"Toki, are you sure you're ready?"
"Of course." Toki looked at Michael and nodded. "While Lily is still busy with all those meetings, sending you off now is the best choice."
"Wow, you really are a devious little sister."
"Father, there's no better sister in the world than me." Toki said firmly. "Lily's obsession with you has clearly crossed the line between father and daughter… For her sake, the best thing is to set everything back on the right path."
Michael sighed.
He knew Toki's words were completely justified.
But he still couldn't help worrying about his daughter.
He had raised Lily from a filthy, emaciated child into the radiant Queen of Alabasta she was now.
To say he hadn't poured his heart into her would be a lie.
But it was precisely because of his genuine emotions that he understood—it was time for him to leave.
His daughter had grown up, and she would eventually have to spread her Wings and fly far away.
"Alright, Toki… you can begin now."
Back when she had returned to Alabasta with the Devil Fruits, Toki had already eaten one of the two she had found.
Naturally, the one she chose was the Time Fruit.
The other, she had given to Lily.
Though Lily had never chosen to eat the fruit, the bond between the two sisters had softened considerably that day.
As soon as Michael finished speaking, the glow of the Time Fruit began to brighten.
...
"Haah… Haah…"
In the bustling capital of the vast kingdom, where joy and laughter filled every corner, a small, cloaked figure darted through the streets and alleys.
He stood out starkly against his surroundings.
Whether it was his attire… or his emotions.
From start to finish, he radiated thick hatred and madness.
And his target… was the lofty God's Nation.
Now, it stood empty.
After the rebel army had plundered the treasures hoarded within God's Nation, the place had been completely abandoned.
But he hadn't come here for the treasures, nor to mourn his people.
He had come for… mutual destruction.
After a long climb, he finally ascended to God's Nation once more.
Returning to his… home.
He threw off his cloak, revealing the still-developing black Wings on his back.
A flicker of eternal flame suddenly ignited at the back of his head.
He was unmistakably a young member of the Lunarian Race, barely in his teens.
And his parents—they were the two Emperor-level Lunarians who had been personally slain by Michael.
Because of his parents' revered status among the Lunarians, he knew secrets most of his kin were unaware of.
This was also why, after being secretly smuggled out of the vast kingdom, he had gone to great lengths to disguise himself and return here.
He had no interest in clinging to life anymore.
The only thing driving him now was vengeance.
Vengeance against the Doomsday Archangel who had killed his parents.
Vengeance against the rebel army that had destroyed his homeland.
Vengeance against the commoners who had betrayed their god!
His parents had once told him that deep within the lowest level of God's Nation lay a switch.
A switch that controlled a force of annihilation.
The God's Nation they lived in was, in truth, a flying continent capable of soaring into the sky—and unleashing deadly attacks.
However, activating it came at a terrible cost…
The power and… lives of the Lunarian people.
Yet, the force of annihilation did not refer to the flying continent itself.
Beneath God's Nation, at the deepest point underground, lay the convergence of Dyna Stone veins.
These veins branched out, spreading across nearly half of the Red Line.
If the day ever came when the vast kingdom fell, when the rule of the Lunarians and other races was overturned…
Then mutual destruction would be the only answer.
Following his parents' descriptions, the boy made his way to the lowest level of God's Nation.
Places once guarded, where a child like him would never have been allowed, were now open for him to pass freely.
Soon, he reached his destination.
And the great door before him could only be opened with the blood of a Lunarian.
The boy didn't hesitate to bite his finger and smear his blood on the groove of the great door.
The next moment, the door slowly opened.
Inside the room stood a single chair.
He knew his life would end here.
But...
Without hesitation, he sat down.
The flames behind his head instantly burned at their peak intensity.
The next moment, God's Nation... moved.
Amidst the roaring sounds and violent tremors, God's Nation began to rise.
The boy felt his strength gradually draining away, yet his consciousness had never been clearer.
He looked ahead at the switch his parents had warned him about—the one with devastating power.
"This world... is truly dull."
The boy murmured to himself, then pressed the switch without hesitation.
"BOOM!"
...
Imu skipped lightly toward Michael's bedchamber.
This time, she had no attendants or scribes trailing behind her—she had slipped away under the pretense of needing the bathroom.
The experience reminded her of her childhood.
Back then, her father hadn't yet become the greedy man he would later be.
But... nothing from the past could hold her back now.
With everything settled, she had finally made up her mind.
A meeting?
Screw the meeting!
This queen is going to claim her man!
If she really lost to that niece of hers, it would be too humiliating!
So she slipped all the way from the palace into the royal chambers.
"Michael! Bet you're surprised to see me! What a shock— What the hell are you all doing!?"
The moment Imu pushed open the door, she saw an unprecedented glow emanating from Toki's body.
Instantly, Imu felt her clothes begin to flutter without any wind.
When Toki saw Imu enter, she instinctively tried to stop her ability's activation, but at that very moment...
"Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"
A series of muffled explosions rang out, accompanied by violent tremors.
The entire palace was thrown into a severe earthquake.
The sudden, intense shaking immediately sent Toki tumbling to the ground.
"F-Father! My ability... I can't stop it!"
Michael froze.
This was what Kozuki Toki had spoken of in the future...
An ability going berserk.
"It's alright! Toki! Just try to lock onto a time 800 years in the future!"
"I'll be waiting... for you there."
After saying this, Michael immediately turned and roared at Imu:
"What are you standing around gawking for!? Get out of Toki's ability range now! Do you want to get sent to the future like me!?"
Imu stood frozen for a moment, but after just a second, she flashed a fearless smile—more like a queen who ruled over all than ever before.
"The future? Sounds fascinating."
With that, Imu suddenly sprinted forward and clung onto Michael.
"You bastard man, don't you dare try to leave me behind!"
As soon as she spoke, Toki's uncontrollable power reached its limit.
In a blinding flash of light, Michael and Imu vanished from the spot.
Toki struggled to her feet, only to find the tremors hadn't ceased.
She rushed out of the chambers, joining Rocks as they watched the capital erupt in violent explosions.
Rocks, however, could only stare blankly at the apocalyptic scene before him.
"So this..."
"This is the truth behind the sinking of the Great Kingdom."