Chapter 14: The Final Round: Enter Sky Empress Kallista

It all happened the second the bell rang.

Everyone immediately jumped at each other`s throats. The Longarms and Longlegs attacked each other as expected. Yldriv charged at Kallista, and Bellamy`s lackeys quickly surrounded him.

Lucian dodged the first couple of strikes thrown against him. He was on the retreat, acrobatically and elegantly dodging and weaving through the volley of punches aimed at him.

"Stay still, asshole," one of them said. Lucian jumped over him, grabbed the back of his head, and threw him onto the floor with full force, cracking his spine. Lucian didn`t bother using his sword and began his attack.

"Shigan," Lucian muttered. He began to attack all their weak points—there were six of them in front of him. In a flash, he aimed for their nerves and paralyzed every one of their limbs.

"My arms and legs, I can`t feel them," they said as they collapsed to the floor. The last one came running towards him, Lucian sidestepped the punch grabbed the bottom of his elbow with his left hand, and used his right hand to break his arm in half, as he roared in pain. Lucian used Shigan and silenced him by putting a hole in his trachea, and he fell defeated.

Lucian scanned the rest of the arena. The Longarms and Longlegs were viciously attacking one another. Bellamy was fighting a Fishman and using his Devil Fruit ability to take him down. Kallista and Yldriv were engaged in a duel.

Sadly, Yldriv could tell Kallista was not taking her seriously. Kallista was holding back for the first time today, and it must have been for one reason only. Because, as much as Kallista seems to be heartless, she has some care for her fellow Kuja comrades or former comrades.

Yldriv kept firing projectiles and arrows, but they all missed, forcing her into close combat, which wasn`t her strongest feature.

Then Lucian sensed a large weapon approaching fast. Lucian used Soru to dodge, and it was the giant swinging his large sword. Ulysses was aiming for Lucian. He needed to kill time; he wanted to face Kallista alone, so he decided to speed the process up. He only tried this once with Rayleigh during his training, and it worked well.

Ulysses`s sword was stuck on the floor. Once he forced it out of the ground, Lucian jumped on top of it. With the upward momentum, he was face to face with Ulysses in the air, and Lucian smiled.

Lucian positioned his left fist facing outwards, and his right fist rested on top of the left one, knuckles centimeters away from one another, as he jumped at the giant's face.

"Rokuogan!" Lucian yelled as the shockwave of energy passed through Ulysses's body, creating a sonic boom.

This technique was the most powerful of the Rokushiki abilities. It sent a powerful shockwave that destroyed an opponent from the inside. Once it came in contact with his opponent, he seized up, his eyes rolling back, coughing up blood.

It knocked him out cold as Ulysses fell backward, his fall creating a loud noise. Lucian landed on top of him. Was he still alive?

Yes, just unconscious. The rest of the fighting stopped as everyone stared at Lucian.

"Oh my gods, Xavier Scarlett. WHAT A MOVE. What was that technique? It was enough to take down the legendary Ulysses," the announcer screeched. The crowd yelled and began chanting his fake name. Lucian smirked. He had to admit he loved the attention, even if it wasn`t his real name.

So, his Rokuogan was stronger than he believed it to be. Lucian stared at his fists and smirked.

"YESSSSSS!" Lucian screamed to the skies. He was scared the move would backfire. It did during training a couple of times, but now he was exhilarated that it worked on a powerhouse like Ulysses.

Lucian leaped down. Kallista was still toying with Yldriv. "Stay still, traitor," Yldriv yelled as she began to aimlessly throw her punches around, praying to land a hit. Kallista grabbed her wrists and pulled her close.

"I`m sorry, Yldriv, I wish you could understand one day," Kallista said. As Kallista fully assumed her Valkyrie form, the light became too bright, and Lucian shielded his eyes.

Kallista was in her goddess Valkyrie form thingie. She grabbed Yldriv`s other hand, pulled her up, and headbutted Yldriv into the ground.

As the smoke cleared, Yldriv lay unconscious, her head spouting like a faucet, but Lucian sensed her heartbeat. Kallista began to show her true power as she tore through the competition, striking down any opponent she could see and intentionally avoiding Lucian until the end.

She interfered with the Dwarves and Minks' fight and defeated each one of them with fascinating speed. Lucian looked around the arena; most of the opponents were defeated. The crowd roared in support of Kallista as they began to chant her name.

Lucian`s Haki immediately sensed a silent attack from behind. He slightly tilted his head to the left, and Bellamy was there. He began to smirk, cracking his knuckles in anticipation of the chance to fight.

"Finally, I have you to myself once I kill you. The whore is next," Bellamy was covered in blood and soot.

He looked behind and saw that Bellamy had massacred his opponents, but Lucian did not have the slightest fear of him. It was quite the opposite; he saw Bellamy as a joke.

Lucian unsheathed the Shodai Kitetsu as it glistened in the sunlight. Bellamy charged with his devil fruit. His feet became springs, which granted him amazing acceleration. Lucian dodged the strike as Bellamy was now bouncing around the area like a blur.

"You cannot handle my speed, punk; NOW DIE!"

Lucian felt him coming at him at an angle of 240 degrees. Lucian moved his sword and slashed at him. The exchange happened in the blink of an eye, as Bellamy was holding his stomach as Lucian cut him badly. He was profusely bleeding.

One graceful swing of his sword was all it took.

Bellamy looked surprised, "You weakling. How could you?"

Lucian shrugged and stuck his tongue out mockingly. "WOW! Xavier Scarlett is a force to be reckoned with. He cut Bellamy bad with one strike," the announcer said.

"I won`t kill you. I think it`d be better if you surrendered," Lucian said to him. He knew this would anger him, so he used his Devil Fruit ability to spring at Lucian, attacking aimlessly. Lucian yawned.

He raised his sword and weaved the attack. Momentarily, he met Bellamy`s eyes. They were filled with fear as Lucian smirked, "1000 Cuts of Death!" Lucian used Soru on his sword to leave as many small, deep cuts on Bellamy`s body as he could.

Bellamy roared in pain; Lucian`s hands were moving so fast that they seemed invisible. Once his attack was done, Bellamy`s body was covered in so many small, precise cuts that his body began to bleed over excessively.

"My body, IT BURNS. What did you do? AHHHHHH!"

Lucian giggled as he positioned his sword on top of his shoulder. "It`s my secret Rokushiki sword technique. The 1000 cuts of death create deep, small cuts on your body that burn as you slowly bleed out. It`s quite torutorus. But don`t worry, surrender now, and you may survive with the proper medical treatment."

Bellamy fell to one knee, struggling to speak. Then, out of nowhere, Kallista flies in and grabs Bellamy by the neck. Lucian was shocked.

Where did she come from?

As he turned back, the rest of the opponents. They were either dead or knocked unconscious. They all lay motionless; the blood overflowed the battlefield and reached Lucian`s boots. Lucian looked up as Kallista was treating Bellamy like a rag doll, throwing him around with such ease as if he weighed nothing.

"Please...stop...I surr-ender," Bellamy groaned. Kallista stopped momentarily, "What did you say, you scum? You are all talk, no action."

"I am sorry," Bellamy cried out.

Kallista yelled back, "You tell that piece of shit. I will come for him. AND KILL HIM. You hear me, you insignificant foot soldier!" Followed by Bellamy making incoherent noises, he was finally able to mutter something.

"I, I, I SURRENDER!" Bellamy screamed.

The crowd went silent for the first time since the match began. Kallista dropped Bellamy as he was bleeding and swelling so much that you wouldn`t be able to tell it was him.

"BELLAMY THE HYENA, SURRENDERS. The last two standing are... Sky Empress Kallista," the announcer said, followed by the crowd reigniting their chants and roaring for Kallista to chant her name.

"And our dark horse, no one expected this man to make it this far, XAVIER SCARLETT." The crowd roared and began chanting for him. Since when was he a dark horse?

The medics came in and began to carry out Bellamy and the rest of the survivors as Kallista paced around the battlefield, giving Lucian the death stare.

This was the first time she acknowledged him. After a couple of minutes of the medics cleaning up the battlefield, King Elizabello grabbed the speaker to project a message to the arena.

"You two great warriors, there are only two ways to win: either to the death or by surrender. I expect a great final duel. Best of luck to you both!" he said as he sat back down. The crowd`s patience was beginning to run thin as they demanded a fight.

"I promised you, didn`t I? Now you must face the consequences of your hubris," Kallista said, pointing her curved sword at him, still glowing in her full awakened form.

Lucian didn`t respond; instead, he raised his sword. He had to make her listen to him. She aimed to kill him, but Lucian had to make her surrender no matter the cost.

Kallista pounced first, as Lucian expected. Her speed was greater than he anticipated, but Lucian kept a defensive stance as he raised his sword to deflect all her attacks. She conjured up her blade, and they began to exchange blows quickly.

Lucian didn`t want to hurt her; he needed her for the mission. But how was he going to defeat a warrior like her without inflicting major damage? He had to think, but Kallista was not giving him the opportunity.

Kallista began to strike quicker and harder as Lucian dodged her attacks and defended himself, and then it got to close quarters. Lucian was amazing at close-quarter sword fights, but the problem was that.

This woman was able to keep up; no, she was able to match his skill!

She began to increase her speed, but Lucian was able to match it. Each strike took less than a second to hit as she chose her strikes at random, smartly. She allowed her reflexes and muscle memory to take over as she tried analyzing the best way to catch him off guard.

Lucian stayed on the defense, matching each strike and parry. They were both moving so fast that one slip-up meant he`d get seriously injured. Kallista`s stamina was incredible, and her speed never faltered.

"Wow! Both of them are moving so quickly that I can barely keep up! WHAT A FIGHT!" the announcer exclaimed. The crowd divided between both contestants as he heard the overlap of the fans chanting both names.

Kallista began to look frustrated as she backflipped away from him. "How...can you match my speed? Who are you?"

Lucian laughed, "I never doubted your strength, but you sure as hell doubted mine."

She sneered at that comment, perhaps because reality was dawning on her that Xavier Scarlett was the worthy adversary he claimed to be.

Lucian regained some energy. But he still had to tread carefully. Lucian usually believed in fighting beyond your limit. But he had to make an exception for her.

He would need her strength in future battles to come.

"Answer me; I've never heard of you, Xavier Scarlett. No one in the New World has been able to keep up with me for this long."

Lucian shrugged and smirked, "Attack me again if you can." He taunted her, and this worked.

Kallista began to advance, swinging her sword with precision as Lucian stayed on the defensive. Her attack pattern changed. Her attacks became slightly more ranged as she combined lunged attacks with far strikes.

Lucian then realized that Kallista was famous because of the way she fought. She was truly a master at her craft. She has an arsenal of attacks and moves that she remembers and patterns them to match the opponent she is fighting. And since Lucian is playing pure defense, she can showcase her full potential and create new combinations of attacks with the already existing patterns she incorporates to adapt to each opponent she faces.

He was an idiot.

He thought he could win on the defensive, but he had to make some strides in offense if he wanted to force her to surrender. Lucian expanded his Observation Haki and began to weave and avoid any contact with Kallista delicately. She began to pick up the speed, and her moves became more erratic and unpredictable, but her frustration was also building up.

"FIGHT BACK," she yelled.

Without Observation Haki, Lucian would`ve died by now. But he continued to evade, and Kallista became visibly angrier until Lucian grasped his sword tightly and tried his new move, "Shigan," he said.

Kallista`s eyes widened as his Shodai Kitetsu quickly pierced her right shoulder, stopping her barrage of attacks. Kallista fell backward, grasping at her wound. She dropped her sword, pulled out a bandage, and wrapped it quickly.

"You are amazing, you know that, so tell me, Kallista. You want to surrender now; I have no intention of hurting you anymore," Lucian said. He was toying with her, but it was harder than expected.

She was everything they said about her, and Lucian decided he wanted her to join his crew. She was simply too breathtaking a warrior to lose.

Kallista responded, "No one... has ever dodged my attacks like that. You only attacked once and landed a blow to my shoulder. What do you want from me? WHO ARE YOU!"

Lucian pointed his sword down and began to lean on it. "I want your help, Kallista. No, I need you."

She kept on wrapping her wound and glared at him, "You said that already, back in the barracks. What do you need me for?"

Lucian sat down, crossed his legs, and began pondering, "A delicate operation where it could benefit you as well with some newly discovered information."

After bandaging the wound, she put on her armor and approached him. Lucian had no clue what was racing through her mind at that point, but he felt it. He could gain her trust, but Kallista seemed to respect strength.

"I was wrong about you. The truth is, you aren`t fighting at 100%, are you?" Kallista asked.

Lucian smiled, "No, but you lived up to the hype. That is why I need you for this mission... and to join my crew."

"What did you say? Are you a captain?" Kallista asked. Lucian got up, rubbed off the dust from his clothes, and nodded in agreement.

"I never heard of you, Xavier Scarlett," she asked.

"My name is not Xavier Scarlett; my real name is Lucian Xebel."

Kallista looked momentarily shocked, "You are Lucian Xebel, the man who massacred Germa 66 and attempted to assassinate Saint Mysogard."

"The one and only," he responded. The tension became palpable once more as he stared at her, wondering what she was thinking.

"Makes sense, to be honest, why you are so strong. Two hundred million berries are quite impressive. But the higher they are, the harder they fall."

Lucian looked at Kallista, and after revealing his identity, she seemed to be conflicted.

The crowd began to boo now, and they stood still for quite a while. Kallista's killer instinct returned: "I`m sorry, Lucian, but I cannot help you. My goal is to become stronger by killing someone like you. It will only make me better."

Kallista attacked again. This time, she pulled a spear out of her back and began to fly around. She began aerial throws, and Lucian effortlessly dodged as the spear missed him by an inch.

She smiled, and then Lucian realized something was wrong. He looked down, and the spear caught his pants, and then as she turned back. Her fist connected to his face, and damn did it hurt. He fell backward and felt the impact weigh down on him, multiplying tenfold. The impact left him dazed. As the smoke cleared, he lay down in a crater of rubble.

"OH MY GODS, Xavier Scarlett has gone down, folks. Could he be done for?" the announcer said.

Lucian regained his senses, but his vision was blurry. Kallista looked over him and said, "I`m sorry, Lucian, but this is the end for you."

She began to fly upwards, far past the clouds. His body felt weak. Lucian knew another attack was imminent. He slowly got up, and his sword was out of reach. He saw her descending fast, her body turning into a golden light.

"HEART OF STEEL!" she yelled, hurling towards him quicker.

Lucian was on his feet; he wouldn't play around anymore. The black lightning curled around his fist as he began to power up Haki and unleashed it.

His Conqueror`s Haki emitted from his left eye and darkened the sky to a red and black light. He felt it on pure instinct.

Life or Death.

"WRAITH`S REQUIEM," Lucian yelled as he used Geppo to close the distance, his fist radiating with Conqueror`s Haki. Kallista looked scared, and finally, Lucian matched her attack as he let his Haki flow forward. All the pressure of the attack shifted towards Kallista.

BOOM!

The attack overpowered Kallista, and the flash blinded the crowd, who ran in fear as the impact reached the audience. Lucian landed, and the smoke from the impact was heavy. He then heard a thud hit the battlefield, and when the smoke finally cleared, he was surprised at the sight.

Kallista was barely standing. His attack was powerful, but how did she survive? Maybe he should`ve held back a little more, but he was angry that she had landed such a good punch.

Lucian looked around the stadium; the arena was destroyed, and half the crowd had left.

The announcer seemed to be knocked out as he lay down unresponsive. The noise was significantly reduced, which pleased his ears, and King Elizabello`s reaction was unexpected. He sat there clapping.

"That attack, boy, you have the supreme king haki." Lucian assumed he meant the Conquerors, so he replied, "Yeah."

"You...possess Conqueror`s Haki. It's impossible," Kallista said.

But he didn`t expect it to be that destructive. He practically destroyed the entire arena.

Oops.

"Get up, Kallista; you think Doflamingo will be that forgiving?" Lucian said. Kallista was not in good shape; her wings were charred, and her left arm seemed to be done for. Kallista stumbled to him.

Lucian walked over to pick up his sword and sheathed it.

"What do you know about... Doflamingo. You know nothing; he is called the Heavenly Demon for a reason. He will tear you apart mentally and physically if I cannot defeat you. I stand no chance," Kallista said as she began to cough up blood.

Lucian approached her and offered his hand, "I wanted you to join me because Doflamingo captured someone close to me. And I`ll need someone with your skills to help, surrender, and join me."

Kallista smacked his hand, and her body began to glow once more. Lucian instinctively jumped backward. Her body began to self-heal. Does her Devil Fruit have the ability to do that?

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW? YOU CAN`T BEAT HIM. I will defeat you, even if it means forfeiting my life," she roared.

She began to glow more and more. "You want to see my full power, Lucian Xebel? Here it is!"

Kallista moved quickly. How did she manage to muster the energy for another attack? Lucian unsheathed his sword. He knew how to defeat her now. It would only take one precise slice of his sword. He kept his hand steady, and the hilt awaited his opportunity.

"GOLDEN RETRIBUTION," she roared in one final desperate attempt. A golden beam of energy aimed at him, but Lucian was faster, though. "Soru," he whispered. Lucian zigzagged through the attacks.

In that split second, when your opponent realizes their final attack didn`t work, he saw her expression right before his strike. Her eyes widened, and she understood that, at last, the great Sky Empress Kallista would be defeated.

"Tempest Slash," he said as he sliced through the weak points of her armor quickly. The golden beam disappeared as she fell to her knees. Lucian then realized what she had done.

She risked her life to win.

His Wraith`s Requiem had already defeated her; by using her most potent attack, it did more internal damage to her than it would to an opponent.

Lucian sheathed his sword. Kallista was on the verge of collapsing, but she fell to her knees, looking at Lucian. She looked defeated. But he never wanted it to come to this, and he regretted using that attack on her. But he needed to win.

"You`re going to kill me, huh? I deserve it," Kallista groaned.

Damn, this woman was stubborn, but he was able to notice the type of person she was. Someone willing to die for a cause, a cause that was tied to Doflamingo.

Lucian sat across from her and smiled. "I admire your desire, but believe me. It is not worth risking your life until you fulfill your dream. And it seems that you have problems with Doflamingo."

Kallista didn`t meet his eyes, and then she began to shed a tear. "I spent the better part of nearly a decade dedicating myself to becoming as strong as possible. To face him, I wanted to feel my hands clasp around his neck as I squeezed the life out of his eyes. Every time I sleep, I see his smile. Every time I train, I think of him. The better course of half my life has been to kill him."

Lucian nodded, "Doflamingo took my friend. I won`t stop till I take him back. I don`t know what he did to you, nor do I want you to tell me. But let us help one another. I can give you that fight you wanted with Doflamingo, but I need your cooperation."

Kallista looked at him, and she was trying hard not to show emotion. "Fine, I will join you."

She got up slowly and looked at King Elizabello, "I surrender."

Lucian got up and looked around the arena; it was practically empty now. King Elizabello and his guards began going down to the battlefield. The medics rushed to tend to Kallista as she collapsed again.

"That was a magnificent show, the best one in years. A pleasure to meet you, Lucian Xebel," Elizabello said.

"Um, I am Xavier Scarlett, sir," Lucian said, shaking his voice.

King Elizabello whistled, and his servant handed him a parchment. He unrolled it and presented it to him. It was Lucian`s wanted poster. Well, there's no point in denying it now.

"No, you are not, but fear not, boy. I am not here to turn you in. YOU WON! And I am a man of my word, after all."

Lucian shook his hand. "Thanks so much for that prize." Elizabello smiled and assured him that he`d be rewarded. Kallista refused to leave the battlefield as the medics brought over all their equipment to treat her.

"I heard a lot of stories about you, boy. You are everything they said and more," Elizabello said.

Lucian turned to him, "I`m happy my notorious reputation seems to be proceeding me. So I heard that you have a certain devil fruit in your possession. I`d take that as my prize."

Elizabello began to think, "We have a few. What is the name of the fruit you desire?"

"The Kado-Kado no mi," Lucian said. He was excited to get this fruit for Renee. Kallista began to stumble near his side, and she was all bandaged up.

"I don`t recall having that fruit, but follow me and let`s check. I promise all my contestants a worthy prize for their bravery." Elizabello motioned for Lucian to follow him, and the guards began to follow suit. Lucian and Kallista followed Elizabello.

Kallista was wobbling, "Hey, you want me to carry you?"

"Uh, spare me the symphony. You beat me, then offered to carry me as if I were your maiden," Kallista said.

She was funnier than she seemed. Lucian wanted to apologize for hitting her so hard, but he thought she would take it the wrong way.

After a couple of steps, Kallista began to fall. Lucian smiled. He then grabbed her by her back and legs and began to carry her. She was surprisingly light.

"I SAID DON`T CARRY ME!" Kallista yelled into his ear.

Lucian giggled, "Don`t worry, sweetheart, it`s common male manners."

Kallista started mumbling curses under her breath as Lucian followed Elizabello. He needed Kallista to heal up quickly. She would feel better if she weren`t so stubborn and surrendered faster. But he also admired her spirit. She had no fear in battle, which he wanted from his crewmates.

After a long flight of stairs, they finally reached a large door. Elizabello ordered the guard to unlock it. The door had four locks, each with a special key, and each guard inserted the keys and turned clockwise. The large door finally swung open.

Lucian entered, filling the room with gold, artifacts, and books. Any pirate would dream of pillaging a room like this; there were at least a couple of billion berries in it. Kallista whistled, "I`ve never seen this much gold before."

Elizabello turned to the guards and ordered them to bring the box to him, as the guards carried a large box and unlocked it. It was open to see devil fruits inside, a couple at least.

Lucian gently put Kallista on the bench beside the door and inspected the prize.

"So which one is the Kado-Kado no mi?" Lucian asked. Elizabello picked up a grey-looking devil fruit and handed it to him. It was shaped weirdly, an odd oval.

"A powerful fruit indeed, but only if in the hands of a competent user. Not all devil fruits can be mastered so easily."

Lucian laughed at Elizabello, "Nah, I don`t want to eat devil fruit; this is for a close friend."

Elizabello thanked Lucian for putting on a great show and gave him some advice: "Marines still patrol around these parts. And people will not stop talking about your amazing performance, so be careful."

"Thanks for the heads-up," Lucian said, bowing as a goodwill gesture to King Elizabello. He then began walking towards Kallista, and she didn`t look all that well. Lucian threw her the devil fruit, and she caught it.

"Uhhhh, what am I, your pack mule?" Kallista argued. Lucian smiled and picked her up again. "Let`s go meet my friends."

Lucian walked out of the arena as Kallista held the devil fruit in her hands. Then, the Kuja warriors appeared. They looked angry. Yldriv took a couple of steps forward to meet him.

"So, Xavier Scarlett, you beat our little criminal over here. Please, I ask that you hand her over to answer for her crimes," Yldriv said. Lucian looked behind her, and Elena and Moana looked in bad shape.

Lucian looked at Kallista, who looked stunned and had no response. "I understand that you have a job to do, Yldriv, and I am sorry, but Kallista belongs to me now. She swore herself to me."

Kallista looked at Lucian like he was crazy. Lucian gently put Kallista down again.

"NO, I DIDN`T, you bumbling idiot. Why are you lying again-" she said as Lucian closed her mouth to stop her from saying anything else.

Lucian smiled, "She has brain damage; sorry about that."

She still looked to be in pain.

Yldriv got angry, "This has nothing to do with you. Don`t get involved."

Lucian laughed, "Well, we made a deal. If I won, she`d help me with my issue. She was indebted to me the moment I won. You get it. I understand she did bad things to you guys. But as a pirate, I also have to look out for my interests, and she is one of them."

Elena and Moana stepped up, weapons ready. Yldriv motioned for them to lower the weapon, but Lucian kept his happy smile.

"You`ve made an enemy of Boa Hancock and the warriors of Amazon Lily. Watch your step. Xavier Scarlett," Yldriv said. Lucian smirked and bid them a safe journey home. They didn`t like that as they gave him a dirty look and left.

"You fool, you realize what you have done. Boa Hancock is powerful. Now you have made an enemy of Amazon Lily. That wasn`t smart," Kallista said. Lucian picked Kallista back up.

"I didn`t make any enemies. Poor Xavier Scarlett did," Lucian said jokingly.

Kallista rolled her eyes. "You`re crazy, you know that."

Lucian grinned, "Hey, that`s just my specialty."

As they continued to walk back to the rendezvous point, Lucian saw some marine ships in the distance.

"Oh shit," Lucian said as he jumped into an alley.

"Paranoid much," Kallista said.

Lucian began to study the Marines, and they had their forces in formation as a man stepped and began to pace towards the castle with a couple of forces. He was a large, muscular man, at least 10 feet tall. He was quite powerful, and if the Marines were to abruptly arrive, something was going on.

"Weird, didn`t the King say to stay away?" Kallista questioned. Yeah, it's pretty weird. This man who entered looked important; he could bet he would talk with Elizabello.

Lucian immediately used Geppo to follow. As the marine forces seemed to multiply, they cleared the civilians out of the way.

The guard accompanied the large man and then disappeared into the castle.

Lucian sky-walked discreetly and crashed through a window. Once he entered, he saw the man continue to walk through another door, which closed.

"Don`t make a noise, just trust me," Lucian told Kallista.

"Huh," she responded.

Lucian flew down, and the guards noticed. Lucian threw Kallista in the air. "Shigan," he said before the guards could yell. He knocked them out quickly and caught Kallista as she fell.

"Ow, asshole, that still hurt," she said. Lucian shrugged it off. The door opened ever so slightly until they could hear the conversation.

"Shhh," Lucian said to Kallista.

"I`m quiet, you shhhh."

They both peered through the door's crack. "Commander in Chief Kong, what brings you by?" said Elizabello.

The large man sat down across from King Elizabello. "I need you to grant us access through your navy perimeter to send the 37th Battalion Forces to Shugoshina."

Shugoshina! Was this the right conversation to be eavesdropping on? An island, a marine base? What event was going on, and was it connected to Mateo?

Elizabello snapped his fingers and ordered the guard to bring drinks, and the guard poured Commander Kong a drink.

"Relax, my friend. Explain to me the situation," Elizabello said while taking a sip. Lucian looked at Kallista, concerned. Kong looked agitated. He began to twirl the drink in his hand, pondering a response.

"We are transporting a prisoner of great importance to Shugoshina. His name is Mateo Valois, and he is set to be executed soon. I need to get these Marines there asap," Kong said.

"Hmmm, I`m intrigued. But why did they send the former Fleet Admiral for such a simple task?" Elizabello asked. Kong took a sip from his drink.

"The Revolutionaries may make a move, and I must ensure Shugoshina is well defended. This is a high-priority mission, and we need to account for unknown variables," Kong explained.

"Such as," Elizabello said.

Kong sighed, "Lucian Xebel has close ties to this man, so he may interfere. The celestial dragon Saint Mysogard wants his head, so we hope he shows up. Kill two birds with one stone."

"Lucian Xebel disguised himself as Xavier Scarlett, and he won my Gladiatorial Games. You just missed him. He is quite powerful," Elizabello replied.

"He`s Here! You have to be joking, right!" Kong yelled.

To be honest, he did not expect King Elizabello to keep his secret identity a secret for long; it was bound to come out.

"I came here to capture Sabo, Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army. He is here right now!" Kong yelled.

Elizabello laughed, "Lucian Xebel and Sabo, huh? You have your hands full today. How do you plan to capture both of them?"

Kong got up furious. He reached into his pocket and dialed the transponder, "Hey, send a search party for Sabo and Lucian Xebel. They are here. DO NOT LET THEM ESCAPE!"

Elizabello got up to meet him, "My friend, don`t stress. We will gladly lift the blockade for you. But please don`t destroy my kingdom to find two men."

"Lucian Xebel was just here. Where did he go!" Kong yelled to Elizabello.

Elizabello shrugged, "I have no clue, promise."

Kong roared angrily, "Of course, I have to do everything myself."

He began to ring the transponder until a voice answered, "Yes, what is it?"

"Did you set the boy on the Dreadnought yet?" Kong said.

Lucian gasped quietly. What was this? A dreadnought? The Marines behind Kong began to follow him as he was still speaking into the transponder. They were coming their way.

He began to exit the room, and Lucian used Soru to retreat quietly.

Once Lucian was outside, he sat down and set Kallista beside him.

"So this is what you wanted my help for," she asked.

Lucian nodded, "Yeah, but before that. We need to meet this Sabo guy."

"Huh, is that the guy that tall dude was talking about?" Kallista asked.

"Yeah, and my crew should be meeting with Sabo now. We have to warn them." Lucian said.

Picking up Kallista, he dashed off to find his friends.