The jungle surrounding Amazon Lily buzzed with life—but the air was tense.
Darius D. Xebec stood at the edge of a high cliff that overlooked the coastline. His coat fluttered behind him, soaked in moonlight. Below, the Abyss Walker waited in silent stillness, its crew on alert.
The meeting with Boa Hancock had ended in neutrality. Not alliance. Not enmity. Just… possibility.
And that was enough.
Selene approached without a word, boots crunching the mossy ground. She offered a small glance toward the jungle canopy.
"Observation Haki picked up movement five minutes ago. Too coordinated for Kuja."
Darius's eye narrowed. "Marine?"
Selene nodded. "Vice Admiral rank or higher."
---
Elsewhere – Just offshore
A Marine battleship floated silently beyond the mist, its sails lowered. Aboard it stood Vice Admiral Gion—Momousagi—flanked by a team of elite Haki users.
"He's here," she said coolly, gazing through a spyglass. "Darius D. Xebec. On Amazon Lily."
Her subordinate frowned. "Should we report to Sakazuki?"
"No." Her tone sharpened. "We engage now. Quietly. Before he leaves that island with a weapon—or worse, an ally."
She gave the signal.
---
Back on Amazon Lily
The jungle exploded with motion.
A hail of seastone-tipped bullets erupted from the underbrush. Darius flicked his hand—space folded in an instant, bullets vanishing into a rift that snapped shut like a hungry maw.
"Selene," he said evenly.
"Already moving," she replied, launching into the trees, glaive flashing like silver lightning.
The Marines underestimated her. By the time they realized she was Lunarian—partially—three of their best were unconscious.
Darius stepped forward calmly, slipping through space like a phantom, emerging directly in front of Gion.
"Vice Admiral," he greeted. "A little far from Marineford, aren't you?"
Gion's eyes narrowed. "You're a threat to peace."
"I'm a threat to the illusion of it."
She struck first—her sword flashing with Armament Haki. Darius parried not with steel, but by tearing space itself, redirecting her blade with a subtle twist of the air.
---
Meanwhile – Boa Hancock's Palace
Reports arrived in frantic succession.
"Marines have landed on the northeast side!"
"They're attacking the visitor!"
Hancock's fists clenched. "That visitor is under my protection."
Without hesitation, she strode from the palace, cape fluttering behind her.
---
Back in the jungle clearing, Gion and Darius clashed in bursts of raw Haki and spatial warping. Trees fell. Ground cracked. The jungle shook.
"Do you even know what your father did to the world?" she shouted mid-combat.
"I know he tried to free it," Darius answered, appearing behind her and sending a shockwave of pressure through the air. "And I know he failed because cowards feared change."
Gion grit her teeth. "You'll die just like him."
Darius didn't respond.
Because Boa Hancock had arrived.
---
Her arrival turned the tide. She landed between them with a thunderous pulse of Conqueror's Haki, halting both fighters.
Gion raised a brow. "So... you are defending him."
"I'm defending my island," Hancock said coldly. "And my word. I said no harm would come to him here. You violate that—you challenge me."
Gion hesitated.
Darius stepped back, eyes still locked on his would-be opponent.
"She's not wrong," he said. "I didn't strike first."
"Next time," Gion warned, backing off, "you won't have a queen's favor."
She and her forces withdrew, boarding their ship without another word.
---
Later that night – Amazon Lily cliffs
Darius sat at the edge of the high cliff, arms resting on his knees. Hancock approached quietly, her silhouette lit by the stars.
"You didn't kill her," she said, mildly surprised.
"I'm not here to kill everyone," Darius replied. "Only those who need it."
A pause.
"You could have destroyed her ship. Even with me watching."
Darius turned to her. "And drive a wedge between us? No. I don't need more enemies. I need people who understand what we're really fighting."
"And what's that?" she asked.
He looked back at the stars.
"History. The lies. The rot at the center of the world."
---
Meanwhile – Marine HQ
Sakazuki glared at the transmission.
"He was on Amazon Lily? And Gion let him walk?"
Kizaru leaned against the wall lazily. "Seems like the Empress made her choice."
Sakazuki stood slowly, smoke rising from his fists. "Then she's next."
---
Final Scene – Aboard the Abyss Walker (Hours Later)
Darius stood at the helm. Selene stood behind him, a map rolled under her arm.
"So," she said, "Did she give you anything?"
"She gave me respect," Darius replied. "That's enough—for now."
"Still planning to return?"
He nodded once. "Yes. She's not just a potential ally. She's a survivor of the system. Like us."
As the ship turned away from Amazon Lily, the wind picked up. The world was stirring. The shadows thickened.
The war hadn't started yet.
But it would.