-Broadcast-
The Sky Screen displayed the aftermath of violence with unflinching brutality, exposing CP0's merciless methods to a worldwide audience that could hardly believe their eyes. The intelligence agency's reputation for cold efficiency had always been whispered about in dark corners, but witnessing it firsthand sent chills through even the most hardened pirates.
Gladius lay sprawled across the battlefield like a discarded marionette, his limbs severed with surgical precision by Lucci's razor-sharp "Shigan" (Finger Gun) techniques. Steam began rising from the Donquixote executive's mutilated form—the same regenerative vapor that had powered his colossal transformations now working desperately to repair catastrophic damage. But despite the miraculous healing process, he remained little more than a bleeding torso, a human stick leaking red across the stone floor.
"If you attempt another steam explosion, I'll carve your skull into confetti," Lucci stated with the casual indifference one might use to discuss the weather. "Do you feel fortunate enough to test that theory?"
Those arctic words made Gladius's blood freeze in his veins. He possessed no confidence whatsoever that he could complete a giant transformation before the leopard-man's claws found his throat. The gap in their combat abilities had become painfully, lethally clear.
Ada descended from her aerial vantage point with insectoid grace, landing beside her colleague without disturbing so much as a speck of dust. Her compound eyes studied Gladius's regeneration process with scientific fascination, cataloguing every detail of the steam-powered restoration.
"He damages himself to achieve gigantification, yet recovers from even severed limbs," she observed, her voice carrying subtle harmonics that seemed to bypass human hearing. "Doflamingo certainly knows how to keep his secrets buried deep."
Her attention shifted to the parallel battlefield, where Kaku—still trapped in his Executioner form—had extracted Machvise from the giant's cockpit like a predator claiming its prize. The Ton-Ton Fruit user's condition made Gladius's injuries seem merciful by comparison. Half of his body had already disappeared into the parasite-controlled Kaku's biological mouthparts, and the process of consumption continued with methodical precision.
Machvise's head remained intact, allowing him to experience every moment of his living nightmare. Tears and mucus streamed down his face as he endured the double torment of mental breakdown and physical consumption. His sobbing pleas for a quick death echoed across the battlefield, but the Executioner showed no mercy—only an alien hunger that found fresh meat irresistible.
The discovery that his prey could regenerate damage transformed feeding time into a prolonged feast. Each time Machvise grew back a limb, Kaku would tear it free and devour it raw, turning the Donquixote executive into an endless source of fresh sustenance. The unfortunate man had become a living pantry for CP0's most horrific weapon.
"Enough, Kaku. Time to return to yourself," Ada commanded, pressing two fingers against her temple in concentration. Through the Queen Parasite nested within her own nervous system, she communicated directly with the Dominant Parasite controlling her colleague. All lesser organisms obeyed the royal bloodline without question.
Under the Sky Screen's unblinking gaze, the parasite occupying Kaku's central nervous system began its retreat. The alien creature crawled through veins and arteries like a living nightmare, ultimately settling within the man's heart where it would hibernate until needed again. Control of his own body gradually returned to its rightful owner.
The Dominant Parasite served multiple functions beyond mere combat enhancement. Its residence within Kaku's heart provided the World Government with an insurance policy—a way to eliminate him instantly if he ever betrayed his masters. More practically, the parasite's presence protected his most vital organ, stimulating cellular activity to levels that bordered on cancer. When necessary, it could force massive cell division and tissue construction, creating the biological armor and weapons that defined the Executioner state.
Red slowly faded from Kaku's bloodshot eyes as human consciousness reasserted itself. Without parasitic control, the excess flesh began sloughing away like molting skin, revealing his familiar giraffe-human hybrid form beneath layers of discarded biomass. The transformation back to normalcy carried its own unique horror.
Something vile churned in Kaku's stomach, and he suddenly became aware of foreign substances contaminating his digestive system. Ignoring the whimpering Machvise entirely, he clamped both hands over his throat and began retching violently. Partially digested human fingers mixed with saliva and gastric acid came pouring out, splattering across the ground in a revolting display of biological rejection.
"Ugh... I can never get used to... consuming human flesh..." he gasped between waves of nausea, his entire body convulsing with revulsion. This wasn't his first experience with post-Executioner sickness, but the aftermath never became easier to endure. He typically couldn't stomach solid food for days following such episodes.
The Executioner state pushed human physiology beyond all genetic limitations through rapid cellular multiplication, but such enhancement demanded tremendous caloric compensation. During feeding frenzies, even his digestive organs underwent specialization—developing the ability to break down and absorb nutrients at superhuman speeds. This efficiency explained why Machvise's consumed limbs hadn't been expelled along with the fingers; they had already been converted into raw energy.
The additional biomass helped offset some of the lifespan costs associated with forced cellular acceleration, though it could never fully compensate for the years shaved away by each transformation.
Grabbing Machvise by the scruff of his neck like a misbehaving cat, Kaku dragged the traumatized executive over to where Gladius lay bleeding. Neither Donquixote officer dared attempt another transformation with Lucci looming nearby like a white-suited specter of death.
"Senior Ada, you saved my life again. I was careless," Kaku said with genuine gratitude, his East Blue origins showing through in his straightforward manner of speaking. Like many from that peaceful sea, he possessed an almost supernatural ability to compartmentalize traumatic experiences. The fact that he'd been consuming human flesh mere minutes ago seemed to carry no more psychological weight than yesterday's weather report. The nausea was purely physical—his conscience remained untroubled.
Gladius endured waves of agony from his severed limbs, watching helplessly as his fellow executive remained catatonic with terror. The acrid smell of urine filled the air, adding insult to the injury of total defeat. Such a pathetic display brought shame to the entire Donquixote family name.
"I've encountered CP0 agents before," Gladius managed through gritted teeth, his voice strained with pain and bewilderment. "You three operate on a completely different level—like you're not even the same species. When did the gap within CP0 become so vast?"
The three operatives accepted his observation without pride or satisfaction. Had they not undergone intensive enhancement over the past 5 years, this Dressrosa mission would likely have ended in failure. Their current capabilities represented the cutting edge of World Government human experimentation.
Ada prepared to deploy her parasites for enhanced interrogation, eager to discover why the Donquixote family had targeted her specifically. Something about the black-haired young man nagged at her memory—a fragment of recognition that felt just beyond her conscious reach. Each time she tried to focus on the elusive recollection, splitting headaches wracked her skull. The Queen Parasite seemed to be actively suppressing certain memories, though she couldn't understand why.
"Those advance Armament Haki techniques," Gladius continued despite his agony, "those are techniques rumored to be developed by Kaido of the Beasts himself. If that monster learned you'd stolen his method, your World Government credentials won't protect you from his wrath."
"Your tongue wags too freely for a defeated enemy," Lucci replied with arctic calm, demonstrating his point by severing Gladius's newly regenerated arm with a casual "Shigan" strike. "Perhaps having insects crawl into your mouth will teach you discretion."
The provocation irritated him more than he cared to admit. The fewer people who knew about his advanced Armament Haki techniques—which he privately termed "Mayonaka" (Midnight)—the better. Such knowledge could compromise CP0's ongoing undercover operations if it spread to the wrong ears.
"Wait... where did the black-haired youth disappear to?"
All three CP0 agents suddenly realized their third opponent had vanished from the battlefield entirely. During the chaos of the executives' giant transformations, he had simply... evaporated. Had he fled like a coward when the odds turned against him?
Lucci expanded his Observation Haki to its maximum range, sweeping the surrounding area for any trace of the missing combatant. After several seconds of concentration, he detected a familiar presence approximately two kilometers away—far beyond normal engagement distance.
Through his enhanced senses, Lucci observed the young man making strange gestures with both hands, fingers weaving through complex patterns that resembled some form of ritualistic preparation. "What in the world is he attempting?" the leopard-man wondered aloud.
The Sky Screen's perspective shifted dramatically, focusing its omniscient gaze upon Eren as he completed his mysterious preparations. When those familiar green eyes reopened, they carried a gift that CP0 possessed no power to refuse—and no ability to escape.
"Domain Expansion: The Rumbling's Embrace"
Nine colossal figures began materializing in the space behind Eren, their shadows falling across the battlefield like harbingers of apocalypse—each one a titan of legend, each one hungering for the taste of human flesh.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writing takes time, coffee, and a lot of love.If you'd like to support my work, join me at [email protected]/GoldenGarudaYou'll get early access to over 50 chapters, selection on new series, and the satisfaction of knowing your support directly fuels more stories.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~