The mist hung low over the ruined aqueducts outside Vellora—a fitting place for betrayals and whispers. Kael stood beneath the broken stone archways, the hilt of his blade tapping rhythmically against his leg.
They emerged again. One, then two, then three cloaked figures. The same trio from the alley. Faces still hidden, cloaks whispering like smoke.
"You left a trail," one said. "The navigator is alive."
Kael didn't flinch. "She was never meant to die. That wasn't part of the agreement."
"She was meant to warn them," another added. "To destabilize their trust."
"And it worked," the third chimed in, voice like grinding stone. "The cracks are forming."
Kael crossed his arms. "What do you really want from me? You hired a bounty hunter, not a saboteur."
The leader stepped forward. A faint glow beneath their hood suggested something more than human eyes.
"We want what you want," they said. "Straw Hat Luffy. For what he did at Enies Lobby. For the chain reaction that burned Noel."
Kael stiffened.
"Don't speak her name."
"Then stop pretending you don't want revenge. You seek justice, Kael. But justice is a blade that needs a hand."
He turned away from them, staring at the broken stone canal below. Once, water had flowed here. Purpose. Direction. Now it was stagnant and forgotten.
Much like him.
"What are you offering?"
The third figure stepped forward. They produced a scroll from within their cloak and unfurled it with a flick of the wrist. A map. A cipher. A mission.
"We know their Log Pose is charging. We know which route they'll take. We can place obstacles in their path—diversions. Weaknesses to exploit."
"You want me to pick them off?"
"No," the first said. "We want you to watch. Let the Straw Hats tear themselves apart. You plant doubt. We do the rest."
Kael stepped forward, taking the map. His eyes scanned the ink—coordinates, old marine bases, possible ciphered contacts. Familiar names. Ghosts from his bounty network.
He folded it and tucked it into his coat.
"If I do this... if I help you... it's not your plan. It's mine. I don't take orders."
The leader bowed slightly.
"Then make it personal."
As the cloaked figures disappeared into the fog once more, Kael stood alone beneath the arch. He looked up toward the lights of the harbor, where the Sunny rocked gently.
"They're not ready. But neither am I."
He let the mist close around him.