High above, the fierce wind howled.
This high up, no normal person could stand. The wind tore through the clouds and scattered them into broken pieces.
"You..."
King stared at the young Marine in front of him. His shock faded, and his hand tightened around his sword.
As the "Conflagration" of the Beasts Pirates, his battle instincts told him one thing.
He couldn't escape.
Aiden stood in front of his only escape route. It wasn't just a matter of speed. Every time King shifted his weight, Aiden's blade moved with him.
If he dared to turn around and show the slightest opening, that black blade would cut off his head.
"Huu..."
King took a deep breath. He forced his breathing under control.
Since he couldn't run, he had to fight for his life!
"Cut the crap!!"
With a wild roar, King stopped trying to flee. He canceled his full pteranodon form and changed back into his hybrid form.
"Boom!!"
The fire on his back burned brighter in that moment. It was no longer dark red. It turned white-hot. The air around him warped from the heat, forming visible rings around his body.
At the same time, dark Armament Haki covered his sword. Flames danced faintly along the blade's edge.
"I am... the 'Conflagration' who follows Mr. Kaido to change the world!!"
King's figure disappeared. The air under his feet let out a loud pop.
In the next second, he appeared in front of Aiden. He swung his long sword down at Aiden's face. The heat around the blade bent the air as it fell.
"Imperial Flaming Wings!!"
Flames, Haki, and the force of King's charge pressed into the blade.
However.
Facing the strike, Aiden still found the time to take another bite of the apple in his hand.
He just held his sword with one hand. The newly forged Black Blade: Oto drew a black arc in the air.
"Clang————!!!"
A clear metal clang rang through the sky.
A shockwave spread from the clash. The clouds around them broke apart, revealing a clear blue sky.
Holding the black blade with one hand, Aiden casually blocked King's flaming strike.
The black blade took the hit without moving an inch. The arm holding the sword did not tremble at all.
On the other side, King felt the webbing between his fingers tear. A heavy force rebounded through his sword, running through his arms and shoulders.
Aiden finally swallowed the apple bite. He looked at King, applied a little force with his wrist, and forced the giant man half a step back.
"Decent strength."
"But that doesn't give you the right to run into my territory and smash things up for no reason..."
He tilted his head, pretending not to understand.
"I mean... we have no past grudges or recent fights."
"Why didn't you stay in Wano? Why did you come all this way just to blow up my G-6 Branch?"
"Stop playing dumb!!"
King gritted his teeth. Veins stood out on his forehead. He pressed hard against Aiden's blade and forced the words through his teeth.
"If you didn't mess with us, where did that Marine get the Triceratops fruit?!"
"That belongs to Mr. Kaido! Are you going to say you didn't know?!"
"Ah..."
Aiden paused, then seemed to remember.
"Oh... you mean that?"
"I remember now. I killed a pirate named 'Ironhead' a while ago and picked it up from his ship."
Aiden shook his head, almost amused. He looked at King as if the answer should have been obvious.
"Kaido sent you out just for this minor issue?"
"He really isn't rational... Just for a broken fruit. Look at you now. The fruit is gone, and you're going to die too. That sounds like a bad trade."
"A bad... trade?"
King didn't fully understand the phrasing, but he clearly felt the mockery and contempt in Aiden's tone.
"I don't know what nonsense you're talking about... but I won't let you judge Mr. Kaido like that!!"
King snapped.
"Mr. Kaido is the man who will become 'Joy Boy'! He is the king destined to change this world!!"
"As long as it's for Mr. Kaido's dream, any price is worth paying!!"
"Joy Boy?"
Hearing that word, Aiden's expression turned strange.
Aiden had heard enough about Joy Boy to know how ridiculous that sounded. But these two guys were still clinging to a story they wanted to believe.
More importantly, to Aiden, this so-called "Joy Boy" was not someone worth fearing or respecting.
"A savior? The king who changes the world?"
Aiden shook his head. His smile thinned.
"Wake up. If that so-called Joy Boy was really that great, if he could really save the world..."
"Then he wouldn't have lost eight hundred years ago."
"Someone who couldn't even protect his own era, and could only pin his hopes on the future eight hundred years later... You think a loser like that is worth worshiping?"
Aiden looked at King, whose grip tightened with every word.
"Kaido wants to be Joy Boy? Why? Does he feel like he isn't enough of a failure? Does he want to inherit that 'loser' title?"
"Pinning your hopes on a dead man from eight hundred years ago, or on an empty legend, and lying to yourselves about it..."
The black blade in Aiden's hand suddenly shook. Armament Haki flowed into Oto.
"Crack!!"
A clear sound rang out.
Against Oto's black edge and Aiden's Haki, King's sword—with its special mechanism—shattered with a clean crack.
"What?!"
King stared at the broken half of the sword in his hand.
"If Kaido really is the savior."
"Then let's see him try to save you before I cut your head off."
Aiden's words reached him clearly.
"Sink to the bottom of the sea with your ridiculous dream."
Before he finished speaking.
The black blade in Aiden's hand turned into a flash of black lightning.
"Crack."
A thin line of blood opened down the middle of King's mask, then continued across his chest.
The black mask that had hidden his face split down the center and slid off.
It revealed the handsome face underneath, with brown skin and white hair.
Only right now, his eyes had lost focus.
"Mr... Kaido..."
King let out a vague mumble from his throat. The ball of fire on his back flickered a few times, then went out completely.
Aiden watched him fall without smiling.
The Lunarians.
This race that once lived on top of the Red Line and was called gods by the world had already been buried by history. With King's flame going out, one of the last traces of that race faded with him.
Captured and experimented on since childhood. He finally managed to escape, only to give his life to a drunkard with empty promises...
For a moment, Aiden said nothing.
For this pitiful man who had spent his whole life being used and chasing the wrong faith, continuing to live on as a prize for the World Government might have been the greatest torture.
Aiden flicked his wrist, shaking the blood off the blade.
The next second.
Blood burst from the wound across King's chest, almost cutting him in half.
"Take a message to Kaido for me."
Aiden sheathed his sword, slowly looked away, turned around, and walked toward the clouds below.
"Oh, right."
Aiden stopped walking, as if he remembered something.
"You can't deliver it."
"I will go to Wano and tell him myself."
"Whoosh—"
The high-altitude wind blew past.
King's body went limp. His wings hung uselessly as he fell toward the vast sea of clouds below.
Through the clouds, the rough seas of the New World waited below.
King the Conflagration.
Fallen.
Ding!
[Prisoner: "King the Conflagration" Alber]
[Comprehensive Rank: SS1]
[Status: Executed]
[Sin Index: 80,500]
[Execution Participation: 100%]
[Optional Rewards]: (8 Options Available)
The next second, a golden list rolled out in front of Aiden's eyes.
[Optional Rewards]:
[Armament Haki Upgrade] Description: Improve Aiden's Armament Haki through King the Conflagration's heavily tempered Haki. Strengthens defense and hardening.
...
[Bloodline Inheritance: Lunarian Bloodline] Description: Inherit the complete bloodline factor of the Lunarians, the race once called gods.
Effect: Grants abnormal vitality and recovery, allowing survival in extreme environments; can continuously produce and manipulate extremely hot Lunarian flames within the body.
Aiden paused. His attention was drawn to that last reward.
"Bloodline Inheritance?"
"Hasn't it always been skills, talents, or Haki before? Why did it offer someone's actual bloodline factor this time?"
"What is this? Possession in another form? Or genetic modification?"
Lunarian Bloodline.
They were once called gods.
In the original story, the reason King became Kaido's right-hand man was largely due to his strange durability and vitality, aside from his Haki and Devil Fruit.
If he chose this...
Aiden imagined himself growing a pair of black wings on his back, his hair turning white, and his skin turning dark.
"Tsk."
Aiden frowned. For a moment, he hesitated.
Although he knew the system wouldn't harm him, this was a reward that would change his body at the root. It made him feel a bit weird.
"Changing my bloodline..."
Aiden rubbed his chin.
As a human, he always kept an instinctive caution toward rewards that would completely change his body or even his appearance.
Besides, for him right now, this Lunarian bloodline would just be an extra benefit. It wasn't something he absolutely needed.
"Forget it, I'll leave it for now."
Aiden shook his head and didn't make a choice immediately.
As long as he didn't claim the system rewards, they would sit in the list and wouldn't disappear.
"Maybe I can use it later. For now... it's more comfortable being human."
After making his decision, Aiden closed the system interface.
"Next... it's time to head back and deal with the trouble at the base."
Aiden looked down toward the port.
His Observation Haki had sensed everything clearly just now. After Kane fell, the forced labor area had gotten very lively.
...
G-6 Branch, Port Square.
The chaos did not die down. It spread.
But this time, it wasn't greed driving them, but fear.
"Hurry!! Get on the ships!!"
Togo's face was covered in blood. His eyes were full of terror. He waved a rifle he stole from the Marines and led a group of pirates toward the anchored merchant ships.
"That monster is back!! Aiden is back!!"
"If we don't run now, we're dead!!"
Just now, that pillar of lightning that pierced the sky, and that loud "Kane, fall back" that echoed through the clouds, struck everyone's hearts like thunder.
They knew that voice too well.
That was Reaper Aiden, the man who caught them, put collars on them, and sent them to work!
He was back!
And the moment he returned, he used a single lightning strike to defeat the arrogant King the Conflagration!
"Run while he's still in the sky!! Hurry!!"
Red Thorn panicked. Relying on his raw strength, he flipped over a cargo cart blocking the way and sent several Marines who tried to stop him flying backward, spitting blood. He didn't even bother killing people; he just wanted to get on a ship immediately.
Despair spread through the pirate group.
They knew this was their only chance. If they didn't run now, they would die before even reaching the sea once that lightning demon came down from the sky!
"Start the engines!! Hurry!!"
"I don't care what ship it is! As long as it moves!!"
The pirates swarmed over, scrambling to climb the merchant ships' mooring ropes. They shoved each other aside, clawed at ropes, and kicked their own crewmates into the sea.
The Marine soldiers assigned to guard them fought back desperately, but they could not hold the line against this wave of panic.
Just as Togo placed one foot on a merchant ship's deck and grinned, thinking he had made it, thinking he just needed to escape to the sea to live...
"Bzzzt—"
A sharp electric crackle suddenly rang out right above everyone's heads.
The shouting stopped at once. The engines kept rumbling, but no one moved.
Everyone raised their heads.
Up on top of the tall merchant ship's mast, a blinding blue lightning bolt slowly took shape.
Aiden, wearing his Justice coat, looked down at the pirates frozen below him.
He had a faint smile on his face, but to Togo and Red Thorn, that smile was worse than King's flames.
"In such a hurry?"
Aiden did not raise his voice, but everyone heard him.
"Leaving work early before the job is done?"
"Thud!"
Togo's knees went weak. He dropped straight to the deck. The crazy energy to flee vanished instantly, and he started crying and begging.
They couldn't run.
That monster... had already come down.
"Mr... Mr. Aiden! Spare my life!!"
Togo slammed his head against the deck over and over, making loud thumping sounds.
"We... we were forced! Someone provoked us..."
"Pfft!"
A tiny flash of lightning snapped from Aiden's finger.
Before Togo could finish speaking, a charred blood hole appeared between his eyebrows. His eyes widened, and his dead body fell straight back. His face froze in fear.
Aiden pulled his finger back. He didn't even bother looking at him.
"Who said they wanted to steal a ship just now?"
Aiden swept his gaze across the crowd. His tone stayed light, which made it worse.
"And who killed my overseers? Step out yourself. Don't make me go through the trouble of calling roll."
Silence fell over the deck.
No one dared to move. They even held their breath.
"You don't want to handle this decently? Then I'll help you."
Aiden shook his head and casually pointed a finger.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Several bolts of lightning fell from the sky, each one striking a troublemaker from the riot.
Red Thorn had just tried to jump into the sea to escape. While still mid-air, a thick bolt of lightning struck him. He didn't even have time to scream before the lightning burned him black. He fell into the sea, trailing smoke.
In just a few seconds.
The chaotic riot was completely crushed.
Looking at the charred corpses on the ground, the remaining hundreds of pirate prisoners dropped to their knees one by one, pressing their foreheads hard against the floor, their shoulders shaking.
No one tried to run again.
No one even raised their head.
"The rest of you..."
Aiden looked at the trembling laborers and did some quick math in his head.
Killing them all would relieve his anger, but base construction still needed manpower, and it wouldn't be easy to catch a new batch right now. He would deal with them together after they finished working.
"You can avoid the death penalty, but you can't escape punishment."
Aiden sheathed his sword and announced his verdict.
"Everyone involved in the riot gets their workload doubled. Daily rest time is cut in half."
"If you can't fix this port in a month..."
Aiden pointed to the distant sea.
"Then you will all go fill the sea to make more land."
"Yes! Yes!! Thank you for sparing our lives, sir!!"
The pirates reacted as if they had been spared from death. They scrambled up crying and shouting. They didn't even need the overseers to push them. They rushed to carry bricks and fix roads, and some almost fought each other trying to grab work.
They worked faster than before.
After dealing with the mess outside,
Aiden's gaze landed on Kane, who was lying badly injured near the warehouse.
"Com... Commander..."
Seeing Aiden approach, Kane struggled to stand up and salute, but his injuries were too severe.
"I'm sorry... Commander."
Kane lowered his head. His throat sounded raw.
"I disgraced you. I ate such a precious fruit, but I couldn't even take one attack from the enemy..."
"Don't move around."
Aiden reached out and pressed Kane's shoulder. A gentle electric current stimulated his muscles, slightly easing his pain.
"You were facing the 'Conflagration' of the Beasts Pirates. Losing to him is nothing to be ashamed of."
"Surviving his attack and protecting the port from complete destruction means you did well enough."
Aiden pressed his shoulder down before he could move.
"Rest and heal up. Once you develop your fruit well, you'll have plenty of chances to fight in the future."
"Yes!!"
Kane nodded hard, then passed out as the pain and blood loss caught up with him.
Watching Kane get carried away, Aiden's expression changed.
He patted the dust off his coat, turned around, and walked toward the office building.
There was an even more interesting person waiting for him there.
Top floor of the office building.
When Aiden pushed open the office doors:
Vergo was standing stiffly in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. His usual poker face was gone, and his face had lost all color.
And under that office desk.
The black ledger was still quietly wedged under the desk leg.
It wasn't that Vergo didn't want to take it.
He didn't dare to.
After seeing what Aiden did to King, Vergo completely lost the courage to make a move.
In that moment, only one thought remained in his mind:
If he touched that ledger...
He would die.
He would definitely die!
"Click."
The lock clicked. In the silent office, it sounded too loud.
Vergo trembled. He forced himself to turn.
When he saw Aiden walking in, Vergo froze.
"Yo, Lieutenant Vergo?"
Aiden casually closed the door. He wore an amused smile.
"With such a big commotion, I thought you would have taken a ship and run away long ago."
"I didn't expect you to still be here."
As Aiden spoke, he walked slowly toward the desk. Each step made Vergo's grip tighten.
"Com... Commander Aiden!"
Vergo slammed his legs together and gave a rather sloppy military salute.
He didn't have his usual calm composure. Cold sweat rolled down his forehead and cheeks. His voice was dry and shaky. He desperately tried to find a reasonable excuse for being here.
"I... I am here because..."
Vergo searched for an excuse. In this life-or-death moment, his desire to survive made him grab the only excuse he had. He raised the file folder in his hand that he hadn't put down yet.
"I came to deliver this sea chart dividing the G-5 and G-6 defense zones! It's a top-secret document Commodore Gulliver specifically asked me to deliver!"
"Just now... there was a sudden attack outside, and a pirate riot..."
Vergo swallowed a mouthful of saliva. His voice smoothed out a little, but it still shook.
"I was worried that thugs might break into your office during the chaos and destroy confidential documents... so... so I stayed here to guard it!"
"I absolutely had no other intentions!!"
After speaking, Vergo kept his head firmly bowed. He didn't dare to look into the man's eyes. He was betting on two things: that someone like Aiden wouldn't care about whether he stayed or left, and that the chaos just now was the perfect cover.
"Oh? A defense zone sea chart..."
Aiden walked behind the desk. He didn't take the file folder. Instead, he sat down in his chair.
"Creak—"
The chair made a soft sound.
Aiden didn't speak immediately. He grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the desk and casually wiped it on his clothes.
"Crunch."
The crisp sound echoed in the quiet room.
Vergo stood stiffly. Cold sweat had completely soaked his back. The silence stretched, and he did not dare to move.
"Lieutenant Vergo, you're very thoughtful."
Finally, Aiden swallowed the fruit bite. He spoke with a faint smile.
"To think of helping me guard the door at a time like this... G-5 Branch really has a dedicated man in you. That trash Gulliver really found a treasure."
"No... it's what I should do!" Vergo hurriedly lowered his head.
"However..."
Aiden changed the subject. He looked under the desk.
Vergo stopped breathing for a second.
He saw Aiden stretch out his foot in his military boot. Aiden casually kicked the desk leg propped up by the ledger.
"Thump, thump."
The desk did not move.
Aiden smiled. He looked straight at Vergo, as if he already knew why Vergo was here.
"Thanks to Lieutenant Vergo, no pirates broke in."
Vergo's back went cold.
He... he found out?!
He knows that's the ledger?! He knows I came to steal it?!
Just as Vergo almost lost control of his expression and was even ready to fight to the death.
Aiden suddenly looked away. He leaned back in his chair and put both feet on the desk.
"By the way, it seems your ship got blown up by that stupid bird."
Aiden pointed at the still-smoking port outside the window.
"I'm really sorry. I gave you such a bad welcome and didn't even protect your ride."
"Now that your ship is gone, G-5 won't be able to send a new one to pick you up anytime soon."
Hearing this, Vergo almost broke. He quickly said:
"It's fine! It's fine! Commander! I'll find my own way back! I won't bother you..."
He just wanted to escape right now!
Even if he had to swim back! Even if he had to float back hugging a plank!
As long as he could leave this place, he would do anything!
"Huh? I can't do that."
Aiden waved his hand.
"I can't let a guest leave like that. You helped me deliver such an important sea chart, and you helped me guard the door. If I just let you go back like this, wouldn't people say that I, Aiden, don't know how to treat a guest?"
Aiden pointed to the sofa nearby.
"Stay for dinner. It's the perfect time to celebrate me solving a big problem."
"The cafeteria is adding extra food tonight. I think you'll like it, right? Lieutenant Vergo."
Looking at Aiden's smiling face, Vergo felt his throat run dry. His legs felt weak.
He couldn't leave.
This man... never planned on letting him off easily.
Was this a warning? A test? Or was Aiden only amusing himself?
Vergo didn't know.
He only knew that if he dared to refuse right now, he would end up just like King in the next second.
"Yes... Commander."
Vergo forced a smile and said:
"Being able to have dinner with you... is my honor."
Actually, Aiden never planned on killing Vergo here.
Aiden could kill Vergo whenever he wanted. But if doing so scared Doflamingo into hiding and made him too afraid to ever enter the New World, it would be a total loss.
After all, flying all the way back to the North Blue just to kill him would be far too troublesome.
Vergo was better as bait.
Since the bait was already cast, waiting patiently for the big fish to bite was better than rushing after him.