, he had believed that acquiring the Boba Fruit and training in all three types of Haki would make him one of the strongest in the sea.
But now, witnessing the battle of these legends—the Rocks Pirates, the Roger Pirates, and the indomitable Garp—he understood how much further he had to go. He had also seen the Gorosei and the centuries-old manipulations of Imu firsthand, further reminding him of the vastness of the world.
Yet, he wasn't discouraged. In fact, he felt exhilarated.
Because the higher the mountain, the more rewarding the climb.
Because the stronger the enemies, the more thrilling the fight.
Kyle's eyes glimmered with anticipation, determination, and a hint of mischief. This was the true pinnacle of the sea, and he had just taken his first glimpse of it. The world was vast, cruel, and beautiful—and he intended to conquer it.
Ãdvåñçé çhàptêr àvàilàble óñ pàtreøn (Gk31)