Magnus's words still lingered like scars carved into the silence.
"Supreme Ruler of the World."
Kael stood straighter than before, his spear firm in hand. His gaze had shifted no longer questioning, but unwavering, the gaze of a soldier who had found the general he'd march behind. He didn't speak, but the weight of his loyalty was louder than words.
Gryphon sat like a mountain, his massive arms crossed. The giant's eyes narrowed as he studied Magnus, the same way one might study a storm on the horizon, awe battling fear and respect clashing with defiance.
And Bullet… Bullet laughed. The sound was jagged, savage, like iron scraping against iron. He leaned forward from the railing, eyes gleaming with a predator's hunger.
"Ruler of the world, huh? Heh. You've got more gall than Roger or Whitebeard ever had. But ambition that big? You'll need more than pretty speeches and lightning tricks."
His grin widened."You'll need monsters like me. So don't get the idea you're the only one steering this ship, Captain."
Kael bristled instantly, stepping forward, spear lowering toward Bullet."You dare!"
Magnus raised a hand making Kael freeze.
His silver hair shifted in the wind as he looked at Bullet, unflinching.
"You think I'll fight you for dominance, Bullet?" Magnus's voice was calm, sharp as glass. "No. The world itself will be our battlefield and every time we clash against it, you'll see whether my ambition is just talk… or inevitability."
Bullet's grin faltered, just for a heartbeat, before it stretched wider than ever. He cracked his knuckles, laughter spilling from his throat."Hah! Fine. I'll follow you for now, Captain. But the day you stumble…" His eyes gleamed like a wolf. "I'll be the one standing on your corpse."
The giant Gryphon rumbled, voice like boulders grinding."You two are like children fighting over fire. If Magnus fails, I'll crush him myself. Until then… I'll swing my club at the enemies he points me toward but don't mistake obedience for worship."
Magnus's lips curved into a faint smile, Shusui humming faintly in his grip. His voice cut through them, calm but absolute.
"Good. Follow me out of loyalty, hunger, or threat. I don't care. But know this—"
His aura surged again, faint lightning crackling across the deck.
The boards groaned under the pressure of his haki.
"As long as I stand, this crew does not break. You can hate me, envy me… but you will march with me because only I can give you what you seek like freedom, glory, vengeance and power. Everything the world tried to bury, I will dig out and set aflame."
The decision was sealed.
And though their reasons clashed, though their blood would one day burn against one another, Magnus knew the truth as he looked at them beneath the black sky.
They were his.