-Broadcast: Dressrosa Underground-
When velocity reaches certain theoretical thresholds, the fundamental nature of reality begins to shift in ways that challenge human comprehension. At the speeds now available to Kamen Rider FAIZ, the underground battlefield had transformed into something resembling a temporal photograph—every snowflake suspended in crystalline perfection, every drop of blood hanging motionless in mid-air like crimson jewels.
This is the second most desired superpower after invisibility, Sanji thought with dark satisfaction as he surveyed the frozen tableau around him. The ability to exist outside normal time, to act while the world stands still.
The acceleration timer displayed 120 seconds in glowing numerals, each digit counting down with mechanical precision. More than enough time to end this confrontation permanently, but Sanji found himself appreciating the artistic opportunity that such temporal manipulation provided.
Why rush perfection? he mused as he began moving through the motionless battlefield. When you have this kind of advantage, you might as well enjoy the process.
The first two seconds were spent simply tearing through Trebol's adhesive restraints, the advanced polymers that comprised the Beta Beta no Mi's (Stick-Stick Fruit) output offering no more resistance than tissue paper against the FAIZ armor's enhanced strength capabilities.
Ten seconds to study my opponent properly, Sanji decided as he positioned himself directly in front of the charging Jaw Titan, close enough to examine every detail of the transformation that Eren's power had made possible.
The titan form was undeniably ugly—a twenty-meter amalgamation of oversized muscle, predatory fangs, and specialized claws that spoke to millions of years of evolutionary refinement toward killing efficiency. But beneath the grotesque exterior, Sanji's enhanced senses could detect the sophisticated biological engineering that made such transformation possible.
Eren's gift, he recognized with clinical appreciation. The ability to grant titan powers to others, creating an army of giants with specialized capabilities.
But the tactical implications of titan transformation were less important than the immediate problem of efficiently dismantling his opponent. Sanji's strength hadn't increased during acceleration mode—the enhancement was purely temporal rather than physical—but when you could move freely while your enemy remained frozen, physical limitations became irrelevant.
Limb removal first, he decided with surgical precision. Disable mobility and offensive capability before locating the pilot.
The process was methodical and grotesque. Sanji's hands, enhanced by the FAIZ armor's mechanical augmentation, tore through titan flesh with the efficiency of industrial machinery. Each severed limb sent torrents of blood into the air, the crimson droplets hanging suspended like abstract art installations.
Trebol can't feel the pain yet, Sanji observed with detached interest. His nervous system is still operating at normal speed while his body is being systematically destroyed. The psychological trauma when time resumes will be... significant.
Using his enhanced spiritual awareness—a technique learned during his training in the Kamabakka Kingdom—Sanji extended his consciousness beyond his own body to locate the titan's control center. The ability to sense life force had practical applications beyond simple meditation.
There, he identified with growing certainty. Inside the head, just as I suspected. Cutting off the limbs was essentially meaningless from a tactical standpoint.
With fifteen seconds remaining on his acceleration timer, Sanji repositioned himself at the titan's head level and delivered a single, devastating punch to the skull. The impact cracked bone and sent fragments of cranium spinning through the frozen air while exposing the small human figure nestled within the titan's brain cavity.
Trebol looks absolutely bewildered, Sanji noted with amusement as he carefully extracted the unconscious executive from his biological mecha. He's probably wondering how he went from charging forward to suddenly being airborne.
Rather than end the confrontation immediately, Sanji chose to add a theatrical flourish to the proceedings. With practiced showmanship, he hurled Trebol's body high into the air, calculating trajectory and timing to create maximum dramatic impact when normal time resumed.
Three seconds left, he observed as the acceleration timer approached zero. Time to return to normal temporal flow and complete this performance properly.
"COMPLETE!" the FAIZ system announced as the acceleration mode disengaged, internal heat dissipation systems working overtime to prevent catastrophic overload of the armor's core components.
The white chest plate smoothly descended from Sanji's shoulders back to its original position, concealing the dangerous energies that had been exposed during acceleration mode. The temperature regulation was crucial—extended use of such advanced systems would literally cook the user alive without proper thermal management.
Reality snapped back into normal speed with jarring suddenness. The suspended snowflakes resumed their descent, blood droplets completed their interrupted arcs, and Trebol's dismembered titan form finally registered the damage that had been inflicted during the temporal anomaly.
"What the hell just happened?" Trebol's voice carried pure confusion as he found himself inexplicably airborne, his consciousness struggling to process the gap between charging forward and suddenly flying through the air without any memory of the transition.
Memory compression, Sanji diagnosed with clinical interest. When events occur too quickly for the brain to process, the mind simply discards the incomprehensible data. He literally can't remember being defeated because it happened faster than his neurons could fire.
The psychological impact was devastating. Trebol's understanding of cause and effect had been fundamentally shattered, leaving him unable to comprehend how the battle had shifted so dramatically in his opponent's favor.
He's struggling desperately to activate his Devil Fruit powers, Sanji observed as he prepared for the finishing sequence. But panic and confusion are interfering with his concentration. Perfect.
With practiced precision, Sanji half-crouched and activated the FAIZ Pointer integrated into his right leg armor. The targeting system came online with electronic efficiency, red light beginning to gather at the focal point while tactical displays provided trajectory calculations.
"You sinners should journey to the underworld to atone for your crimes," Sanji the Kamen Rider FAIZ declared with theatrical gravitas as he began his approach run.
The Rider Kick was more than just a physical attack—it was a manifestation of justice given kinetic form, enhanced by both technological sophistication and righteous fury. Red light coalesced into a cone of devastating energy that marked Trebol as the target for complete elimination.
No half-measures, Sanji thought with grim determination. People like him don't deserve mercy or the opportunity for future crimes.
The kick connected with surgical precision, FAIZ's enhanced leg driving through Trebol's body while the energy cone completely disrupted his biological structure at the molecular level. This wasn't mere physical trauma—it was systematic obliteration of everything that comprised the target's existence.
A crimson symbol blazed across Trebol's chest as the energy discharge completed its destructive work. The executive's eyes widened in final understanding before the light consumed him entirely, reducing his physical form to constituent particles that scattered like ash in the underground chamber's artificial wind.
Complete molecular dissolution, Sanji noted with satisfaction as he turned away from the empty space where his opponent had been standing moments before. No body to recover, no possibility of resurrection, no dramatic final words. Just... nothing.
"The reason you ended up like this," he announced to the settling ash, "is that you chose to follow the wrong person in life. Unfortunately, there's no medicine for regret in this world."
With characteristic dramatic flair, Kamen Rider FAIZ removed the transformation device from his belt and pressed the deactivation sequence. The red photon conduits that had enhanced his capabilities flickered once before disappearing entirely, leaving only the belt and smartphone as evidence of the technological miracle he had just employed.
Nosebleed, Sanji noted with mild concern as he felt warmth trickling from his nasal passages. Even third-generation technology puts significant strain on the human body. Less than ten minutes of enhanced operation and I'm already showing signs of internal damage.
The realization was sobering. Despite the FAIZ system's incredible capabilities, it remained a tool that extracted payment from its user in the form of physical deterioration. The power came with costs that couldn't be avoided, only minimized through careful engineering.
Relying on external enhancement always comes with a price, he reflected philosophically. Nothing in this world is truly free, especially power that exceeds natural limitations.
His attention shifted to the ongoing battle between Robin's demonic form and Monet's snow harpy transformation—a confrontation between Paramecia and Logia users that was proceeding with far more brutality than he had expected.
Robin is absolutely dominating that fight, he observed with growing amazement. Five years from now, she's apparently become even more ruthless toward other women than she is toward men. Interesting character development.
-Real World: Various Locations-
The technological capabilities demonstrated by the FAIZ armor system sent shockwaves through every major power structure in the world. Scientists, military leaders, and political strategists immediately began reassessing their understanding of what was possible when advanced engineering met practical combat applications.
At Marine Headquarters, technological analysts worked frantically to deconstruct what they had witnessed, trying to reverse-engineer capabilities that seemed to transcend known scientific principles.
"Temporal manipulation through mechanical enhancement," one researcher muttered while reviewing frame-by-frame analysis of Sanji's acceleration sequence. "The energy requirements alone should have been prohibitive. How did Vinsmoke Judge solve the power generation problem?"
"More importantly," another analyst added grimly, "how do we develop countermeasures against opponents who can effectively stop time during combat? Traditional tactical doctrine becomes meaningless against such capabilities."
The implications extended far beyond simple military applications. If the Germa Kingdom possessed technology that could grant individuals near-godlike combat abilities, then the balance of power between nations might shift dramatically within the next few years.
Among the Shichibukai, reactions varied according to individual personality and strategic philosophy. Dracule Mihawk watched with the detached interest of someone evaluating a new type of sword, while Bartholomew Kuma processed the information through his cybernetic enhancements with mechanical efficiency.
Advanced technology integrated with human physiology, Kuma calculated with digital precision. Potentially superior to Dr. Vegapunk's Pacifista program depending on production costs and training requirements.
But perhaps the strongest reaction came from the Revolutionary Army, where Monkey D. Dragon studied the Sky Screen with growing strategic excitement.
Power that could challenge the World Government's military supremacy, he realized with revolutionary fervor. If such technology could be acquired or replicated, it might provide the force multiplication necessary to overthrow the Celestial Dragons' regime.
The sight of his son's crewmate wielding capabilities that exceeded Admiral-level opponents suggested possibilities that had never existed before in the long struggle against tyrannical authority.
-Real World: Whole Cake Island-
In the candy-covered palace that served as Big Mom's primary residence, Charlotte Linlin had just finished consuming a wedding cake that stood three stories tall. The successful completion of her meal meant that Whole Cake Island remained peaceful rather than suffering one of her infamous hunger-induced rampages.
Surrounded by dozens of her children—each one a powerful pirate in their own right—Big Mom contemplated the marriage alliance that would soon bring advanced military technology under her control.
"We absolutely must acquire those transformation belts," she declared with the authority that had made her one of the Four Emperors. "Technology that can turn the tide of battle so dramatically cannot be allowed to remain in other hands. It makes me want to transform myself!"
The mental image of her eight-meter frame attempting to compress into a two-meter Kamen Rider suit was both amusing and potentially catastrophic. Charlotte Linlin's giant physiology had never been a consideration in Vinsmoke Judge's design parameters.
Would the belt simply burst from the size differential? she wondered with genuine curiosity. Or would the transformation technology scale to accommodate larger users? Either way, I want to find out personally.
"Mama, the belt technology appears to have significant side effects on users," Charlotte Perospero observed with the diplomatic caution that had kept him alive through decades of serving his volatile mother. "Perhaps it would be safer to acquire the technology for study rather than personal use."
As the eldest son and Minister of Candy, Perospero had learned to phrase potentially unwelcome advice in ways that minimized the risk of triggering Big Mom's legendary temper. Direct opposition was suicidal, but subtle redirection could sometimes prevent disaster.
"A bloody wedding might be more efficient than traditional diplomacy," suggested Charlotte Oven with the blunt directness that characterized the family's more aggressive members. "We invite them for the ceremony, then eliminate the Vinsmoke family and claim their technology as spoils of war."
"Brother has a point," Charlotte Daifuku agreed with matching ruthlessness. "Pirates shouldn't rely on marriage contracts when superior force is available. We take what we want and destroy anyone who objects."
The casual discussion of mass murder and technological theft was typical of Charlotte family planning sessions. Their approach to problem-solving consistently prioritized efficiency over ethics or diplomatic niceties.
"Which daughter should marry the crossdressing cook?" Big Mom asked with the practical tone of someone arranging a business transaction rather than a romantic union.
Perospero considered the question from multiple angles—age compatibility, political utility, and the likelihood of the selected daughter surviving whatever violence might result from the arrangement.
"Charlotte Pudding might be suitable," he suggested after careful consideration. "As long as potential suitors don't see her third eye, her powe could potentially convince the okama to reconsider his lifestyle choices."
The recommendation was strategically sound. Pudding's unique abilities would provide insurance against betrayal, while her appearance would appeal to anyone with conventional aesthetic preferences.
"Pudding it is," Big Mom decided with characteristic finality. "Contact the Germa Kingdom immediately and finalize this arrangement. I want those transformation systems under our control before anyone else realizes their full potential."
The Four Emperor's urgency was understandable but based on incomplete information. What Charlotte Linlin didn't realize was that the belt technology she coveted so desperately had not yet been developed in the current timeline.
The very anxious Charlotte Linlin didn't know that the belt she had been dreaming about, Vinsmoke Judge, had not yet been made. At the moment, the battle suit technology that the other party had mastered would not satisfy the Four Emperors.