Red and Black

In a single word—

Silence!

Everything had fallen quiet.

The sea, the waves, the wind, the clouds...

And the people!

The wall of fire around them gradually died out, and the whirlpool in the sea slowly vanished.

The ocean was so vast that it swallowed every trace of the battle, as if nothing had ever happened.

But the battle was still underway!

High above, two figures hovered with their wings spread, facing each other.

They sheathed their swords, bent forward, and held their breath, each gathering their focus for the final clash of the battle.

Just as the future was destined to become the present, fate had to reach a conclusion.

"Whew..."

Both men let out a soft breath at the same time, then stopped breathing.

Their pairs of wings beat slower and slower, then stopped, removing the lift that had kept them aloft.

At that moment, both Lindsey and King had to pour everything into this final strike.

So to them, breathing and flying were nothing but useless burdens. All they needed was to move "forward"!

Whoosh—

The two figures began to fall at the same time, plunging from the sky toward the sea!

Their distinctly different Armament Haki spread across their bodies, then wrapped around their blades.

Their wrists tensed, and the wings on their backs gave one final beat.

Whoosh—

Thrum!

In midair, the two falling silhouettes surged toward each other, drew their swords, and collided.

Boom!

That was no longer the sound of blades clashing. It was more like a pair of giant cannonballs exploding against each other!

Flames and Ancient Armament Haki scattered in every direction, turning the entire sky into a blazing millstone of fire and sparks!

Clang!

The shrill, grating sound tore through the air as the two black blades locked in a stalemate.

The next instant—

With a sharp clatter, both black blades snapped in half at the same time. Freed from their obstruction, the broken blades slashed down at an angle!

Squelch!

As blades sliced through flesh, red and black burst into the air.

Blood and feathers!

Half of King's wing had been cut off, and black feathers drifted through the air.

As for Aiven Lindsey, a long wound had opened across his chest, stretching from his left shoulder to his right hip and gushing blood.

Was the victor decided?

No!

Neither man stopped moving, because the "final slash" was far from over!

King's eyes bulged, bloodshot with fury, as he roared:

"Ai—ven—Lind—sey!"

The flames behind his head went out, and all their power surged onto the broken half of the blade in his hand.

Defense no longer mattered.

He would give everything he had to cut down the [Devil] before him!

A gigantic fire dragon surged forth, the strongest attack King could unleash at that moment—

Guardian Fire Dragon Emperor!

Aiven Lindsey, meanwhile, bared his fangs.

"Come!"

He opened his mouth, gathering power for a roar!

But he wasn't aiming at King. He threw his head back and pointed the broken half of his black blade skyward.

"Roar!"

A bellow!

The powerful recoil slammed into Lindsey, flipping him through the air as his blade shot straight toward King.

In the West Wood Form, the roar's actual destructive power was weaker, but it provided far more thrust, accelerating Lindsey to an unbelievable speed.

Almost instantly—

The broken black blade collided with King's fire dragon, and the two exploded completely!

Boom!

Whoosh—!

The two figures passed each other, then fell silent and continued their descent.

The flames died away, and the last of the earth and stone crumbled apart.

At last, as they reached the sea, one figure steadied himself and hovered above the surface, while the other crashed heavily into the water.

His enormous wings spread instinctively, increasing the area of his body in contact with the sea and keeping him from sinking for the moment.

The one who had fallen into the sea was King.

The one hovering above it was, naturally, Aiven Lindsey.

The wound across his chest wouldn't stop bleeding. His blood had even stained the surface of the sea red.

Seeing this, Lindsey tore off a large portion of his Ancient Armament Haki and used it as a bandage, wrapping it around his upper body to temporarily treat the wound.

"..."

"Ugh..."

King rose and fell with the waves.

A terrible wound ran from his lower torso up across his upper body, reaching his chin. He no longer had the strength to stand.

"Is it... over?"

King raised his eyes toward the [Devil] nearby and murmured:

"I lost..."

"..."

Lindsey flew a little lower and came over to King, rubbing his chin with mild curiosity.

"Um..."

His question had nothing to do with who had won or lost, nor with any complicated intelligence. It was something King would never have expected.

"How are you floating on the surface of the sea?"

"..."

"Heh..."

"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

King looked up at the sky and burst into laughter, despite the agonizing pain of his wounds tearing open.

He had lost.

But for some reason, once the outcome was decided, his anger vanished. In its place, he felt strangely refreshed.

After a moment's thought, King answered, "This is how ancient pterosaurs rest."

"Oh, I see!"

Lindsey nodded, feeling he'd learned something new today.

"..."

After a brief silence, King suddenly remembered something.

"Hey, [Devil], my mask..."

His voice grew weaker, but he forced himself to stay alert.

During their fall, King's mask and goggles had been destroyed, revealing his gray-brown clothes, long white hair, and the wreath-shaped tattoo beside his left eye.

Those were the marks of his being a surviving member of the Lunarian Tribe.

This race, deeply connected to the "Void Century," was worth a bounty of up to one hundred million Berry just for reporting their whereabouts to the World Government!

That was why King had always hidden his appearance. Now, though, he was too weak to move.

"..."

Lindsey understood what King meant and said nothing. He simply found a piece of cloth floating on the sea and covered King's face.

"..."

"Thank you."

King paused, then spoke two words.

He wanted to feel angry, but he couldn't find a good reason.

After all, they had both given everything they had to reach this outcome. What did he have to resent?

"Kaido, I'm truly sorry..."

"..."

Far away, on the sea.

On the ship's deck.

Everyone had witnessed the outcome of the battle, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

At any rate, Aiven Lindsey had won!

At last, they could catch their breath, regroup, and tend to the wounded.

"..."

"Thank you. I feel much better."

Bepo thanked the doctor who had bandaged him, then turned and saw that Cobra and the others had returned to the deck as well.

What he hadn't expected was that there were two more people beside Cobra.

One was the [Sand Crocodile], Crocodile, soaked through and with blood on his forehead. He had clearly been badly injured.

The other was the little princess Vivi, looking thoroughly disgruntled.

...Huh?

Why was the princess on such a dangerous battlefield?!

Vivi noticed Bepo looking at her, stuck out her tongue apologetically, and greeted him. "Hey, Mr. Bepo!"

Bepo: "..."

She'd probably sneaked aboard.

Vivi had always been like that by nature. And under Cobra's guidance, she hadn't been spoiled like so many royal children. Instead, she'd loved playing with weapons since she was little.

As the saying went, she'd grown up wild.

He could just imagine her telling the king, "Hey, Dad," before leaving.

Bepo rubbed his brow helplessly.

"..."

"None of our people were seriously hurt. We truly owe Mr. Lindsey this time."

Cobra let out a long sigh.

With Alabasta's strength alone, they might have been able to deal with the mysterious "advisor," Vergo, but they would have been utterly helpless against the later arrival of the [Flame Calamity].

He was a monster with a bounty of a full billion Berry!

If Crocodile hadn't brought Aiven Lindsey to Alabasta, then even if the Marines had arrived as quickly as possible, Alabasta would still have suffered terrible casualties.

"..."

"Indeed."

Crocodile lit himself a cigar and agreed. "We really ought to thank that Primitive Man..."

"Hm?!"

Cobra noticed the implication in Crocodile's words and asked in confusion, "Mr. Sand Crocodile, what do you mean...?"

"Take a look at the man lying on the sea."

Crocodile walked to the bow and gave a sinister smile as he pointed him out. "That's not just a man."

"Heh heh heh..."

"That's a living, breathing billion-Berry bounty!"

"..."

In fact, there was something Crocodile hadn't said.

Back at the Sabaody Archipelago, all his funds had been trapped there because of the upheaval caused by Aiven Lindsey. He couldn't get any of them out.

They'd practically become a dead account!

He took a leisurely puff of his cigar, feeling much better.

Now he could finally make up for some of his losses...

"Oh, right. There's one more thing."

Crocodile raised an eyebrow, his smile tinged with excitement and menace.

"Smile, Cobra. We're not the ones who need to worry about the trouble that comes next. The Marines are."

Faint wisps of cigar smoke curled upward.

Crocodile raised an eyebrow.

"Heh heh heh..."

"I have to say, this sea is getting more and more interesting!"