The morning fog hung heavy over the Grand Line as Darius stood at the prow of his ship, the Abyss Walker, cutting silently through the churning waves. The sun was a pale glow behind a thick veil of clouds, but his gaze was fixed far beyond the horizon.
The stolen scroll from the Cipher Pol vault rested on the table behind him—its cryptic symbols and faded ink a haunting reminder of the secrets buried in the Void Century. Among the ruins of history lay the truth, the kind that could shatter the world's fragile order.
A sharp voice broke the silence.
"Captain," Selene said, stepping beside him. Her silver hair whipped in the wind. "Sensors indicate a Marine patrol ahead. They're actively searching for you."
Darius's crimson eye flickered coldly. "Let them come."
---
Elsewhere, aboard the Marine flagship Justice's Wrath, Vice Admiral Smoker tapped his Den Den Mushi thoughtfully. Reports of Darius's recent strike had shaken the Marine forces.
"Intelligence confirms he freed prisoners, seized ancient records, and escaped with powers unlike anything we've seen," Smoker said, eyes narrowing.
Captain Tashigi frowned beside him. "If he's truly the son of Rocks D. Xebec, we're facing a threat born from the darkest days of piracy."
Smoker cracked his knuckles. "We can't afford to underestimate him."
---
Back on Darius's ship, the Marine patrol grew closer. Selene readied her glaive, eyes scanning the horizon.
"Captain, they're hailing us. Demanding we surrender."
Darius smiled—a dangerous smile.
"Show me what they've got."
He raised his hand, and space around him shimmered and tore open—a rift swirling with dark energy.
The patrol's cannons fired. The bullets and cannonballs vanished as they neared the rift, swallowed into the void.
With a swift movement, Darius stepped through the rift, reappearing behind the flagship.
---
The ensuing battle was swift and brutal. Using his Rift Rift Fruit powers, Darius bent space to evade attacks and strike with devastating precision. Selene fought beside him, her spear ignited with Lunarian fire, slicing through Marine ranks.
By the battle's end, the Marine patrol lay crippled, their flagship drifting like a ghost ship.
Darius stood amid the wreckage, eyes glowing fiercely.
"This is only the beginning," he declared.
---
Later that night, in the quiet of his cabin, Darius studied the ancient scroll again. A marked location glowed faintly: Amazon Lily.
He whispered, "The Empress holds a piece of the past… and maybe the future."
---
On Amazon Lily, Boa Hancock's eyes scanned the latest reports.
"This Xebec," she murmured, "he's unlike any pirate I've faced."
Her fingers tightened around her fan. "If he threatens the balance of the world, I will be ready."
---
The sea roared, swallowing secrets and promises alike.
Darius's journey into the abyss had only just begun.