The nearness of death tugged a familiar, twisted smile to the surface… but I forced it down. I knew exactly where that path led, and I wasn’t going back. Those dark feelings were fuel now — nothing more.

  And I wasn’t fighting alone.

  Ace covered my back, cutting down anyone who tried to flank me. Sabo’s pipe deflected blades that should’ve taken my head. I fought with my mother’s style, every movement sharp and precise. One soldier lost an arm. Another lost his head. Soon, every enemy lay dead at our feet.

  A quick victory.

  I turned to Ace. “How’d you know we’d be here?”

  He shrugged. “Kalman — that sword-wielding Admiral — was tearing up Goa. Punishing nobles for their ‘unworldly behavior.’”

  I almost respected that.

  Almost.

  But he was still our enemy.

  And Kurama was still fighting him alone.

  The air trembled with every collision. Sonic booms shattered the silence, the shockwaves battering my chest. In the next instant, they were back where they started — bruised, bleeding, but standing.

  Kalman’s throwing knives were nearly gone. Only three remained.

  And he hadn’t touched the golden one.

  His strongest blade.

  “So then,” he said, drawing it, “how about we get serious?”

  Kurama bared her fangs. “Yeah. I guess you should.”

  She raised her palm and fired a bolt of chakra skyward. The heavens split — clouds evaporating into a stark, brilliant blue.

  I blinked. She was using my chakra mode.

  No.

  Not mine.

  She gave it to me. Of course, she could use it herself.

  Chakra surged behind her. A massive wolf’s head formed — a full Bijuu Bomb — and she hurled it forward.

  I braced to intercept if it veered—

  —but Kalman cleaved it in half before it fully formed.

  Effortless.

  Clean.

  Annoyingly stylish.

  Then he lifted the golden sword. The weapon pulsed, humming like something alive. He slashed, sending a crescent of light screaming toward Kurama.

  “DODGE!”

  She blurred aside—

  —and the attack sliced a distant mountain clean in half.

  A cold truth slammed into me: If a weapon could do that… what did that make me?

  In my old world, I could destroy continents. Maybe the entire planet.

  Were there people here who could do the same?

  I shoved the thought away. Kurama needed help.

  Kalman swung.

  I ducked under it—

  —and the ground behind me split open in a jagged canyon.

  “That sword!” Dadan shouted. “It’s legendary! Some say it can break the Red Line itself!”

  I twisted mid-air, deflecting another strike. “You’re joking! That’s impossible!”

  “Not for most,” Ace muttered. “But the last guy who tried? The World Government erased his name.”

  Dadan inhaled sharply. “The King Dragon Sword. A hero used it in the Void Century.”

  I caught Kalman’s blade as she spoke.

  “That hero tried to destroy the Red Line but failed. They say he fought the Dragon God… and died.”

  I twisted Fox Slayer to disarm Kalman, but he held firm.

  “The Dragon God?” I grunted. “What even is that?”

  “No one knows.”

  Kurama flashed behind Kalman, claws crackling with chakra.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  “To keep anyone from trying again,” Dadan continued, “the Dragon God sealed the blade away. Legend says it can destroy the Red Line — maybe the whole world.”

  Kalman blocked Kurama’s strike. She barely avoided his counter.

  Power surged through his sword—

  —I hesitated for one heartbeat.

  Too long.

  His strike blurred toward me—

  —but Kurama intercepted, claws catching steel inches from my face.

  Air returned to my lungs in a harsh gasp.

  Why erase history?

  What truth was dangerous enough to bury?

  I didn’t know.

  But I intended to find out.

  If I wanted to be Pirate King, I couldn’t rely on strength alone. I needed to understand this world.

  For a moment, it seemed over.

  Kalman — Admiral of the North, Kalman III — crashed to the ground, bleeding. Kurama kicked him aside, victorious.

  For a moment, I believed it.

  For a moment.

  But nothing ended cleanly.

  Ace and Dadan stepped in front of me, ready to fight. Their loyalty warmed something in my chest—

  —but we assumed too soon.

  Kalman hit the ground again, blood pouring—

  —and then he rose, untouched. Not even a scar.

  A cold dread rippled through me.

  Something unnatural was knitting him back together.

  Chakra?

  A Devil Fruit?

  Something far worse?

  Kalman smiled.

  What is this man?

  His hands darkened—

  —and my stomach dropped.

  Armor erupted across his body:

  Eight arms.

  Spiked plating.

  A golden, monstrous shell.

  My heart slammed against my ribs.

  Death surrounded him.

  My death.

  Kurama’s breath faltered. Her claws flexed.

  For the first time in years, I saw something in her eyes she never allowed to surface.

  Fear.

  “You should run,” she whispered.

  “What?” I blinked.

  She slammed her hands together—

  —and the world exploded in golden fire.

  Her cloak turned white.

  Ten tails unfurled into pure energy.

  A Bijuu Bomb roared out—

  —and Kalman crushed it in his hand.

  A golden arm lashed out.

  Kurama’s body shot across the battlefield, carving a crater through Goa’s ruins. Dust swallowed her whole.

  She didn’t move.

  “No… No, no, no—”

  Kalman stepped forward. His armor glided silently, each movement heavier than the last. The ground trembled beneath him.

  Ace’s pipe snapped in his shaking hands. He stared at it, helpless.

  We couldn’t stop him.

  Any of us.

  Kalman turned his gaze toward me.

  Not smiling.

  Not taunting.

  He didn’t need to.

  I stumbled back, limbs heavy, breath jagged. Overwhelmed.

  Was this how ordinary people felt in the face of real power?

  The same helplessness that haunted me in my old world?

  Useless.

  Unable to protect anyone.

  Unable to save my sister.

  My vision wavered—

  —but the weight of my sword steadied me.

  I could still fight.

  I had to.

  Kalman glided toward me, his armor like death made flesh.

  No.

  I wasn’t useless.

  Not now.

  Not again.

  Rage surged.

  Fox Slayer ignited in flames.

  Kalman paused — surprised I was still standing.

  Good.

  I stepped forward.

  The air warped. Space twisted.

  Vanishing of Fate.

  Reality cracked as I moved, a shockwave ripping the battlefield apart.

  Kalman barely reacted—

  —but his stance shifted.

  I struck.

  Fox Slayer blazed like a falling star, colliding with golden steel.

  For the first time, he staggered.

  A tiny shift.

  A moment of doubt.

  Hope flared in my chest.

  I roared, pouring everything into my blade. Heat warped the air. The armor shuddered.

  This was it.

  My opening.

  My victory—

  Kalman’s hand closed around my blade.

  Cold.

  Final.

  Wrong.

  I had misread everything.

  Before I could react—

  —A golden arm punched through my stomach.

  I felt it before I understood it.

  Cold metal.

  Deep.

  Violating.

  Pain detonated through me. A strangled breath escaped my throat.

  I looked down.

  Golden steel.

  Blood blooming across my clothes.

  Too much.

  The world tilted, colors smearing into one another.

  No—

  Kurama screamed my name — distant, distorted, terrified.

  I tried to answer.

  My knees buckled. I collapsed, dirt warm beneath my cheek. My fingers reached for my sword, but my grip slipped instantly.

  Vision flickered.

  Darkened.

  Kalman pulled his arm free—

  —and another wave of agony tore through me.

  I lurched forward. Blood spilled from my mouth.

  Everything blurred.

  Everything dimmed.

  I was supposed to sail the Grand Line.

  Stand at the top.

  Live free.

  But none of that mattered now.

  I tried to fight it.

  I had to.

  I couldn’t die here—

  —but the darkness swallowed me whole.

  Fun Fact About Me

  feel something. I want even one person to feel inspired—to write something of their own, or to think, “I can do better.” That’s how I felt reading my favorite stories and fanfiction. They spoke to me. They inspired me. They made me want to tell my own story.

  Can I create a crossover story so compelling that people forget it’s fanfiction at all?

  no chapter next week. I’ll be relaxing and easing the pressure a bit. I’ll see you again on the 29th.

  Let the voyage continue.