"Is it… over?"
Heli stared anxiously into the distance. A cluster of boys and girls huddled nervously behind her.
Just moments ago, black-crimson lightning had torn open the violet sky, shaking the heavens with an earth-shattering roar.
And then—silence.
The constant rumble of destruction had vanished, leaving the entire city wrapped in an eerie stillness.
Just as Heli wavered—wondering if she should defy David's orders and go check—chaos erupted behind her.
"David! David's back!"
Someone burst into tears of relief, as if they had just regained their pillar of support.
Heli's eyes lit up. She spun around—only for her expression to collapse instantly.
She had never seen David like this.
The man who was always composed, clean, almost aloof in his calmness… now looked like a fugitive who had crawled out of hell.
His clothing was in tatters, his entire body smeared with blood, skin torn like cracked porcelain.
"David…"
Heli rushed forward, supporting him with trembling arms. Her amber eyes glistened with tears.
It was our fault… If not for us, David wouldn't have fought such an enemy… wouldn't be suffering like this…
She felt her chest tighten painfully as she looked at him.
David steadied himself just long enough to summon the Ghost Ship.
He was already severely wounded—on top of that, he had forcibly housed multiple soul-servants inside his body during the battle.
The moment the possession ended, the rebound almost shattered him from the inside out.
Reaching this place at all was testament to sheer, brutal willpower.
"David…"
"David sir…"
He collapsed—eyes rolling back—falling unconscious in the arms of the panicked girls.
Heli held him tightly, letting his weight lean against her as she straightened with a sharp, steady expression.
"Quiet!"
Her sudden authority stunned everyone into silence.
Without hesitation she issued orders:
"Annie, help me get David onto the ship."
"Al, Popori—take care of Penny."
"We set sail immediately. We're leaving this place."
The girls looked at one another in hesitation.
"But… Clara hasn't come back yet—"
A single calm glance from Heli silenced the protest.
"She's a noble. She'll be fine. Right now, nothing is more important than David."
Her tone left no room for argument.
Seeing her lift the unconscious David and head for the Ghost Ship, the others followed after exchanging uncertain looks.
On the other side of the ruined battlefield…
A tall, slender figure wearing a round military cap and a coiled whip at her waist appeared atop the rubble.
Her name was Peacock—a Whip-Whip Fruit user, granddaughter of the legendary strategist Tsuru, and a current Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral.
"What… happened here?"
Peacock scanned the battlefield and froze, her mouth falling open.
A massive steel giant—easily dozens of meters tall—knelt collapsed on the ground.
Its right arm had been torn off.
Its chest was blown open into a grotesque cavity of twisted metal and exposed gears.
Behind it, a fan-shaped spray of blood, bone shards, and viscera stained the rubble like a horrifying mural.
At the center of that grisly arc lay half a corpse—blasted clean in two.
Eustass "Captain" Kid was dead.
"Kid… was killed? By who?"
Peacock searched the ruins. Craters pockmarked every inch of the street.
Not a single building remained intact—nothing to indicate that this had once been the city's most prosperous district.
Such destructive power…
Even as a Marine officer, she felt a chill run down her spine.
She had known Kid was a dangerous rising pirate, but to think someone could slaughter him outright…
"Ma'am—!"
Several Marines finally arrived, stopping dead at the sight.
They stood frozen for a long time until Peacock forced them back into motion.
"Report."
"Yes, ma'am. We've questioned surviving townsfolk."
As the Marine explained, Peacock's expression grew grim. She turned a cold gaze on the trembling town security chief.
"You abandoned your duty—hid with the nobles while civilians were slaughtered. Shameful."
"R-Rear Admiral… t-this is outside our jurisdiction—"
Her subordinate hurriedly stepped between them in warning. Peacock clicked her tongue, temper cooling slightly.
"…I'll report everything exactly as it happened."
The Marine continued:
"We captured members of the Kid Pirates. They don't know the details—they only know Kid locked down the harbor and left alone in a rage."
"Eyewitnesses state someone killed Kid's crewmate, which sent him into a frenzy of revenge."
"Among the captured pirates, both the captain and 'Massacre Soldier' Killer are missing. We believe the deceased is Killer."
"A local shopkeeper claims he saw a boy wreathed in green flames admit to killing Killer. Kid called him 'Bounty Hunter Grim Reaper David.'"
"So the one who killed Kid… was Death-God David?"
Peacock's eyes sharpened.
She remembered the name from a report back at Marineford—one written personally by Garp.
[Displays basic Armament and Observation Haki. Physical ability comparable to an average HQ Captain.]
An average Captain?
What a joke.
Could an "average Captain" obliterate Eustass Kid?
Could he carve an entire city into dust?
[Suspected Soul-Type Devil Fruit User. Manifesting puppets capable of multiple abilities. Likely increases in strength through killing.]
That detail made her pupils contract.
It sounded impossible—absurd—yet…
It explained everything.
Power rising through killing?
How many has he killed these past few days?
If someone with such terrifying growth and destructive potential ever fell into darkness—
If he pointed that power toward a populated island—
Peacock felt ice in her veins.
Such an ability… such a growth curve…
He was practically a living time bomb.
Maybe while he's still young… it would be safer to—
She cut off the thought violently.
The boy had not harmed civilians.
He had killed pirates—dangerous ones.
And yet, her first instinct just now had been to kill him preemptively.
She exhaled slowly, forcing her heartbeat to calm.
She looked toward the anxious chief.
"Can you find him?"
The man startled—then nodded vigorously, grateful for the chance to redeem himself.
Peacock watched him run off, fingers brushing the whip at her waist, eyes gleaming with a mixture of caution and pressure.
Grandpa Garp really left behind an incredible mess…
If he had just kept the boy on his ship, this wouldn't have happened.
She gave Kid's mangled corpse one last glance, then turned toward the harbor.
Whatever the case… I must meet him first. If there is even a hint of danger… then for the sake of the many, one person's fate may have to be… sacrificed.
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