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The mobilization of an admiral shook all of Marineford.
No one knew why two admirals were deploying at the same time, but everyone could feel it—something big was about to happen.
Under Fleet Admiral Kong's orders, the entire headquarters entered combat readiness.
A strange, suffocating tension spread through Marineford. Even the lowest-ranking marines found themselves swallowing nervously.
"What the hell is going on?"
"The vice admirals all look deadly serious."
"This atmosphere… it's just like the night the Golden Lion attacked."
The memory of that night still lingered. The raid by Shiki had left a scar on Marineford's history.
Whispers spread. Some even suspected that Whitebeard was about to charge straight into Marineford—that the world was on the brink of a war beyond imagination.
West Blue
At the bow of the ship, a golden scepter gleamed under the sunlight.
Blue arcs of lightning crackled at its tip. Above it stood a broad pair of feet and a tall, powerfully built figure.
Kyle stood atop the scepter, eyes fixed forward, lightning dancing across his body.
"Buster Call."
"It's actually a Buster Call. How is that possible?"
"Why would Headquarters launch a Buster Call on Ohara?"
Colonel Evya murmured to herself, disbelief written all over her face.
But that wasn't what truly frightened her.
Her gaze locked onto the broad back ahead of her. The white coat snapped in the sea wind, the bold characters for "Justice" blazing against the fabric.
"Sir… he's really going to confront the Buster Call head-on? To save the scholars of Ohara?"
No. In his own words—
This was about defending the bottom line of justice.
A red line that must never be crossed.
The bottom line of humanity itself.
Evya trembled.
She had heard those words only moments ago, yet remembering them now still sent electricity through her veins. Her blood felt like it was boiling.
A bottom line.
The bottom line of justice. The bottom line of humanity.
What was justice, really?
Was it the equality and protection of the weak her superior always upheld?
No. Not just that.
He once said justice should be judged by one's own heart. Measured personally. Felt deeply. Each person must find the path that is truest to themselves.
But whatever form justice took, at the very least it should bring hope. It should be positive, uplifting.
Like sunlight pouring down from a clear sky. Warm. Life-giving. Illuminating the world.
"To stand against Headquarters. To defy the world itself."
"Is that justice too?"
Her heart trembled.
She had met the scholars of Ohara before. Gentle, warm, erudite. People worthy of respect.
She didn't know why the World Government had chosen to butcher them.
But she knew one thing for certain.
They didn't deserve to die.
On that point, she and Vice Admiral Kyle were in complete agreement.
She turned slightly.
Crocodile lazily puffed on a cigar, smoke rings drifting into the wind. Crocodile
Beside him, Douglas Bullet wore a faint smile, excitement flickering in his eyes.
T-Bone slowly drew the long blade at his waist, then clicked it shut again, lifting his gaze toward Kyle's towering figure. T-Bone
There was no doubt. Their conviction was unshakable. No matter how absurd the situation, they believed in him.
"So what about me?"
"Should I trust him completely? Follow him without hesitation?"
The answer came quickly.
"Vice Admiral Kyle is worth following."
"He's not wrong."
And if he wasn't wrong, then someone else had to be.
"We should follow the truth. Walk the right path."
Evya gripped the sword at her waist, her resolve hardening.
Just then, the Den Den Mushi in her coat began to ring.
She jumped, startled, then quickly looked down.
The snail's face was stern—an elderly man with an imposing presence.
It was unfamiliar, but she knew this wasn't a prank call.
This line belonged exclusively to Vice Admiral Kyle's official channel. Only someone of equal or higher rank at Headquarters could get through.
"This is Colonel Evya of G-18 Branch."
Her voice was steady.
"Put your superior on the line."
"We will speak with him."
The voice was old, but filled with authority.
Just hearing it made her heart skip. Instinctively, she felt smaller.
This was someone high up. Very high.
"'We'?"
She caught the word immediately.
"Have him answer personally."
"At your rank, you are not qualified to receive this call."
Cold. Dismissive.
Sweat beaded on her forehead. Her pupils tightened.
She looked up helplessly toward Kyle.
The next moment, the Den Den Mushi floated up on its own, landing in his hand.
"Speak."
His tone was calm, without the slightest ripple.
"You should be able to guess who we are, Kyle."
The elderly voice sounded again.
"I can."
He nodded.
Everyone on deck fell silent, listening.
"The Five Elders, right?"
Five simple words.
And yet the entire ship stiffened.
The Five Elders.
The true public rulers of the World Government.
Five Elders
"Since you know who we are, this will be simple."
A pause.
"Listen carefully, Vice Admiral Kyle."
"Ohara is not something a mere marine like you can interfere with."
"What is involved here is far more serious than you imagine."
"If you turn back now, we can pretend none of this happened."
Kyle suddenly laughed.
"I know what you're worried about. And I know what you're afraid of."
A flicker of cold light passed through unseen eyes on the other end.
"What do you know?"
Kyle stared at the horizon.
"Eight hundred years ago, there were twenty powerful kingdoms. The lands of the Twenty Kings."
Just those opening words were enough to make the Five Elders' expressions change.
"But there was another kingdom."
"One with extraordinary scientific advancement."
"One whose power rivaled the combined might of the Twenty."
"The so-called Void Century—"
"Enough!"
The furious roar from the Den Den Mushi exploded like thunder.
"You know far too much."
"Do you wish to be erased?"
The smile vanished from Kyle's face.
In its place came something cold. Something savage.
He inhaled deeply, and when he spoke again, his voice was low, feral—like a beast growling before the kill.
"Erase me?"
"Then come and try!"
Crack.
His hand tightened.
The Den Den Mushi shattered into fragments.
At that instant, an overwhelming force burst outward from the ship.
The ripples on the sea froze mid-motion.
Lightning tore across the sky with a deafening boom.
The sheer pressure in the air was suffocating.
Evya trembled, eyes wide with awe.
In that moment, the figure before her felt like a myth—like the sovereign of gods themselves.
Behind him, Crocodile and Bullet's gazes turned razor-sharp.
No one had expected the Five Elders to call.
No one had expected Kyle to answer them so decisively, so ruthlessly.
"Eight hundred years ago… the Void Century…"
"The Twenty Kings… their descendants are the Celestial Dragons, aren't they?"
"That massive kingdom equal to the Twenty… what was its name?"
Crocodile and Bullet murmured.
They all knew it.
They had just overheard something that could shake the entire world.
Serious enough for the Five Elders to speak of erasure.
The situation had just become infinitely more complicated.
"You all heard that, didn't you?"
Kyle's voice drifted back to them.
Evya looked up blankly.
"Anyone who heard that conversation…"
"Will be erased by the World Government."
The air seemed to freeze.
Ivya's mouth fell open. Tears spilled down her cheeks as her whole body shook. Crocodile and Barrett both went rigid, their pupils shrinking, hearts hammering in their chests.
"So,"
Kyle grinned, slow and sharp.
"Everyone here—just like me—doesn't get a choice anymore."
His gaze drifted forward, eyes darkening with something deep and unreadable.
The Holy Land.
Mary Geoise.
"The Nefertari family."
"Traitors. As expected."
The voice that rang out was cold enough to frost the air. The entire palace seemed to stiffen with it.
"Eight hundred years ago, their ancestor, Lily—"
Someone began softly, only to be cut off.
"That is history. The Nefertari family is still one of the descendants of the Twenty Kings."
"Their fate can only be decided by the one within Pangaea Castle."
After a brief pause, another elder, his tone stern and commanding, spoke.
"Ohara trespassed into the world's forbidden zone. Erasure is the only answer."
"It will serve as a warning to the rest of the world."
"And since Kyle dares to interfere—he should be erased as well."
A third voice joined in, calmer but no less grave.
"I trust everyone here has reviewed his file."
"This man doesn't just possess power on par with Roger and the Golden Lion. His bloodline is… unusual."
"Possibly immortal."
That low murmur dropped like a stone into water.
Silence swallowed the hall.
Only after a long moment did someone sigh.
"If he cannot be erased, we'll discuss the next step."
"It seems he still doesn't know who he truly is."
—
West Coast of Ohara.
A black dot appeared on the horizon.
After several dozen breaths, it sharpened into shape—twenty massive warships cutting across the sea.
"Vice Admiral Kuzan!"
"We've reached Ohara!"
A marine shouted from the deck.
"What's with the yelling?" Kuzan stepped forward lazily, irritation written all over his face. "We've arrived, so what? It's not exactly the kind of mission that gets your blood pumping."
His eyes flicked sideways.
Sakazuki. Borsalino.
Neither of them reacted.
"So this is Kyle's hometown, huh?"
He muttered, then suddenly turned to the marine beside him.
"Hey. If your own hometown was about to be attacked and destroyed by the organization you work for… what would you do?"
The marine froze, then hesitated.
"I think… I'd go crazy."
Kuzan dragged a hand down his face. Through the gaps between his fingers, his expression was already dark.
"That guy…"
"He'd go crazy too."
He fell silent. The island ahead was growing clearer by the second.
"This mission sucks."
The moment the twenty warships closed in, the shriek of cannon fire tore across the sky.
Flames bloomed on the island.
Faint screams followed.
Kuzan stood at the bow, staring at the scene unfolding before him. Even he couldn't stop the flicker of doubt creeping into his chest—about his position, about the justice he believed in.
"Hey, idiot! Don't fire at civilians!"
"Are you brain-dead?"
"Just arrest the scholars—that's enough!"
An angry roar came from the side, making Kuzan's eyes shift slightly.
Even among demons standing in hell, there were still those who clung to a code.
Then his gaze sharpened.
On the shoreline, a massive figure was sprinting at full speed.
"Saul."
He said the name quietly, his heart sinking.
"Being a marine… really means facing a lot."
For a fleeting second, exhaustion washed over him. He couldn't help remembering the days he fought side by side with Kyle.
"Things were more fun back then."
When a shell struck Saul's body, Kuzan's face darkened. He leapt from the ship without hesitation.
"He's mine."
On the shore, the towering giant Saul shielded Robin as they ran.
Suddenly, he skidded to a halt at the sight of the figure blocking his path.
"Kuzan!"
His voice trembled slightly.
"Justice… changes shape depending on where you're standing."
Kuzan sighed.
Then the air split again with the scream of another shell.
Both men's expressions changed as they turned toward the sea.
The evacuation ship that had just pulled away from shore exploded in a burst of fire.
Saul and Kuzan's faces both tightened.
But in the next heartbeat—
Their pupils shrank.
"Boom!"
A massive bolt of lightning tore across the sky. Above Ohara, the heavens shifted. Dark clouds gathered with unnatural speed.
At the same time, aboard the terror-stricken evacuation ship, lightning crackled through smoke.
A tall, powerfully built figure slowly emerged.
"Th-the shell!"
"It was blocked by something!!!"
"We're still alive!"
The cries of stunned relief rang out across the sea.
"....."