The Abyss Walker drifted through a curtain of mist as it approached a jagged, unnamed island off the shadowed edge of Wano's ruined borders. The air was thick with volcanic heat and salt, and the skies above churned with muted gray clouds.
Darius D. Xebec stood at the bow, eyes fixed ahead. His crimson coat whipped behind him as the winds began to howl.
"This is the place," Selene said, approaching from behind. "The coordinates match the flare that woman left behind."
Darius didn't speak at first. His jaw was clenched.
"She was the one from back at Mariner's Grave," he said quietly. "The spider."
Selene nodded once. "Still no name?"
He shook his head. "Just a feeling. She wanted me to find her."
---
On the Island – Forgotten Courtyard
Overgrown vines twisted across stone paths and shattered wooden bridges as Darius and Selene walked through the ruins. Statues of dragons and oni loomed in half-collapse, and the sounds of birds and insects faded the deeper they went in.
At the center of the ruined temple courtyard, a figure waited beneath a red paper parasol.
She stood tall, her long hair cascading like golden silk down her back. She wore a black and crimson kimono lined with gold web patterns. At her back, the unmistakable silhouette of spider legs gently curled and moved.
"So you came," she said, her voice as smooth and smoky as he remembered.
Darius kept walking. "You knew I would."
The woman smiled. "You owe me a thank-you. I could have let the Cipher Pol agents catch you back in that crater."
Darius stopped just short of her. "Then give me your name, finally."
She studied him for a long moment… then bowed her head slightly.
"Black Maria."
His eyes narrowed slightly. "Former Beast Pirate."
"A title I've long since shed," she replied. "Kaido's vision failed. Yours… may yet rise."
Selene stepped forward. "What do you want?"
Before Maria could speak, a second presence landed on the far side of the courtyard—a tall figure, muscular and wild-haired, dressed in worn samurai armor and dragging a massive kanabo behind her.
"I was wondering when you'd show up," the newcomer said, eyes sharp. "You're Darius."
He tensed slightly. "Who's asking?"
"Name's Yamato," she said. "And I've been watching you from afar. You've been making waves—tearing through Cipher Pol, exposing secrets, surviving places no one should."
Selene's grip subtly tightened around her glaive. "More spies?"
"Not quite," Maria said. "Yamato's an exile. Like me."
---
Tension Builds
Darius eyed Yamato's stance—ready but not aggressive.
"You were watching me?"
"I've been watching everyone who claims a 'D,'" she replied. "Most of them are reckless. Loud. Dangerous. But you…" She stepped forward, eyes locked with his. "You're something else. There's a weight in your walk. Like you already know the truth."
"Some of it," he admitted. "Enough to hate the ones hiding the rest."
Maria moved between them, smiling. "Which is why we're here. You have a ship. A direction. A cause. And like it or not, Darius… people are starting to choose you."
"I don't need followers."
Yamato raised a brow. "Maybe not. But allies? You won't get far without them."
---
Trust Earned
Darius looked at Selene briefly—his oldest and most trusted ally.
She gave him the faintest nod.
Turning back, he finally spoke. "You want aboard?"
Maria's voice was low. "We want purpose. I spun my webs for tyrants. Yamato grew up in chains. Now we want to tear those chains apart."
Yamato added, "We know the lands the World Government won't map. We've seen what they bury. If you're really trying to break their mask… we can help."
Darius considered them both.
"Fine. But on this ship, loyalty is earned, not assumed."
Maria smiled. "Then let us start earning it."
---
Aboard the Abyss Walker – Later That Night
Moonlight bathed the deck in pale silver. The sea was still. Darius stood at the rail, gazing into the dark waves.
Yamato approached first.
"You don't talk much for a worldbreaker."
"Talking doesn't shatter chains," he said.
She leaned on the rail beside him, letting the silence settle.
"I thought I knew what rebellion meant," she said. "Then I saw your bounty—and the fear in the eyes of the men reading it."
Darius glanced at her. "You were with Kaido?"
"I was supposed to inherit his legacy," she said bitterly. "But I refused to be another weapon."
Darius nodded slightly. "Then maybe we're not so different."
From the shadows behind them, Maria watched the exchange, her spider legs tucked neatly beneath her robe. A rare softness touched her smile.
The Rift Reaver.
The Fallen Spider.
The Oni Heir.
And for the first time… Darius was no longer alone.