Chapter 39: The Strongest of the World
The forest was still burning in patches, but the fighting had moved elsewhere. Ivankov and Kuma had run until their legs gave out, collapsing beneath the shelter of a massive tree.
"We're alive," Ivankov gasped, his enormous head resting against the trunk. "That woman… she's a monster."
Kuma didn't answer. He was staring at his hands. The fruit he had swallowed—its taste still lingered, foul and unforgettable—but something else was there now. A power he could feel waiting beneath his skin.
"We have to find Ginny," Ivankov said, forcing himself upright. "With the chaos, we can—"
The sky darkened.
A five‑pointed star blazed into existence above them, its edges bleeding red light. The air grew heavy, thick with a pressure that made Ivankov's knees buckle. Kuma grabbed him, pulling him back, but his own legs were shaking.
From the center of the star, a figure descended.
He was not tall, but the space around him seemed to shrink. His suit was black, his mustache immaculate, his eyes empty. And below his waist, spider‑like limbs spread, each one tipped with a blade.
Ivankov's eyes rolled back. He crumpled without a sound.
Kuma felt the weight of the man's presence pressing down on him—not just physical, but something deeper. His bones ached. His lungs struggled for air. But he did not fall.
"A Buccaneer," the man said. His voice was calm, detached. "Your kind was given a choice long ago. Bondage or death."
Kuma's fists clenched. He thought of his father, telling him stories of Nika, of the warrior who would bring laughter and freedom. He thought of the people running through the forest, shot down like game. He thought of the man with the golden eyes, who had stood between them and a monster.
"If we were born only to be slaves," Kuma said, his voice cracking but clear, "then why were we born at all?"
The man—Saturn, one of the Five Elders—looked at him without expression. "That is why your race must be erased."
He raised his staff. A point of black light gathered at its tip, aimed at Kuma's head.
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The blade came from nowhere.
Kyle moved without sound, without warning. His naginata, coated in focused vibration, struck toward the back of Saturn's neck.
It stopped.
One of the spider limbs had risen without apparent effort, its tip meeting the blade with a crack of force that sent Kyle skidding back across the torn earth. He dug his heels in, stopping himself against a fallen tree, his arms shaking.
Saturn turned. His eyes found Kyle, and for the first time, something shifted in them—not surprise, not anger, but a cold assessment.
"You have trained your fruit well. Your Haki is advanced." He glanced at the faint mark on his limb. "A pirate?"
"I prefer freelancer."
Saturn's gaze did not waver. "It does not matter. One insect or two."
Kyle's grip tightened on his naginata. He had known the Five Elders were strong. But feeling it, standing in the presence of that pressure—it was different. Saturn moved like someone who had not needed to try in a very long time.
Behind Saturn, Kuma was still on the ground, his face pale, but his eyes open. Watching.
Kyle shifted his stance. "Take the big‑headed one and go. Find the Roger Pirates. Tell them Saturn is here."
Kuma hesitated. "You—"
"Go."
Kuma grabbed Ivankov, hauling him across his shoulders. He ran. Saturn did not stop him.
"You let him go," Kyle said.
"He has eaten a Devil Fruit. He can be tracked. Used." Saturn's voice was flat. "You, however, are in my way."
He raised his staff. The black light gathered again, larger this time, pulsing with power that made the air scream.
Kyle did not wait for the attack. He moved—not forward, but sideways, sending a shockwave into the ground to throw off Saturn's aim. The beam of energy carved a trench where he had been standing, the heat searing his skin even at a distance.
He came up behind Saturn, naginata sweeping low. Another limb blocked it. He pivoted, sending a focused vibration through the ground, trying to destabilize Saturn's footing. The Elder did not even shift his weight.
"Your fruit allows you to manipulate waves," Saturn observed. "A useful ability. But you lack the force to make it lethal."
He struck. Kyle blocked, but the impact drove him back, his arms numb. He used a shockwave to propel himself away, buying distance.
He was outmatched. He had known he would be. But he didn't need to win. He needed to buy time.
Saturn advanced, unhurried. "You are young. Stronger than most. In another life, you might have served the World Government well."
"I'd rather be a pirate."
"That can be arranged."
He raised his staff again. Kyle braced himself—
A laugh cut through the smoke.
"Kuhahaha! You started the party without me!"
Roger landed between them, sword already drawn. His coat was torn, his face smudged with soot, but his grin was as wide as ever.
Saturn's expression did not change. "Gol D. Roger."
"The one and only." Roger glanced at Kyle. "You look like you're having fun."
"Having the time of my life."
Saturn studied them both, his spider limbs flexing. "You interfere in matters beyond your understanding."
"Probably." Roger raised his sword. "But I'm not letting you kill my crewmate."
For a long moment, the three of them stood in the ruined clearing. The fire crackled. The smoke drifted. Saturn's gaze moved from Roger to Kyle and back.
Then the pressure lessened. Saturn lowered his staff.
"Another time," he said. "The Buccaneer boy will be found. And you—" his eyes settled on Kyle, "—you have chosen your side."
He rose into the air, the five‑pointed star re‑forming above him. In seconds, he was gone.
Kyle let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. His arms were shaking. His head pounded.
Roger clapped him on the shoulder. "That was stupid."
"He was going to kill a kid."
"Still stupid." But Roger was smiling. "Good stupid."
They stood in the quiet, the fire dying around them.
"He'll come back," Kyle said.
"They always do." Roger turned toward the coast. "Come on. The crew is waiting. And I think you've earned a drink."
Kyle looked at the sky where Saturn had vanished. Then he followed Roger into the smoke.
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End of Chapter 39