The CP0 agents stood on a nearby ridge, overlooking the chaos enveloping the island. Kael's reality-warping powers had made the battlefield unstable, even for them. Cracks shimmered in the air like shattered glass, and their communicator crackled with static.
"This is beyond protocol," one agent muttered, adjusting his mask. "This is no longer our operation."
Another nodded. "Withdraw. The Elders will handle it from here. The Buster Call has been authorized."
With a final glance at the hellish landscape, CP0 vanished into the shadows, retreating from the island just as its fate spiraled toward annihilation.
The sky above the island churned with spirals of black and violet light as the Core's influence reached into the clouds. The ruins below cracked and shifted, warped by impossible physics. Time blinked in and out, distorting sounds and shadows.
Zoro and Luffy stood before Kael, who now resembled a twisted fusion of man and living code. The Hellix Core had pushed him beyond humanity—glowing lines ran beneath his skin, and his eyes shone like twin stars ready to burn.
"I don't know what the hell you are anymore," Zoro muttered, raising his swords.
Luffy cracked his knuckles. "You messed with the wrong crew. I'm not letting you hurt anyone else."
Kael's form twitched, voice flickering between human and something mechanical. "I… must... protect the Core... Reality... must evolve."
He lunged.
Zoro blocked a lightning-fast strike with Wado Ichimonji while Luffy launched a Gear Second punch that shook the air. Their combined assault forced Kael backward, but his body adapted instantly—growing blades from his arms, warping the ground beneath him to counter.
Around them, the battlefield warped. Kael twisted space itself, distorting gravity and stretching terrain like putty. Buildings folded and unfolded, streets became vertical walls, and time hiccupped mid-motion.
"You seeing this?!" Luffy yelled.
"Focus!" Zoro growled. "We bring him down together!"
The two launched into a synchronized assault—Luffy's speed and rubber-based unpredictability combined with Zoro's precise swordsmanship created a rhythm even Kael's algorithms struggled to keep up with. But the Core learned.
Kael erupted into a pulse that rearranged the environment again—trees grew upside down from the ceiling, and the air shimmered like a broken mirror. Luffy lost his footing as gravity inverted briefly.
Kael exploded in a burst of energy that threw them both back.
Elsewhere, deep inside the control chamber, Franky slammed a fist into a control panel. The monitor displayed a top-down view of the island. Three bright red points blinked like alarm signals.
"Guys!" he called out over the comm Den Den Mushi. "The Core's pulling energy from three stabilization pillars buried around the island! If we destroy them, we can force a total system reboot!"
Robin's voice came in calmly, "How do we find them?"
"I'm uploading their coordinates now. But it won't be easy—they're guarded by automated defenses. This whole island is alive!"
Nami narrowed her eyes. "Then we split up. Robin, Chopper—you take the northern point."
Robin nodded. "Understood. Chopper, stay close. The Core's corruption may affect the terrain."
Chopper nodded nervously. "Got it! I brought emergency supplies just in case."
Sanji cracked his neck. "Nami, you're with me. We'll take the eastern point. I'll keep you safe with everything I've got."
Nami rolled her eyes but smiled. "Just stay focused, love-cook."
Brook stepped forward with a flourish of his cane. "That leaves me and brave Usopp for the west."
Usopp paled. "Wait what? That wasn't—why do I always get the scary side?!"
Brook chuckled. "Because you have courage, my friend. And besides, I'm already dead! What do I have to fear?"
Usopp sighed. "I must've been cursed in a past life."
Robin added, "We must hurry. The longer the Core holds, the more control it gains over Kael and the island."
Back at the battlefield, Luffy and Zoro were bloodied but still standing. Kael panted, fragments of Noel's voice breaking through the storm in his mind.
"You're stronger than hate, Kael."
Kael faltered.
Luffy noticed and shouted, "Zoro! He's fighting it inside!"
Zoro didn't hesitate. "Then we knock the Core outta him!"
Their next assault was brutal. Luffy went Gear Third, arm ballooning as he shouted, "Gomu Gomu no… Elephant Gatling!!"
At the same moment, Zoro released a charged-up Onigiri slash, infused with haki. Kael screamed as the attacks tore through his shell.
Still, the Core pushed back.
Reality folded again. Kael's surroundings became kaleidoscopic tunnels of fractured memory—echoes of past battles, illusions of the crew taunting them, false visions of Noel. Luffy staggered. Zoro's blade sliced through a mirage of himself.
Kael's voice became deeper, less human. "Fallback mode: Reality anchor breached. Executing emergency reinforcement."
Luffy and Zoro braced themselves.
The rest of the Straw Hats raced toward their objectives.
At the eastern point, Sanji and Nami found themselves on a massive floating platform surrounded by collapsing bridges and flying sentries.
"Stay behind me," Sanji said, spinning into Diable Jambe. "I'll cook these drones extra crispy!"
Nami used her clima-tact to manipulate the wind and create thunder traps, frying sentries that got too close. "Let's finish this quick before the platform collapses!"
At the northern pillar, Robin summoned giant limbs to pull boulders aside, while Chopper worked on bypassing a security lock.
"This barrier is blocking the generator," Chopper said. "Give me a few more seconds!"
"I'll hold them off," Robin replied, her arms catching incoming missiles midair and crushing launchers.
Meanwhile, at the western point, Usopp and Brook stared down a massive biomechanical creature.
"Leave this one to me," Brook said, drawing his sword. "Watch my back, Usopp!"
"Sure! From far, far away!" Usopp muttered, loading a Firebird Star.
As each team clashed with danger, the Core's timer ticked lower. Luffy and Zoro continued their battle, still unaware whether they were saving Kael—or simply keeping a monster at bay.
And Franky? He had just discovered what lay beneath the Core's final layer:
A failsafe. A last resort.
One that required a sacrifice.
On the main control panel, the timer ticked down.
48:00 – Time remaining until Buster Call is launched.