The Abyss Walker drifted silently beneath a twilight sky, anchored within the swirling mists of an uncharted inlet near Water 7. The sea was calm—but the air was heavy with anticipation.
Below deck, the core members of Darius's crew were gathered in the war room. Selene stood at the head of the table, arms crossed, as projection-light from the stolen Cipher Pol core flickered above the table.
"Project Eclipse," she said. "We only decrypted a fragment—but it's enough."
Darius leaned forward, crimson eyes locked on the symbols: diagrams of weapons, references to lost bloodlines, and something marked 'Ark Genesis.'
"They're planning something," he muttered. "Not just hiding the past. They want to rewrite it."
Selene nodded. "And we've officially made their list. A Marine intelligence pulse went out two hours ago—your bounty's been raised."
Darius raised an eyebrow. "To what?"
She turned the paper over.
A new wanted poster stared back at him:
> DARIUS D. XEBEC
"The Rift Reaver"
Bounty: 2,500,000,000 Berries
Crimes: Destruction of World Government assets. Theft of classified technology. Assault on Vice Admirals. Incitement of rebellion.
He let out a quiet breath, a ghost of a smile forming.
"I'm flattered."
---
Meanwhile – Thousand Sunny, Somewhere on the Grand Line
Monkey D. Luffy stretched across the deck, mouth stuffed with meat as the crew read aloud the newest bounty updates.
"Darius D. Xebec," Nami repeated, frowning. "That name… sounds familiar."
Sanji lit a cigarette. "He's been tearing through World Government outposts. His last raid left a Cipher Pol facility in ashes."
Zoro leaned against the mast, arms folded. "Xebec, huh? As in Rocks D. Xebec?"
"His son," Robin said, eyes shadowed. "Born in secret. Hidden by remnants of the Rocks Pirates."
Usopp paled. "Wait, wait—you mean the guy everyone says was like, the most evil pirate ever?"
"More dangerous than evil," Robin replied. "He tried to overthrow the Celestial Dragons. He nearly succeeded."
Luffy sat up, meat forgotten for a moment.
"He's got a 'D' in his name."
Everyone looked at him.
"Think he's like us?" Luffy asked quietly. "Or like Blackbeard?"
Robin didn't answer.
---
Back on the Abyss Walker
Later that night, Darius stood alone at the bow of the ship, wind tugging at his coat as the stars shimmered overhead. He held his bounty poster in one hand, looking at it.
"They've raised it," he murmured.
Selene joined him, her glaive resting against her back.
"It was inevitable. You're not a rumor anymore. You're a threat."
He looked at her. "And what does that make you?"
She smirked faintly. "The shadow behind the storm."
A moment of silence passed between them.
Then Selene's tone shifted.
"There's chatter among the underworld. Revolutionary agents. Yonko spies. Some say you're trying to become Pirate King."
Darius's expression hardened. "They still don't understand."
"Then explain it to me."
He closed his eyes for a moment.
"I don't want the title. I want the truth. The real history. The reason the world fears names like Joy Boy, Nika, and D."
"And if that truth burns the world down?"
"Then it was never worth saving."
---
Elsewhere – New Marine HQ, New World
Fleet Admiral Sakazuki glared at the stack of intelligence reports in front of him. His jaw clenched as he read the details of Darius's most recent attack.
The bounty.
The growing support.
The whispers of rebellion.
"Enough."
The room stilled.
He turned to his Vice Admirals.
"No more half-measures. Mobilize the Buster Call fleet. We find him, and we erase him."
---
Revolutionary Base – Baltigo
Sabo read the newest updates aloud to Dragon, who sat calmly in the center of the command room.
"Bounty's jumped again. 2.5 billion. He's moving fast."
"He's targeting only World Government facilities," Dragon said. "No civilian casualties. No pillaging."
Koala frowned. "Is he working with us?"
"No," Dragon said. "But we may be working toward the same end."
He stared at Darius's bounty poster, eyes narrowing.
"But his methods are fire. And fire doesn't care who it burns."
---
Somewhere in the Calm Belt – Secret Cipher Pol Relay
The Cipher Pol agent's transmission crackled through to Mariejois.
"Project Eclipse has been compromised. Vault E was breached. Xebec's son has the data."
The Den Den Mushi on the other end replied with chilling calm.
"Understood. Proceed with Protocol Void."
The agent hesitated. "That would eliminate two decades of research—"
"Proceed."
The call ended.
---
Back on the Abyss Walker
As dawn broke, Darius stared down at the map Selene had rolled out.
"This," she said, pointing, "is our next target. A World Government relay point hidden under the guise of a trading post. It's where intel flows before it reaches Enies Lobby or Marineford."
Darius's eyes burned.
"Then we cut the line."
---
But across the sea, new names whispered in tandem:
Luffy. Blackbeard. Darius.
All carriers of the mysterious "D."
All heading toward a collision that would shatter the sky.
And the world?
It was watching.