The life of the Silvers family gradually returned to its usual rhythm. Days passed quietly, and the sense of normalcy that once defined their home had returned.
Rayleigh and Arthur resumed their weekly routine — swimming across the calm, silent waters of the Calm Belt in search of random, uninhabited islands.
For Rayleigh, it was the best kind of training ground, a place far from prying eyes and distractions.
And for Arthur, it was the perfect stage to test his growing strength, guided by his father's experience and watchful eye.
As they often did, they picked a random direction and began swimming. Hours went by, and eventually, the outline of a new island came into view, surrounded by thick fog and an eerie stillness that seemed to stretch endlessly.
Once they stepped ashore, the two took a moment to rest. Rayleigh, cautious as always, closed his eyes and extended his Observation Haki to scan the island's surroundings.
After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and spoke. "There's no one here," Rayleigh said calmly. "Completely deserted. It's perfect for our training."
Arthur nodded, agreeing without hesitation. He reached for the sword he had brought from his previous looting trip, ready to unsheathe it and start their sparring session.
But before he could, a faint sound reached his ears — a voice, distant yet distinct, calling out his name.
Arthur froze and turned toward the source. "What was that?" he asked, glancing at Rayleigh. For a moment, he thought it was just his father calling him.
Rayleigh raised an eyebrow. "What's what? I didn't say anything."
Before Arthur could respond, the voice came again, clearer this time — echoing his name through the still air. And this time, Rayleigh heard it too.
The tone was strange: not hostile, not friendly, but filled with familiarity, as if the speaker truly knew Arthur.
The two men exchanged glances, their instincts immediately sharpening. Without a word, they began to move toward the direction the voice came from, treading carefully through the thick undergrowth.
As they walked, the voice grew louder, calling Arthur's name repeatedly, the tone shifting from a faint whisper to something more insistent.
"What do you think it is, Father?" Arthur asked, scanning the surroundings. "How could it possibly know my name?"
Rayleigh didn't answer immediately. His gaze was focused ahead, his Observation Haki spread wide across the land. "I don't know, Arthur," he said finally.
"But in my experience, when something like this happens, it's rarely random. Either it's truly calling you — or it's calling someone who once carried your name. In the sea, coincidences and fate tend to blend."
Arthur frowned slightly, not entirely reassured. "So what do you think it is?"
Rayleigh gave a small shrug. "We'll find out soon enough," he said, his tone calm but alert.
They continued forward, their footsteps echoing faintly against the forest floor. The air grew colder as they walked, and slowly, the landscape began to change.
The dense forest gave way to broken paths, overgrown stones, and remnants of man-made structures buried beneath years of decay.
Bits of crumbling walls emerged from the earth, followed by half-buried statues and fragments of paved roads.
Then, after several more minutes of walking, the full picture revealed itself — the ruins of what once must have been a kingdom. A massive castle loomed in the distance, its walls cracked and partially collapsed.
Around it were countless stone houses, their roofs caved in and windows shattered. The entire island was covered with the remnants of a lost civilization.
Arthur stopped, staring in quiet awe. "What is this place?" he muttered, taking in the sight of fallen towers and decayed battlements.
The voice that had been calling him seemed to resonate faintly through the air, almost as if it were coming from the castle itself.
Rayleigh looked around, his eyes narrowing slightly. "It looks like this land's been dead for centuries," he said. "And yet… the air here feels heavy, like something still lingers. It's rare for ruins this old to remain this intact."
Arthur stayed silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on the castle at the heart of the ruins. A strange pull stirred inside him — subtle, instinctive, almost subconscious.
Without realizing it, his feet began to move, drawn toward the massive structure as though something inside was calling only to him.
'There's no such thing as powers that last forever,' Arthur thought, recalling the words once spoken by Rocks D. Xebec in the manga he remembered from his past life.
The fallen kingdom before him was proof of that truth — a testament to the impermanence of power and glory.
Rayleigh continued surveying the surroundings, unaware that Arthur had already wandered off. The older man was examining the ruined roads when a sudden realization struck him.
"Arthur?" he called out, but there was no answer. He turned sharply, scanning the ruins — and his heart sank when he saw that his son was no longer beside him.
Arthur, meanwhile, had reached the entrance of the ruined castle. The moment he stepped past its crumbling gates, the air shifted, thick with an ancient presence.
The faint voice he'd been hearing grew louder, resonating directly in his mind now, though its words were still unclear. He took another step forward, his curiosity overwhelming his caution.
Then, without warning, the massive gates of the castle slammed shut behind him with a deafening clang.
Rayleigh, hearing the sound from outside, immediately rushed toward the castle. "Arthur! Where are you?" he shouted, his voice echoing through the desolate ruins.
But before he could reach the gates, an invisible force shimmered into existence, a transparent barrier, powerful and unyielding, sealing the entire castle off.
Rayleigh drew his sword and channeled his full Haki into a strike, the air around him distorting from the sheer pressure.
The blow landed against the barrier with explosive force — yet it didn't even scratch the surface. The old pirate narrowed his eyes, his expression turning grim.
"Even with my full strength, I can't break it?" Rayleigh muttered under his breath, lowering his blade. He stared at the sealed castle, his mind racing with questions.
Inside, Arthur stood in the dim silence of the ancient hall, the echo of his name still whispering faintly in his ears. Whatever was calling him — it was waiting.
-------------------
Meanwhile, inside the castle, Arthur walked across a dusty red carpet that stretched deep into the inner hall. The air was heavy, filled with the scent of age and decay.
Every step he took echoed faintly, the sound fading into the hollow silence of the corridor. He kept following the carpet without hesitation, his curiosity outweighing any concern for danger.
He only wanted to see what lay at the end, to understand what was waiting for him inside this forgotten place.
The path eventually led him to a large door. When Arthur pushed it open, the hinges creaked, and a long, empty chamber was revealed.
At the far end stood a throne, cracked and faded, its surface covered in dust. The carpet ended right before it.
On the throne rested a sword, embedded into the stone seat itself, as if it had been waiting for someone to claim it.
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Huh, didn't expect that," he muttered quietly. He stepped closer, observing the weapon with more detail.
The blade had a cross-like shape, almost similar to Yoru, though the cross was shorter and more compact.
Its hilt and handle were a deep crimson, like hardened blood, giving the weapon a strange but commanding presence. It seemed to hum faintly, as though it were alive.
When Arthur placed his hands on the hilt, the air around him instantly shifted. A surge of malice erupted from the blade and rushed into his mind.
His entire vision went red as something tried to claw into his consciousness, a malevolent spirit, filled with hatred and wrath, seeking to take control.
It reminded Arthur of the Shichiseiken, a cursed sword born purely from malice. The will inside this one, however, felt far older and much stronger.
The sword's hilt began to twist, transforming into a crown-like guard of sharp thorns that dug into his palms.
Blood ran down his fingers, and the weapon released black flames that tried to burn through his skin. Yet Arthur did not let go.
He gritted his teeth, enduring the pain as the cursed power tried to devour his mind.
Inside his consciousness, a new scene formed, a vast, burning void filled with red mist. From it emerged a colossal red dragon, its eyes glowing with hatred.
It let out a roar that shook the ground, its voice echoing directly into Arthur's soul. The creature lunged at him, its fangs bared, trying to overwhelm his will and bend him into submission.
Arthur felt the immense pressure pressing down on him, threatening to crush him completely. The dragon's aura was suffocating, capable of corrupting even the purest of minds.
But Arthur was no ordinary person. He opened his eyes inside that mental realm and faced the creature head-on.
"I won't be controlled by anyone," he said firmly. "Especially not by a beast like you. My life is my own."
He repeated those words in his mind like a mantra, anchoring himself in his will as the dragon continued its assault.
The air trembled. Sparks of unseen energy began to gather around him. Then, from the depth of his determination, a powerful surge erupted, an aura so intense that it shook the entire spiritual plane.
A wave of pressure burst outward, striking the dragon with overwhelming force. The presence of Arthur's Conqueror's Haki manifested for the first time, pure and absolute, clashing against the will of the cursed dragon.
The creature roared again, but this time it faltered, the dark mist around it shattering under the force of Arthur's spirit.
The dragon fought desperately, yet it was overwhelmed, consumed by the power of Arthur's conviction until it finally submitted and vanished into light.
Moments later, Arthur's vision cleared, and he found himself standing once more inside the throne room. The sword was now in his hands, no longer resisting.
Its blade gleamed faintly under the weak sunlight that slipped through the cracks in the ceiling.
Information began to pour into his mind, memories, fragments, and history that were not his own.
He saw glimpses of the past. The sword once belonged to the ruler of this fallen kingdom, a king who wielded the power of a Red Dragon through a Devil Fruit.
When the king died, the battles that followed corrupted the weapon and the will of the fruit inside it, twisting them into pure hatred and destruction.
That was the darkness Arthur had just fought against.
But now, subdued by Arthur's Conqueror's Haki, the essence of the Red Dragon recognized his strength and accepted him as its new master.
The malice faded, replaced by the calm, ancient power of the original beast.
"Antares," Arthur whispered, speaking the name that surfaced in his mind. "Come out."
The sword vibrated, and dark red light enveloped it. The air rippled as the blade transformed, stretching and shifting until the dragon he had seen in his mind emerged in full form before him.
Its scales shimmered like molten metal, and its eyes burned with renewed clarity. Arthur smiled faintly as the dragon's massive body grew larger, its wings spreading wide.
"What perfect timing," Arthur thought to himself, climbing onto its back as the dragon let out a roar. The sound shook the entire castle.
Stone walls began to crack, and the ceiling collapsed under the pressure of the dragon's reawakened energy. The entire structure crumbled as if it had been nothing more than sand.
Outside, the ground trembled violently. Rayleigh, who had been standing before the sealed barrier, felt the shockwave ripple through the air.
His eyes widened when he heard the deafening roar of a creature breaking free. Then, through the cloud of dust and falling debris, a massive red dragon burst from the ruins, tearing through the castle roof.
Rayleigh instinctively shielded his face from the gust of wind. When he looked up again, he saw Arthur standing confidently on the creature's back, the sunlight glinting off the red scales.
Rayleigh could only stare for a moment before muttering under his breath, "What in the world happened inside that place?"