The air started to feel strange, as if the entire circus were trembling. Suddenly, the pirates who had once looked at them with pride froze. They didn't scream or fight… they were just there, staring at X, unable to react.
In the blink of an eye, their bodies distorted and turned into flat shadows on the ground, as if they had become twisted graffiti. The whole place fell into an eerie silence, as if time itself had stopped.
Bell-mère was left speechless. No one understood what was happening. The enemies who once were real now looked like lifeless drawings, trapped on the floor of the circus.
And then, Krieg disappeared. He was dragged into a dark place. At the same time, X also vanished in a blink, leaving behind the empty circus.
When Krieg opened his eyes, he was no longer in the village nor in the circus. All around him was darkness. No ground, no horizon… only shadows and an emptiness that felt infinite.
In front of him, a figure advanced calmly, with absolute composure. It was X.
"I thank you. Without your help, it would've been more difficult to complete the mission," said X with a slight smile forming on his face.
"What are you talking about, what mission?! Where are we?!" asked Krieg, looking around with a frown.
Suddenly, in front of X appeared a rectangular holographic screen floating in the air. Its white light illuminated the dark surroundings, projecting lines and letters that seemed to come to life.
[Congratulations. You have completed the tutorial mission: First Trial.
Objective: Defeat 300 pirates.
Time limit: 1 month.
Reward: Armament Haki Manual.]
X observed it in silence for a few seconds, and before Krieg could say anything, the screen began to shine more intensely. A purple energy materialized in front of him, forming a vortex that gradually condensed until it became a floating book.
The white-haired boy calmly extended his hand, taking it from the air. The book had an ethereal texture, with symbols slowly moving across the cover, as if they were alive.
"So this… will give me Haki?" thought X, observing the object with a mix of awe and satisfaction, completely ignoring Krieg, who stared at him without understanding what was happening.
"Hey, you! Stop ignoring me! Where the hell are we?!" shouted the pirate captain, aiming the cannon integrated into his golden armor directly at X.
The white-haired boy let out a heavy sigh—more of annoyance than fear—and began to walk toward him with a calmness that seemed almost provocative. He put the newly obtained book inside his pants pocket, without taking his eyes off the pirate.
"I can't tell you… after all, people like you never change," he said calmly, his tone mixing disdain with a hint of sadness.
Krieg narrowed his eyes without lowering his weapon, noticing how the boy stood in front of him—so close that the cannon almost brushed his forehead.
"Kid… aren't you afraid of dying?" asked the captain with a mocking smile, his voice dripping with arrogance. "You'd better get me out of here right now, or this will be your end."
"Are you going to kill me?" asked X quietly, taking a few steps back. "How boring."
Krieg pulled the trigger, and the bullet shot out with a deadly hiss. The sound sliced through the air. X took out a coin and flipped it between his fingers, relaxed, as if practicing a magic trick. The bullet reached him… and stopped halfway, suspended in front of his face. Then it fell to the ground, rolling lifelessly.
Krieg shouted and charged with his golden sword, ready to cut the boy in two. X tilted his head, feigning curiosity, and with a slight movement—like someone adjusting a scarf—he diverted the blade without touching it.
Krieg attacked again and again, desperate. Each strike bounced off something invisible, a force that rejected him effortlessly. X merely walked in circles, spinning the coin, watching as the captain lost his composure.
"Damn it! What kind of power is this?!"
X lifted the coin and examined it as if analyzing a cheap trophy. "It's just a simple game with reality."
Furious, Krieg decided to unleash one final desperate attack. His sword came down with all the strength he had left. But X barely lifted a finger and touched the pirate's wrist. In an instant, his entire body froze.
Snap.
Krieg stood motionless, nailed to the ground like a statue. His arms hung down, his eyes staring into emptiness.
X picked up the coin, pocketed it, and sighed.
"You're not so different from the others," he murmured. "You fight because they made you believe you were strong. But strength without a mind… is useless."
Snap.
All of a sudden, Krieg was hurled through the air, as if an invisible force had thrown him mercilessly. His body cut through the air, leaving a golden trail from the reflections of his armor, until he crashed into the sea with a thunderous impact.
SPLAAASH!
The impact was so strong that it lifted a column of water and generated small waves that spread out for several meters. The ripples traveled until they faded in the distance—but they did not go unnoticed.
Beneath the surface, something moved.
Huge shadows began to stir in the darkness of the ocean. The sea monsters, drawn by the noise and the scent of metal, awoke from their slumber.
Krieg, disoriented, tried to swim, but his heavy golden armor dragged him mercilessly downward. Bubbles rose quickly to the surface, marking the descent of the captain who had once believed himself invincible.
From the top of the cliff, X watched him with his hands in his pockets, the wind brushing through his white hair. His expression was, as always, serene and bored.
"That's what you get for not knowing when to give up," he murmured indifferently.
A silver gleam flashed across his eyes for an instant. Below, the sea stirred once again. Only the sound of the waves remained as witness to Don Krieg's fall.
Snap.
In an instant, X reappeared at the center of the circus. Everyone present wore expressions of confusion. No one understood how he had vanished along with Krieg… nor how he had returned so calmly, as if nothing had happened.
Some time later, the scene changed completely.
The sunset bathed the village of Gosa in warm tones, and the atmosphere finally felt peaceful. Inside a small house, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air.
X, Buggy, and Ahu sat around a wooden table, still a bit tired from the battle. In front of them, Bell-mère carefully placed three steaming cups.
"It's the least I can do for you," said the woman with a grateful smile, adjusting a bandage on her arm.
"Coffee?" asked Buggy, raising an eyebrow. "Don't you have something a bit… stronger?"
Bell-mère glanced sideways at him, and the clown shrugged, deciding not to insist.
X took his cup without a word, gazing out the window at the orange sky. Ahu, meanwhile, sniffed the coffee curiously.
"So… it's all over now, right?" asked the protagonist.
Bell-mère smiled and nodded, but her expression turned serious. "For now, yes… but in this sea, peace never lasts long. The good thing is, we've already captured all those pirates."
Meanwhile, X lifted his gaze and saw two girls descending the stairs from the second floor. They were Nami and Nojiko. Their eyes met for a brief moment: the orange-haired girl watched him with curiosity, while Nojiko seemed a bit more cautious—though equally intrigued.