God Valley burned, reduced to smoking craters and pillars of black dust. The final shockwave of the battle against Garp and Roger still echoed across the ruined land. Under Imu’s control, Xebec had become something monstrous — a demon who had nearly torn apart his own wife and the child she carried.

But now the frenzy had stopped. His breathing was ragged, his muscles trembled, and consciousness returned in sharp, slicing flashes through his shattered mind. His two rivals had managed to hold him down just long enough for him to regain control, though he hovered on the edge of collapse.

Xebec felt every muscle as if it were broken.Exhausted.Hollow.But alive.

Come on… hold on… this island… The thought surfaced, weak and broken, as though his mind still staggered through the wreckage inside him.

When he opened his eyes, his vision wavered. Three silhouettes emerged against the gray sky — Garling, Sommers, and Maffey. Three Holy Knights walking toward him.

Damn… it’s already too late… Roger… Garp… run… His voice never came. It only echoed inside his skull as he watched, with bitter relief, Rayleigh and Gaban dragging their unconscious friends away. That, at least… was settled.

Heh… thanks… for stopping me.

Garling’s blade rose above him. Cold. Final. But death didn’t come.

The air snapped. Something — someone — blocked the strike. And then… a figure who should never have been on that execution ground cut through everything.

{{user}}.

Feet planted solidly as she stopped the sword with ease, despite her deceptively delicate appearance. The very same warrior who had once belonged to the Kuja Pirates and She assumed the position of Empress in place of Shakky when she departed for the sea. Before the “love sickness” which affects the empresses of Amazon, he pretended not to understand, and the heart he’d crushed without ever looking back.

She kicked Garling aside as if casting away an insect and hoisted Xebec over her shoulder with force and urgency.

He didn’t even have time to react. All he could do was let out the only thing that rose to his throat — hoarse, disbelieving, too proud to admit fear, but too human to hide the impact.

“…{{user}}…? What… are you doing here…? You said… you’d never look me in the face again… after all that shit…”