"Seastone? Impossible! I haven't lost any stamina at all…"
Adergin spoke instinctively—then froze.
"My ability… I can't use it. But why is my physical strength still intact?"
The moment he said it, several Devil Fruit users among the Marines and royal entourages shouted as well:
"Something's wrong—my ability isn't working!"
"My powers are gone too!"
Felix's triumphant laughter drifted out from beneath his filtered mask—a mask designed to keep Seastone dust out of his lungs.
"Heheheh… That is the peculiarity of Seastone powder.
Unlike solid Seastone, it doesn't drain stamina while disabling abilities."
"For ability users who rely entirely on their powers… what good is a healthy body without those abilities?
This trait makes Seastone powder the perfect, subtle weapon."
He added with mild amusement:
"I admit I was surprised.
Seastone is harder than diamond—yet Alabasta managed to grind it into powder?"
"That will disappoint you," the Alabastan king spat with hatred.
"Our kingdom has no such craftsmanship.
This Seastone powder is an heirloom—passed down through the royal line."
Felix waved dismissively.
"Whatever. I only need the powder itself.
With this treasure, even when facing monsters I cannot defeat head-on in the New World, I'll have a trump card.
A perfect fail-safe."
Longinus thought silently:
In the memories of that otherworldly soul… Wano Country possessed the world's finest Seastone-crafting techniques—able to forge Seastone nails, even.
And the Kozuki Clan could carve Poneglyphs, which cannot be destroyed.
Given the Nefertari family's status as one of the Ancient Twenty Kings, and the Poneglyph in their royal tomb…
Perhaps this Seastone powder was a gift from the Kozuki Clan in ancient times.
Before he could ponder further, Felix continued coldly:
"I never planned to clash openly with the Marines.
But you forced my hand—ruining my slave trade and killing every one of my men without mercy.
Tell me… what should I do with such arrogant Marines?"
"Hang them! Hang them all!"
The pirates behind him roared in excitement.
"In fact, I have a better idea." Felix's tone deepened.
"They ruined my slave business…
So they can become slaves themselves."
"Imagine it—these lofty royals and proud Marines reduced to the lowest form of life.
What could be more exhilarating?"
Faces paled throughout the hall.
To them, becoming slaves was a fate worse than death.
The King of Azka shrieked:
"Captain Felix! You cannot let them live!
If they escape and expose my involvement, I'll be ruined!"
Felix's voice chilled.
"Are you instructing me on what to do?"
"N-No! That's not what I meant—"
"Hahahaha! Retribution! You didn't expect it to come so fast, did you?"
The King of Alabasta laughed madly.
"These filthy pirates—"
Felix's gaze flicked toward him.
Boom.
The Alabasta king exploded like a burst fruit—blood and flesh spraying across the hall.
"AHHHH! H-He's dead!"
No one had died yet, not even in all the tension.
But the sudden, grotesque death shattered that false sense of safety.
Panic flooded the hall.
Even the air grew thick with the stench of fear.
"Father… Father…"
Cobra whispered, hollow, then screamed in rage:
"You damned pirate! I'll kill you!"
The Alabastan nobles restrained him immediately.
"Prince Cobra, don't be reckless! He is too strong!
If you rush forward… who will save Alabasta?"
Felix didn't even glance at Cobra.
"A defeated dog barking."
Longinus slowly rose.
"So this is your ability? Fear?"
Felix stiffened slightly, then narrowed his eyes.
"And you are the Marine who ruined my business?
You even dare to stand before me… bold indeed."
"Are you trying to change the subject?"
Longinus smiled gently.
Felix's pupils tightened.
"I don't know what you're implying.
But as the 'Arbiter of the Night,' my powers are endlessly magnified after dark.
My words, my gaze—each becomes a decree of judgment.
Would you like to taste death now?"
Longinus shrugged lightly.
"I feel no fear.
Are you sure you want to test this?
If you fail to kill me and shatter your aura of invincibility in front of your men—
it will destroy the fear you have worked so hard to cultivate."
Felix inhaled sharply and fell silent.
Longinus continued:
"From the start, you've been building an image—powerful, mysterious, unstoppable.
Or rather, you've always operated this way.
You hide in darkness, shape rumors, dramatize killings, auction slaves—
all to amplify—"
"ENOUGH! SHUT UP!"
Felix unleashed his ability with full force.
A wave of invisible pressure—fear—swept across the hall.
Yet Longinus didn't flinch.
Not a muscle moved.
He stood as unmoved as a mountain in spring breeze.
"Impossible!" Felix shouted, voice trembling.
"All humans possess fear—fear of authority, fear of failure, fear of death!
Why do you have nothing!?
That king died simply because he feared losing his power!
But from you… I can't sense even the smallest flicker of fear!
Are you even human!?"
The hall erupted into shocked whispers.
"So it really is a fear-related Devil Fruit!"
"Major Longinus is incredible—he's calm even under this!"
"Fear equals death? That's broken! I could never do that—will I die next!?"
"Idiot, powers like this always have limits. Felix won't waste it on nobodies."
"No fear at all… so this is what a real Marine is…"
Longinus's thoughts sharpened.
A Devil Fruit somewhat similar to BIG MOM's—one that draws out fear as power.
He stepped forward, eyes bright.
"Fear exists because people fear losing something.
But I have never believed I could lose.
I always stand on the side of victory…"
"And one who never loses… never fears."
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