"So strong!"
"What kind of power is that? It's stronger than Haki itself!"
"There's no way… that monster's a Marine?! He's even stronger than an Admiral!"
"Barto! Are you alright?!"
The members of Souta Kiryuu's crew were shaken to their core by the sudden arrival of this Marine powerhouse. Panic rippled through the battlefield as crewmates rushed to pull their fallen allies out of harm's way.
Bartolomeo's expression twisted in disbelief. His eyes widened as he stared at the spiderweb of cracks spreading across his barrier—his pride, his ultimate defense.
His unbreakable shield—the same one that even Barrett himself couldn't shatter—had just been fractured… by a single blow from this unfamiliar Marine.
"You actually managed to withstand my strike? Impressive," Isaac said casually, his tone laced with genuine admiration. The man's eyes gleamed. "A Paramecia-type ability tied to rules themselves… truly top-tier."
But Isaac knew he had used only a fraction of his true strength.
If he had unleashed even a sliver of his Source Power, not even a "rule-type" Devil Fruit could have stood a chance. Before that primal energy, every Devil Fruit, every form of Haki—everything—was reduced to its raw, powerless essence.
"You bastard! Don't you dare underestimate me!" Bartolomeo roared, his breath ragged.
"Barrier Crash!"
Fury burned in his veins as he dismissed his cracked shield and conjured a new one—far larger, glowing fiercely with his rage. With a defiant scream, he hurled it forward like a cannonball aimed straight for Isaac.
"Clang!"
Gasps erupted all around. The unstoppable force of Bartolomeo's barrier ram slammed into Isaac—
and stopped.
Isaac had caught it. With one hand.
The impact gouged deep trenches in the earth at his sides, the shockwave tearing through the ground.
"What… what are you?!" Bartolomeo shouted, wild-eyed. Never before had anyone cracked his barrier, let alone stopped his strongest assault barehanded.
"The power you wield is admirable," Isaac said, grinning with predatory calm. "Extracting it should yield quite a lot of Source Energy. You'll make a fine addition to Prison Island."
A thunderous crash split the sky.
A blinding bolt of lightning, thick as a tree trunk, speared down from the heavens—
and struck Isaac dead-on.
"It's Lord Enel!"
Cheers erupted among Souta Kiryuu's mechanical troopers. Their voices brimmed with hope, as if salvation itself had arrived.
But Isaac simply looked up, eyes calm as the lightning raged over him.
"Another one? The Rumble-Rumble Fruit user, hmm? Excellent. There's a cell waiting for you too."
To everyone's horror, Isaac stood amidst the lightning without a burn, his face barely illuminated by the glow.
He was completely unharmed.
The monster wasn't afraid of fire. Now he wasn't afraid of lightning either.
"What… what is this guy?" someone whispered.
Before the shock could settle, a colossal fist—crackling with Conqueror's Haki, black and crimson lightning writhing around it—came crashing toward Isaac.
Barrett's fist.
Isaac's expression finally hardened. He bent his knees slightly, gathering force, and counterpunched.
"Boom!"
The air exploded.
Black-red lightning illuminated the battlefield as a shockwave flattened everything within range. Rocks shattered. Ground buckled. Waves of energy rippled outward, tossing Kiryuu's crew through the air.
"Eahahaha!" Isaac's laughter rolled like thunder. "Conqueror's Haki—no wonder they say it's the closest force in existence to the Source itself! Magnificent!"
He had stopped Barrett's blow. Stopped it clean.
Barrett's pupils contracted in disbelief. That power—whatever it was—had neutralized the destructive essence of his Conqueror's Infusion.
What kind of energy could do that?!
Roger, Souta Kiryuu, Kaido—all claimed that Conqueror's Infusion was the ultimate force in this world.
But this man… this Marine monster… was shattering that truth.
"He blocked Lord Barrett's punch head-on… then that means…" one crew member whispered. "Only Captain Souta can fight him now!"
The battlefield trembled as Barrett was hurled backward, carving two deep furrows in the ground before slamming into a rocky hill, finally stopping.
"You… who the hell are you? Some new Admiral?" Barrett demanded, his voice low and feral.
Isaac smirked. "Douglas Barrett… You were my target back in Impel Down. If it weren't for Saturn Saint's research orders on your 'Demon Body,' you'd already be dead."
"But now that you've mastered Conqueror's Infusion…" Isaac's grin widened. "Even better."
He flexed his fingers, shaking off the last flicker of Haki. "I asked to experiment on you, on the Red Count, on World—all denied by Saturn. Pity. The Five Elders wanted you monsters alive for study."
"The Red Count's innate Observation Haki, your demonic body, World's Momo-Momo Fruit… all treasures the Five Elders crave."
He tilted his head, almost conversationally. "After all, they need the Red Count locked in Impel Down to remind the world that even legends can fall."
He straightened, eyes glinting like steel. "Ah, forgive me. I forgot to introduce myself."
"I am Isaac, current Warden of Prison Island—soon to be appointed Chief of CP under the World Government."
Even surrounded by Kiryuu's entire crew, Isaac's tone remained calm. Confident.
He stood in the center of the battlefield as if he were untouchable.
"Isaac… CP Chief?" Barrett frowned. Enel, too, looked puzzled. None of them had heard the name before—but the words World Government were enough.
"Doesn't matter," Barrett growled. "We'll just kill him."
A thunderous roar split the air.
From the smoking ruins, Souta Kiryuu burst forth with Boa Hancock and the others, landing hard upon the torn battlefield.
Kiryuu's gaze locked onto Isaac.
The air between them grew heavy.
A single heartbeat—and Souta felt it. The deadly presence, cold and suffocating, emanating from Isaac's body.
This power… it's the same as Imu's…
His pupils narrowed, expression tightening. The sensation was unlike anything he'd ever felt.
Even the Five Elders hadn't carried this kind of threat.
If Souta was like a weaponless warrior—
then Imu was that same warrior with a blade in hand.
The Five Elders were armored soldiers.
But Isaac… Isaac was a youth holding a dagger dipped in poison.
Souta might be stronger overall—but that blade could still kill him.
Unless he broke it first.
Unless he exhausted that horrifying energy that pulsed beneath Isaac's skin.
That was why Isaac had dared to come alone.
And despite his wariness, Souta's eyes burned with another emotion—hunger.
That power. That mysterious, primal energy—it called to him.
He needed it.
Could it be akin to the Curse of the Sea, the Power of Poseidon, or the Prophecy Energy whispered through the ages?
"Souta Kiryuu!" Isaac's voice cut through the storm, darkly amused. "Finally, we meet."
As Kiryuu stared him down, Isaac's grin mirrored his own—predatory and eager.
Each saw in the other the thing they most desired.
Isaac sought the blood of the Perfect Hybrid.
And today, he swore he would have it.