The emergency sirens echoed far above, but the tunnels below were strangely quiet. The cloaked enemies had vanished. The lights had dimmed. The heartbeat of the island had stilled—waiting.
Kael moved through the shadows of the underground network, not as a hunter, but as a watcher. His expression was unreadable beneath his hood as he approached the first Straw Hat.
Zoro leaned against a wall, arms crossed, eyes closed in thought. He opened one eye when Kael stepped into view.
"You again," Zoro muttered.
Kael stepped forward slowly. "That was a good fight. But you didn't hesitate. Even when you had nothing to gain. Why?"
Zoro smirked. "Because I already gave up everything once. When you've made a promise to someone, hesitation isn't an option."
Kael studied him. "Even if that promise kills you?"
Zoro's smile widened. "Especially then."
Nami was seated in a quiet nook, reading over the report again. Her grip on the paper tightened as Kael approached.
"Do you think loyalty and survival are always the same thing?" Kael asked.
Nami looked up sharply. "What do you know about loyalty?"
"Enough to know that sometimes it makes fools of us."
Nami stood. "Maybe. But I'd rather be a fool with my crew than a smart traitor."
Kael didn't respond at first. Then he nodded. "You've seen what betrayal looks like. That's why you're afraid of it."
"I'm not afraid anymore," she said firmly. "Just cautious."
Sanji was tending a bruise on his leg when Kael found him. He didn't look up.
"Come to ask about my cooking too? Or just to throw riddles like the rest of this place?"
Kael stood silently before saying, "You could've won faster. But you held back. Why?"
Sanji's voice was low. "There are lines I don't cross. Doesn't matter how strong the enemy is."
Kael sat on a nearby crate. "Doesn't it?"
Sanji met his eyes, calm but fierce. "I know who I am. If I lose that, I lose everything."
Robin was reviewing the tunnel markings with narrowed eyes.
"Your test was the most cruel," Kael said from behind.
"Was it?" she replied, not turning. "I've had worse."
"You still want to uncover the past... even when it hurt your people."
"Truth always hurts," Robin replied. "But I'll never let fear rewrite history."
Kael gave the slightest nod. "Even when it writes you out?"
"Especially then."
Chopper was repacking his medical bag, trying to ignore the lingering tremble in his hands.
"That illusion—those children. It wasn't real," Kael said.
Chopper looked up, eyes wide. "But it felt real. And if I don't train harder, someday it could be."
Kael crouched down to eye level. "You're brave. Most wouldn't keep trying."
"Because I'm a doctor!" Chopper said louder than necessary. Then, quietly, "I have to be."
Usopp was practicing his aim with Pop Greens against the tunnel wall.
Kael watched a few hit true, others miss.
"You fight with tricks and fear. And yet... you stayed."
Usopp wiped sweat from his brow. "Yeah, well... someone has to tell the story after we win."
Kael smiled faintly. "And if no one makes it out?"
Usopp stared at the wall. "Then I'll lie about it. But I'll make sure they're remembered."
Brook was humming quietly in the dark, his violin in hand.
Kael stood nearby. "Do the dead still speak to you?"
"In their own way," Brook replied. "They dance in my music. Laugh in my skull."
"You don't seem haunted."
"Oh, I am," Brook said. "But I made peace with that. Ghosts don't scare me anymore."
Franky was re-tightening a joint on his mechanical arm when Kael approached. Sparks flickered.
"You're not just a fighter. You build things," Kael said.
Franky looked up. "That's right. Real strength ain't just about destruction. It's about what you protect."
Kael nodded slowly. "But what if what you built was used to hurt others?"
Franky paused. "Then I'd rebuild it better. Stronger. No regrets, just lessons. That's the SUPER code."
Luffy was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling.
Kael approached slowly. "You didn't fight to win. You fought because it felt right."
Luffy tilted his head. "Nah. I fought 'cause they looked like they needed someone to punch."
"You trust too easily."
"Yeah, but I punch fast too."
Kael almost laughed. "What if your crew falls because of your decisions?"
Luffy sat up, eyes blazing. "Then I'll pick them back up. Every time. That's my job."
Kael stood quietly for a long moment before vanishing into the shadows again.
High above, the gears began to churn again. The sealed vaults below groaned like something ancient awakening.
Kael returned to the control room. The cloaked figure still stood there, watching.
"They passed again," it said.
Kael didn't answer. He was already moving—toward the vault. Toward what waited.
Not to stop them. Not anymore.
But maybe... to stand with them.