The monstrous half-dragon form of Araryu stepped slowly toward the gaping hole in the deck, his reptilian eyes glinting as he looked down into the shattered cabin below. There lay the battered figure of the once-proud warrior, Black Arm Zephyr.
That stubborn old man trembled as he struggled to rise once again, his body shaking but his gaze still fierce as he glared defiantly up at Araryu.
"The battle is over."
Araryu leapt down in a single bound, both of his dragon-clawed feet slamming into Zephyr and crushing him against the floorboards. His right fist gathered force, then drove down with brutal precision, knocking the old man completely unconscious.
"Honestly," Araryu muttered coldly as he lifted Zephyr by the collar, "you relics who look down on Devil Fruit users are amusing. You refuse to eat them, haven't awakened Conqueror's Haki, and still think Armament alone will take you to the top? Ridiculous."
His tone carried faint amusement. The old guard's disdain for Devil Fruits always made him laugh. Sure, their power came with weaknesses—seawater and seastone—but their advantages were undeniable.
People often said legends like Pirate King Roger, Iron Fist Garp, and Red-Haired Shanks ruled the seas without needing any fruit powers. Maybe true. But if they hadn't mastered all three forms of Haki, they would never have reached such heights. And even then, they were the rare exceptions. Most who tried to rely on martial skill or swordsmanship alone never made it anywhere near the summit.
In truth, the world's strongest all combined the two—Devil Fruit and Haki. The Five Elders, the Admirals, the Four Emperors, even Im and the Sun God Nika themselves—every one of them possessed the power of a Devil Fruit.
So who were these pretenders, who neither awakened Conqueror's Haki nor dared eat a Devil Fruit, to compare themselves with monsters like Roger and Garp? They feared seastone and the ocean becoming their weakness—proof of the fear in their hearts.
And once you let fear take root, you lose the will to be invincible. From that moment, your name belongs among the small fry.
True warriors never fear the sea, nor seastone, nor betrayal. They only fear stagnation.
...
Araryu jumped from the Navy warship, his massive wings spreading as his body transformed into a celestial dragon. In seconds, he was soaring back toward the Ark Oratio, Zephyr dangling helplessly in his grasp. Upon landing, he tossed the broken man to his subordinates for imprisonment.
"Lord Araryu, you're the strongest!"
Baby 5 and Perona rushed up to him immediately, clinging to his arms with sparkling eyes like starstruck fans.
"Araryu," said Nico Robin, her voice calm but tight with tension, "there's been a development at Fortress G18." She quickly summarized the latest reports and added, "I've dispatched the Seraphim to reinforce them by teleportation."
Araryu took a sip of wine Baby 5 had just handed him, then frowned. "Barrett and his crew didn't withdraw? And Big Mom's pirates joined the fight too?"
All four Emperors converging on G18—it wasn't good. "Violette," he asked, "still can't find the Five Elders' location?"
Violette lowered her head in shame. "No, Lord Araryu. My focus was on the nearby battlefields."
Just then, an airship came streaking back toward the Ark.
"Boss Araryu! The Revolutionary Army is calling!"
Bonney appeared beside Kuma in a blink, practically throwing herself into Araryu's arms in excitement. Kuma, on the other hand, was holding a captured Marine officer in his massive hand—a young woman in seastone cuffs.
It was Ain, wielder of the Regression Fruit—and she was thoroughly defeated. Her energy spheres had been casually batted away by Kuma's Paw-Paw powers, her own fruit ability rendered useless. Bonney had already crushed most of her fleet.
"Good work," Araryu said, ruffling Bonney's pink hair fondly. Whenever she returned to his side, she reverted to her ten-year-old form, demanding affection like a spoiled child.
Then a brash female voice erupted from the Den-Den Mushi. "Hey, Araryu! Be careful with the Five Elders. Dragon suspects they're planning to strike at either you or the Four Emperors. We're raising hell in the Lulusia Kingdom to draw attention away. It's close to the Red Line…"
Belo Betty's machine-gun pace rattled through the receiver.
Araryu smirked faintly. "Understood. Maybe you should go stir up some chaos in Mary Geoise while you're at it."
Betty chuckled darkly. "We were thinking the same thing. If all Five Elders show up in the New World, we'll give their Holy Land a real quake. Let's see if that fancy shield of theirs can block a push from the Push-Push Fruit."
Araryu ended the call, then switched to a secure line with Dragon. They exchanged intelligence and mapped out their next moves.
Moments later, he turned to the screen showing Morgans' live broadcast. Whitebeard, that old titan, was fighting side by side with Garp against Kaido and Big Mom. It was an uneasy alliance—a storm of chaos.
On-screen, he watched as the commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates slaughtered members of his own Araryu crew. Meanwhile, Marines clashed with the Beasts Pirates, blood soaking the decks.
"Whitebeard… Red-Hair…" Araryu's eyes narrowed, their glint hard as steel.
Only when he saw Enel, Shiryu of the Rain, King the Wildfire, and Jack the Drought escape from Shanks' grasp did his expression ease slightly. Those two—Shiryu and Enel—were his most valued subordinates. If either had fallen, Araryu would have torn through the Red-Hair Pirates to avenge them personally.
Fortunately, Robin had already deployed the teleporting Seraphim to reinforce them, so he didn't need to rush there himself.
"Contact the Red Count and World." His voice hardened. "Tell them to regroup immediately. I can feel it—something big is coming. If I were in the Five Elders' place, I'd strike the moment the Emperors weakened each other."
He paused, gazing at the screen. "I wonder if Red-Hair will still try to preserve the balance when the world starts burning."
"Yes, Lord Araryu!" Robin hurried to relay his orders, knowing full well her leader was about to start a war that would shake the planet.
As the Ark continued to monitor the G18 livestream, reports flowed in from the other battlefronts. The Araryu crew's officers were returning one after another, dragging defeated Marines in chains.
Among them was Prince Grus, Vice Captain of the SWORD Unit. His clay powers had crumbled against the Pirate Empress' petrification—every golem he summoned turned to stone before he could blink. Even his soldiers, mesmerized by her beauty, became statues where they stood.
That battle had ended almost as fast as Kuma's.
Only the pursuit had taken longer.
...