On an island where the sea's surface had frozen into a solid sheet of ice, the silence was broken by a terrified scream.
"Don't come closer! Stay away from me!"
A Marine Lieutenant Commander lay on the icy ground, his eyes snapping open in horror. His voice trembled as he shrieked in panic.
"Monsters… Monsters! They're everywhere!"
Clutching at his neck, he scrambled up from the frozen ground and glanced wildly at the surrounding forest, as if the trees themselves might lunge at him.
"Aah…"
His breath came in ragged gasps. He wasn't sure whether the grotesque creatures from before would come crawling out of the mist again. The memory alone was enough to make his legs shake uncontrollably.
"Oh my, Kan, calm down. You're safe now."
A slow, lazy voice drifted through the cold air, carrying an unexpected reassurance.
"Admiral Kuzan…?"
The Marine's terror wavered, replaced with fragile relief as he turned toward the sound.
Leaning casually against a frost-covered tree was Admiral Aokiji, his half-lidded eyes regarding the shaken Marine.
"It's me."
Kan's shoulders slumped as he released a shaky breath. But the uncontrollable trembling on his face didn't vanish. The horrors he had just witnessed in the mist still clung to him like a nightmare he couldn't wake from.
Aokiji studied him quietly, noting the unnatural fear etched into every movement. The Admiral's lips pressed together in a sigh.
The Dusty Singing Kingdom—a land erased from history. That cursed place hidden in the mist had dragged Kan Lan, Kizaru, and the other Marines into its nightmare. Yet for some reason, the mist had never taken Aokiji himself.
Even when the haze spread across the frozen land, swallowing everything in its path, Aokiji stood untouched. He couldn't explain why. He hadn't seen what they had seen. But the end results spoke loudly enough—whatever lay inside that kingdom was far from ordinary.
Patting the shaken Marine on the shoulder, Aokiji's voice lowered, calm but firm.
"Relax. Those monsters aren't here anymore."
Kan's knees finally gave out, and he dropped back to the ground, clutching at his chest.
"That's good… That's good…"
His voice cracked as relief washed over him. Then, realizing the disgrace of his trembling body before an Admiral, he forced himself to stand back up, bowing quickly.
"Forgive me, Admiral Kuzan! I've shamed myself!"
But his hands still wouldn't stop shaking. Touching his neck, he blinked in confusion. His body was whole. No wounds, no missing pieces. Yet the memories refused to fade.
"Admiral Kuzan… what did I just experience?"
Even recalling it made his skin crawl. His voice shook as though his very soul trembled.
"…Was it all just an illusion?"
Aokiji's gaze darkened.
He had wondered the same thing. When the mist dissolved, he had been left in a strange half-state—not inside the illusion, but not in normal reality either. He saw the Marines trapped in ice, yet also saw them walk into the forest. Both were true. Both were false.
And then—
Observation Haki had flared in his mind. He foresaw the gruesome fate of nine frozen Marines. Their heads would explode in three seconds, showering the ground with blood and brains.
He had acted instantly, shattering the ice and freeing them. He had unleashed a wide-range attack, freezing the entire forest anew in an attempt to prevent the outcome.
It hadn't mattered.
Exactly as foreseen, nine Marines fell. Their skulls burst open one after another, blood painting the frozen ground crimson.
Aokiji could only watch. The one responsible wasn't here in this space. His attacks had struck nothing but empty air.
And worse—at the very instant those nine lives were snuffed out, Admiral Kizaru vanished.
When the mist lifted, Borsalino was gone. No trace, no presence. Aokiji had scoured the island in search, but there had been nothing.
"…Maybe it was an illusion," Aokiji finally said, his voice heavy. He would not lie to his subordinates, but he had no answer to offer.
"Maybe?"
Kan's voice broke, disbelief flooding his expression. If even Admiral Kuzan couldn't explain it, what chance did he have to understand?
"That illusion… it was too real. Far too real…"
Aokiji's gaze sharpened.
"What did you see?"
Kan froze. His breath caught in his throat as sweat dripped down his temples.
"I…"
After several trembling breaths, he finally forced the words out.
"In that illusion… there were endless mutilated monsters. At first, it was a normal city street. Flags hung across the air, musical notes carved into the buildings. But the streets were empty. Silent. Not a single voice."
His fists clenched as he recalled the memory.
"We knew something was wrong. We tried to head for the port, hoping for a ship to escape. That's when we heard it—a girl's singing voice, echoing from an ancient castle."
He swallowed hard.
"The moment the song began, the entire city came alive. Voices sang from every direction, though no one was there. Mist thickened around us. And then… they came. One after another, crawling from the haze. The first mutilated monster. Then the second. The third. An endless tide."
His voice broke into a whisper.
"They had rotten bodies, missing limbs, broken instruments clutched in their hands. They sang as they crawled. And they attacked."
His trembling hand touched his throat again.
"We tried to fight back, but nothing worked. Blades cut through them, but they wouldn't die. We were pushed back again and again. In the chaos, I was separated from the others. Trapped. Surrounded. They held me down, and I couldn't move."
Aokiji's eyes narrowed.
"What did they do?"
Kan's face paled. His voice lowered to a quivering whisper.
"…A severed arm lifted a violin bow…"
"Stop!" Aokiji snapped sharply, pupils contracting. "Don't say another word!"
But it was too late.
"…I watched as that rotten arm sawed across my neck, piece by piece. I was alive while it cut me apart. My head rolled to the ground. I saw my own body being devoured, torn apart by those undead monsters…"
His words slurred, his eyes blank. He stroked his own throat mechanically. And then—
A thin line appeared across his neck. Blood welled from the jagged wound, dripping down his uniform.
"…Huh?"
Kan blinked down at his hand, slick with red.
"My… neck…"
His gaze lifted toward Aokiji, confusion written across his paling face.
"Admiral Kuzan… does this mean… I was already dead?"
Blood spurted in a violent spray.
With a dull crack, his head split from his body and rolled across the ice.
"Kan…"
Aokiji's voice was low, carrying the weight of inevitability. He closed his eyes slowly, letting the bitter silence of the frozen island swallow them both.
Thud.
The Marine's body collapsed heavily, the sound echoing across the quiet forest. His severed head rolled until it stopped at Aokiji's feet.
The Admiral's mind drifted. He remembered a scene back at Marineford. Kan had smiled brightly, showing him a photograph of his newborn son—a chubby baby boy, face full of innocence.
Kan's grin had been so wide, filled with pride. He had spoken with conviction. He would raise his son to be a Marine. To serve the World Government. To protect peace.
Now, that promise lay broken on the icy ground.
Aokiji's body temperature plummeted further. His voice came out in a chilling murmur.
"Shirogai Yamikuro… you killed a Marine of excellent character."
His eyes opened again, but they were devoid of warmth. Cold mist escaped his lips as his power leaked unconsciously into the air.
"I'm sorry, Kan. I couldn't protect you."
The frozen island fell silent once more.
___
Sick... could only manage to upload a chapter each on all my fanfictions.
Can you please send Power stones.