[POV: MARC – BEFORE THE SPLIT]
Preparations and Decision
The next morning, we gathered in front of the house where the winged girl was still sleeping.
The crew was silent.Tense.
Everyone was armed. Even Chopper had prepared emergency medicine.
I stepped out of the Foundation carrying the cult book in one hand and a crude map of the island in the other.
"The book mentions landmarks," I explained, showing the pages. "Engraved stones. Specific dead trees. Poisoned streams."
"Does it lead to the tower?" Nami asked.
"Yes. But the path is complex. Labyrinthine. Designed to make intruders lose their way."
Luffy clenched his fists. "Then we follow it together."
I shook my head. "No. We have to split up."
"WHAT?!" several voices exclaimed.
"Marc, we stay together!" Nami protested. "It's too dangerous!"
"Exactly. If we stay grouped, the monsters will overwhelm us with numbers. But if we split up…"
I looked Luffy straight in the eyes.
"You and the others create a diversion. Fight the monsters guarding the forest. Free any prisoners you find. Cause as much chaos as possible."
"And you?" Zoro asked, eyes narrowed.
"I go straight to the tower. Following the book. I find the source. And I destroy it."
Silence fell.
"You're going alone?" Sanji said incredulously.
"It's the most efficient plan. You're strong. You can handle the monsters. Me…" I touched the SCP-609 box in my pocket. "I can kill whatever's inside the tower."
Luffy stared at me for a long moment.
Then he smiled. "Alright. But you're coming back, right?"
"Of course."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
He held out his pinky.
I blinked. "Seriously?"
"Promise!"
I sighed and linked my pinky with his. "Promise."
"GOOD! THEN LET'S GO!"
[POV: LUFFY]
Entering the Forbidden Forest
We stood at the edge of the forest.
The trees were enormous. Black. Twisted like giant claws.
Total silence. No birds. No insects. Just… nothing.
"This is creepy," Usopp muttered.
Marc stopped at the entrance and looked back at us one last time.
"Be careful. These creatures are strong. Fast. And they hunt in packs."
"We've got this," Zoro replied confidently.
Marc nodded. Then he disappeared into the trees, heading in a different direction.
We watched him go.
"Well," I said, turning to the others. "Let's go!"
We entered the forest.
Advancing
The atmosphere changed instantly.
The air was heavy. Thick. Hard to breathe.
Our footsteps echoed strangely, as if the ground were hollow beneath us.
"Stay together," Nami ordered.
Zoro walked in front, hands on his swords. Sanji covered the rear, nervously smoking.
Chopper stayed in the middle with Usopp and Mr. Fish.
We advanced for maybe ten minutes.
Then we saw the first one.
The White Beret
A body.
Lying in the middle of the path.
Dressed in a white uniform — Enel's guards, the White Berets.
"Is he dead?" Chopper asked cautiously.
I knelt beside the body.
No. Not dead.
Alive. But unconscious.
"He's still breathing!"
Chopper rushed over to examine him. "Weak pulse. Severe dehydration. Multiple injuries… deep claw marks…"
"Can you wake him?" Nami asked.
"I'll try."
Chopper pulled out a syringe and injected a stimulant.
Seconds later, the man's eyes snapped open.
"NO! DON'T TOUCH ME! THEY'RE COMING! THEY'RE COMING!"
He struggled violently, panicked.
"Calm down!" Sanji shouted, holding him. "We're here to help!"
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! THEY TOOK US ALL! ALL OF US!"
"Who?! The monsters?!"
"YES! They… they dragged us… deeper into the forest… toward the tower… my comrades… they took them…"
He sobbed. "I escaped… but I heard their screams… their SCREAMS…"
"Where are they?" I asked.
He pointed with a trembling hand. "That way… three kilometers… a camp… they guard the prisoners…"
"A camp?" Zoro repeated.
"Yes… with cages… dozens of people… waiting… to be taken to the tower…"
My blood boiled. "Then we're going. We free them."
"BUT THE MONSTERS!" the man screamed. "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! THEY'RE NOT HUMAN ANYMORE! THEY'RE NOT ANIMALS! THEY'RE ABOMINATIONS!"
"Don't care," I said simply. "We're beating them up."
The First Encounter
We continued forward.
The White Beret refused to come with us — too terrified. We left him near the entrance with supplies.
Ten minutes later…
CRACK.
A branch snapped.
We stopped instantly.
"Something's following us," Zoro murmured.
"I feel it too," Sanji added.
Then we heard it.
A growl.
Deep. Bestial. But with something… human.
GRRRRRRRR…
"Come out," I said calmly. "We know you're there."
Silence.
Then…
RUSTLE. RUSTLE.
Shapes emerged from the trees.
Three.
No.
Five.
No.
Ten.
They surrounded us.
The Monstrosities
What I saw froze my blood.
They had been human.
Their torn clothes — White Beret uniforms, villagers' robes — still hung from their deformed bodies.
But their bodies…
[MONSTER 1]Half-human, half-bear.Two meters tall. Abnormally swollen muscles. Fifteen-centimeter claws. A face half human, half bear, frozen in eternal agony.
[MONSTER 2]Half-human, half-serpent.Elongated body. Scaly skin. A forked tongue slipping from a still partially human mouth.
[MONSTER 3]Half-human, half-eagle.Torn wings. Talons instead of feet. Feathers mixed with bare flesh.
And all of them…
All of them had eyes.
Human eyes.
Looking at us with…
Intelligence.Awareness.Suffering.
"They're… still conscious…" Chopper whispered, horrified.
One of them opened its mouth.
And spoke.
"R… run…"
Its voice was broken. Distorted. But recognizable.
"Run… before… we… lose control…"
"What…?" Nami whispered.
"THE TOWER… CONTROLS US… RUN!"
Then its eyes changed.
They went empty.
ROAR!
They attacked.
[POV: ZORO]
The Fight Begins
I drew my three swords instantly.
"Oni… Giri!"
SLASH!
My technique cut into the charging bear-monster.
But its skin was thick. Very thick.
My blade pierced — but not deeply.
"What?!"
It struck me with its clawed paw.
WHAM!
I blocked with crossed swords, but the impact sent me flying three meters back.
Strong. Very strong.
"Zoro!" Sanji shouted. "Don't underestimate them!"
"I can see that!"
[POV: SANJI]
Legs on Fire
The snake-monster slithered toward me, its forked tongue hissing.
"Sorry, but I've got to cook you."
"Collier!"
My flaming foot smashed into its head.
WHAM!
It staggered, but stood right back up.
Tough.
"Collier Shoot!"
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!
Three rapid kicks.
It finally fell unconscious.
But two more took its place.
"Damn… there are too many!"
[POV: LUFFY]
The Captain's Rage
Three monsters charged me at once.
Bear. Eagle. Wolf.
I inflated my belly. "Gomu Gomu no… Fuusen!"
They slammed into me and bounced back.
Then I counterattacked.
"Gomu Gomu no… Gatling!"
RATATATATA!
My fists hammered their bodies at insane speed.
They fell.
But more came.
Again. Again. Again.
"HOW MANY ARE THERE?!" Usopp yelled, firing his slingshot.
"TOO MANY!" Nami replied, summoning lightning with her Clima-Tact.
The fight was chaotic.
Violent.
The monsters threw themselves at us without fear of death.
But we held on.
The Prisoners
During the fight, I saw something.
Behind the monsters. Between the trees.
Cages.
Large. Metallic. Filled with people.
White Berets. Villagers. Children.
All terrified.
"THE PRISONERS!" I shouted. "WE HAVE TO FREE THEM!"
"WE'RE BUSY!" Zoro yelled, slicing through a tiger-monster.
"I'LL HANDLE IT!"
I dashed toward the cages, dodging monsters.
"Gomu Gomu no… Pistol!"
My fist smashed into a cage lock.
CRASH!
It exploded.
"GET OUT! RUN!"
The prisoners fled toward the forest entrance.
But some…
Some didn't run.
They stood there. Frozen. Empty-eyed.
"Hey! What are you doing?! Go!"
One of them looked at me.
His eyes were… different. Dull.
"Too… late… for us…"
"What…?"
Then his skin began to warp.
CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.
Bones breaking. Flesh twisting.
"NO!"
But it was too late.
He transformed.
Right before my eyes.
Into a monster.
[POV: NAMI]
The Horror of Transformation
"THEY'RE TRANSFORMING!" I screamed in horror.
Three of the prisoners Luffy had freed were transforming before our eyes.
Their bodies twisted. Bones cracked. Their screams tore through the air.
Then they became monsters.
And attacked us.
"NO… NO NO NO!" Chopper sobbed. "THIS CAN'T BE! WHY?!"
"The tower…" Mr. Fish murmured, pale. "It already corrupted them…"
The new monsters lunged at us.
The fight intensified.
[POV: LUFFY]
The Decision
I looked around.
Dozens of monsters. More arriving constantly.
Prisoners transforming.
My friends fighting desperately.
We can't win like this.
We have to go to the source.
The tower.
I clenched my fists.
"EVERYONE! MOVE FORWARD!"
"WHAT?!" Zoro shouted.
"WE CHARGE THE TOWER! WE DESTROY EVERYTHING!"
"BUT THE MONSTERS!"
"WE GO THROUGH THEM!"
I transformed.
"Gear Second."
Steam burst from my body. My muscles swelled slightly. My heart beat twice as fast.
"FOLLOW ME!"
I launched forward.
Faster than ever.
Cutting through monsters like a rocket.
The Charge
The crew followed.
Zoro cut down everything in his path.
Sanji burned anything that came too close.
Nami created lightning barriers.
Usopp fired explosives.
Chopper shifted into his heavy form, smashing monsters aside.
Mr. Fish… ran like a madman, screaming.
We charged.
Through the forest.
Through the monsters.
Toward the tower.
Toward Marc.
Toward the end of this nightmare.
[POV: MARC – SIMULTANEOUSLY]
Alone in the Forest
I walked alone.
Guided by the book.
The sounds of battle behind me faded gradually.
Hang in there, guys.
I followed the instructions.
First engraved stone: a triangular symbol with an eye at its center.Found.
Second marker: a dead tree split into three.Found.
Third marker: a stream whose water was black as ink.Found.
I advanced.
Fast.
Silent.
Then I saw it.
In the distance. Between the trees.
A tower.
Massive. Spiral-shaped. Rising into the sky.
Built of black stone that seemed to absorb light.
And all around it…
Monsters.
Hundreds of them.
Guarding the entrance.
I took out the SCP-609 box.
Opened it.
Ten green billiard balls stared back at me.
"It's time."
I walked toward the tower.
Ready to kill.
[END OF CHAPTER ]
[LUFFY & CREW: COMBAT IN THE FOREST][MONSTERS: ACTIVE TRANSFORMATIONS, HUNDREDS OF ENTITIES][PRISONERS: SOME FREED, OTHERS TRANSFORMING][MARC: ARRIVED AT THE TOWER, READY FOR ASSAULT][SCP-609: ACTIVATED][NEXT STEP: THE ASSAULT ON THE TOWER][DANGER: MAXIMUM]