HST: Chapter 116/117

Chapter 116: O' Brahma

When Caelan stepped onto the island in the sky, he saw a group of strange humans with feathers on their arms looking at him in fear.

"So this is the place where Golden Lion was running his experiments."

After a quick glance around, Caelan understood the situation.

These were the indigenous people from an island that Golden Lion had seized, now forced into servitude. Most of the young and able-bodied had died, leaving behind only the elderly, women, and children.

Seeing these vulnerable people stare at him in fear, Caelan was slightly speechless.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here to deal with Golden Lion," Caelan said casually, not particularly concerned about their reactions.

Everyone nodded in unison, seemingly believing his words.

At the same time, a giant Den Den Mushi used to monitor the villagers transmitted Caelan's arrival to Golden Lion.

"He caught up. I don't need these islands anymore!"

Golden Lion immediately made a decision upon seeing Caelan's figure.

He deactivated the Float-Float Fruit ability on several islands, including the one Caelan was currently on.

This was Golden Lion's most terrifying tactic, letting an island fall from the sky. Its destructive power rivaled that of a small meteorite, capable of wiping out entire landmasses.

Once stripped of its buoyancy, the island plummeted under gravity.

Caelan wasn't concerned, since Nami was on the ground. With the power of her Cloud-Cloud Fruit, she could easily catch the falling island and land it safely on the sea.

"But seriously, are you that much of a coward?"

Caelan was speechless.

He had come all the way here, and Golden Lion wouldn't even show himself. He didn't seem like a legendary pirate at all.

The feathered villagers weren't panicked either. They had wings and could fly freely. Now that Golden Lion no longer controlled them, it was a relief.

One by one, the villagers looked at Caelan with surprise in their eyes.

Who was this man, that even the arrogant Golden Lion wouldn't dare face him?

"Trying to stop me like this? Naive."

As the island beneath him began its rapid descent, Caelan sneered and conjured a golden spear in his hand.

This was the A-rank Noble Phantasm, [Brahmastra Kundala: O' Brahma, Curse Me], not the god-killing spear that sacrificed the Sun Armor.

" O' Brahma!"

As the chant echoed, the Noble Phantasm unleashed its true power.

Caelan infused the spear with the divine attribute of the sun. Veins bulged on his right arm as he hurled it with all his might.

Golden flames engulfed the spear, turning it into something like a blazing warhead that tore through the sky, aimed at Golden Lion's central base.

The feathered villagers looked in the direction Caelan had thrown the spear, confused.

"Did he miss?"

Two islands clearly stood in the way of the spear's path.

No matter how powerful the attack was, it couldn't possibly pierce through two entire islands… right?

"It's just two islands. I'll break them."

Caelan didn't mind at all, fully confident.

Elsewhere, Golden Lion stared at the video feed from the Den Den Mushi, a sense of dread overtaking him.

An overwhelming sense of crisis sounded like an alarm in his head, making his scalp go numb.

"If I don't move, I'll die!"

Golden Lion was horrified, a fatal sense of doom settling over him.

Even with two islands between him and the attack, he didn't feel safe.

Without a second thought, Golden Lion activated his Float-Float Fruit powers and fled from his base.

The next moment, the golden divine spear tore through both islands and detonated at Golden Lion's base.

Boom!

A brilliant golden light burst forth, as if the sun itself had fallen from the sky.

A colossal mushroom cloud rose into the air, and the island—20 kilometers in diameter—was completely obliterated.

It looked like a giant firework had exploded in the heavens.

The divine spear didn't stop. It shot forward and embedded itself deep in the next island Golden Lion had just arrived at.

"That was close... I almost died."

Golden Lion wiped cold sweat from his forehead and looked in Caelan's direction in horror.

Just from that one strike, he understood.

Caelan was someone he absolutely could not face. That single blow possessed near world-ending power.

Without hesitation, Golden Lion controlled the few remaining islands and escaped as fast as he could.

Watching Golden Lion flee, Caelan didn't pursue.

His attention turned to the Marines now confronting the people on the ground.

On the surface, the Marines were in shock.

The moment they landed on the Midoda Islands, they saw the corpses of monstrous beasts—and Nami and Gion standing there unharmed.

Before they could even react, a terrifying explosion erupted in the sky.

They were stunned.

"Is that the God Slayer, Caelan? He looks so scary.…"

The Marines muttered to themselves, full of panic and dread.

Just moments ago, they had been thinking about how to deal with Caelan—whether to challenge him to show strength or demand cooperation.

Now, all those thoughts were gone. That single blow awakened them.

Touch him, you die. Brush against him, you die. Anyone who dares go up will know.

"Why do I even bother practicing swordsmanship?"

The famous blade in Tokikakke's hand slipped to the ground as his expression went blank.

Even if he trained until death, he couldn't reach one-tenth of Caelan's level.

One strike pierced two islands and destroyed another. It was nothing short of a miracle.

On the surface, Nami used the power of the Cloud-Cloud Fruit to catch the falling islands one by one, ensuring they landed steadily on the sea.


---

"Yamakaji, are we really going up there?"

Onigumo nudged Yamakaji and gulped.

He had always followed Akainu's hardline stance, but now, before the man who could destroy an island with a single strike, he couldn't bring himself to act tough.

"If you want to go, be my guest. I'm not going anywhere."

Yamakaji shrugged, his mind crystal clear.

Right now, Caelan had saved everyone and displayed overwhelming power.

To go against him would be nothing but suicide.

"Yeah, I'm not going either."

Momonga stood in place, unmoving.

"If none of you are going, then I'm not going either."

Onigumo straightened his back, finding an excuse for himself.

Caelan ignored the indecisive Marines and led his crew back to the ship.

Tokikakke looked at Gion, who followed Caelan away, and instinctively reached out to stop her. But after witnessing that sky-piercing attack, his hand froze, then fell limply to his side.

Now, only someone like Caelan could protect Gion.

"Gion, I hope you'll be happy…"

Tokikakke felt a sour sting in his chest, like sand had blown into his eyes.

…

On the Wind Rider.

"Nojiko, from now on, you'll stay with us."

Caelan held Nojiko's hand and extended a serious invitation.

Nojiko's connection to Nami was now exposed to the Marines.

While the Marines currently wouldn't act, there was no guarantee the World Government wouldn't come up with some underhanded scheme in the future.

"Alright, Caelan, please take care of me from now on!"

Nojiko bowed slightly to Caelan.

"Now, we track down Golden Lion."

Caelan looked off into the distant sky, his gaze deep.

"But Golden Lion is flying up there. We don't even know where he is. Chasing him isn't going to be easy…"

Nami said, a little frustrated.

The others nodded in agreement.

That was the Golden Lion's greatest advantage. With both offense and defense, he was nearly untouchable.

"I left a mark on the island. He won't escape."

Caelan flicked his fingertip, a golden thread of light trailing into the sky.

His Noble Phantasm was still embedded in the island where Golden Lion had fled. As long as the connection remained, Golden Lion couldn't get away.

"Eh~?!"

The girls' eyes sparkled as they stared at the glowing golden thread.

Soon after, with the help of the giant shark, the Wind Rider pursued in the direction of the fleeing Golden Lion.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 117: Bad To Worse

"Argh! Caelan, I swear I'll kill you!"

Looking at the three remaining floating islands, Golden Lion was filled with grief.

Most of the strength he had spent years building had been destroyed by Caelan's magic spear.

But when he recalled the golden spear that had pierced through two islands and destroyed a third, a look of fear flickered in Golden Lion's eyes.

"Forget it. Caelan must've suffered serious losses too. I'll let it go this time."

Golden Lion quickly convinced himself with a convenient excuse.

In front of him, a golden magic spear was still embedded in the ground, glowing like the sun.

This artifact, capable of destroying an island, was now in his hands.

As long as he could study it, today's loss meant nothing.

"Good baby, good baby…"

Golden Lion stared at the glowing magic spear with obsession.

A superweapon that could wipe out an island, how could he not be excited?

As he continued admiring the locator left behind by Caelan, a clear, melodious singing voice suddenly echoed through the air, catching Golden Lion's attention.

The voice seemed to carry a strange magic, capable of healing the wounds in one's heart.

He even felt a strange soothing sensation around the rudder lodged in his head.

"Who's singing?"

Releasing his Observation Haki, Golden Lion scanned the area and saw only an old man who looked close to death, and a beautiful girl with red and white hair on the island below.

It was obvious—the voice belonged to the girl.

Golden Lion made up his mind. He would recruit the girl with the beautiful voice as part of his crew.

But as he looked down at the ruined island, he frowned, unable to figure out her origins.

"Do any of you know what's going on with this island? Who are those two people?"

Golden Lion turned to the few pirates who remained and demanded answers.

The dozen or so pirates exchanged looks, all equally confused. Thankfully, a few of them had good memories and spoke up.

"Boss, this is the abandoned Island of Music, Elegia. It used to be the music hub of the world!"

"Ten years ago, the Red-Haired Pirates targeted the treasure here and destroyed the entire kingdom. Even the concert-goers were all slaughtered."

"In the end, only the old king and a little girl survived."

One of the pirates' eyes gleamed green, practically drooling at the idea of treasure from an entire kingdom.

The Four Emperors could do whatever they pleased, after all.

"So it was that Red-Haired brat who did it? Isn't he supposed to be noble and honorable? Didn't he destroy an entire country?"

Golden Lion sneered in realization and grew more confident about recruiting Uta.

These two must be the survivors from back then. They would surely hate Shanks to the core.

As long as he used that angle, winning over the girl would be easy.

Golden Lion stopped the floating island above Elegia and jumped down with a dozen of his men.

Seeing the pirates appear, Uta and Gordon grew tense.

They had already recognized Golden Lion—the pirate who had been terrorizing the East Blue for the past few days.

"Golden Lion-sama, this is just a deserted island. There's no treasure here worth your time,"

Gordon said helplessly, his old face showing weariness.

He never imagined that this ruined place could still draw a cruel pirate like Golden Lion.

He only prayed they hadn't come for Uta.

"Treasure? Isn't this singer with the beautiful voice the most precious treasure here?"

"Little girl, join my crew and share in the glory of conquering the world!"

Golden Lion pointed at Uta, openly admiring her.

"Filthy pirate, I will never join you!"

Uta glared at Golden Lion, eyes filled with hatred.

She blamed Shanks for the destruction of Elegia, and she already loathed pirates.

Golden Lion planned to destroy the entire East Blue. Compared to Shanks, his crimes were far worse. How could she ever join such a pirate?

Gordon's heart sank. He immediately stepped in front of Uta to shield her.

He didn't care if he died, but the girl he'd raised since she was little had to be protected.

"Come with me. I'll take you across the world. I'll even help you get revenge on that brat Shanks!"

Golden Lion wasn't angry. He thought he was being generous with his offer.

"I'll never agree! Even if I do want revenge, I would never side with you!"

Uta glared at Golden Lion, her tone stubborn and unyielding.

She hated Shanks for what he'd supposedly done to Elegia. But Golden Lion, who was openly trying to annihilate the East Blue, was another monster entirely.

Golden Lion's expression turned cold. He was never one to take rejection kindly.

"You think you have a choice?"

Golden Lion reached out to grab Uta.

If she wouldn't come willingly, he'd just take her.

What a joke. He was furious now.

Uta responded with a defiant song, trying to pull Golden Lion into her musical world.

"Interesting ability, but shut up!"

Golden Lion noticed something strange about Uta and choked her throat to silence her.

"You can't take her. She's Red-Hair's daughter!"

Gordon stood between them, face resolute. At that moment, nothing else mattered. He only hoped Golden Lion would spare her for Shanks' sake.

"Ha! Shanks destroyed your country, and you still raised his daughter? You're too soft!"

Golden Lion let out a mocking laugh and slapped Gordon aside like a fly.

"Outta the way, old man!"

Gordon crashed into a tree and lost consciousness.

"Gordon!"

Uta cried out, tears streaming down her face as she looked at him lying motionless.

Suddenly, a sheet of parchment music appeared in her hand.

Even with her throat being strangled, she managed to produce a mysterious melody.

In the next moment, the Demon King sealed beneath Elegia stirred.

Thick clouds of black mist surged into the sky, blotting out the sun. The entire island fell into darkness.

"What… what is this?!"

Golden Lion felt a growing dread in his heart and was stunned.

He began to suspect he'd offended the Sea Goddess herself. Why was his luck this bad?

He released his army of beasts into the East Blue and was obliterated by a single strike from Caelan.

He tried to capture a mere singer, and she summoned some kind of demon.

What was going on with this sea?

Were monsters hiding everywhere? Couldn't they give an old pirate like him a break?

At some point, Uta had disappeared from his grasp, merging into the monstrous being now towering before him.

Its arms were made of piano keys, its lower body was a mass of black liquid. Its face resembled a vampire, and its hair looked like tangled seaweed.

Its eerie and grotesque appearance radiated overwhelming menace.

In response to Uta's call, the Demon King of Song, Tot Musica, had been born!

Gulp.

"Boss, do we still want to catch her?!"

Deputy captain Indigo swallowed hard, eyes full of fear as he looked at Golden Lion.

"Catch her? Run!"

Golden Lion cursed and looked up at the monstrous demon.

Without hesitation, he grabbed Indigo and fled into the sky. As for the rest of the crew? They were left behind as decoys. They were just disposable tools anyway.

Now, the once-mighty Flying Pirates had been reduced to two survivors: a captain and his deputy.

(To be continued.)