Inside the villa's council hall, the air was thick with tension. Kyle sat alone at the head of the long table with his eyes closed. His fingers tapped a soft, rhythmic beat on the smooth tabletop, the monotonous sound echoing in the dead silent room, striking at the heart of everyone present.
Moriah had restrained his usual booming laugh, his pale face set in a rare, solemn expression. Mihawk sat perfectly upright, the red tea beside him long since gone cold, his hawk-like golden eyes lowered in thought. Caron, seated respectfully to Kyle's left, was so still his breathing was barely audible. Everyone in the room was one of Kyle's core subordinates, and they knew his temperament well.
Normally, he could be lazy enough to sleep all day in a chair or joke around with anyone without a care. But when he became this serious, it meant something world-shaking was about to happen.
"Creak—"
The heavy wooden door pushed open, shattering the silence. A figure in a flamboyant pink feather coat strode in, a defiant smile on his face. It was Doflamingo. In recent years, Kyle's hands-off approach had almost made Doflamingo forget he even had a master. The Donquixote Family's Underworld business had flourished under the protection of his Warlord title, allowing his natural arrogance to resurface. That was, until a top-secret order had ripped him from his comfortable life in the North Blue just yesterday.
"Fufufufu… What is it? Why the rush to call me over? Did you run into some trouble?" Doflamingo swaggered into the hall, trying to mask his unease with his usual bravado.
Before he could finish, three icy gazes fell upon him. Mihawk looked up, his stare as sharp as a blade. Moriah turned his head, his massive body casting a shadow that seemed to press down on the room. Even Caron, the businessman, fixed him with a stern gaze. The combined pressure made the smile on Doflamingo's face freeze. He feigned composure, pulled out a chair, and sat down, an alarm bell ringing in his head. Something was very wrong.
Just then, the monotonous tapping stopped.
Kyle slowly opened his eyes. In that instant, Doflamingo felt as if the light in the room had been swallowed by those deep golden eyes. The usual laziness was gone, replaced by a profound stillness like the deep sea, and beneath that calm surface, a madness capable of burning the world to ashes. Kyle's gaze swept over everyone before finally settling on Doflamingo. His voice was soft, yet it exploded in their minds like a thunderclap.
"I'm going to… assault Mary Geoise."
You could have heard a pin drop. Time seemed to stand still.
A near-frenzied flush appeared on Caron's face. His breathing grew heavy, his fists clenched, his eyes burning with fanatical loyalty. To him, Kyle's command was a divine order. Moriah's massive mouth hung slightly open, a look of complete bewilderment on his face. He tried to let out his signature laugh to break the tension but found his throat was too dry.
Mihawk's reaction was the calmest. He raised a hand to stroke the new stubble on his chin. There was no fear in his eyes, but rather a hint of eagerness. He was already calculating the plan's chances of success and what kind of powerful opponents he would get to face.
Doflamingo, however, was completely stunned. His mind went blank. Assault Mary Geoise? Is he insane? He instinctively looked for any sign of a joke on Kyle's face but found only terrifying seriousness. It was the gaze of a man with absolute confidence, a man who saw world rules as mere suggestions. He truly meant it.
The thought struck Doflamingo like lightning, and a fear from the depths of his soul shattered his arrogance. He suddenly remembered that the man before him was a monster who had single-handedly invaded Marineford and openly slaughtered Celestial Dragons.
"Kyle…" Doflamingo's voice was dry and hoarse, but no other words would come out.
Kyle ignored his shock and began giving orders, his voice calm but filled with undeniable authority. "Caron, you will stay here and hold down our territory. After this, the World Government will come for our Underworld forces. Use all of our resources to stabilize the situation. Abandon what you must. Remember, save the people, and the land can be retaken."
"Yes! I swear to defend our home to the death!" Caron knelt on one knee, his voice clear and forceful.
Kyle nodded, turning to Moriah. "Moriah, leave half of your Shadow Army for Caron to command."
"…Understood," Moriah replied, having recovered from his shock.
Finally, Kyle's gaze fell on Mihawk and Doflamingo. "The three of you are coming with me."
"To… Mary Geoise?" Doflamingo's voice trembled.
A cold smile curved Kyle's lips. "What, are you scared?"
"I…" Doflamingo stiffened. The casual question struck his pride like a hammer. He looked up and met Kyle's playful eyes, and a surge of perverse anger rose within him. What choice did he have?
"Fufufufu…" Doflamingo let out a dry laugh. He stood up, steadying himself on the table and readjusting his feather coat. The fear on his face was replaced by a morbid excitement. "What an interesting idea, Kyle! If you want to play such a big game, how can I not see it through to the end!" He wanted to witness firsthand the day those high-and-mighty Celestial Dragons—his own kind—were dragged down from their pedestals.
Kyle watched everyone's reactions with satisfaction. He stood and walked to the large window, his gaze cast toward the distant horizon, as if he could see the Holy Land on top of the Red Line. "Fisher Tiger has already departed," he said softly. "We can't fall behind."
At the same time, in Baltigo, the headquarters of the Revolutionary Army, the atmosphere was suffocating. All the army cadres were present, but no one spoke.
"The East Army was nearly wiped out… Army Commander Ginny… was captured."
Bartholomew Kuma's mountain-like body trembled violently. The Bible he was holding fell to the floor with a heavy thud. He didn't pick it up. He just lowered his head, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"Ginny was taken to Mary Geoise," the intelligence officer added, his voice strained.
"Damn it!" a hot-tempered commander slammed his fist on the table. "What are we waiting for? Let's go rescue her!"
"Calm down!" another cadre shot back. "That's Mary Geoise! Charging in now is suicide! Are we going to sacrifice the entire Revolutionary Army for one person!?"
The hall erupted into chaos. In the end, all eyes turned to the man at the head of the table who had remained silent: Monkey D. Dragon. In his mind, two voices were at war. One was calm and cruel, telling him that for the greater good, Ginny's sacrifice was necessary. The other roared that the revolution was meaningless if they abandoned their own comrades.
Just then, the image of another man appeared in his thoughts: a black trench coat, untamed golden eyes, and a lazy demeanor that held no respect for the rules of the world. Aaron Kyle.
What would he do? Dragon knew the answer without thinking. He would charge in without hesitation. He would turn Mary Geoise upside down to save his friend. The fog in Dragon's heart cleared. A revolution that couldn't even save its own was just a joke.
Dragon slowly raised his head, all conflict gone from his eyes, replaced by steel-like resolve. "I will go myself," he said, his quiet voice silencing the entire room. "Ivankov, Kuma. Prepare yourselves. We are going to infiltrate Mary Geoise and bring Ginny back."
Just as Kuma's empty eyes began to regain a glimmer of hope, the doors burst open. An intelligence officer scrambled in, his face filled with disbelief. "Mr. Dragon!" he gasped, slamming a report on the table. "A ship… it's Kyle's ship! He's leading a force, and they're heading directly for Mary Geoise!"
The setting sun cast a golden glow over the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. The city was ablaze with lights as the Celestial Dragons' nightlife began. Inside a grand hall, a young Saint Charlos lay on a "sofa" made of living slaves, groaning in boredom. "This grape isn't sweet enough!" he whined, spitting it onto a female slave's face. "Take her away! Bring a new batch!"
"Father, I want new toys!" Charlos said to his father, Saint Rosward.
"Don't be in a hurry, my son," Rosward replied, watching several collared slaves fight over a bone like dogs. "A good batch of 'new merchandise' arrived today. I hear there's even a member of the Revolutionary Army among them."
Soon, a group of new slaves was pushed into the hall. Among them was a woman with striking pink short hair. Even in a prisoner's uniform with Sea Prism Stone shackles on her wrists, her back was ramrod straight. It was Ginny, captain of the Revolutionary Army's East Army.
"Oh, is that her?" a noblewoman fanned herself. "Her eyes are so frightening. I like it."
"Bring her out!" Charlos said excitedly, walking up to Ginny to pinch her face. She sharply turned her head, dodging his touch. The laughter in the hall stopped. A slave had dared to resist a god.
"Interesting!" Charlos grew more excited. "Father! I want to play the 'hunting game' with her!"
"Granted," Rosward waved his hand.
A guard unlocked Ginny's shackles. "The rules are simple," he said coldly. "Run to that wall at the end of the courtyard. If you can survive Saint Charlos's gun, you live for one more day."
Ginny said nothing. She took a deep breath and, without hesitation, bolted into the courtyard.
"Bang! Bang bang!"
Several shots rang out, and a bullet struck Ginny's calf. She stumbled but gritted her teeth and kept running, limping forward as the Celestial Dragons cheered behind her. In the vast courtyard, her figure seemed so small, with mocking gods behind her and a wall of despair in front.
The night grew deeper over Mary Geoise. They were lost in their eternal party, completely unaware that a storm was gathering. High on the crimson cliffs, a tall, red fish-man climbed silently, his eyes fixed on the city of light. And far out at sea, a ship cut through the waves. On its deck, Kyle stood against the wind, his coat flapping behind him. Mihawk wiped his black blade, Moriah let out a low laugh, and Doflamingo adjusted his sunglasses, a morbid smile of fear and fanaticism on his face. The dark outline of the Red Line was now clearly visible.
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