The New World, in the waters off Giant Tooth Island.
Gray-black clouds hung low over the sea like a heavy quilt. The oppressive sense of an approaching storm filled the air; even the gulls had hidden in cracks in the rocks. Yet these rain clouds had not formed naturally-their movement defied the wind, slowly gathering, swirling, and piling up over Giant Tooth Island from every direction in a way that violated fluid dynamics.
At the center of the clouds, a black figure floated silently.
Aaron Ball spread his arms, palms down, as though soothing a restless beast. Invisible magnetic field lines worked like precision mechanical arms, arranging, guiding, and anchoring every mass of water vapor. The clouds rubbed violently against one another, blue-white serpents of electricity continually bursting within them. Low thunder rolled deep inside, accumulating destructive energy.
Frictional charge reserves... reaching the critical threshold. Continue charging...
Boer had his eyes closed, but his Extrasensory Vision took in the terrain, buildings, and distribution of Life Magnetic Fields across the entire island below like the most advanced radar. Those surging charges were not merely his ammunition stockpile, but a Sword of Damocles suspended over his enemies, ready to fall at any moment.
He adjusted his breathing, slowly synchronizing his own biological magnetic field with this artificially created thundercloud. Every heartbeat corresponded to a faint discharge pulse within the clouds.
Preparations were complete.
The hunt... began.
At the center of Giant Tooth Island stood a rugged palace carved from a gigantic natural coral reef. Its entrance resembled a gaping maw lined with sharp teeth, and its interior was spacious and gloomy. At that moment, a revel belonging to conquerors and plunderers was underway inside.
Two-Headed Dragon Sado-or, more accurately, "Two-Jawed Sado," as the peculiar nature of his ability had earned him