The air didn't just ripple; it unzipped.
A literal door had manifested in the vacuum of space, right against the hull of the World Economic Journal ship. The woman in the white dress stepped through it with the grace of a ghost, her umbrella still perfectly dry despite the torrential rain.
[Warning: Extreme Temporal/Spatial Distortion]
[Target Identified: Potential 100/100]
[Status: Hidden Pawn of the 'Greatest Power']
Arthur's heart hammered against his ribs. A Door-Door Fruit user? No, the aura was different. It was colder, more ancient.
"Gantz," Arthur whispered, his voice barely audible over the wind. "Don't blink. And for the love of God, don't reach for your axe."
The giant bounty hunter was paralyzed, his iron jaw literally hanging open. "What is that... a ghost?"
The woman turned her gaze toward them. Her eyes weren't human—they were like looking into a kaleidoscope of shifting timelines.
"The boy with the obsidian soul," she said. Her voice didn't travel through the air; it vibrated directly inside Arthur's skull. "You've caused quite a mess in the weave. The Fail-safe has been triggered, the Hawk has been stirred, and now... you stand at the threshold of the News."
"I deal in truths," Arthur replied, forcing his legs to stay steady. "And the World Government is currently hiding a lie that's about to burst."
The woman tilted her head. "Information is a dangerous currency, Arthur. Especially when you're bankrupt."
Suddenly, the harbor erupted.
BOOM!
A pillar of blue fire soared into the sky. The CP9 agents had found them. A figure blurred through the rain—an agent in a white mask, moving so fast his feet didn't seem to touch the ground. Soru.
"Target located," the masked agent called out. "Rankyaku: Gaicho!"
A massive, bird-shaped arc of compressed air sliced through the docks, heading straight for Arthur and the mysterious woman.
Arthur's "Eye of Calculation" went into overdrive.
[Trajectory: Fatal]
[Escape Probability: 4%]
[Suggestion: Use 'Gantz' as a Kinetic Shield]
No, Arthur thought. Gantz is a tool, but I need a bigger lever.
He didn't run. He stepped toward the woman in the white dress.
"If I die here," Arthur shouted over the roar of the incoming attack, "the 'Fail-safe' in Ren's head will detonate. The World Government won't just lose the data—they'll lose the entire island of Mary Geoise's secrets stored in the System's cache!"
It was a total bluff. He had no idea if Ren's capture would trigger a leak. But in the world of high-stakes manipulation, a confident lie is more valuable than a hesitant truth.
The woman's umbrella spun.
Whoosh.
The air door expanded, swallowing the CP9's attack whole. The "Gaicho" vanished into the void, reappearing a mile out at sea where it detonated harmlessly against the waves.
The CP9 agent skidded to a halt, his mask tilted in confusion. "A spatial anomaly? Who are you?"
The woman ignored him. She looked at Arthur. "You have thirty seconds to convince me not to let them kill you."
"I have something better than a secret," Arthur rasped, blood now leaking from his ears—the cost of overusing the Eye. "I have the location of the Ancient Weapon: Pluton's blueprint... but not the one the Government is looking for. The real one."
The air went still. Even the rain seemed to freeze mid-air.
The woman's expression finally shifted. A small, chilling smile played on her lips. "Liar. But a very, very interesting one."
She grabbed Arthur's arm. Her grip was like a vice made of cold iron.
"Wait! What about me?" Gantz roared, finally snapping out of his trance.
"You?" Arthur looked back at the bounty hunter as he was being pulled into the door. "You've served your purpose. Your potential was low, Gantz. But your death... your death will be a masterpiece."
Arthur triggered the System one last time before the door closed.
[Action: Forced Potential Combustion]
[Target: 'Iron-Jaw' Gantz]
[Effect: Volatile Energy Overload]
Gantz's eyes turned obsidian. His body began to swell, glowing with a violent, unstable light.
"What... what did you do to me?!" Gantz screamed.
"I just settled your debt," Arthur's voice echoed as he vanished into the spatial door.
BOOM.
Gantz didn't just die; he became a human bomb. The explosion leveled the entire cliffside, buried the CP9 agent under tons of rock, and sent a shockwave that rocked the World Economic Journal ship.
Inside the spatial void, Arthur collapsed to his knees. It was pitch black, save for the woman's glowing eyes.
"You killed your only ally just to buy a few seconds of escape," she whispered. "You truly are a monster."
"I'm an investor," Arthur panted. "And I just cleared the ledger."
"We'll see," she said. "But we aren't going to the ship anymore, Arthur. My master wants to meet you."
The door in front of them opened.
Arthur stepped out, expecting a ship or a hideout. Instead, he found himself standing on a floor of polished black marble. Above him was a ceiling of stars, and in front of him sat a massive, empty throne.
But it wasn't the Empty Throne of Mary Geoise.
Standing in the corner was a man with a scarred face, a green cloak, and a tattoo that Arthur recognized instantly.
Monkey D. Dragon. The Revolutionary.
But Dragon wasn't looking at Arthur. He was looking at the woman in the white dress.
"Is this him, Mother?" Dragon asked.
Arthur's blood ran cold. Mother?
The woman closed her umbrella. "This is the one who sees the strings, Dragon. But he doesn't realize he's already been tied to them."
Suddenly, the System in Arthur's head began to scream—not a notification, but a rhythmic, terrifying sound.
[SYNC ERROR]
[Warning: The 'Real' System Host has been detected in this room.]
[Status: You are the decoy.]
[TO BE CONTINUED]