It was not only Emma who was shaken.
Lucien, who had been observing from the shadows, was equally startled.
Kizaru's sudden eruption of power genuinely stimulated Lucien's nerves, though it still fell within the range of what he had anticipated. What troubled him now was whether he should proceed with the sneak attack he had originally planned.
After careful consideration, Lucien reached a conclusion.
If he wanted to confirm whether Luffy was a Reincarnator, he had no choice but to act.
If Luffy truly had reincarnated, then Lucien's carefully prepared strategy would have to be abandoned. Worse still, he might need to lie low for a long time. If Luffy possessed memories of the future, then any trap Lucien laid could already be known in advance. One mistake would mean total failure.
The safest approach had always been the same.
Control powerful individuals from the shadows, then overwhelm enemies through coordinated force.
Damn it.
Compared to Transmigrators, Reincarnators were the real nightmare.
They were true bugs.
No one could know which timeline the future would follow, nor how many times Luffy might have restarted it.
If it was anything like Natsuki Subaru's endless cycle, then it was genuinely terrifying.
What made things worse was the fact that Lucien himself had lost his memories. If he still remembered the future, this situation would not be so difficult.
The script of this Pirate King world had already gone completely off the rails.
The so called plot characters were no longer following their destined paths. Everyone was acting independently.
That only increased the danger and workload.
It was like a fantasy novel spiraling out of control.
Lucien was truly in a bad position.
Transmigrators cheated.
Reincarnators cheated.
Even the Children of Destiny cheated.
In the end, this world belonged to cheaters.
Meanwhile, Luffy stood back up.
He and Emma exchanged a brief glance, then silently continued following the script they had discussed earlier. Step by step, the situation was guided toward its most exciting, climactic, and decisive moment.
"Luffy, now!"
Emma's long hair fluttered in the air as she extended her hand toward Kizaru from afar. Her movement carried a captivating beauty, calm and precise.
The moment her voice sounded, Luffy leaped.
He appeared above Kizaru's left side, his legs compressing tightly against his body, fury blazing in his eyes.
Kizaru's expression darkened.
Just as he prepared to dissolve into light, a sharp pain stabbed into his mind. His body froze forcibly for two breaths.
"Damn woman!"
Kizaru clutched his head, roaring toward Emma. Blood streamed from her mouth and nose as she stood her ground.
"Gum Gum Rhino Rifle!"
Luffy roared as his legs tore through the air like a falling meteor, slamming directly into Kizaru's raised hands.
Crack.
The sound of bones snapping echoed clearly.
Kizaru's hands shattered, and his face was driven straight into Luffy's feet.
From afar, Lucien was already wrapped in golden lightning. The ground beneath him collapsed outward in expanding circles as violent power rippled through the air.
A good actor had to follow the script.
So Lucien finally made his move.
High in the air, Kizaru's face twisted violently as bones continued to crack with chilling clarity. Even after unleashing his full power, fate still refused to change. Emma and Luffy were forcing the script back onto its original track.
Fate truly loved to toy with people.
After all, Kizaru was facing two cheaters at once.
A pillar of golden light slammed down from the sky.
Within a thousand meters, the earth's crust surged upward, then collapsed violently, the destruction spreading outward tens of thousands of meters. Hills rose and shattered as wind pressure screamed across the battlefield.
A deafening explosion formed a massive dust cloud, swallowing the entire area.
Almost the instant Kizaru fell, Lucien leaned forward.
As the land behind him surged upward, his body transformed into a bolt of golden lightning and vanished.
"Tenfold Instant Kill."
All power focused into a single point.
The eternal golden lightning split heaven and earth, crossing a thousand meters in an instant.
Emma, who had been watching the sky, suddenly felt a fatal sense of danger engulf her.
Her blood turned cold.
She could barely breathe.
That man had appeared.
Her body turned to diamond as she leaned backward, twisting her head to look at the golden lightning streaking toward her. Her diamond face was cold and flawless, yet a strange smile appeared on her lips.
Time slowed.
Lucien's expression changed.
He saw Luffy's right arm transform into King Cobra mid-air, striking straight toward Emma's face.
More importantly, from the ruins below, a figure rushed forward along the ground.
Rayleigh.
His long sword was wrapped in boiling Armament Haki, cutting directly toward Emma.
This was a trap.
Lucien realized it instantly.
But while maintaining his Instant Kill state, his body could no longer be controlled due to the extreme speed.
Golden light erupted with a thunderous explosion.
More than half the battlefield collapsed and split apart.
When everything settled, the world fell silent.
A diamond-like head flew through the air, its expression unchanged.
Lucien stood a hundred meters behind Emma's position, gripping his kukri. The blade radiated extreme heat and Armament Haki, while golden lightning surged across his body.
Then the view shifted.
Lucien's head had already been blown apart.
Only half of it remained attached to his shoulder.
A deep wound ran diagonally from his left shoulder to his waist as his entire upper body collapsed, blood spraying violently.
It was a horrifying sight.
Yet his flesh immediately writhed.
Cells regenerated at visible speed.
His injuries healed rapidly, though he was still gravely wounded.
Lucien turned around, spitting blood onto the ground as he stared at Luffy and Rayleigh, who stood beside Emma's seemingly headless corpse.
Their Armament Haki was no joke.
Clink, clink, clink.
Diamonds scattered across the ground.
Emma reappeared, completely unharmed.
What Lucien had destroyed earlier was merely a decoy created by Emma, not her real body.
"You three are impressive," Lucien said, giving them a thumbs-up. His gaze finally settled on Luffy, filled with resignation. "It really is you. You came back too."
Luffy's fury exploded.
He would never forget those amethyst eyes.
Emma tried to stop him, but Luffy spoke too quickly.
"You're Darkness."
Lucien froze.
Up until now, he had only been testing.
That final sentence had been a bluff.
But Luffy's reaction confirmed everything.
Emma's expression turned ice cold.
"So it really is you."
Even though Lucien currently looked like an eleven or twelve year old boy, the way he regenerated moments ago made it clear he was anything but ordinary.
This appearance was likely just a disguise.
His true face remained hidden.
"You're really cold," Lucien said lightly. "How about we sit down and talk? Maybe we'll end up together someday, two halves of the same whole."
Then he suddenly frowned.
"Wait, why am I the Darkness? Shouldn't that be you?"
Lucien began acting.
His expression, posture, and gaze shifted flawlessly as he tried to sow doubt and confusion.
He needed time.
Time to recover.
"What do you mean?" Emma's expression darkened.
Was the other party treating her as the Darkness?
Could Lucien also be a Reincarnator?
"You're not the Darkness?" Lucien frowned deeply, as if struck by sudden realization. "Then maybe you're a Reincarnator, connected to the Main God…"
"Enough."
Emma interrupted him.
Her expression shifted constantly.
She could not read his thoughts.
Her telepathy failed completely.
He was just like her.
"It seems I made a mistake," Lucien continued awkwardly. "If you're not the Darkness, then maybe Silver Dragon or Ace is. My mission is to hunt the Darkness. Don't interfere, or else…"
The more he spoke, the more ridiculous it sounded.
Emma merely watched him with a cold smile.
As if saying, keep acting, I'm watching.
Lucien looked like a fool.
He stopped.
There was no point continuing.
Emma was not stupid.
Combining everything Luffy had said, the conclusion was obvious.
The biggest suspect was Lucien.
Ace and Silver Dragon were the least suspicious.
Luffy and Rayleigh had already shifted their stances.
They were ready to strike.
Lucien was not leaving easily.