A small, standard boat cut through the waves near Jaya Island, speeding toward a specific point on the horizon. Gekko Moriah stood at the bow with his arms crossed, his tall frame casting a massive shadow across the deck. The sea breeze ruffled his purple hair, and the face that had once been twisted by a crushing defeat now held only a deep and quiet calm.
Gild Tesoro stood beside him, intentionally positioned a half-step behind. His pink suit seemed out of place against the vast blue sea, but his posture was respectful, almost humble.
"Mr. Moriah, for this mission, I humbly ask for your guidance."
"Kishishishi…" Moriah let out his characteristic laugh, turning to glance at the man beside him. "We're all partners working for Mr. Kyle now. There's no need to be so formal. Just call me Senior."
"Yes, Senior Moriah," Tesoro obediently corrected himself. He chose his next words carefully, testing the waters. "Senior, what kind of person is Mr. Kyle, exactly?"
The question made Moriah's laughter stop abruptly. He thought for a moment, his gaze becoming distant as scenes flashed through his mind.
He saw the man on the snowy fields of Wano Country, casually stepping on Kaido's spiked club as if it were a mere stone. He saw him in a North Blue castle, sitting on a throne while his aura alone forced Doflamingo to his knees. He saw the sky above the Holy Land, Mary Geoise, being covered by a colossal black hand, and the terrifying majesty of a man who stood as an equal to the Five Elders.
Those golden eyes that commanded respect without anger, that solitary figure who seemed to tower over the entire world… but then, that majestic image began to merge with another one.
He saw the man in the hot spring at the Shambles villa, complaining about getting old while the maids covered their mouths to hide their laughter. He saw him at the dinner table, being nagged by Mihawk for refusing to eat his bell peppers. He saw him as a lazy bum lying on a beach chair, wearing sunglasses with a manga over his face, snoring without a care in the world.
The two vastly different images clashed violently in his mind, causing Moriah's mouth to twitch. He turned back to face the endless sea, his tone now full of meaning.
"Mr. Kyle… he is a very vibrant person. You'll understand later."
Vibrant? Tesoro repeated the word in his mind, his confusion growing. The word seemed completely disconnected from the image of the "Wave Guiding King" who could kill powerful men with a simple flick of his finger.
Moriah didn't explain any further and changed the subject. "Junior, instead of trying to guess Mr. Kyle's thoughts, you should be thinking about how to deal with that so-called 'God' in the sky." He patted Tesoro's shoulder, his hand heavy. "For this mission, I'm just here to assist you. Whether we can take Sky Island or not depends on your strength."
"I understand." Tesoro's expression immediately turned serious. He pulled a report prepared by Caron from his pocket, which detailed everything they knew about "God Eneru."
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit, one of the most powerful Logia-type Devil Fruits. Mantra, a form of Observation Haki that covered the entire island. And the Ark "Maxim," a flying ship rumored to be capable of destroying islands.
"Eneru has a very high mastery of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. While he probably hasn't reached the 'Awakening' stage, he is definitely a top-tier Logia user," Tesoro said quickly, his mind racing. "My Armament Haki isn't strong enough. In a direct fight, I have almost no chance of winning."
He knew that his greatest strength wasn't brute force. The abilities of the Gold-Gold Fruit were incredibly versatile, but against an opponent who could turn into lightning and move at the speed of light, any complex technique would be too slow to matter.
"My chance to defeat him… there might only be one," Tesoro murmured, his eyes glinting with a mix of shrewdness and madness. He had to design the perfect trap—a golden cage that not even a man who thought he was a god could escape.
Meanwhile, on the Grand Line, in the Alabasta Kingdom.
The scorching sun baked the endless desert. The air shimmered with heatwaves, making the distant dunes appear blurry and unreal. A small caravan of a dozen camels was slowly making its way across the vast yellow sands.
Kyle wore a wide-brimmed sun hat and simple traveler's clothes, riding lazily on a camel like any other backpacker. Beside him was the caravan leader, a middle-aged man named Jack who, despite his weathered face, was quite the talker.
"Brother Black, I'm not kidding," Jack said, taking a large gulp of water from his canteen. "One time, I got lost out here all by myself and ran into the most vicious gang in the desert, the Sand Scorpion Bandits!" He gestured wildly, his expression full of excitement. "Their leader had a gleaming scimitar right at my throat! But did I, your Brother Jack, even blink? No! Then, whoosh—thwack—, with one move, I took him down!"
Kyle chuckled. "Brother Jack, you're so amazing. Why didn't you become a great pirate? You'd probably have a bounty of several hundred million Berries by now."
"Sigh!" Jack waved his hand, a look of regret on his face. "Don't even get me started. I get seasick. Otherwise, with my skills, I'd be a Yonko by now!"
Kyle almost choked on his own spit.
Just then, Jack suddenly pulled on his camel's reins, his expression changing completely. Over the dune ahead, a large group of figures appeared. They rode on taller, fiercer-looking desert camels, and they carried scimitars and guns. They quickly surrounded the small caravan, their faces twisted into sneers.
"It's 'Vulture' Haig's men!" someone in the caravan cried out in terror.
The triumphant look on Jack's face vanished instantly. He swallowed hard and tried to keep his voice steady as he shouted, "Good sirs! We're just delivering goods to Rainbase! Please let us pass, and we'll reward you generously once we're through!"
A bald, burly man rode forward. He carried a massive zanbato on his back and laughed. "Enough talk! Leave the goods and the women, and the rest of you can get lost!"
Jack's face turned pale, and his body began to tremble.
Kyle watched the scene with amusement, then glanced at the man beside him. The tough guy who had just been bragging about taking down a bandit leader was now shaking like a leaf.
"Brother Jack," Kyle said lazily, "where's your sword? Go on. Whoosh—thwack— and take him down."
Jack looked like he was about to cry. "Brother Black, please don't joke around! That… that's Haig! He has a bounty of eight million Berries!"
"Oh, eight million," Kyle nodded with a look of mock seriousness. "Wow, amazing!" What was my bounty again? Something over four billion? Oh, well. It doesn't matter.
Haig overheard their conversation and turned his gaze to Kyle. "Kid, you don't seem very scared."
Kyle shrugged. "Scared of what? I'm just a backpacker. I don't have many Berries on me."
Haig and his bandits stared for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! This kid's an idiot, isn't he?!"
"Boss, let me twist his head off!"
Haig waved his hand to silence his men. He looked at Kyle with interest. "You're an interesting kid. Since you made me laugh, I'll give you a chance. Kneel down and lick my boots clean, and I'll let you live."
Everyone in the caravan looked at Kyle with pity. In their eyes, the ignorant young man was already dead.
Kyle sighed. He had just wanted to take a nice vacation and check on what Crocodile had been up to in Alabasta, but there were always these annoying flies buzzing around and disturbing his peace.
"Licking boots is not going to happen. I'm not interested in men's feet." He looked up at Haig, his lazy expression unchanging.
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion