Compared to the collapse of the Navy's defenses, the battle inside the island was less a war and more like a hunt in a dark forest.
The God's Knights moved like shadows through ruins and trees, their blades flashing, each swing claiming the life of another pirate.
There was no emotion on their faces, as if they were merely completing routine duties.
Meanwhile, the Roger Pirates cut through the chaos like a dagger thrust into the heart of confusion.
"Treasure's just ahead, lads!" Roger charged forward, a single strike of Divine Departure blowing away a squad of CP agents along with the building behind them.
"Careful, Roger, don't blow the treasure to pieces!" Rayleigh teased, parrying a CP agent's slash before countering with a blade that left a bone-deep wound across the man's chest.
The crew pushed forward like an unstoppable tide, yet Kael's steps grew heavier and heavier.
His waves of perception already covered the entire area. What he "saw" through them stoked his fury higher with each passing moment.
He saw Marcus Saint, the Celestial Dragon child, gleefully chasing a slave girl about his age with his ivory handgun.
The girl screamed in terror, running desperately, until a bullet struck her leg. She fell with a cry, writhing on the ground.
Marcus clapped his hands in excitement as if he had achieved something great, then calmly leveled the pistol at her head.
"Too noisy," Kael whispered.
Roger heard him, glanced back, and froze. The golden eyes staring out from beneath Kael's hair were colder than anything he had ever seen.
"Kael?"
Kael gave no answer. He only raised his black-and-gold naginata, the tip angled toward the ground.
"Silent Apocalypse."
In an instant, the world within a hundred-meter radius went dead.
The wind vanished.
The roar of cannon fire vanished.
The laughter of pirates, the screams of Marines, the wails of slaves everything vanished.
Marcus Saint froze mid-grin, his finger on the trigger. He found that no matter how he strained, no sound came. Even the pistol's crack was gone, replaced by a faint vibration.
On the battlefield, Roger's men and CP agents faltered. Without sound, their movements lost rhythm, attacks fell out of sync, and the fight slipped into uncanny silence.
It was like watching a pantomime in a world with no voice.
A CP agent swung his blade, and the cut passed through the air without so much as a whistle. He tried to shout but nothing carried.
Absolute silence. More terrifying than any cacophony.
Kael's form flickered and vanished.
The next moment, he stood before Marcus Saint.
The boy's eyes widened in terror as Kael's hand wrapped around his throat, hoisting him off the ground.
Those golden eyes stared into him, not with rage or pity, but with a void so cold it was as if he were no more than refuse.
"You…" Marcus' lips moved, but no sound emerged.
"Kael!" Roger's mouth formed the word, his expression shocked.
Kael tilted his head, smiling brightly. It was a dazzling grin that made the silence all the more chilling.
"Don't worry, Captain Roger."
His fingers tightened. Marcus' body went limp, head slumping forward. Not even the snap of bone could be heard.
"I'm just cleaning up some trash."
He tossed the corpse aside like a broken toy. The smile faded from his face, replaced by flat indifference.
His lips shaped two words as he swept his gaze across the terrified Celestial Dragons and CP agents.
"Next one."
…
"Marcus Saint is dead! Marcus Saint is dead!" A CP agent's voice cracked with horror, his face pale as parchment.
To them, the death of a Celestial Dragon was a disaster far beyond the fall of the Navy's lines.
It was direct blasphemy against the highest power in the world. A crime that would shake the World Government to its core.
"Kill him!"
"Whatever it takes, kill him!"
"Capture him alive and let him suffer the cruelest tortures the world has ever known!"
Silently, with murderous intent in their eyes, the CP agents surged at Kael.
Amid the chaos, pirates caught sight of what had happened.
"That guy killed a Celestial Dragon! Hahaha!"
"Kill him and see what treasures he's hiding!"
"Let's jump in! Perfect chance to snatch something in the chaos!"
To pirates, the logic was simple. The man who struck down a Celestial Dragon had become the target of every enemy around him, and chaos was always the best cover for plunder.
For one mad moment, Navy, CP, and pirates all enemies among themselves turned their blades toward a single man.
Kael stood at the eye of the storm, watching the tide close in.
Black uniforms. Twisted faces. Blades flashing.
His smile didn't falter. But the flicker of mischief in his golden eyes disappeared, replaced by something else: the indifference of a king who stood above all.
Just as the first CP agent's finger pistol reached for him, Kael's gaze sharpened.
A force erupted from within him, vast and tyrannical, crashing out in all directions.
The air itself seemed to shudder.
Then came the lightning. Black and crimson bolts split the silence, writhing around Kael like enraged serpents, sweeping outward with crushing force.
It wasn't the Wave-Wave Fruit.
It was his birthright. The mark of a king. Conqueror's Haki.
"Urgh "
"Thud!"
"Guh…"
The expressions of bloodlust froze on the faces of those charging. Their eyes rolled back, foam at their lips, as they collapsed one by one, their bodies hitting the ground like sacks of grain.
The field cleared in an instant. Kael stood alone in a ring of unconscious bodies, a void carved out by sheer will.
Only the strongest remained upright. Even they were pale, drenched in sweat, hands trembling on their weapons as they struggled to resist the crushing weight pressing down on their souls.
Not far away, Roger had just unleashed another Divine Departure. He turned, blinking in surprise at the sight.
"Kuhahahaha! Look, Rayleigh!" Roger's grin split wide. "That kid's been hiding something big!"
Rayleigh lowered his sword, pushing up his glasses. For once, his expression carried a trace of shock.
"This Haki…"
He remembered a moment years ago, during a battle with an enemy crew, when a young Kael had lost control in his fury and accidentally released a flicker of Conqueror's Haki. At the time, it was a mere spark, knocking out only a few fodder.
But now? This was no spark. It was a blaze that could consume a forest.
Rayleigh shook his head, though his lips curled despite himself. "Our ship really is full of troublesome monsters."
Roger laughed harder, hefting his blade. "This just got a hell of a lot more fun. No wonder I chose him as my crewmate!"
Across the field, Garp broke from his clash with Shiki. He turned sharply, frowning as he felt the aura.
"This presence…?" His eyes narrowed. "So it isn't just Roger and Rocks. Another monster's here."
Shiki drifted higher, golden mane blazing in the wind. A crooked grin split his face. "Roger's boy, huh? Fortune smiles on him."
Kael rolled his shoulders, the vertebrae in his neck cracking audibly. He surveyed the handful of enemies still standing, tilted his head, and smiled again.
…
Chaos was the best cover.
In the shadows of ruined buildings, two figures slipped quickly along.
"Vee-haw! This is the place!" Ivankov whispered in his peculiar voice, his oversized head bobbing as he pointed toward a makeshift warehouse. "All the competition's prizes are stored inside!"
Beside him, the broad-shouldered youth Bartholomew Kuma didn't speak. He simply lowered his shoulder and smashed the doors in.
The warehouse glittered with jewels and gold, luxury standing in stark contrast to the carnage outside.
But neither spared it a glance. Their eyes locked onto the ornate chests displayed at the center.
"Here they are! Ginny's intel was right!"
They opened two of the boxes. Inside, resting on velvet, were not jewels but two Devil Fruits.
One was a deep oceanic blue, patterned with dragon-scale ridges, radiating ancient majesty. The other was soft pink, its surface embossed with adorable paw pads.
"Which one's the Paw-Paw Fruit?" Ivankov hesitated.
"Forget it! Just grab one and eat it!" He lunged toward the blue fruit.
"Mamamama…"
Greedy laughter shattered the air.
The wall exploded like paper. Charlotte Linlin strode in, eyes burning with hunger as she spotted the fruits.
"Little rats, those are mine!"
She moved with shocking speed, massive hand closing around Ivankov's throat, hoisting him into the air.
"Gaaah!" Ivankov kicked wildly, his face turning purple.
"Run, Kuma!" he croaked. "Save someone just save one, and we win!"
Kuma's eyes wavered, but he knew if he stayed, both would die. Gritting his teeth, he snatched up the paw-patterned fruit and bolted.
Linlin snatched the dragon-scale fruit, clutching it to her chest. She tossed Ivankov aside like refuse and barreled after Kuma.
"Think you can run? You're mine!"
Just as her shadow loomed to swallow him, a black figure dropped between them, slamming into the ground and throwing up a storm of dust.
"Hey, lady."
When the dust cleared, Kael Grylls stood, naginata on his shoulder, smiling lazily.
"Picking on kids isn't exactly a brag-worthy hobby."
He had already "cleaned up" two more Celestial Dragons in his path, silencing them and their CP escorts alike. The noise here had drawn him like a beacon.
"Oh? Another lamb to slaughter." Linlin narrowed her eyes, recognizing him. "You? Roger's brat."
"Correct. No prize for guessing." Kael shrugged, then barked at Kuma and Ivankov. "What are you idiots waiting for? Run, unless you're begging for a coffin!"
The two snapped out of it, staggering toward the trees. Kuma clutched the paw fruit, then glanced once at Kael's back. Without hesitation, he bit down.
"Blegh! Disgusting!"
Linlin didn't chase. Her focus locked entirely on Kael.
He was stronger than before. The aura he radiated pressed against her instincts.
"Out of the way, boy."
"No can do." Kael smirked. "I just cleaned house. If you run now, it'll look like I left my job half-finished."
He vanished.
The next moment his naginata came down in a storm of sonic pressure. Linlin barely caught it with Napoleon, the clash ringing out like thunder.
The impact drove her back a step.
"You…" Her eyes narrowed, mingling fury with something rare for her caution.
Kael flexed his grip and grinned.
Hard. Tough as hell. So this was the future Yonko.
Still, he could feel multiple powerful presences rushing their way. One of them was all too familiar.
"Roger… tch."
Linlin sensed it too. She glanced once at the retreating kids, then at the dragon fruit in her hand, then back at Kael.
In a heartbeat, she made her choice.
"Mamamama… lucky brat. This time you get to live. This fruit is mine!"
With that, she spun away, her massive frame vanishing into the trees like a storm.
Kael didn't chase.
He exhaled slowly, the killing urge fading from his eyes as reason took hold again.
"Alright. Venting's done."
He turned back toward the heart of the battlefield, lips curling into a crooked smile.
"Now… time to have some fun."