In a secret place, far from people's eyes, far from crowded corridors, far even from the cold blue light that covered everything. There was a room. Not on any map. Not in anyone's memory. A room in the heart of darkness.
They sat around a round table. Five figures. Their faces partially hidden. Some wore black robes. Some covered half their faces with simple masks. No names. No titles. Nothing known about them. They were "those in the darkness." Never seen in public. Never spoken of. But they were there. Always.
"The Earthling is still in the city," said one. His voice was rough, as if unused for a long time.
"We must act," said another. "All remaining Earthlings are traitors. They abandoned the kingdom. Abandoned our ancestors. Abandoned everything."
"Kain will not allow that," said a third. His voice calm, cautious. "Kain rules here. He decides."
"Kain cares about his research. He does not care about a lost Earthling."
"Do not underestimate him. Kain misses nothing."
They were silent for a moment. The air was heavy. The darkness moved around them as if alive.
"We will wait," said the fourth. He sat at the head of the table. Did not raise his voice. Did not move. But they all stopped talking when he began to speak.
"We will watch. If an opportunity arises, we will move. But the killing must be clean. No evidence. No trace."
"How?"
"Poison. Ambush. A stab in the darkness. It does not matter. What matters is that he dies. And that no one knows who killed him."
"And Kain?"
"Kain will search. Will investigate. He will find nothing."
A long silence. Then one of them said, "He is weak now. His power is sealed. Any novice fighter could kill him. The problem is not him. The problem is Kain."
"Kain is busy with his laboratory. He will not come out soon."
"But he will know. He always knows."
"This time... he will not know."
They exchanged glances. Then nodded. The decision was made. They would kill the Earthling. But they would choose the right time. The right place. The right method.
"We will wait a little," said their leader. "Watch. Plan. Then strike."
The meeting ended. One by one, they disappeared into the darkness. As if they had never been there.
In Kain's laboratory, the light was different. Still blue, but denser. More focused. Screens everywhere. Some on walls. Some floating in the air. Some small as a palm. Some large covering entire walls.
Kain sat on a high chair. Did not move. Stared at the screens. His cold eyes moved from one screen to another. The market. The café. The corridors near Enel's room. Watching everything.
He was not alone. Beside him, a young assistant. His name was Kiz. Standing beside him, holding a small pad, taking notes.
"The group has moved," Kiz said without looking up.
"I know," said Kain. His voice calm, cold, as usual.
"Will we move?"
"No."
Kiz looked at Kain. Wondering. But did not ask.
"The Earthling is not important to me," Kain said. "But the chaos his death would cause... would be a disaster."
"Understood."
"The group wants to kill him. They have their reasons. Old grudges. Revenge from the past. None of that matters to me."
"What matters to you then?"
Kain looked at Kiz. His eyes cold as ice.
"Stability. Order. Nothing more."
Kiz fell silent. Returned to taking notes.
Moments later, the laboratory door opened. Selene entered. Did not ask permission. Did not knock. Entered as if she owned the place.
Kain looked at her. Showed no emotion. He knew she would come.
"Kain," Selene said. Her voice deep, sharp. "I know the group will move. I know they plan to kill the Earthling."
"I know."
"Do not allow that to happen."
Kain was silent for a moment. Then said:
"Do not worry. I will try to save him."
Selene sighed. She knew a "but" was coming.
"But he will be bait to lure them out."
"Kain..."
"They have inherited this grudge for centuries. They have always been behind the chaos that happened here. Every incident. Every rebellion. Every unsolved crime. It was them. Always them."
Kain approached Selene. His face still cold. But his eyes were different.
"Perhaps the one who will trap them has come." Meaning Enel.
"You mean the Earthling..."
"I mean we will use him as bait. Make them believe the opportunity is favorable. Then we will catch them all."
Selene was silent. Thinking. Worried. But she trusted Kain. Knew he did not make a decision without calculating all possibilities.
"We will eliminate them soon," Kain said. "Just wait."
Selene looked at him for a long time. Then turned her back and left. Said nothing more. Did not need to.
In the palace of the third family, training was in full swing.
A wide hall. Stone floor. High walls. In the center, Marik and his father trained. Using no swords. No weapons. Only their hands. But each punch carried tremendous weight.
The father advanced. A strike. No. Not an ordinary strike. A wave of power. It struck Marik's arm, causing him to stagger slightly. But he did not fall. Regained his balance quickly. Then countered. One punch. Strong. Focused.
The father stepped back a step. Not because he was hurt. Because he wanted to step back. Wanted to test his son's reaction.
"Again," the father said.
Marik advanced. This time, did not wait. Struck. Struck. Struck. Three consecutive punches. Each heavier than the last.
The father received them. Did not step back. Did not tremble. His body like stone. But the air... the air was moving. Rushing from behind them like wind. Pushing dust. Moving curtains on distant windows.
"Good," the father said. "But still slow."
Marik did not reply. Raised his hands again. His body trembled slightly. Not from fear. From exhaustion. But he did not show it on his face. His face cold. As usual.
"Again," the father said.
And again. And again. Training continued for hours. Did not stop until Marik was completely exhausted. Even standing was difficult.
"Tomorrow," the father said. Then left the hall.
Marik remained alone. Breathing with difficulty. Feeling every muscle in his body. Feeling the pain. But not regretting.
"Tomorrow," he whispered to himself. Then left.
In the wooden training hall, Sanada sat. Did not move. His body like a statue. His eyes open, but not blinking. Watching.
Before him, young men trained. In their prime. Carrying swords that were not sharp. Resembling wooden swords, but made of another material. A safe material. Does not hurt. Designed specifically for training. Light. Flexible. Perfect for those who do not want to hurt anyone.
They stood in rows. Five rows. Each row held about ten people. At the front, Rio stood. The oldest among them. The most senior. Performing the movements. The others behind him imitated him.
Rio raised his sword. Slowly. Precisely. Then turned it. Then struck. The air. Only the air. But the sound was clear. Sharp. Evidence of speed and precision.
Those behind him imitated. Some faster. Some slower. Some made mistakes. Some got it right. But they were learning. Improving.
Sanada did not speak. Did not correct. Did not guide. Just watched. Let them learn by themselves. Because this was the best way. Mistakes teach more than correctness. Failure teaches more than success.
Rio was thinking. Feeling embarrassed. Wanting to ask his teacher something. Wanting to say: "Can I train directly with you? Will you allow me to face you, even just a little?"
But he could not. Every time he opened his mouth, he closed it again. Feared rejection. Feared embarrassment. Feared that Sanada would say "no."
He continued training. Performing the movements. Trying to catch Sanada's attention. Hoping his teacher would initiate the conversation. But Sanada did not. Did not move. Did not speak. Did not react. Just watched. Waited.
"Perhaps when he is ready," Sanada thought to himself. "Perhaps he will ask. Perhaps not. Time will tell."
In the advanced education center, children were in their classrooms. The place bright. White walls. Large windows. Blue light falling from the ceiling.
Lin and Nera sat in the back row. Talking quietly. The teacher was busy explaining a lesson at the board. Did not notice them.
"I heard the Earthling is still in the city," Lin said.
"Yes," said Nera. "I hope to see him again."
"Why?"
Nera thought for a moment. "I don't know. His eyes... were different."
"Different how?"
"Not like our eyes. They were... deeper. As if they had seen things we have not seen."
Lin laughed. "We have all seen things we have not seen. We are on the moon. They are on Earth."
"That is not what I mean."
"What then?"
Nera did not answer. Looked out the window. The sky was dark. Stars glittered. Distant. Close. Beautiful.
"I don't know," she said finally. "I just... hope to see him again."
"You will," said Lin. "If he stays in the city, we will surely see him."
"If he stays," Nera whispered.
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing."
The teacher returned to his explanation. Asked them to be quiet. Lin and Nera returned to their studies. But Nera was still thinking. Thinking about Enel's eyes. His words. His cold voice. Thinking about why he came. What he wanted. Whether he would stay or leave.
She did not know. But she hoped he would stay.
In his room, Enel was alone. Knew nothing. Did not know there was a group planning to kill him. Did not know Kain and Selene were discussing him. Did not know Marik was training with all his might. Did not know Sanada was watching his students. Did not know the children were talking about him.
Knew only one thing: he was still weak. Still sealed. Still waiting.
He stood in the middle of the room. Closed his eyes. Began to move. Step. Turn. Duck. Dodge. Imagined an opponent before him. Imagined an attack. Moved. Imagined another attack. Moved again.
Training. Sweating. Tiring. But not stopping.
"I will become stronger," he whispered to himself. "Even without my power. Even without my fruit. Even without Haki. I will become stronger."
And in the darkness, someone was watching him. He did not know. Did not feel. They were there. Waiting. Planning.
"Soon," one whispered in the darkness. "Very soon."
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