Five days had passed since the brutal fourteen-day duel between Kael and Mihawk ended.
Kael remained unconscious in his room.
He hadn't moved.
He hadn't spoken.
And he hadn't let go of the broken hilt. Not once.
The shattered remnant of his mother's greatsword was still locked in his right hand. His fingers were white-knuckled, rigid as iron.
Yamato had once reached to gently free the hilt from his hands, only to find his grip unbreakable. The moment she touched his hand, his grip tightened in his sleep, a low, pained sound escaping his throat. She stopped immediately.
Since then, she hadn't left his side.
She slept sitting cross-legged on the floor beside his bed. Takeru lay across her lap like a guardian. Every few hours, she would lean forward, brush sweat-damp hair from his forehead, and whisper.
Half-scolding.
"You idiot. You pushed yourself too far again."
Half-pleading.
"Please wake up… we need you."
Mihawk continued to visit him daily. She would stand in the doorway, silent. Yamato flashed her with a glare of pure Oni fury in her gaze, but she never spoke.
Mihawk never entered or acknowledged the glare. She just silently watched Kael's steady breathing before leaving.
Mihawk showed the faint signs of a smile. "He didn't break," Mihawk murmured once, almost to herself. "Good."
Maki trained alone in the arena, obsessively replaying every second of the duel in her mind, especially that final bloom of Conqueror's Haki and her captain's final strike. She attacked training dummies until her hands bled, muttering under her breath: "I need to be faster… sharper…" Mihawk became intrigued as she watched Maki train and decided to give her a few pointers to improve.
"Your form is off," Mihawk spoke.
Maki froze.
Mihawk's tone shifted as her piercing gaze locked onto Maki. "If that were me, you'd already be dead."
Maki gritted her teeth as she shot a fierce glare at Mihawk.
Betty spent her time sitting at her stone desk with ink and paper, writing furious propaganda leaflets titled "The Storm Oni King: He Dueled the World's Strongest Swordswoman and Lived". She read them aloud to herself, voice low and fierce, as if the words could reach Kael even in sleep.
Carmen cooked enough for twenty people every day, "just in case he wakes up hungry." She quietly left plates outside his door.
Gorran buried himself in his forge.
He worked nonstop on the new blade. He was busy, melting down seastone fragments, high-grade steel ingots, and the rare ores from his personal stash. The Supreme Grade blueprint lay open on his workbench beside the tempest core.
Gorran studied the Supreme Grade blueprint like a madman and made a few adjustments. He placed the broken sword relic that they had taken from the vault. Gorran was only waiting for Kael to wake up. Gorran planned to melt down the hilt from Kael's former blade, along with the other broken hilt, to make something stronger. He stroked his long beard in contemplation. "If the captain agrees… I'll embed the tempest core at the pommel. Or make it part of the grip."
The world beyond Moonfang had not been quiet.
Printing presses roared across every sea.
Ink flew.
Paper stacks rose.
The headline was the same on every island, every ship, every tavern:
WORLD NEWS ERUPTIONDUEL OF LEGENDS: KAEL D. RAEN VS. DRACULE MIHAWK
FOURTEEN-DAY BATTLE SHATTERS MOONFANG ISLE
YAMATO OF THE BEAST PIRATES PUBLICLY DECLARES HIM HER MATE
WORLD GOVERNMENT CONFIRMS: CLASS-S THREAT
New World — Moby Dick
Ace leaned back against the rail of Whitebeard's ship, newspaper in hand.
He burst into loud laughter.
"Ha, my little brother courting the world's strongest swordswoman now?"
He shook his head with a grin.
"Showoff."
East Blue —Going Merry
Luffy held the newspaper upside down, grinning ear to ear.
"Kael was always my strongest brother!"
Usopp squinted at the headline.
"FOURTEEN DAYS?! They fought for TWO WEEKS?!"
Zoro's eyes sharpened slightly.
"Mihawk, huh…"
Sanji laughed. "Ha, look at that mosshead. The captain's older brother fought Mihawk to a standstill."
Nami stared at the paper, voice quiet.
"…He really fought that hard. I hope that he isn't hurt."
Somewhere in the New World
Shanks read the paper once.
Then laughed.
He raised his cup toward the sea.
"Well now."
"Kael makes Luffy look like an angel."
His crew erupted with laughter, but Shanks' eyes lingered on the headline longer than the rest.
"Kid's grown up."
Onigashima
Kaido stared at the newspaper.
Then he laughed a deep, thunderous roar that shook the hall. "Worororororo!"
His sake jug shattered in his grip.
"He fought Hawkeye for fourteen days?"
His grin widened like a demon's.
"He might be a good son-in-law after all."
Whole Cake Island
Big Mom's laughter echoed through the palace.
"Mama mama mama!"
She waved the newspaper wildly.
"Maybe I should send him one of my daughters!"
She snapped her fingers.
"Someone call Smoothie! I found my next son-in-law!"
Marine Headquarters
Sengoku slammed the newspaper onto the desk so hard that the ink still smelled fresh.
The headline stared back at him like a personal challenge:
DUEL OF LEGENDS: KAEL D. RAEN VS. DRACULE MIHAWK
FOURTEEN-DAY BATTLE SHATTERS MOONFANG ISLE
CLASS-S THREAT CONFIRMED
"GARP!"
His voice cracked through the quiet room like a cannon shot.
Garp, lounging in the corner chair with his feet on a stack of classified reports, didn't even flinch. He lazily turned the page of his own copy, grinning ear to ear.
Sengoku's veins bulged at his temples.
"Your family is going to sink the world!"
He jabbed a finger at the paper.
"Luffy starts riots in Loguetown. Ace is tearing holes through the New World. And now this one, your so-called 'quiet' grandson, fights Dracule Mihawk for fourteen days and lives?!"
He swept an arm across the desk, sending reports and tea cups flying.
"The Five Elders are already screaming for an admiral deployment! They want him classified as a global emergency! Do you have any idea what kind of storm this brat is brewing?!"
Garp finally looked up.
His grin didn't fade.
Instead, it widened. Big, shameless, and proud.
"BAHAHAHAHA!"
The laugh rolled out of him like thunder, shaking the windows.
He slapped his knee so hard the chair creaked.
"Ain't they glorious?!"
Sengoku stared at him, dumbfounded.
Garp leaned forward, elbows on his knees, eyes gleaming with something dangerously close to tears of joy.
"My grandsons are out there making legends, while we have been relegated to desk work, signing execution orders. Luffy's laughing in the face of death. Ace is burning everything that tries to hold him. And Kael…"
He tapped the newspaper with one thick finger.
"…Kael just went toe-to-toe with Hawkeye for two weeks straight. Didn't back down. Didn't run. Didn't beg."
He leaned back, folding his arms behind his head.
"That's my blood."
Sengoku pinched the bridge of his nose so hard his glasses tilted.
"You're proud of this?!"
Garp's grin softened just a little.
"I raised them to do what they believe is right. Even if it's against the world."
He looked out the window toward the sea.
"Even if it's against us."
Silence fell between them.
Sengoku stared at the newspaper for a long time.
Then, quietly:
"…What happens when they all meet?"
Garp's smile turned wistful.
"Then we'll see a family reunion the world won't forget."
He stood, stretching until his joints popped.
"I think I'll take the recruits fishing with Bogard and me."
Sengoku stared after him.
"You can't just—"
Garp waved without looking back.
"Tell the Elders I said hi."
The door closed behind him.
Sengoku sank into his chair.
He stared at the headline again.
And for the first time in years, the Fleet Admiral felt very, very old.
Sabaody Archipelago — Shakky's Bar
The door creaked open.
Rayleigh stepped inside, holding the newspaper.
Shakky glanced up from the counter.
"Let me guess."
She lit a cigarette as she pushed a glass of scotch toward Rayleigh.
"It's our daughter."
Rayleigh chuckled.
"Looks like she found someone interesting."
He placed the paper on the bar.
Shakky read the headline slowly.
A smile spread across her lips.
"Fourteen days?"
She leaned back, amused.
"Well…"
"Looks like our little Shira has finally found someone worth keeping."
Rayleigh laughed softly.
"Just like you did."
She flicked ash at him.
"Don't flatter yourself, old man."
Shakky laughed lightly. "I wonder how Red Hair is going to react? He always had the biggest crush on our little girl."
Rayleigh downed his drink and let out a tired sigh.
Somewhere in the world
Dragon finished reading the newspaper.
The wind stirred around him.
He folded the paper calmly.
A faint smile touched his lips. "Another storm is rising… and it carries our name."
On day five, everything changed.
Kael finally showed signs of waking up.
Yamato's relief was immediate and overwhelming. She leaned forward, gently squeezing his hand.
Kael stirs.
His eyes fluttered open, slowly adjusting to the light.
The first thing he saw was her exhausted, tear-streaked face.
The second thing was the shattered hilt still locked in his grip.
Kael's voice came out in a low, raw, and cracked whisper, "I wasn't strong enough to protect her last remaining memory."
Yamato didn't speak. She just caressed his cheek. "She's not. She's in you. Always will be."
He looked at her, really looked at her.
Then gave her the smallest, most tired smile.
Before they could say more, his stomach let out a low, rumbling growl.
Yamato covered her face to hide her sudden laugh.
"Stay here. I'll go grab you something to eat."
She left.
Kael was alone.
He opened the system panel.
Notifications exploded across his vision.
NEW! Title Earned: The Storm Oni King
Bounty Increased: 75,000,000 → 575,000,000 Beli
World Reputation: Class-S Threat Confirmed
Duel Rewards Unlocked:
Legendary Swordsmanship Technique (integrated)
Adamantite Core Shard
Meteoric Ore
System Store Update
A surge of knowledge flooded his mind.
It wasn't just technique.
It was a memory.
Every slash, thrust, parry, and counter of a legendary swordsman replayed as a master class burned directly into muscle memory.
But woven through it all were flashes of his mother. It was like her voice was guiding his hand. He could hear her laughter when he finally landed a clean strike, the way she held the blade like it was part of her soul.
For a moment, he felt her again.
The pain of her loss hit fresh and raw.
In a flash, he saw her standing on Aetheron's cliffs, wind whipping her hair, holding the blade out to him with that proud, fierce smile.
"This is yours now, little storm. Make it sing."
The memory cut deeper than any wound Mihawk had given him.
A triumphant, tired smile spread across his face as the technique finished integrating.
"This is exactly the kind of attack I need."
He then opened the system store to check the update.
System Store Update – Featured Monthly Rotation
Kael stared at the glowing interface, heart pounding harder than it had during any part of the duel.
The two new categories stared back at him like open treasure vaults.
Devil Fruits
Legendary Weapons
But there was something else.
A shimmering banner pulsed across the top of the store in shimmering-gold script:
[Featured Monthly Rotation – Limited Time Only]
New stock refreshes every 30 days. Miss it, and it's gone forever.
Below the banner, a carousel of holographic cards slowly rotated, each one radiating power so thick Kael could almost taste metal and ozone in the air.
Current Featured Items (March Rotation):
• Meta Meta no Mi (Logia – Liquid Metal) : Transform into, generate, and manipulate molten metal. Near-indestructible hybrid form. Extreme offensive and defensive potential. Price: 1.2 Billion Beli Stock: 1 remaining
• Murakumogiri Replica (Legendary Naginata – Whitebeard's Design) Exact dimensional copy of the world's strongest man's weapon. Infused with tremor vibration matrix. Capable of splitting seas and cracking islands. Price: 2.5 Billion Beli Stock: 1 remaining
"That weapon…"
Even just looking at it made Kael's instincts flare.
That's a weapon fit for a king.
• Adamantite Sovereign Ore (Rare Crafting Material × 10 kg) Metal said to have been forged in the heart of ancient stars. Unbreakable by any known blade or cannon. Perfect for Supreme Grade weapons or ship hull reinforcement. Price: 800 Million Beli Stock: 3 remaining
• Ancient Skill Scroll: "Void Blade Dance" Lost sword art from the Void Century. Allows the user to cut through space itself for instantaneous strikes. Requires Conqueror's Haki foundation. Price: 1.8 Billion Beli Stock: 1 remaining
• High-Yield Tempest Core (Enhanced) Refined core capable of powering Ether Cannons for four monthly discharges instead of two. Also amplifies lightning-based abilities by 40%. Price: 950 Million Beli Stock: 2 remaining
• Never-Before-Seen Devil Fruit: Hebi Hebi no Mi, Model: Orochi (Mythical Zoan – Eight-Headed Serpent) Full transformation into an eight-headed hydra. Each head can regenerate independently. Poison, fire, and acid variants per head. Price: 3.4 Billion Beli Stock: 1 remaining
Kael's breath caught.
Every item was obscene.
Every price was a mountain he hadn't climbed yet.
But the rotation timer in the corner of the interface was already counting down:
28 days, 14 hours, 37 minutes remaining until April rotation.
He closed the store.
The temptation lingered like smoke in his lungs.
He looked down at the broken hilt still clutched in his hand.
"I'll earn it," he whispered to the empty room.
"All of it."
Yamato returned at that moment with a plate of freshly grilled meat and bread.
She saw the look on his face, the quiet, burning resolve, and smiled softly.
"You're already planning something reckless again, aren't you?"
Kael gave her a tired grin.
"Just thinking… we're going to need a bigger treasury."
She sat beside him.
"Then we'll take it. Together."
He ate slowly and murmured, "She really did it… claimed me."
Yamato's jaw tightened as a low growl escaped her throat. Her grip tightened on Takeru, knuckles whitening. "She can try."
As if summoned by his words, Mihawk appeared in the doorway like a living shadow.
"Good, you're awake."
She swayed forward, graceful, unhurried. Her hawk-like golden eyes locked onto him with quiet intrigue. She placed a small black box on the table beside the bed. "Open it when you're ready."
Before he could respond, she turned and left.
Once alone at night, Kael opened the box.
Inside: set a single black feather from Yoru's sheath along with a note in elegant script:
"The storm was worthy. Forge a new blade worthy of it. I'll be waiting."
Kael stares at the shattered hilt, and a single tear falls.
He whispered: "I'll forge something stronger… Mom. Strong enough this time."