A standard issue dinghy cut through the waves off the coast near Jaya, racing hard toward a specific point.
Gecko Moria stood at the bow with his arms folded across his chest. His towering frame cast a massive shadow over the deck.
The sea wind ruffled his purple hair. The face that had once been twisted by crushing defeat now held only depth and stillness.
Gild Tesoro stood beside him, deliberately half a step behind.
His pink suit clashed violently with the blue sea, yet his posture was lowered, even carrying a hint of humility.
"Lord Moria, for this mission… please guide me."
"Foshishishishi…" Moria let out his signature laugh, turning to glance at him. "We're all working for Lord Kael now. No need to be so stiff. Just call me senior."
"Yes, Senior Moria." Tesoro accepted the correction smoothly. He hesitated, carefully arranging his words, then tested the waters. "Senior… what exactly is Lord Kael… what kind of existence is he?"
That question cut Moria's laughter short.
He fell silent for a moment, his gaze turning distant.
Scenes flashed through his mind, overlapping.
Wano's snowy plains, that man planting a foot on Kaido's kanabo as if it were nothing.
A North Blue castle, him seated upon a throne, crushing Doflamingo into submission with nothing but presence.
Holy Land Mary Geoise, the sky blotting black giant hand, and that terrifying authority standing opposite the Five Elders.
Those golden eyes that carried power without anger. That lone silhouette that seemed to stand above the very peak of the world.
Yet, that imposing figure slowly overlapped with another image.
A hot spring in a Sabaody villa, the same man soaking in the bath while complaining about getting old and losing his looks, making the maids cover their mouths as they giggled.
At the dinner table, the same guy being nagged by Mihawk because he refused to eat green peppers.
And sprawled on a beach chair in sunglasses, comic book in hand, snoring like a shameless, useless salted fish.
Two utterly opposite impressions collided in Moria's head so hard his mouth twitched.
He turned back to the endless sea, voice heavy with meaning.
"Lord Kael… he's a very vivid person. You'll understand eventually."
Vivid?
Tesoro rolled the word around in his mind, more confused than before.
It felt nothing like the Wave King who erased a powerhouse with a flick of his finger.
Moria did not explain. He shifted the topic instead.
"Kid, instead of guessing what Lord Kael is thinking, you'd better figure out how you're going to deal with that so called 'God' up in the sky."
He patted Tesoro's shoulder, not gently.
"This mission, I'm mainly here to support you. Whether you can take Skypiea depends on your own strength."
"I understand." Tesoro immediately tightened his focus, expression turning serious.
He pulled out an intelligence file prepared by Karon, detailing everything on "God, Enel."
The Rumble Rumble Fruit, one of the top tier Logias.
Mantra, Observation Haki that covered the entire island.
And the ark said to be capable of destroying islands, Maxim.
"Enel's development of the Rumble Rumble Fruit is extremely high," Tesoro said quickly, his mind racing. "He might not be at awakening, but he's absolutely among the top Logia users."
He knew his own limits.
His Armament Haki was not top class. A straight head on collision was almost guaranteed to end in defeat.
His advantage was not brute force.
The Gold Gold Fruit could change endlessly.
But against Enel, who could become lightning and move at light speed, any complicated technique could fail simply because it could not keep up.
"The chance to beat him… might only come once." Tesoro murmured, eyes gleaming with a mix of calculation and madness.
He had to design a perfect trap.
A golden cage even a self proclaimed "God" could not escape.
…
At the same time.
Grand Line, Kingdom of Alabasta.
The scorching sun baked the endless desert. Heat waves twisted the air until distant dunes blurred into haze.
A caravan of more than a dozen camels trudged through the boundless sand.
Kael wore a wide sun hat and plain traveler's clothes, lounging atop a camel like a lazy backpacker.
Beside him was the caravan leader, a middle aged man named Jack.
Jack's skin was dark, his face weathered by wind and dust, and he talked like his life depended on it.
"Brother Blake, I'm not bragging." Jack gulped down a mouthful of water, wiped his lips, and started spraying spit with his story. "Back in the day, I got lost in the desert all alone and ran into the nastiest bunch there is, the Sand Scorpion Bandits!"
He gestured wildly, eyes blazing.
"At the time, a shiny curved blade was right on my neck. Your big brother here didn't even blink. Then, just like that, kwoosh, I swung backhand and dropped their boss on the spot!"
Kael laughed along. "Jack, you're that strong, why didn't you go out to sea and become a great pirate? You might be sitting on a bounty in the hundreds of millions by now."
"Ha!" Jack waved a hand, looking genuinely regretful. "Don't even mention it. I get seasick. Otherwise, with my skills, I'd be a sea emperor at minimum!"
Kael nearly choked on his own saliva.
Then Jack suddenly pulled his camel to a stop, his face changing.
Beyond the next dune, a mass of black figures rose without warning.
They rode larger, more vicious desert camels, holding scimitars and muskets, grinning as they swiftly surrounded the small caravan.
"It's Vulture Heg's men!" someone in the caravan cried out in terror.
The pride vanished from Jack's face instantly. He swallowed hard, forcing calm as he shouted, "Gentlemen! We're delivering goods to Rainbase. Do us a favor, let us pass this stretch of sand and we'll pay you well!"
A bald, burly man rode forward, a massive horse chopping blade slung over his shoulder. He sneered. "Save it. Leave the cargo and the women. You can crawl away."
Jack's face went pale. His body trembled.
Kael watched with interest, then glanced at Jack.
The desert tough guy who'd just bragged about one shotting a bandit boss was now shaking like a sieve in the wind.
"Brother Jack," Kael drawled, "where's your blade? Go kwoosh and drop him."
Jack looked like he was about to cry. "Brother Blake, stop messing with me! That… that's Heg with an eight million berry bounty!"
"Oh. Eight million." Kael nodded, as if he finally understood. "Sugoi."
What was my bounty again? Four billion something? Whatever.
Heg heard them, his eyes settling on Kael.
"Kid, you don't look scared at all."
Kael shrugged. "Why would I be? I'm just a backpacker. I don't even have many berries."
Heg and his men froze for a beat, then burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! This kid's an idiot!"
"Boss, let me go twist his head off!"
Heg lifted a hand to stop them, studying Kael with amused interest. "Interesting. Kid, since you made me laugh, I'll give you a chance. Kneel down and lick my boots clean, and I'll spare your life."
The caravan looked at Kael with pity. In their eyes, this clueless young man was already dead.
Kael sighed.
He'd only wanted a little vacation, and to see what Crocodile had done to Alabasta. Why did blind flies always have to come ruin the peace?
"Licking boots is a no. I'm not interested in a man's feet."
He raised his head and looked straight at Heg.
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