Above the ruins of Ohara, a secret partnership that would shape the world's future was sealed.
Dragon and Vegapunk both wore unusually grave expressions. They understood exactly what this cooperation meant.
One saw a dawn for the revolutionary cause.
The other glimpsed limitless possibilities for scientific breakthroughs.
"I'll send people to Sabaody to discuss the details," Dragon said in a low voice. The way he looked at Kael was filled with gratitude.
He could not help it. Poverty leaves scars.
"Same here, Kael-san! Once I finish organizing this priceless knowledge, I'll begin the new projects immediately!" Vegapunk clutched the two test tubes, excited like a child who had just received his favorite toy.
Kael waved it off like it was nothing and bade farewell to the two future giants of history.
On the ship back, the mood was a little heavy.
Mihawk sat alone by the rail, wiping the black blade Yoru again and again.
For him, the trip had been a complete loss.
No fights.
Instead, he somehow became "research material" and had a drop of blood taken.
It was profoundly irritating.
"Stop being so stingy, little hawk," Kael's lazy voice drifted over from his lounge chair. "It's just one drop. Think about it. One day there might be a perfect creation born with your supreme sword talent and Lunarian physique. You should be happy."
"And besides… don't you want to cross blades with another 'you'?"
Mihawk's polishing paused.
His sharp hawk eyes cut over, clearly spelling one word.
Shut up.
"Tch. Boring." Kael pursed his lips, stopped teasing him, then closed his eyes and enjoyed the sea breeze.
Back at the Sabaody villa, Mihawk said nothing and walked straight to the training ground behind the hill. Moments later, razor-sharp sword intent began to howl from that direction, venting his silent frustration.
Kael responded with merciless mockery.
Then he threw himself fully into a decadent, rotting life of peak laziness.
Every day, he woke up flanked on both sides by Sakura and Rin. The moment he opened his eyes, a delicate, delicious breakfast was already waiting.
In the afternoons, he lounged by the courtyard pool, enjoying the two girls' meticulous care while listening to Robin read the newspaper aloud in a clear, sweet voice.
Days like that passed in a blink.
Until one afternoon, Karon stood respectfully before him and handed over a file.
"Lord Kael, these are the latest financial statements and… some intelligence that requires your review."
Kael took the report and flipped through it casually. The long chain of astronomical profits made him nod in satisfaction.
Karon's business talent was beyond question. Under his hands, Sabaody's underground industries had been merged into a highly efficient money-printing machine.
Kael picked up the other document. His eyes swept across it, and his eyebrow rose almost imperceptibly.
"Joker?"
The report clearly stated that an underworld force from the North Blue was attempting to infiltrate Sabaody's arms trade and broker markets. Their leader's codename was "Joker."
"Heavenly Yaksha… Donquixote Doflamingo." Kael tapped the name lightly with a fingertip, interest flashing across his face.
Well, well. Talk about perfect timing.
He had just been thinking their income streams were not diverse enough, and someone had kindly offered their neck.
Bro, you showed up right on schedule.
"Lord Kael, should I handle it?" Karon asked softly. His eyes were calm. If Kael gave the word, he could erase that presence in Sabaody without a sound.
Kael took the fruit juice Sakura offered him, sipped once, and said leisurely, "Have our people break the hand he's sticking out."
Karon bowed slightly. "Understood. Do we need a suitable reason?"
Kael thought for a moment. A wicked smile surfaced.
"A reason?"
"Tell them… his men stepped onto Sabaody with their left foot first."
Karon froze, then understood. A hint of amusement flashed behind his lenses. He withdrew respectfully.
Kael stretched and stood up from the lounge chair. His joints crackled.
"Rested enough. Time to move."
He smiled at Robin, Sakura, and Rin, then walked straight toward the back hill.
At the training ground, Moria was developing his Devil Fruit. Countless shadows gathered and dispersed around him, taking all kinds of shapes, radiating ominous energy.
On the other side, Mihawk sat with eyes closed, still as stone. Man and blade seemed fused into one. The air around him twisted slightly under the pressure of his restrained sword intent.
Kael's arrival shattered the calm.
"Let's go, you two." His voice was not loud, but it reached them clearly. "We've got work."
Moria immediately stopped training. His massive body rose, excitement burning in his eyes.
He craved battle, craved testing his newly gained power in real combat.
Mihawk opened his eyes. His hawk-like gaze fell on Kael. He did not speak, but the question was obvious.
"Going to pay the Donquixote Family a visit." Kael wore an easy smile. "Teach an arrogant junior a lesson."
…
North Blue, Spider Miles.
A town painted mostly in white, its architecture flashy and luxurious. The Donquixote Family's flamingo emblem was everywhere along the streets.
This was one of Donquixote Doflamingo's longtime strongholds. Orderly on the surface, turbulent beneath.
The arrival of three uninvited guests broke that false peace.
They walked down the widest central avenue, making no effort to hide.
At the front was a man with black hair and golden eyes. He wore the bright, curious expression of a tourist seeing everything for the first time, looking around, even pointing at shop windows now and then.
At his side walked a man so large he barely seemed human, pale-skinned, grinning like a beast. The locals hurried to get out of the way.
Last came a man carrying a massive black cross-shaped sword. His hawk-like eyes ignored everything around him. He simply walked, and an invisible pressure made the air along the entire street turn heavy and still.
Kael, Moria, Mihawk.
This trio was so blatant it was like they wanted the whole world to know they had arrived.
In the shadows of the buildings, Donquixote's informants were sweating through their clothes. Their fingers trembled on their Den Den Mushi, yet they did not dare move.
"See that, little hawk? The architecture here is pretty unique." Kael sounded like he was strolling through his own backyard.
Mihawk did not respond. His gaze swept over the hidden scouts as if they were dead objects.
"Kyashishishishi! What a boring place. Not a single decent opponent." Moria's laughter scraped the ears. He was already getting impatient.
"Relax." Kael stopped by a fountain and lifted his eyes toward the grandest castle on the mountaintop in the distance.
…
Donquixote Family Castle, Council Hall.
The atmosphere was suffocating.
The highest-ranking officers of the Family had gathered, yet not one dared to speak.
Heads lowered, they endured the fury pouring down from the throne.
Doflamingo sat in his massive seat, legs crossed, his signature pink feather coat draped behind him.
The usual wicked grin was gone. Even his blond hair seemed to stand on end with anger, veins on his forehead throbbing.
"Why am I only hearing this now?"
His voice was not loud, but it carried a cold weight that echoed through the hall.
"'Wave King' Aaron Kael, 'Shadow Mage' Gecko Moria, 'Hawk-Eyes' Dracule Mihawk… those three are already swaggering down the town's central avenue, and only now you tell me you've found their trail?"
His fingers hammered the armrest.
Knock. Knock.
Each tap felt like it struck the officers' hearts.
"Didn't I make it clear? Sabaody is a forbidden zone. Do not provoke that man."
His voice rose sharply. A burst of Haoshoku Haki flared, then he forcibly compressed it into a tiny range.
Even so, the officers closest to him felt their hearts seize, their breathing tightening.
Trebol, sticky and shambling, stepped forward, trying to smooth things over.
"Ne, ne, Doffy, don't be angry. That Kael's movements are always strange. He has no fixed ship, and he never follows normal routes. Our network can't easily catch him in advance…"
"Excuses." Doflamingo cut him off.
Trebol shrank, but still forced himself to continue.
"Ne… I think his purpose this time is related to what happened recently. Some useless small-time boss down below saw the profits in Sabaody's arms-brokering and acted on his own…"
"Acted on his own?" Doflamingo repeated the phrase. The mockery in his tone almost became tangible. "A trash nobody can bring a monster like that to my doorstep personally?"
He understood perfectly.
They were picking a fight.
That small-time boss was nothing more than a convenient excuse.
He's locked on to us.
The realization crawled across Doflamingo's spine like needles.
He had laid out the North Blue, reached into the New World. Everything had been advancing according to plan, step by step.
Kael's appearance was a massive variable.
A variable big enough to flip his entire board.
"Doffy, what do we do now?" One of the top officers, Diamante, finally spoke. His voice was dry.
"What do we do?" Doflamingo slowly stood and walked to the massive window, looking down over his territory. "They didn't come to be friendly. Send the order. Tell everyone…"
He did not finish.
His expression suddenly changed.
Pica, who had been silent until now, whipped his mountain-like body toward the entrance. Diamante and Trebol sensed it too.
The castle doors were shut tight.
Yet something was leaking out through the crack.
It was not light.
Not wind.
It was shadow.
Like ink bleeding into clean water, thick and sticky, radiating an ominous presence. It seeped silently under the door and spread across the polished marble floor at frightening speed.
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