The ocean was calm, but on the deck of the Giant Warrior Pirates' ship, tension rippled sharper than steel. The roar of giants drinking and feasting echoed from the other side but here in the shadow of the masts, Magnus's fledgling crew gathered.
Bullet lounged against the railing, arms like iron pillars crossed over his chest, his smirk daring.
Kael stood like a soldier at attention, spear grounded against the planks.
Gryphon sat with his mast-sized club across his lap, his hulking frame casting them all into shade.
For a time, none spoke. Only the whisper of the sea and the crackle of faint lightning crawling along Shusui.
Finally, Bullet broke the silence, his voice low with mockery.
"You pulled us from the depths, Magnus. You bent monsters and men with nothing but your will. But tell me… what's the game here? You want a crew? Fine. But a crew for what? Plunder? Revenge? Power?"
Kael's eyes flicked toward Magnus, sharp with curiosity. Even Gryphon leaned forward, the giant's heavy breath rattling in his chest.
"What is your endgame, Captain?" Kael asked, his voice respectful but pressing.
Magnus rose slowly, Shusui sliding free of the deck. The black blade whispered with sparks as he lifted it, the faint glow of his haki crawling like stormlight across the steel.
"My endgame?" His voice was calm, but beneath it was a current that made the air itself grow heavy.
He looked at each of them in turn, letting silence stretch until the weight of his presence pressed into their bones.
"I don't care for treasure. I don't care for titles. Pirate King?" His lip curled faintly. "A crown of bones on a throne of sand.
Meaningless."
His eyes burned like lightning cutting through stormclouds.
"My goal is bigger. I will tear the World Government down to its roots. Break their justice. Shatter their order and when their ashes choke the seas, I will rebuild the world in my image. A world where no throne sits above me. Supreme and Absolute."
The words hit harder than cannon fire.
Bullet straightened, his grin faltering, then curling wider, almost manic. "Heh… Supreme Ruler of the whole damn world? Hah! That's not ambition, that's madness. I like it." His eyes gleamed with a predator's light. "You've got steel, Captain. Maybe even enough to make me bow."
Kael's jaw tightened. His soldier's heart wrestled between instinctive fear and awe.
Finally, he slammed his fist to his chest, lowering his head."Then so be it, If the Government falls, the chains break with it. I'll carve your path, Captain. Even if it leads into hell itself."
Gryphon's massive hand clenched around his club, the wood groaning under his grip.
His voice rumbled deep, almost pained."You speak of burning the world order. The same one that cast me aside. For that… I will follow. But know this, Magnus.." His eyes narrowed, molten with a giant's fire. "If you fail, I will crush your bones myself. Giants do not kneel to false kings."
Magnus's smile was sharp and dangerous. He pointed Shusui to the horizon, where the stars bled silver across the black sea.
"Good..Doubt me, challenge me, curse me. But you will march with me. Because when the dust settles, you'll see what I already know…"
The black lightning around him flared, searing the deck, making even Bullet shift uneasily.
"This world is rotten and I was born to carve it clean."
For a long moment, no one moved, no one breathed. Then Bullet's laughter split the silence, loud and savage. Kael bowed deeper. Gryphon's glare lingered but his nod was final.
And so, under the night sky, Magnus's words branded themselves into their chests.