"Hm?!"
Bear King's heart sank.
He could feel it—the change in Kairos.
That aura wasn't human.
It made his instincts scream.
But he had already committed.
There was no turning back now.
"ROAR!!"
His thunderous roar shook the entire cavern as his already massive body swelled further. His copper-toned muscles bulged and hardened, taking on a metallic sheen.
The Steel-Steel Fruit—fully unleashed.
Boom!
Bear King closed the distance in an instant.
His massive right fist—now completely transformed into steel—shattered the air as it came crashing down toward Kairos' head.
The heat and pressure behind the blow were immense.
It was the kind of force that could smash apart a pirate ship.
He intended to crush Kairos in a single strike.
And then—
A hand emerged from the swirling violet mist.
Five fingers reached out and caught his fist.
Bang!
The impact thundered through the chamber.
But Bear King's overwhelming strength vanished without a trace.
Like a stone sinking into the sea.
It couldn't even shake that arm.
Bear King froze.
His bloodshot, beast-like eyes shrank in shock.
The arm gripping his wrist wasn't human.
It was made entirely of condensed violet demonic energy.
A ghostly, monstrous arm.
"...He stopped Bear King's attack…"
"Who the hell is he?!"
"That purple arm… it feels wrong… like I'm looking at something inhuman…"
Whispers spread through the surrounding galleries.
The chaotic crowd fell silent.
Every eye locked onto the third level—onto that figure shrouded in dense violet mist.
Some activated Observation Haki, their eyes flickering with faint red light—
but even then, they couldn't see through it.
"Ha… ha…"
A low, twisted laugh echoed from within the mist.
Then—
it stopped.
A cold voice followed.
"You dare attack me?"
It sounded distant and unnatural, like something speaking from the edge of a nightmare.
"What are you?!" Bear King's voice trembled despite himself.
Cold sweat poured down his face.
He tried to pull his arm back—
but it wouldn't budge.
It felt as though his wrist had been fused into that demonic grip.
Crack.
A sharp, brittle sound rang out.
Bear King's face turned pale.
His steel—his Devil Fruit—was breaking.
The demonic hand tightened.
His wrist was on the verge of shattering.
And then—
another voice erupted from within the mist.
This one was filled with pure hatred.
"I will not forgive you… I will not let you go… filthy human!"
The moment the words left his mouth—
the violet aura exploded outward.
A flash of cold steel cut through the air.
An overwhelming surge of killing intent and savage fury erupted, flooding the entire Hannabal.
The mist cleared—
revealing Kairos.
His figure stood tall, wrapped in writhing violet energy.
And in his hand—
a blade.
Thrust forward.
Slash.
A dull, heavy sound rang out.
Higekiri pierced straight through Bear King's chest.
Clean and decisive.
Bear King—
a man feared across the seas—
didn't even get the chance to resist.
His life was snuffed out in an instant.
His massive body collapsed to the ground with a heavy crash.
Dead.
Kairos stood still.
There was no triumph, no satisfaction—only a cold, violent light flickering in his eyes.
At that moment—
Onikiri's hatred had fully taken hold.
It no longer targeted a single enemy.
It bled outward toward all of humanity.
And Kairos embraced it.
Used it.
Turned it into fuel for battle.
"Bear King is dead…"
Shock rippled through Hannabal.
But strangely, no one dwelled on his death for long.
Because something else had already seized their attention.
As the violet aura receded slightly, Kairos' face became visible.
"Supernova… Kairos D. Vale?!"
"How is it him?!"
Hearts skipped and breaths caught.
Recognition spread like wildfire.
But there was no time to process it.
Kairos moved again.
Wrapped in surging demonic energy, he looked like a living calamity.
He shot forward—
toward another target.
Beside him, the violet aura churned—
and two more blades began to take shape.
Floating and manifesting.
Their names were Tomogiri and Shishino-ko.
"You—!"
Mushul's face drained of color.
Kairos was coming straight for him.
The aura surrounding him surged like a storm cloud, pressing down with suffocating force.
"I've never crossed you! Why are you attacking me?!"
Panic exploded in Mushul's chest.
His Devil Fruit activated instantly.
He leapt backward, scattering clouds of toxic spores into the air in a desperate attempt to stop the advance.
Kairos' response was simple—cold and unfeeling.
"Oni Slash."
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