King Scal of Altdimir had received news of the arrival of the former Admiral and the Admiral‑in‑waiting, yet his furrowed brow showed no sign of relief.
He paced anxiously back and forth before his throne.
"Your Majesty, we hold the Heavenly Tribute, which the World Nobles value greatly. The Government will certainly ensure our safety — please do not distress yourself so," a minister from the court offered in consolation.
Scal shot him a sharp glance. "Do we have the same strength here that was deployed to subdue Grimm two months ago?"
He resumed his pacing, muttering nervously under his breath.
"I agreed to sell intelligence on Grimm to the Marines only after the Government promised repeatedly that they would eliminate him during the operation. If Grimm ever finds out… he will never forgive me. What do I do? What can I do…?"
"There is a simple solution: invite Zephyr and Sakazuki to reside within the palace grounds. That way, they can protect you instantly at any moment."
The suggestion drifted to his ears, and Scal's heart leaped with hope — followed immediately by a chill. Because that voice… seemed to be coming from the throne behind him.
He noticed that the ministers lining the red carpet were staring wide‑eyed — at him, or rather, past him.
Scal turned. There, sitting comfortably upon his own royal seat, legs crossed, smiling right at him, was the nightmare that had haunted his dreams every night for the past month.
"Scal… that last piece of information you provided was most helpful," Grimm said with a grin.
"I‑I was forced by the Government!" Scal cried out in panic, repeating exactly the same defense used by every king Grimm had killed before him.
"Haha… a fine excuse. But people like you — who switch sides and betray without conviction — are very useful to me… or rather, to my subordinate, Kel'Thuzad. After you die, you will continue serving me. And best of all… you will never have to worry about being pressured by the Government again." Grimm smiled, utterly unconcerned.
Scal's aged jaw dropped open. He stumbled backward, forgetting there were steps behind him, and fell heavily to the floor. None of the ministers dared step forward to help.
"Quickly! Alert the Marines! Go, go now!" Scal screamed in terror.
SWISH!
Before the last word left his mouth, his headless body crumpled straight to the ground.
At the temporary Marine headquarters in Altdimir, Sakazuki and Zephyr were still discussing defensive strategies against Grimm, when a soldier burst in, breathless and pale.
"Instructor Zephyr! Vice Admiral Sakazuki! The… the palace has fallen!"
"What?" Zephyr turned, his expression turning dark and dangerous.
"G‑Grimm appeared… and he… he did away with the entire royal family of Altdimir…"
The soldier didn't finish the sentence, but nothing more needed to be said; the horror was plain to imagine.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Zephyr, already furious over the abandonment of Ragna, felt his temper explode at the news that the royal house had been wiped out right under his nose.
"I ordered guards posted at every exit and reinforced the palace security! Unless Grimm can turn invisible, how could he simply appear inside?!"
"It is not impossible," Sakazuki spoke up calmly. "I don't know if he can turn invisible… but he can fly. That alone is enough to explain it."
He stood and straightened his Marine coat. "We have been overlooking something important: though Grimm commands subordinates, he always prefers to act alone. At heart, he is a loner. We used that fact to our advantage during the previous campaign, but it is also exactly why he was able to slip away right under our eyes without a trace."
"Hmph! So we were blinded by what was right in front of us?"
Zephyr strode swiftly out the door toward the palace, issuing orders loudly as he went.
"Tell all other units to stand down. This is not a battle they can intervene in. We have received detailed reports from Garp — this fight cannot be won with numbers. Against Grimm, mass attacks are useless; only fighters of comparable strength can face him one‑on‑one."
He paused briefly, then added: "Sakazuki and I will lead the assault. Leave two hundred men stationed near the palace for support. Everyone else is responsible for evacuating all civilians remaining on the island!"
"Aye aye, Sir!"
When Zephyr and Sakazuki reached the palace gates and prepared to enter, they noticed several figures moving slowly and unsteadily out into the open.
Five seconds later, the Marines realized what they were looking at.
They moved with a lurching, limping gait, backs hunched, skin rotting and peeling, eyes milky white and sightless. They were exactly like the ghouls described in every tale of horror.
"Similar to the zombie powers of Gecko Moria?" Sakazuki frowned, then scoffed disdainfully. "Pointless creatures. They lose all strength the moment they touch salt water."
SWISH!
Suddenly, the ghouls leaped from the steps and dived straight toward the Marines.
"So fast!"
Even though these Marines were unknown soldiers, they were still elite Headquarters troops, far stronger than ordinary people. Seeing such speed shocked them.
"Do not let your guard down!" Sakazuki roared.
His right arm transformed into churning magma. He punched upward, and boiling, molten rock surged forth with a gurgling roar, incinerating the ghouls to ash the instant it struck them.
"Hmph. Pathetically weak." His arm returned to normal.
"To ordinary citizens, however, they are terrifying monsters… and they may well have spread throughout the surrounding area already," Zephyr warned.
He focused his Observation Haki instantly. The ghouls gave off faint, unsettling auras, hovering somewhere between life and death.
But deep within the palace, one presence towered above all else — immense, powerful, unmistakable. It belonged to no one but Grimm.
"Sakazuki — with me. Inside!"
They marched toward the inner halls. Zephyr spoke without turning back to the Marines who had started to follow.
"Forget reinforcements. You men search the city for more ghouls. I suspect there are far more than just the few we saw."
"Aye aye, Sir!"
The former Admiral and the Admiral‑in‑waiting walked side by side into the inner sanctuary. There they saw ghouls tearing at and devouring corpses scattered across the floor.
Zephyr recognized the robes on one body — it was a minister of the Altdimir court.
Disgusted by the sight, Zephyr leaped forward and struck rapidly with his Finger Pistol, shattering the heads of the ghouls in quick succession.
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