CHAPTER 183 — The Sun
The sea was calm.
The fleet of the World Government cut through the water in organized formation. Warships moved in steady lines, their white sails catching the wind. Cannons were prepared. Soldiers stood alert. CP0 agents remained silent, masked and motionless.
At the center ship stood two figures.
Admiral Kizaru leaned lazily against the railing, hands in his pockets, sunglasses reflecting the sunlight. Beside him stood the CP0 leader, posture straight, presence sharp and controlled.
They had received the signal.
The Celestial Dragon had been rescued.
That was the first step.
Now came the second.
Eliminate the perpetrators.
The fleet moved closer to the island. Orders had already been issued to monitor the skies. Every lookout was focused upward as much as forward.
If they had the Flying vehicle, this would be the moment they would use it.
But nothing appeared.
No ship lifted into the sky.
The closer they came, the stranger it felt.
The island looked… still.
No smoke, no visible movement, no patrols, no chaos, only silence.
Kizaru slowly lifted his head.
Without warning, his Observation Haki spread outward like invisible waves across the island. It passed over the docks, the Marine base, the buildings, the shoreline.
Nothing.
The CP0 leader did the same.
His haki swept across every corner.
Still nothing.
They looked at each other.
The CP0 leader spoke first.
"Help us find where they are located, Admiral Kizaru."
Kizaru sighed softly, as if slightly inconvenienced.
He stood upright.
His body shimmered.
In the next instant, he turned into light and shot forward, leaving a streak behind him.
The CP0 leader kicked off the deck using Moon Step, flying through the air in rapid bursts toward the island.
Kizaru arrived first.
He reformed high above the island, suspended in the air.
His Observation Haki expanded again, this time with full focus.
He waited, searched, and reached out with his senses, finding nothing: no strong life force, no hidden presence, no trace of the group, as he remained hovering there for several long seconds.
Then he thought quietly to himself.
"It seems they have left."
Moments later, the CP0 leader landed on the ground below. Dust scattered beneath his shoes.
Kizaru descended lightly, touching down nearby.
The CP0 leader's voice was sharp.
"Where are they?"
His own Observation Haki had already confirmed the same emptiness, but he needed to hear it.
Kizaru answered calmly.
"They seem to have escaped."
Silence.
Then anger.
"Shit… bastards."
The CP0 leader clenched his fists.
They had mobilized a fleet.
They had deployed high-ranking CP0 agents.
They had handed over seven Devil Fruits.
And now the targets were simply gone?
It was simply unacceptable.
He pulled out a Den Den Mushi immediately.
"Land the fleet. Full investigation. Search everything."
The ships adjusted course.
Anchors dropped.
Soldiers and CP0 agents poured onto the island.
Search teams moved quickly through the Marine base, the docks, the buildings.
Kizaru and the CP0 leader walked back into the very office where Gaius and the others had stood only minutes ago.
The room looked ordinary, a damaged table with documents and newspapers spread across one side, nothing unusual at first glance.
Footsteps approached.
A CP0 agent entered, kneeling slightly.
"Leader. We found this."
He held up a small metallic sphere.
Smooth.
Compact.
Unfamiliar.
The CP0 leader frowned.
"What is it?"
"Unknown, sir."
The sphere emitted a faint sound.
A soft mechanical tone.
Kizaru's head turned slightly.
In less than a blink, his relaxed expression changed.
His face sharpened.
He understood immediately.
Without a word, his body turned into light and shot straight upward, piercing through the ceiling and disappearing into the sky.
He did not grab anyone.
He did not explain.
He simply left.
The CP0 leader's Observation Haki flared instinctively.
He felt it, the sphere, and the energy sealed within it, unstable and tightly condensed, vibrating with restrained power, as if it were building pressure and about to burst at any moment.
His face twisted with anger.
"Damn—!"
He sprinted toward the window.
Just one more step.
Just one...
A miniature sun appeared inside the office.
It was not a normal explosion.
There was no warning flame.
No rising smoke.
Just a sudden flash of pure, blinding heat.
The CP0 leader was swallowed before he reached the window.
The office evaporated.
Walls vanished.
Agents disappeared without even screaming.
Outside, another miniature sun erupted near the docks.
Then another near the barracks.
And another.
And another.
Across the island, dozens of Sunburst spheres activated almost simultaneously.
Each one created a brief artificial sun.
Each one burned everything within its radius.
CP0 agents vanished instantly.
Some did not even have time to react.
Others screamed, but only briefly.
Shockwaves tore through structures.
Heat melted steel.
Concrete cracked.
Wood vaporized.
Warships near the shore shook violently from the pressure.
Only dozens survived.
And those who did were barely standing.
Skin burned black.
Clothes charred.
Limbs shattered from shockwaves.
Bodies thrown across the ground.
The once organized invasion force was almost entirely erased.
High above, Kizaru hovered in the sky.
He watched as miniature suns bloomed across the island.
Even at his altitude, the heat reached him.
Shockwaves pushed against him, ruffling his coat and disturbing his hair.
His expression was no longer lazy.
No longer relaxed.
It was serious.
He watched the destruction in silence.
Below, the G-4 Marine branch and the island were swallowed by blinding light. The explosions burned so hot that parts of the ground melted, turning sand and stone into glass. Thick smoke covered almost everything, hiding the true scale of the destruction, but flashes of light still reflected through the haze, revealing a ruined landscape shaped by overwhelming heat and power.
Then he spoke softly to himself.
"It seems I will get a lot of trouble now, do I."
A high-ranking CP0 leader had died.
An entire CP0 force wiped out.
On his watch.
The political consequences would be severe.
The Celestial Dragons would demand answers.
The Five Elders would demand explanations.
And he had nothing to show except ashes.
~~~
In another universe, one filled with war and chaos.
Gaius stepped out of his chamber inside the Imperial Palace.
The air here was different.
Heavy.
Sacred.
He had only just returned when a Custodian approached him.
The Custodian's voice was calm and formal.
"Captain Gaius, Lord Guilliman has ordered me to tell you to go to him immediately after coming out. Lord Guilliman is currently in the Private Solar within the Sanctum Imperialis."
Gaius nodded.
"I understand."
The Custodian stepped aside and left.
Gaius began walking at once.
He was fortunate.
His chamber was relatively close to the Sanctum Imperialis. Guilliman and the Custodians trusted him fully, which allowed him access to inner sections of the palace.
Even so, the distance was vast.
Vehicles were restricted in this area.
Everything had to be walked.
As he moved through the halls, towering golden walls rose around him.
Custodians stood guard at various points.
Most ignored him.
Some gave a small nod.
He nodded back.
Finally, he reached the enormous doors of Guilliman's chamber.
Victrix Guard stood at attention.
They saw him.
They nodded.
The doors opened.
Gaius stepped inside.
And froze.
Guilliman stood before him.
Without the Armor of Fate.
Gaius rushed forward instantly.
"Father! Where is your armor?!"
He had never seen Guilliman without it and knew its importance, it was more than protection, it was life support. Without it, Guilliman would not survive.
Guilliman turned calmly.
"Do not worry, Gaius. I am fine."
But he was not.
His face was pale.
His breathing was heavier than usual.
His posture slightly strained.
Gaius stepped closer.
"What are you doing?"
Guilliman gave a strained smile.
"I am adapting without the armor… for longer periods."
Gaius's eyes shifted.
He saw it clearly now.
The vicious scar across Guilliman's neck.
Even healed, it looked severe.
Guilliman noticed his gaze.
"Fulgrim left me a lovely gift, as you can see," he said evenly. "I suppose perfection has its… inconveniences."
There was no bitterness in his tone.
Just acceptance.
Guilliman turned and walked toward a side chamber.
"Come."
Inside, numerous Mechanicus personnel were already prepared.
Guilliman stepped into position at the center.
Re-equipping began. Internal harness sections locked around his torso first, heavy mechanical clicks echoing through the room as life-support systems reconnected.
Small lights blinked, diagnostics ran, and a Mechanicus voice confirmed stability. External armor plates moved into place, sealing over him and locking magnetically, layer by layer, until the Armor of Fate enclosed him completely.
Finally, the neural link re-engaged, and a subtle shift reverberated through his body.
Guilliman straightened.
His breathing steadied, his presence deepened, and the difference was immediate.
Fully armored, he walked back toward Gaius.
Strength returned to his stance.
Authority returned to his presence.
He stopped before him.
"Now," Guilliman said calmly, "let us talk, Gaius."
~~~
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