On the Moby Dick's broad deck, the air congealed like gelatin as five supreme powers faced off. The sea breeze tried to blow through, only to be warped and diverted by an invisible force field as it touched the area.
Four gazes-Whitebeard's profound, Red-Hair's sharp, Kaido's greedy, and Linlin's calculating-converged on Boer.
The silver-haired young man calmly accepted their scrutiny. He stepped forward, his body floating lightly on a magnetic field, and finally landed at the center of the four Emperors of the Sea without a sound from his soles touching the deck.
"Rest assured, you two."
Boer spoke as calmly as if discussing the weather. He looked first at Whitebeard and Red-Hair, then turned his gaze toward Kaido and Linlin, a subtle, self-mocking smile curling his lips.
"My revenge... is aimed only at Cipher Pol. After all-"
He paused, an emotion even he could not fully decipher flickering deep within his azure eyes.
"I'm no madman."
"Right?"
He directed that final word at Kaido and Linlin. His tone was casual, yet both Emperors narrowed their eyes.
Red-Hair drew a deep breath. The index finger of his right hand, resting on Gryphon's hilt, unconsciously rubbed a notch in the guard.
"You must stop the hunt."
His voice was quiet, but every word drove into them like an iron nail into wood, carrying an unquestionable weight.
"The balance of these seas... is almost shattered thanks to you."
Red-Hair took a step forward. That single step abruptly changed the atmosphere across the deck-it was no longer the chaos of five powerful figures confronting one another. He alone had become its new "center of gravity."
His gaze passed Boer and stabbed straight at Kaido.
"Kaido. If the World Government gets desperate and commits the full strength of the Marines to wiping you out-the