Near the coastal edge of the island—
Rocks D. Xebec, the sea tyrant whose very name made the World Government tremble, was now in a state of utter desperation. Holding his wife and child tightly, he sprinted frantically through the forest.
Because he was carrying his family, his speed was significantly reduced, and his stamina was rapidly declining.
He could feel it—the pursuers behind him were getting closer.
A moment of distraction. Rocks stumbled, nearly tripping.
The woman on his back let out a short scream, and the child in her arms was so terrified, he forgot to cry.
Not far behind, riding leisurely atop a white horse, was a golden-haired man with not a hair out of place—Figarland Garling. His eyes held the gleam of someone watching prey in its final, pitiful struggle.
The smirk on his face deepened, as if savoring the final act of a great performance.
He raised his white-gloved right hand, index finger poised—ready to give the final signal.
That was the order to kill.
Behind him, the God Knights—stoic as executioner demons—awaited that one gesture. The moment it dropped, they would shred the man and his family into bloody pieces.
A chill ran down Rocks' spine. He could feel the killing intent crawling up his back.
'Damn it. This is humiliating!'
'If I wasn't burdened protecting my wife and kid, those bastards behind me wouldn't be worth a damn!'
And just then—
Between Rocks and the lead pursuer Garling, across the empty land between them—
WHUMMMM!!!
The air twisted violently, forming a spiraling vortex.
Light was torn apart within it—ripped and shredded.
The next moment—
A figure stepped out of the distorted air.
He wore a pure white, expressionless mask without pattern or mark. Hands casually tucked into his coat pockets. His outfit was simple, without any emblem or faction sign.
He stepped forward.
Steady.
Not a speck of dust stirred beneath his feet.
Not a single sound echoed as he landed.
But the moment his foot touched the ground—
BOOM!!!!!!!
A colossal, invisible pressure exploded outward from his body—heavy as a mountain, spreading in all directions!
It was an overwhelming aura that could suppress anyone.
"Huh?!"
Rocks, in full sprint, suddenly felt like he slammed into a wall of pure force. His legs locked up, freezing him on the spot!
Clutching his wife and child even tighter, he sensed immense danger radiating from this man—Lucian Thorn.
On the other end, the God Knights and the monstrous creatures behind them also came to a sudden halt!
Every muscle in their bodies tensed—their instincts screamed that something was wrong.
The game of predator and prey had just been paused… because of one man.
Rocks' eyes widened, staring at the back of this sudden interloper.
'Who... is this guy?!'
No Haki. No energy signature. Just a normal person.
But this "normal" person made him—the Sea King of this era—feel threatened.
Was he Navy? Impossible. No Navy officer ever gave off that kind of pressure.
Roger's man? Another pirate?
Countless thoughts flashed through Rocks' mind. He opened his mouth to ask—
"You—"
But the figure didn't even look back.
He simply raised his left hand toward Rocks and lazily made a "stop" gesture.
The motion was small—but it carried an undeniable weight of command.
Just that single gesture—
And Rocks swallowed his words on the spot.
He wasn't silenced by any power.
He stopped talking on his own—because of that gesture.
On the other side—
The monsters behind Garling instantly shifted into battle stances.
Weapons raised. Muscles coiled like springs.
Each thread of killing intent shot out like nails, locking onto Lucian's figure.
But without Garling's order, none of them dared move.
At that moment, Figarland Garling's playful smirk was completely gone.
He stared hard at the man who had appeared—eyes filled with judgment, and a flicker of confusion even he hadn't noticed.
He couldn't read him!
He realized—with rising disbelief—that he couldn't see through this man at all!
No clues in his clothing. His build was too generic. Nothing stood out.
Even worse—when Garling swept him with Observation Haki...
He felt nothing.
Like he was scanning a black hole.
'Who the hell is this guy?!'
The scene froze in eerie silence.
Even the wind stopped blowing.
The clearing in the forest seemed to lock in place, time and space suspended.
Only the distant sound of battle, explosions, and howling winds reminded everyone that they were still in the bloody crucible of God Valley.
A man in a blank mask.
With just a single motionless stance, he stood between the fleeing tyrant and his family... and the World Government's elite death squad.
It looked surreal.
But the pressure was suffocating.
Rocks kept his eyes glued to Lucian's back.
He could feel it—the power radiating from this man wasn't directed at him, wasn't hostile.
It was simply... beyond everything.
In Lucian's eyes, neither Rocks, the so-called "Overlord of the Seas," nor the God Knights behind him, were worth even a glance.
That cold indifference chilled Rocks to the bone more than any killing intent.
But it was that same indifference... that rekindled the tiniest spark in Rocks' despairing heart.
He was a gambler.
A madman who once threw the entire world onto the roulette wheel.
And now—his gut told him that this man… was here to help.
On the other side—
Garling's eyes scraped across Lucian's back like razors. Confusion turned to fury.
He—Figarland Garling.
The purest bloodline among the Celestial Dragons.
Commander of the God Knights.
To this sea—he was a god.
He was used to everything cowering at his feet.
And now? Some nobody had the audacity to turn his back on him?
This was arrogance.
This was blasphemy.
The air grew tighter, shifting from cold silence to the edge of combustion.
The God Knights' monsters could barely contain their killing intent. The ground cracked beneath them from the pressure.
But Lucian?
He hadn't moved an inch.
Still standing with his back to Garling, facing only Rocks.
Hands in his pockets. Spine straight as a blade.
It was as if the God Knights and their monsters didn't even exist.
This wasn't mere disrespect.
It was as if they'd never mattered at all.
That silent contempt was sharper than any verbal insult—cutting straight through Garling's arrogant nerves.
Rocks clenched his fists. His knuckles cracked from the force.
He had made his decision.
He'd bet everything—
That this masked man was here to save him!
He pinned all his hopes onto this figure whose face he couldn't even see.
At the brink of explosion—
Lucian finally moved.
He lowered his raised left hand—
And then…
He was about to act.