The pale light surrounding Gar grew steadily brighter, though it never became harsh. It was a soft, moon-colored radiance that stood out sharply against the dim island forest.
Redyat watched in silence, hands loosely at his sides, giving Gar the space he needed.
Across the island, many members of the Nightfall Pirates were already reacting to the light.
Van Augur was the first to notice. He heard the distant roar and snapped his head toward the silver glow at the island's center. His gaze flicked instinctively to the sky. It was not night. There was no full moon.
"Something must have happened," he thought. He did not know the cause, but Gar's transformation could never be ignored. Van Augur broke into a run immediately, heading straight for the center.
Others followed.
Laffitte paused mid-stride in the woods, crimson eyes fixed on the shimmering silhouette at the heart of the island. A moment later, his body dissolved into a streak of blood-red light, a faint outline of bat wings flickering behind him.
Over the waterfall, Pouf hovered on gently beating butterfly wings, observing the silver glow from above before rising higher.
Deep in the trees, Nelson frowned once, then vanished without a trace.
Wallace, halfway through hauling a roasted black bear over his shoulder, looked up. He tossed the entire beast aside, the carcass striking the ground with a heavy thud. By the time it landed, Wallace was already sprinting toward the light.
Pito darted through the forest like a black shadow, each leap carrying her farther as branches swayed in her wake.
Even the two young monks and several others rushed toward the center, each drawn by instinct and urgency.
On the shore, Kaguya paused his training and glanced at the glow rising from the heart of the island. He called toward the converted laboratory aboard the ship. "Be careful. I need to step out."
Inside, Otto waved him off without looking up. "Go. I'll manage." His mechanical right arm clicked steadily as he continued working on a massive new prosthetic, nearly eight meters long, its triple-claw head gleaming with cold metal promise.
Kaguya nodded once. He dashed from the deck, landed lightly on the ground, and accelerated into the forest.
At the center of the island, the silver radiance began to fade.
Gar stood taller than before, his white fur now pure as fresh snow. His frame had grown even broader, his mane lengthening until it flowed behind him like a white flame. The air around him trembled with raw electricity.
His eyes were fully blood-red, cold and predatory, yet lacking the wild frenzy that usually accompanied such a color. He had not entered Sulong by accident.
He had forced it.
He had achieved the Mink Tribe's ultimate form through sheer will, without the moon, without a mirror, without a catalyst.
This was the goal Teach had given him, and the one Gar had trained toward relentlessly.
Redyat's brows rose. "This aura…"
The strength pouring off of Gar had spiked dramatically. Even the injuries from Redyat's earlier kick had healed cleanly.
Gar was now strong enough to threaten him.
Only a threat, but a real one.
Redyat's gaze sharpened as he noticed a flicker of madness tremble behind Gar's eyes, faint but present. "He has not fully mastered it yet. That is to be expected."
Gar's figure blurred.
He appeared in front of Redyat in the next instant, massive palm crashing down. The palm was darkened with Armament Haki, electric blue sparks crawling across the surface. It hit with a wind-pressure strong enough to rattle nearby trees.
Gar's voice rumbled, low and sharp. "Stop acting like you know everything about me."
The suppressed violence inside him erupted as he spoke, tearing through his control.
Redyat met the blow calmly. "You probably cannot hold on to that power. You will lose control soon."
He lifted his famed sword, Zetsuei.
Armament Haki flowed over his hand, the hilt, and then the blade, sinking into the metal until the entire sword turned a deep obsidian black, save for the faint purple patterns pulsing along its edge.
A black blade.
Gar's instincts screamed. He remembered Teach's lessons, Teach's own demonstration.
Their strikes met.
Clang.
A shockwave exploded outward, flattening grass and whipping trees. Gar pulled his right arm back and swung his left fist, air tearing around it as he threw everything he had into the blow.
"I just need to defeat you before I lose control. After that, my companions will handle the rest."
Redyat's tone cooled. He had already read Gar's movement. He drew Zetsuei back with perfect timing and countered. Their blows collided again.
"Companions, is it? Are you certain you will not lose control before that?"
Redyat stepped back once. His form flickered, reappearing ten meters away.
Gar stumbled as his redirected strike found no resistance. His fist smashed into the earth, cracking open a crater. He wrenched his hand free, breathing hard, the inner beast clawing deeper at his mind.
"You know you cannot win like this," Redyat said. "You cannot control your strength or your sanity."
Gar responded only with a roar.
The sound shook leaves loose from branches. The roar seemed to steady him, granting a fleeting thread of clarity.
Then he moved again.
His speed spiked. Redyat barely had time to register the blur before Gar launched a furious two-hit combination. Unlike before, the attacks carried both ferocity and technique.
Redyat dodged by a hair's breadth. Gar's claws sliced through the air beside his face, close enough to sting his cheek with the pressure.
Gar's transformation had altered his size, making his movements powerful but unfamiliar. His speed came from bursts of force rather than seamless flow. He could be faster if his body were smaller, but the Sulong form offered no such compromise.
He would not hold this form long.
Gar struck with a clawed hand, but Redyat saw the movement in advance and flowed around the attack with practiced elegance. Swordsmanship carried him through every opening Gar exposed.
Then the sword flashed.
A streak of purple carved across Gar's torso.
Blood splashed onto the ground.
The sight only fueled Gar's will. His attacks grew sharper, more desperate, each swing aimed directly at Redyat's weak points. He fought as a true predator now, searching for a single mistake to exploit. Yet every attempt was parried, dodged, or deflected.
Redyat's noble robe fluttered as he moved, still spotless despite the intense exchange. He never stopped dancing between slashes, each sweep of his blade leaving another wound on Gar's massive frame.
Gar's bloodied fur glistened crimson. Pain sharpened his mind. He attacked harder.
A minute passed in relentless combat.
Then a tremor of conflict flickered in Gar's red eyes. His fist hesitated in mid-air for a fraction of a second. It was enough.
Redyat lunged and delivered a brutal kick, coated in Armament Haki, striking Gar's lower abdomen with crushing force.
The blast sent Gar hurtling backward.
The pain dissolved instantly beneath the rising madness. He landed heavily, roaring as reason slipped away. He rose again, eyes wild, and split a nearby tree with a single palm strike.
Behind him, multiple figures arrived.
Redyat turned slightly, sensing them. A faint smile touched his lips. "They are here."
If left unchecked, Gar would attack everything around him until he collapsed. That was the Mink Tribe's berserk curse.
Heat flared from the jungle. Wallace burst onto the scene, instantly reading the situation. He ignored Redyat entirely. Others had him covered.
Above, Pouf hovered in the air, sword ready, butterfly wings scattering shining scales. His Observation Haki locked firmly onto Redyat.
Van Augur stood balanced atop a tree trunk, his Colt, aimed directly at Redyat.
Pito shifted into her human-beast form, white tail swaying, cat ears twitching, sharp claws pressed into the soil as she crouched low. Her predatory gaze never left Redyat.
Nelson appeared behind him in the next heartbeat, blade raised and poised to counter Redyat's first motion.
Wallace charged straight at Gar. Gar retaliated instinctively, swinging his palm in a wild arc.
A blood-red streak flashed.
Laffitte appeared, sword raised, intercepting Gar's strike. Even with his Ancient Zoan transformation, the blow nearly drove him into the ground, but he held for one crucial second.
That was enough.
Wallace used Moonwalk to rise above Gar's head.
"Molten Steel Fist: Exploding Punch!"
His fist crashed down.
Boom.
Gar's eyes widened in momentary clarity before the force crushed him into the dirt. Even so, the berserk power in his body kept him conscious.
Laffitte appeared beside Gar's head, snapping open his golden pocket watch. He held it before Gar's eyes with a calm smile.
"Look at him."
Seconds passed.
The madness faded.
Gar's massive frame began to shrink, fur settling, muscles easing. The Sulong form melted away.
"He will wake up shortly," Laffitte said. He rose and turned his gaze toward Redyat, eyes narrowing.
A final presence entered the clearing.
Kaguya burst from the treeline, white hair swept back from sprinting at full speed. Bone blades glinted in his hands. He took position before Redyat, cold killing intent rolling off his in waves.
Within moments, every high-ranking combatant of the Nightfall Pirates had arrived.