The deep corridors of the royal palace were quiet at this hour. Only the echo of footsteps broke the stillness as a figure stepped out of the shadows, his presence sharp enough to unsettle the hidden guards watching the dark corners.
Steel scraped softly as the guards tensed. Their grip tightened, killing intent rising like a cold tide. After several careful breaths, they recognized the newcomer. The danger faded from their eyes as they lowered their weapons.
It was Redyat.
Night still covered the Kingdom of Tirisfal. After parting ways with Teach, Redyat had immediately traveled back, slipping through the shadows at a speed few in the world could follow.
Inside the Palace of Serenity, King Wilhelm was working through towering stacks of documents. News of war had spread across the kingdom. Although stability held, the scent of unease lingered in certain regions. Those who sought to exploit chaos were already beginning to stir, and Wilhelm had to keep a close eye on all developments.
At a time like this, the king did not dare sleep.
A faint breeze drifted across the room. Wilhelm did not look up.
"What is it?"
In the nearby shadows, a figure extended a sheet of paper to him, then vanished.
Wilhelm read it. His expression shifted into a faint smile.
"Redyat has returned. And he is coming here. It must be important."
"Summon Mainz, General Hindenburg, and Minister Oscar."
The soft rustle of shifting shadows signaled that the message had already been sent.
The three men arrived quickly from their nearby residences, entering the deliberation hall where King Wilhelm and Redyat were waiting. Redyat had changed clothes, yet the signs of battle were unmistakable. Even without open wounds, they could see it in the way he carried himself.
"Brother, looks like you ended up in a tough fight," Mainz said with an easy smile.
"Someone interesting. Very strong. I lost." Redyat's tone was simple and open. Defeat was defeat. There was nothing to hide.
The room fell into stunned silence.
Redyat losing was not something any of them expected. With his combat sense, physical mastery, and the strange edge granted by his Observation Haki, most battles tilted in his favor before they even began. If he wished to escape, almost no one could stop him.
But given his injuries and the lingering tension in his movements, they understood this had been a straight fight, not a retreat.
"Who? Who could defeat you?" Mainz asked, genuinely curious. He had grown up under the shadow of Redyat's overwhelming strength. Even now, he had never once bested him. Redyat's Observation Haki alone was enough to make most enemies crumble.
Oscar stroked his chin.
"No one in the Kingdom of Kraken could do it. It must have been someone from outside. Chinjao the Drill from the Flower Country, perhaps? Although his head was flattened by Garp, he is still an Admiral level figure."
They listed the strongest individuals they knew in the West Blue, both public legends and hidden monsters.
Redyat only smiled, swirling the wine in his glass.
"He is a pirate. And you all should have heard of him."
A pirate in the West Blue strong enough to beat Redyat?
"The captain of the Nightfall Pirates, Marshall D. Teach. We fought for nearly four days. It ended as a mutual defeat, but ultimately, he won."
The hall trembled with shock.
Teach. The rising storm in the West Blue. The one hailed as the Overlord of the East. A monster at only eighteen years old.
"According to intelligence, he has no Devil Fruit. How is his strength so overwhelming?" Mainz asked with disbelief.
Redyat leaned back, voice calm and reflective.
"He is special. His body is unique. He cannot sleep, so he spends almost all his time training. His physical strength is just behind mine."
The others were startled. Being unable to sleep sounded like a curse, not a gift. Endless solitude and never ending training required unimaginable willpower.
"His Observation Haki is top level. He predicts my attacks from the slightest motion. My own Haki could read his thoughts, but our strengths were too close, so we restrained each other. My ability was ineffective."
A quiet hush settled. They understood what that implied.
"His spirit surpasses mine. His Armament Haki is also stronger. Although I have advantages, our overall power is evenly matched."
Wilhelm exhaled slowly.
"It seems we underestimated this young pirate. For someone who dared break away from that legendary ship, he must carry ambitions far beyond ordinary men."
He pushed a pile of intelligence reports toward Redyat.
"Read this. It contains the latest information on the Kraken Kingdom. The situation changes daily."
Redyat studied the documents carefully. As he read, his expression darkened. The Kraken Kingdom's military power exceeded expectations, strengthened further by secret support from the World Government. They were not preparing for a border conflict. They were preparing for an annihilation war.
Redyat lifted his gaze.
"Is there no way to stop it?"
General Hindenburg shook his head.
"It is too late. Their preparations are nearly complete. Once the machine of war moves, stopping it would cause catastrophic losses."
Redyat considered another angle.
"Then what if we eliminate the Kraken royal family?"
"It sounds simple, but doing so without exposing our true strength would draw the World Government's focus," Wilhelm said. "And even with your abilities, eliminating both the royal capital and the front line at the same time is nearly impossible. If the capital falls first, the army at the front will react in unpredictable ways."
The king listed the obstacles. The royal capital was heavily fortified. The king of Kraken himself possessed monstrous power thanks to the Ancient Zoan Kraken Fruit. A hundred thousand guards, elite captains, and fortified defenses made the place nearly impenetrable.
Everything needed to be handled simultaneously and quietly. If not, chaos would spiral out of control.
Redyat absorbed this, then smiled. A small spark of excitement flickered in his eyes.
"What if someone else can eliminate the Kraken royal family for us?"
Silence fell. His words struck with the force of a lightning bolt.
"Who?" Hindenburg demanded.
Mainz suddenly widened his eyes.
"Brother, is it Marshall D. Teach?"
Redyat nodded.
"Can we trust him? Why would he help us?" Wilhelm asked sharply.
"For himself. There is something in the Kraken Kingdom's treasury he wants. He needs our intelligence. And when this ends, after you reclaim the territory, I will join the Nightfall Pirates as his first mate."
The others exchanged looks. Wilhelm let out a slow sigh.
"So you will leave."
He did not sound surprised. Redyat had always been a free spirit. The kingdom could never cage him.
Mainz frowned.
"But is the Nightfall Pirates' strength enough? The Kraken King is a monster."
"Trust them. Teach is strong. He can already see the future."
Even Hindenburg stiffened at those words.
"And one of the treasures Teach wants is a Devil Fruit. Once he obtains it, his strength will grow even more."
Redyat waved his hand. Shadows rippled across the floor as five bottles of wine rose from the darkness.
"This is his gift to you. The Celestial Dragons' tribute wine, Aphrodite's Kiss."
Hindenburg's eyes shone.
"Extraordinary. I have only tasted a single cup in my life."
But Redyat's smile faded as he reached into his coat and placed a photograph on the table.
The moment Wilhelm and Hindenburg saw the man in the photo, their hearts stopped. Their pupils contracted sharply. The air in the room turned cold.
Redyat watched their reaction and nodded.
"So it is as I thought."
He stood to leave.
"You know," Wilhelm said quietly.
"Yes."
Redyat vanished into the night.
Oscar remained confused.
"Patrick Redfield. Who is he? Why would a photograph cause that reaction?"
Wilhelm closed his eyes for a moment.
"Since Redyat knows, I will no longer hide it from you."
He looked at Mainz with a heavy gaze.
"He is your father."
Mainz froze, shock slamming through him. He knew the name. He knew the legend. And somewhere deep down, perhaps he had already suspected.
But hearing it aloud still struck him like lightning.