The world around them cracked.
Floating boulders hovered over an upside-down ocean. The sun split into twin burning rings in the sky. Buildings bent sideways like paper caught in wind.
Kael stood at the center of it all—transformed.
The Hellix Core had fused with him completely.
"He's not even blinking," Zoro muttered, stepping in front of Luffy.
"I don't care," Luffy said, clenching his fist. "He messed up our adventure."
Kael turned slowly, his silver armor reflecting warped light. Symbols ran down his arms. He looked both ancient and newborn.
"Luffy. Zoro," he said. "Correction must occur."
His voice echoed like a choir of machines.
Zoro gripped his swords. "Then correct this."
He charged first, blades whirling. Kael met him in a clash that fractured the ground beneath.
Luffy followed with a rocket-powered punch. "Gomu Gomu no Kong Gun!"
Kael flickered. He absorbed the impact but warped space around it, redirecting the force back toward them.
Zoro skidded back. "He's not just strong. He's weird."
"He's cheating," Luffy grunted.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Straw Hats sprinted across a collapsing street, debris raining around them.
"How far is the battlefield?" Nami shouted.
"Two blocks!" Franky called back. "But nothing's stable!"
"The tower worked," Robin said, reading a device in her hand. "The Heart Node destabilized the Core's hold—but just barely."
Usopp ducked a flying sign. "Barely?!"
"Kael's still fighting," Chopper said, scanning signals. "But something inside's... fracturing."
Brook floated ahead. "So the weapon's cracking?"
"More like waking up," Franky said. "But the Core won't go down quietly."
Back in the square, Luffy and Zoro launched another coordinated attack.
Zoro unleashed Asura. Nine blades formed from his energy.
"You ready for this?" he asked.
Luffy grinned. "Always."
Zoro slashed in a flurry. Luffy followed with a thunderous punch.
Each strike chipped away at Kael—not just physically, but mentally. Buried memories broke through:
Noel in Marine whites.
Noel smiling through a storm.
Noel dying in his arms as fire rained from above.
Kael screamed. The Core's glow pulsed erratically.
Then, finally—it shattered.
The silver armor fractured and split from his body. The twisted glyphs dimmed. The air stilled.
Kael collapsed, breathing hard. His body returned to normal, eyes wide with panic and confusion.
The sky calmed. Streets stopped twisting. Gravity steadied.
Franky's Den Den Mushi sparked. "The Core shut down. Emergency override complete."
The Straw Hats stood around Kael. Luffy took a step forward, his fist lowered.
"You okay?" he asked.
Kael looked up. His lips parted, trembling. "I... I remember everything."
Nami stepped closer. "It's over. You're free now."
Kael's breathing slowed. His shoulders trembled.
Robin nodded. "We'll get you help."
But then—
The shattered pieces of the Core glowed briefly one final time.
A pulse—thin, almost invisible—flowed into Kael's head.
Whispers. Echoes. A final protocol.
They used you.
They let Noel die.
They watched and did nothing.
Kael's eyes widened. His pupils dilated. A cold shadow returned to his face—but this time, not from external control.
His own hatred resurfaced, twisted and sharpened by the Core's last psychic sting.
He stood up slowly.
"You… you watched it happen," he said, voice trembling.
Luffy tilted his head. "Huh?"
"Buster Call. Enies Lobby. You were there."
Robin froze. "Kael—"
"You stood there, and she died."
The crew stepped back as Kael's Haki exploded outward. This time, it was his.
"You let Noel die. And now you act like heroes?"
Zoro readied his swords again. "He's losing it."
"No," Robin whispered. "He's not being controlled. That's him."
Kael looked around. The Core's armor was gone, but hatred now burned in its place.
"This isn't over," he said. "You don't deserve forgiveness."
With one burst of Haki, he launched himself into the air and vanished over the horizon.
The crew stood in stunned silence.
Luffy exhaled. "Man... what the hell is his problem?"
"Pain," Robin said softly. "Real pain."