The wind died.
The rain stopped.
Sunlight tore through the clouds like molten gold, spilling across Loguetown.
The crowd dispersed in terrified clusters, leaving only wreckage and a suffocating silence around the execution platform.
KING stood with his back to the world.
Hands in pockets.
Motionless.
For a full minute.
Not because he wished to.
(Move… I can't move! My right leg is completely numb! Was that wind poisonous? Did I just develop rheumatism?)
He had locked every muscle in his body to remain upright. If he relaxed now, the burning lactic acid in his leg would force him to collapse on the spot.
He endured.
He absolutely could not lose face in front of the Marines.
He slowly turned his neck, glancing sideways.
Thankfully, that chain-smoking Marine was still buried in rubble, questioning his existence.
Good.
KING gritted his teeth and began inching forward, stiff and rigid like an elderly man, toward a dark alley.
In Smoker's Eyes
The blond man's departing back looked solitary.
Remote.
Untouchable.
The loneliness of someone standing at the summit of the world.
"Even Dragon… wasn't worthy of forcing his hand?"
Smoker dragged himself from the rubble, mud streaking his face.
He fumbled for a golden Den Den Mushi and dialed.
Marine Headquarters — Fleet Admiral's Office
Garp lounged cross-legged on the sofa, digging his nose while shoving senbei into his mouth.
Crumbs fell everywhere.
Behind the desk, Sengoku reviewed reports on the Four Emperors.
A vein pulsed on his forehead.
"Garp! If you're going to eat, go outside!"
"Pwahaha! Don't be stingy, Sengoku. Want one?" Garp offered a half-eaten cracker.
Then—
The black encrypted Den Den Mushi screamed.
Emergency priority.
Sengoku snatched the receiver.
"This is Sengoku."
"Fleet Admiral! Loguetown emergency report!"
Sengoku stiffened.
"Straw Hat Luffy escaped?"
"It's not Straw Hat Luffy! Dragon appeared!"
"PFFT—!"
Garp sprayed tea across Sengoku's face.
Sengoku ignored it.
"Dragon?! What did he do? Casualties? Smoker, report!"
"No casualties," Smoker replied, voice strained. "Dragon unleashed winds capable of devastating the town… but he withdrew."
Silence.
Sengoku wiped tea from his face.
"Withdrew? Because of you?"
"Of course not. KING was present."
Garp leaned in instantly.
"Then?"
"He stood there," Smoker said hoarsely. "Hands in his pockets. He did not move. The storm raged around him."
"And then?"
Smoker swallowed.
"The small dog in his arms emitted an extremely dangerous predatory aura. Not a Devil Fruit manifestation — something more primitive, more absolute. Every instinct in my body screamed danger."
"Dragon assessed the situation… and chose not to escalate."
Sengoku and Garp exchanged a look.
That wording mattered.
Dragon did not fear.
Dragon evaluated.
Dragon withdrew.
Strategic judgment.
Smoker continued:
"He said the East Blue harbors hidden strength… and departed."
Dead silence filled the office.
Then—
"Pwahahahaha!!" Garp burst into laughter. "That brat backed off! I told you he'd run into something interesting someday!"
Sengoku did not laugh.
He thought.
A man whose presence altered battlefield decisions.
A commander who caused Dragon to avoid conflict.
That was not normal.
"Smoker," Sengoku said quietly, "where is he now?"
"He returned to the civilian district. He appears… weary of conflict."
Sengoku hung up.
Removed his glasses.
Pressed his temples.
No record.
No precedent.
"Garp," he said slowly, "the balance of the seas may be shifting."
Loguetown — Back Alley
KING moved carefully along the wall.
Then stopped.
(…What now?)
He felt eyes on him.
Many.
He turned.
In the dim alley, dozens of eyes glowed.
Stray animals.
Not ordinary ones.
A scarred alley tomcat.
A battle-worn bulldog missing an ear.
Oversized sewer rats with torn hides.
The territorial rulers of Loguetown's underbelly.
They stared not at him—
but at the puppy in his arms.
(Great. I avoided people and walked into animal territory.)
KING's heart thundered.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The Emperor Engine echoed in the narrow alley.
To human ears: a heartbeat.
To predator instinct: pressure.
An invisible wave rolled outward.
To the animals' senses, the figure before them ceased to be human.
It was an apex predator beyond comprehension.
A being above the food chain.
Dominance absolute.
The cat king's legs buckled.
The bulldog lowered its head.
The rats flattened themselves to the ground.
Within seconds, the alley was filled with prostrated animals trembling in submission.
Not worship.
Instinct.
Submission to the supreme predator.
At the alley entrance, a plump woman carrying vegetables froze.
Her basin slipped from her hands.
Water splashed across the stones.
Her eyes bulged.
Every vicious stray animal that plagued Loguetown lay kneeling before the blond man.
Even the seagulls settled silently on the ground, wings folded.
Sunset light stretched his shadow long across the alley.
"A miracle…"
Her legs gave way.
"He's… the Lord of Beasts…"
Marine Headquarters Intelligence Division
Another urgent report reached Sengoku.
He read the phrase:
"All animals submit upon approach."
He thought of Smoker's report.
Dragon's withdrawal.
The lightning.
The presence.
Three independent accounts.
One conclusion:
Uncontrolled variable.
Sengoku walked to the window overlooking the calm sea.
"We cannot leave him there."
Placing such an existence in the weakest sea was strategic negligence.
He must be brought to Marineford.
Under direct observation.
Sengoku turned to the Den Den Mushi.
"Transmit my orders."
"Dispatch Vice Admiral Momousagi to Loguetown."
"Invite King to Marine Headquarters to deliver his report."
He paused.
His tone sharpened.
"Use the highest level of respect."
"We are not summoning a subordinate."
"We are extending a formal invitation."
Grand Line — Marine Warship
On deck, a tall woman lounged while trimming her nails.
Peach-colored skirt.
Long legs crossed.
Her sword Konpira rested nearby.
Vice Admiral candidate Momousagi — Gion.
"How dull," she murmured. "The pirates here aren't worth drawing steel for."
An adjutant sprinted over with a golden Den Den Mushi.
"Vice Admiral Gion! Emergency dispatch from Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
She accepted it.
"…Momousagi speaking."
Minutes later, she ended the call.
Her languid expression disappeared.
In its place appeared a slow, intrigued smile.
"A presence that halted Dragon's advance…"
"Animals submitting by instinct…"
"A dog radiating apex predator aura…"
Her eyes glinted.
"The East Blue hides something interesting."
"KING…"
She licked her lips lightly, curiosity and battle instinct flickering behind her calm gaze.
"How very intriguing."