One Piece: Building Amazon Lily, Starting as a Celestial Dragon

Blood dripped down the blade, pooling on the floor in a shocking expanse of red.

With his back to the doorway, Mima Karyotori held the sword hilt in one hand, steadily holding Munechika Shikishima aloft on its blade.

"Fa...ther..." Ayame's voice trembled, and tears instantly spilled from her eyes.

Munechika Shikishima turned his head with difficulty to look at his daughter, blood continually spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Summoning the last of his strength, he moved his lips, laboriously mouthing two words: "Run away..."

Mima Karyotori seemed to notice his intention and snapped his wrist.

Splurch-

Munechika Shikishima's corpse was flung away with tremendous force, slamming into a distant wall before sliding to the floor, never to make another sound.

Ayame's legs gave out, no longer able to support her, and she collapsed to the floor.

She covered her mouth, her stomach churning as dry heaves rose in her throat, but nothing came out. Only her tears kept falling.

Mima Karyotori turned around, his face betraying not a trace of emotion.

He raised his other hand, revealing a pistol, and aimed it at Ayame without hesitation.

Bang-!

The gunshot rang out. The bullet struck the floor beside Ayame's feet, sending up a spray of sparks.

At that very instant, an agile figure rushed into the hall like a whirlwind.

It was Mumei!

She fired her steam gun in rapid succession, forcing Mima Karyotori half a step back, then darted to Ayame's side and hauled her over her shoulder.

"Mumei! Put me down! I'm going to kill that bastard-!" Ayame struggled on her shoulder, screaming through her tears.

"Don't look back! Go!" Gritting her teeth, Mumei carried Ayame out of the hall and raced down the corridor toward safety.

Only after shaking off their pursuers and hiding in a secluded storeroom did Mumei set Ayame down. The two leaned against the wall, panting heavily.

"I'm sorry... Ayame..." Mumei lowered her head, her voice choked with sobs. "It was all me... I let them in... I didn't know Brother would..."

Ayame stared blankly at Mumei, at the tear-streaked face of this little girl she had once cherished like a younger sister.

She remained stunned for a long while, then shook her head firmly and wiped the tears and grime from her face, her gaze gradually growing resolute.

"No... I believe you. You're not that kind of person." Ayame struggled to her feet. Though her legs were still shaking, she straightened her back. "There's no time to grieve now... The Kabane are still rampaging. Father is gone, and I'm the only one who can organize everyone to fight back."

Mumei raised her head and looked into Ayame's eyes, where the will to fight had rekindled, then nodded firmly. "Yes! Be careful, Ayame! Leave Brother... to me!"

They exchanged a glance, understanding each other's resolve without another word.

Then they pushed open the storeroom door and rushed in separate directions into the burning inferno.

Chapter 37: Epilogue

Ayame rushed out of the mansion, and the sight before her made her heart sink.

The streets had descended into utter chaos.

Flames stained half the sky red, thick smoke billowed, and cries, screams, and footsteps sounded everywhere.

Countless refugees crowded the narrow streets, fleeing aimlessly in every direction, shoving and trampling one another.

Without unified command, the samurai fought separately. Some tried to establish defensive lines, some searched for their superiors, and others were simply scattered by the fleeing crowds. All of Kongoukaku had fallen into complete chaos.

Ayame gritted her teeth, gathered the hem of her kimono, and struggled up onto a raised platform.

Standing high above the dense crowd below, she took a deep breath and shouted with all her strength, "Everyone, listen to me-!"

But amid the deafening cries and explosions, her voice vanished without a ripple, barely carrying any distance at all.

The crowd below continued surging in disorder. No one noticed her.

Just as she grew frantic, at a loss for what to do-

A figure in white landed silently beside her.

Ayame whipped her head around. The moment she saw that familiar, stern face, her eyes reddened.

Her heart, which had been in her throat, settled at once.

"God..."

Saint Dio did not look at her. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the chaotic crowd below.

An invisible, terrifying pressure spread from him, instantly enveloping the entire neighborhood.

Conqueror's Haki.

The people below, who had been crying, running, and shoving, felt as though an invisible hand had seized their hearts. Fear rising from the depths of their souls froze them instantly.

Every sound stopped abruptly at that moment.

As though immobilized by a spell, people stood rooted to the spot, not daring to breathe, only staring blankly up at the white figure on the platform.

The entire street grew so quiet that a falling pin could have been heard.

Ayame gave Saint Dio a grateful look, then took a deep breath and spoke again.

This time, her voice carried clearly to every corner. "All samurai, heed my orders! Organize the civilians to withdraw to the safe areas in the rear immediately! Able-bodied young adults, help transport the wounded and supplies! The elderly, women, and children first! Don't panic! Move in an orderly fashion!"

With clear orders, the samurai who had been running around aimlessly finally found direction.

The samurai commanders at every level quickly began assembling their units, assigning tasks, and guiding the civilians through an orderly evacuation.

Order gradually returned to the chaotic streets. Though panic still hung in the air, at least they were no longer helpless lambs awaiting slaughter.

Yet everyone knew this was only temporary.

The threat of the Kabane remained. If those monsters could not be dealt with, the people gathered here would sooner or later be surrounded and slaughtered.

Ayame realized this too. She turned to Saint Dio, her gaze filled with pleading and expectation.

Saint Dio did not keep her waiting long.

He slowly drew Jörmungandr from behind his waist and raised it high, its tip pointing toward the sky.

Before Ayame's stunned eyes, the dark silver sword abruptly expanded and transformed, becoming a gigantic serpent that blotted out the sky as it soared upward.

Its enormous body circled once through the night sky, casting a shadow over the entire neighborhood.

Seeing the giant serpent stretching across the sky, the civilians below first erupted in terrified screams. Then someone shouted, "It's God-! God has come to save us-!"

Like a chain reaction, people dropped to their knees one after another, bowing and prostrating themselves toward the white figure on the platform.

The dense crowd fell to their knees in swathes like wheat bowing before the wind, calling out the name of "God."

Saint Dio paid no attention to the kneeling civilians.

His gaze fixed on the distant hordes of Kabane surging toward them, and he willed it.

Jörmungandr opened its enormous mouth in the sky, wide enough to swallow an entire house. Dense green mist gushed from its throat, pouring down like a waterfall onto the charging Kabane.

The bodies of the Kabane engulfed by the green mist immediately began to rot and dissolve with sizzling sounds of corrosion. Within seconds, they became puddles of black sludge, not even their bones remaining.

The green mist spread along the streets, and wherever it passed, the Kabane melted away like snow beneath a blazing sun.

Peering through their fingers at this seemingly miraculous scene, the prostrate civilians felt their awe and worship deepen.

While Saint Dio cleared the Kabane from the city, the battle between Mumei and Mima Karyotori had also reached a fever pitch.

Two figures darted at high speed among rooftops lit by flames, the clang of metal and the crack of gunfire repeatedly ringing through the night sky.

"I taught you every one of your techniques."

The katana in Mima Karyotori's hand blocked every avenue of Mumei's attacks.

Mumei gritted her teeth. She found that no matter which angle she attacked from, he could anticipate her movements.

Just as he said, he had personally taught her all her fighting techniques.

Defeating him with what he had taught her was almost impossible.

But she suddenly remembered the technique Stussy had taught her-Soru.

Though she had not fully mastered it, she already understood its principle.

By using an instantaneous burst of force against the ground to move at high speed, she could launch a surprise attack before her opponent could react, so long as she was fast enough.

Mumei took a deep breath and drove hard with both feet.

Whoosh-!

Her figure vanished from the spot in an instant. Mima Karyotori's pupils contracted slightly, and before he could turn, a gunshot rang out behind him.

Bang!

The bullet struck his back, spraying blood.

Mima Karyotori lurched violently, the pistol slipping from his hand to the ground. He staggered several steps, clutching his chest as blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Mumei aimed her gun at him, her finger resting on the trigger, her gaze conflicted.

Mima Karyotori slowly turned around. Looking at the face of the girl who had once trusted him so completely, he gave a bitter smile. "What... are you going to kill your brother?"

Mumei's finger trembled slightly.

In that instant of distraction, a cold glint flashed through Mima Karyotori's eyes, and he swept his katana across.

Mumei reacted swiftly, twisting aside. The blade skimmed her hair, severing several drifting black strands.

Taking advantage of her retreat, Mima Karyotori pulled a syringe filled with black fluid from inside his clothes, plunged it into his neck without hesitation, and injected its entire contents.

"Aaargh!"

His body abruptly arched as he let out an agonized roar.

Pitch-black slime seeped from beneath his skin, rapidly covering his entire body like countless writhing black earthworms.

The slime congealed and hardened on his body, forming a suit of black crystalline armor that gleamed darkly. His fingertips became as sharp as blades.

He raised his head. His eyes had turned completely dark red.

Mima Karyotori stomped hard against the ground, becoming a black afterimage as he lunged at Mumei.

Mumei raised her gun and fired. The bullet struck the black crystal with a sharp clink and ricocheted away.

"It's useless."

Mima Karyotori's voice was deep, as though it came from an abyss.

He slashed down with a claw. Mumei rolled clumsily aside, and the roof tiles beneath her feet were torn to pieces by the blow.

She fired repeatedly as she retreated, but every bullet bounced off the hard crystal, unable to leave even a single crack.

Mumei turned and ran, continually leaping between rooftops as Mima Karyotori pursued her.

She raced in a particular direction, finally stopping in front of an enormous warehouse.

She turned to face Mima Karyotori as he landed close behind her. The sorrow in her black eyes had faded, replaced by a resolute calm.

"Now... you're a monster."

Mima Karyotori looked down at his hands, covered in black crystal, and smiled indifferently. "So what?"

Mumei said nothing more. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, not a trace of hesitation remained.

She raised her steam gun, angling its muzzle downward.

Bang!

The bullet struck the wooden floor beneath Mima Karyotori's feet.

The boards shattered at the shot. The floor beneath Mima Karyotori abruptly collapsed, sending him plunging into the darkness below along with the broken timber.

He landed among mountains of wooden crates, struggled to his feet, and looked around.

The air was thick with the pungent smell of sulfur and saltpeter. Every barrel and crate stacked around him bore a gunpowder symbol.

"This place is..." His pupils contracted slightly.

On the warehouse's upper level, Mumei stood at the edge of the broken floor, looking down at him.

Backlit by the flames, her figure seemed like a lonely, resolute silhouette.

"Goodbye, Brother."