Mainz showed no sign of panic, even though the ability he relied on was practically useless against the man in front of him. He understood the gap between their abilities. On his own, he only held the strength of an average Vice Admiral, but with the Isolation Fruit he could handle opponents well above his natural level.
The man only needed to buy time. Under normal circumstances, support from the palace would have arrived quickly. Being assigned to guard such a critical site alone was proof of how much trust the Kraken royal family placed in him.
Yet isolation was only isolation. His barrier could keep the air contained, but it also locked sound inside. Nothing they did would escape the blue sphere surrounding them. Mainz already knew the palace had fallen, pinned down by members of the Nightfall Pirates. Backup would not come.
He only needed an opening. The one hiding beneath the ground was already in place.
Although he could not affect the man inside the sealed sphere, the abilities of the air Fruit remained active outside. They simply had no effect on the enemy who stood enveloped in blue light.
Mainz blurred into air and darted through the barrier with incredible speed, reappearing at the man's left with a sweeping kick wrapped in Armament Haki. The man saw the incoming strike and raised his arms to block, but the force behind the kick was overwhelming.
The impact hurled him down from above. Mainz stayed on him instantly.
The man sensed danger. He assumed Mainz was the threat and focused all attention on him. That was exactly the mistake they wanted.
Beneath them, a colossal shadow surged from underground. As the man dropped, Redyat emerged from below like a specter, Absolute Shadow already in hand. The blade drove straight toward the man's back.
The moment the man realized another attacker was present, it was already too late. He had not even coated his back in Armament Haki before the sword stabbed clean through.
The blue barrier shuddered violently. It could only isolate air, so Redyat's attack pierced without resistance. The man's concentration wavered, the barrier rippled, and moments later the entire sphere shattered.
Their coordination was flawless. With Mainz drawing attention and Redyat's stealth combined with raw power, the man fell in moments.
Redyat avoided vital points. They needed information. Before death claimed him, Redyat pressed his palm to the man's head and sifted through his memories.
After a long moment, Redyat shook his head with mild disappointment. "Nothing important."
"Heh, well, even if we find nothing, the Kraken Kingdom is finished anyway," Mainz said with a chuckle.
"You are right. Gather their research data. Take the researchers too. The rest burns."
"Simple enough." Mainz nodded. They already knew everything in this place feared fire. The entire research facility was fitted with flamethrowers. The Kraken Kingdom had clearly prepared for a catastrophic emergency.
They swept through the labs. Redyat extracted everything valuable, using memories taken from the surviving researchers to locate key information. He sealed the researchers inside his shadow space afterward. They were valuable assets, better used by the Kingdom of Tirisfal than discarded.
Their tasks divided smoothly. Mainz expanded his air ability over the entire facility to contain every toxin and pathogen. Redyat shattered all containers holding forbidden materials and activated the flamethrower systems.
A thunderous roar followed. Violent flames surged upward, swallowing the entire facility. Blue and violet fire danced through the smoke as toxic compounds ignited.
The military factory stood in a remote area, so few civilians noticed. Within the factory complex, however, the flames were unmistakable.
"What happened?" The head of the military factory rose in alarm. Before he could take a step, blood poured from his lips. He stared down in shock at the small blade sticking out of his back.
The colleague beside him grinned. "Time to reel in the net."
He yanked the knife free and stabbed twice more to finish the job.
Similar scenes unfolded throughout the factory. Tirisfal agents embedded across the kingdom had received their signal. They revealed themselves, slaughtering Kraken loyalists and assuming their positions to stabilize the facility.
To Tirisfal, nothing in the kingdom was more valuable than this factory. Controlling it meant controlling nearly a third of the West Blue's arms production.
The purge unfolded swiftly. Assassinations rippled through government buildings, noble houses, command posts, and the palace grounds. Anyone capable of obstructing Tirisfal's reclamation of Kraken territory fell in a single night.
Yet the core objective remained ahead. As long as King Joseph Jones survived, the operation remained incomplete. Jones commanded the Kraken army. Without his death, the kingdom would not fall.
And Teach was facing him directly.
Across the palace, every other battlefield had ended. Members of the Nightfall Pirates gathered at the perimeter and observed the final clash, standing respectfully without interfering.
The onlookers of the kingdom trembled. Behind the Nightfall cadres gathered Nightfall soldiers. Their losses were minor. Every body on the floor belonged to the Kraken Kingdom.
The reporter broadcasting live shook uncontrollably, but greed, duty, and fear kept him working. The feed shifted to the carnage. Gasps echoed across the kingdom. The corpses belonged to the Royal City Guard captains. Their absence confirmed the missing few had likely suffered similar fates.
These were the strongest warriors of the Kraken Kingdom. Every one of them had been destroyed by the Nightfall Pirates.
The kingdom's defenders were gone. Only the king remained.
Teach sensed the shift. Everyone else had finished. A familiar presence approached from afar. A smile tugged at his lips.
On a distant house roof, Redyat and Mainz observed from above.
Teach fought like a rampaging storm. Rain hammered down, sticking his hair to his face, yet his movements remained brutal and precise. His claws ripped through Jones's tentacles with ease, scattering severed pieces across the soaked courtyard. Each slash carved long trenches through stone.
Hours had not passed, but the rain and destruction made the battle feel eternal. In truth, less than an hour had gone by since the first strike. They were already at the climax.
For reasons he could not name, Teach felt a rising thrill. His heart beat faster and faster. Something incredibly important was approaching. His instincts howled in anticipation.
He attacked again. Five claw slashes the size of ships tore toward Jones. Jones refused to meet them directly. His wings beat hard, carrying him skyward. Five massive tentacles wrapped in Armament Haki swung outward in retaliation.
The collision cracked the tentacles but did not break them fully. Teach seized the moment and fired two shockwaves through the rain.
Mainz watched in awe. "Brother, that is your future captain?"
"Yes," Redyat replied with a calm smile.
"He certainly has presence. I should get back to the front line though."
Redyat nodded. Mainz dissolved into the wind and sped away.
Back on the battlefield, Teach and Jones traded blow after blow. Jones's regeneration kept him in the fight, Teach's mastery of Life Return kept his own body operating at peak form. Neither gained a decisive edge.
Anyone watching could see it. The match had reached a stalemate.
Teach sneered through the rain. "Your kingdom ends here."
"Do not be absurd. As long as I live..." Jones snarled. He scanned the field. Every ally was gone. Every guard captain dead. His heart twisted with grief and rage.
He lashed out with a tentacle, and Teach met it with a Haki-coated fist. Air exploded outward. Waves of force shook the palace walls.
Teach laughed. "Let me end you."
Jones frowned. He sensed something off. Teach fought fiercely, but the captain's confidence came from something deeper.
After one more violent clash, Teach kicked off the ground and retreated over a hundred meters.
A figure appeared beside him.
Nelson.
The final missing cadre of the Nightfall Pirates stepped into the torrent with a satisfied grin. His appearance drew gasps from soldiers and viewers alike.
The other cadres saw his expression and knew instantly. Nelson had succeeded.
He held out his hand. A Devil Fruit materialized in his palm.
A pale purple fruit patterned with swirling darkness.
Jones's voice cracked. "That one... how is it in your hands?"
The Dark Dark Fruit. Sealed for years inside the Kraken royal treasury. A secret kept from the world.
Nelson smiled. "I took it from your treasury. I should thank someone too. Your son made it easier. But you will join him soon."
Jones's face contorted. Nelson had spelled it out. His son was dead.
Teach grasped the fruit. His arm trembled with excitement. "This is why I came to the Kraken Kingdom. This Devil Fruit sat gathering dust in your vault for years."
He raised the fruit, eyes blazing.
"Now watch. This is its true power. Witness it with your life."