Location: Holy Land Mariejois – Cipher Pol Omega Archive, Sublevel 9
Inside the obsidian dome of Cipher Pol Omega's hidden war room, silence reigned.
The agents surrounding the central podium wore all-black, faceless masks. The air smelled of cold ink and burning paper.
In the center of the circular hall, a single device projected moving images—ghostly recordings traced from satellite dials, soul flare readers, and Hollow energy detectors.
A sandstorm.
A boy with twin blades.
A bounty-class threat winning.
The man at the center removed his mask.
His face was pale, angular, and unreadable. His code name was Director R.O.N.
"He's passed the third gate," R.O.N. said.
"Impossible," whispered one agent. "He's not even at Commander class yet."
"No," R.O.N. replied. "He's not."
He turned to the next screen—a still image of Shanks, Benn Beckman, Makino, and Ankit, together on the dunes.
"But they are."
Cipher Pol Decision: Red Designation
Agent Sable stepped forward.
"Shall we initiate the bounty revision, Director?"
R.O.N. stared at the image of Ankit's blazing form, paused at the moment he shattered the Glass Prison illusion.
"No," he said coldly. "We do something worse."
He turned toward the six sealed caskets lining the room's back wall. Each had a sigil—Wano. Elbaf. Enies Lobby. And one marked with a single red eye.
"Open containment pod six. Bring out the Eye."
Gasps echoed. Agent Sable took a step back.
"But sir—that hunter hasn't been used in eight years. She nearly killed the last Admiral who tried to leash her."
"Exactly," R.O.N. said. "And she'll love hunting someone like him."
The red sigil pulsed.
Location: Aboard the Red Blade – Two Days Later
Ankit sat alone on the crow's nest rail, watching the dunes fade behind them.
His wounds were healing. His spirit wasn't.
The Hollow's words still rang in his skull—You wear the mark.
He'd expected the trials. He hadn't expected the scale of the response. Raas Volan was no random assassin.
He was a statement.
Benn Beckman climbed up and handed him a flask.
"You think too loudly," Benn said.
Ankit chuckled. "Is that your version of 'you okay?'"
"I don't waste words on lies."
They drank in silence.
Then Benn added, "You need to understand something. You're not just climbing some invisible ladder. You're waking up enemies that forgot how to be scared."
Ankit looked toward the clouds. "Good."
Makino's Report – Anomaly in the System
In the ship's lower hold, Makino tinkered with a captured Hollow vial—one that had resisted destruction after Raas's death.
The vial pulsed.
She frowned, flipped open a logbook, and began jotting equations. Then she called into her den-den mushi.
"Ankit. You need to see this."
Below Deck – Soul Residue Discovery
The vial floated midair, connected by ghostly strings of sand to Ankit's palm. He touched it lightly—and felt a memory.
A voice.
"He is not of this world."
"The Eye must see him."
The glass shattered.
Ankit reeled back.
Makino caught him.
"What was that?"
Ankit's system glitched.
System Stability Warning
External Observation Detected
"Eye of Perception" attempting to overwrite visual layer
WARNING
The World is now watching.
Ankit closed the screen, face cold.
"Someone just looked at me."
Flash Scene – Cipher Pol's Weapon Awakens
Inside a containment vault of black steel and broken logic, chains slithered across the floor like serpents.
A woman rose from a bed of salt.
Her left eye burned red—not blood, but sight itself.
She smiled.
"Another world-born?"
A man beside her—a Cipher Pol handler—trembled.
"You will be given 40 days. Eliminate him or retrieve his core."
She licked her lips.
"Or what?"
"If you fail… your sentence continues."
The woman laughed.
"I was born for failure. But he... might be worth killing."
Her chains snapped.
The Eye of Cipher Pol walked again.
Back on the Red Blade – A Quiet Resolve
Night came fast. The wind changed again—colder, crueler, as if fate had shifted one gear further.
Shanks called a meeting in the war room.
The map before them now glowed with three lit fragments—three out of seven.
Benn crossed his arms. "With the pace we're going, it's not just bounty hunters coming next."
Makino nodded. "We've tripped something big. The world isn't just aware anymore. It's angry."
Shanks looked to Ankit.
"What do you want to do?"
Ankit didn't hesitate.
"I finish it. I find the fourth. I fight whoever comes."
He stood, eyes burning like tempered steel.
"Because if someone like her is watching—then I have no time left to be afraid."
System Panel – Updated Proficiency and Skills
At night, Ankit opened his system. The display was sharper than before. It showed his growth… and what waited ahead.
[Soul Proficiency Panel]
Dual Blade Mastery: 41.8%
Soulflame Resonance: 58.7%
Stormmark Sync: 58.7%
New Trait: Memory Guard (Passive)
New Skill: Glassflash Counter (Active)
New Trait: Sunfire Core – Soulburn Immune Threshold +12%
Upcoming Trial
Stormmark Fragment 4 Location: Moonless Reef – South Blue Border.
Trial Type: Oceanic Bloodline Test
Status: Sealed – Requires Blood Offer to access.
Advisory
World Government Agents are now tracking all soulflame pulses exceeding 40%.
You have crossed the threshold.
You are now considered a "Global Threat Level C."
Ankit smiled at the message.
He wasn't even B-tier yet.
Final Scene – The Eye Makes Her Move
Far away, aboard a silent Cipher Pol dreadnought, the Eye sat cross-legged on the hull, arms stretched out to the sky.
Wind whispered around her.
A flame sparked in her open palm—Ankit's face floating inside.
She smiled.
And crushed it.