Aboard the Warship.
"Why is a Marine warship here?" The lieutenant peered through his spyglass at the approaching vessel, uncertainty flickering across his face. "Didn't we already settle things with them beforehand?"
"Look closer, you idiot," scoffed a scarred officer with a cigarette dangling from his lips. "That's no flagship—it's just a small warship. Meaning, this isn't from Marine Headquarters. At best, it's a branch ship."
"But Colonel… isn't this still risky? They're Marines. If they figure out what's happening—" the lieutenant hesitated.
"Then we sink them." The colonel sneered, exhaling a plume of smoke. "Dead men tell no tales. And even if there is trouble, we've got people higher up covering for us. What's there to be afraid of?"
At the mention of "higher-ups," the lieutenant visibly relaxed, chuckling. "I was overthinking it."
The colonel turned his gaze back toward Flevance, its once-pristine white skyline now drenched in fire and smoke. A greedy smile curled his lips.
Rumor had it that untold riches lay hidden within this city. Once Flevance was wiped from the map, those treasures would be theirs for the taking—
His fantasies were cut short as a panicked soldier stumbled onto the deck, his face ashen with terror.
"B-Bad news! Bad news!"
Annoyed by the interruption, the colonel frowned and turned toward the soldier. "What's got you so rattled?"
The soldier's hands shook as he pointed toward the sky, his eyes filled with horror. "C-C-Colonel! Look! W-What is that?!"
"What the hell are you blabbering about—" The colonel's irritated grumble cut off the moment he followed the soldier's trembling finger.
His pupils shrank. His mouth hung open.
Even his cigarette fell from his lips—and he didn't even notice.
"W-what in the hell is that?!"
A colossal meteor had appeared in the sky, blotting out the sun. A monstrous mass of rock, crackling with terrifying energy, was plummeting straight toward them at an unfathomable speed.
This was Kaguya's technique—
Tengai Shinsei (Heavenly Obstacle Descent.)
"Ruuuun!" The moment of paralysis broke. Marines leapt overboard in droves, splashing into the sea like dumplings tossed into boiling water.
The colonel, however, stood frozen, his mind racing. "Run? Where are we supposed to run to?"
And then—
BOOM!
A cataclysmic explosion rocked the ocean.
The meteor crashed into the warship with unstoppable force, reducing it to splinters in an instant. A tidal wave of destruction erupted outward, sending shockwaves through the sea. Towering waves roared in every direction, swallowing everything in their path.
Had Kaguya not held back, the resulting tsunami would have consumed every ship in the area—and likely wiped out Flevance itself.
Even the battle-hardened Marines aboard Kaguya's ship paled at the spectacle. They had heard stories of her power. They had even seen her battle Kaido.
But nothing compared to this.
It was terrifying.
With effortless grace, a slender figure descended onto the deck.
She dusted off her sleeves and, without a hint of emotion, issued her command.
"Move the warship ashore. Effective immediately, the Marines are taking control of Flevance. Order the enemy forces to cease fire and withdraw—"
Her gaze turned sharp as a cold smile played on her lips.
"If they refuse? Exterminate them."
"Yes, ma'am!"
In the end, actions speak louder than words.
A threat from absolute power was not a warning—it was an inevitable reality.
And who would dare challenge that?
...
A young boy wearing a hat ran desperately through the burning city, struggling to suppress his fear and tears. All around him, screams of agony echoed through the streets, bodies lay strewn across the blood-soaked white pavement, and the inferno engulfing the city cast an eerie glow against the dark night sky.
The air was thick with the acrid stench of burning flesh, the choking fumes of gunpowder, and the sickly metallic scent of blood.
His father and mother were dead.
The nuns and his friends—dead.
Only his sister remained. She couldn't die. She mustn't die.
But when he finally reached the hospital where she had been staying, his eyes widened in horror, his body freezing in place.
The hospital had already been consumed by flames.
The boy collapsed to his knees with a hollow thud, his hands clutching at his chest as if to hold together his shattered heart. The pain was unbearable.
"M-my sister… My sister…!"
With a sharp gasp, the boy bolted upright in bed, his body drenched in cold sweat. His wide, terrified eyes darted around as he struggled to steady his breath.
"You're awake."
A voice, soft and melodious, reached his ears.
His head snapped toward the sound.
Before him stood an stunning silver-haired beauty, her cascading hair gleaming like liquid moonlight. She possessed strikingly bright eyes, flawless skin, and held a book in her hands. Bathed in the golden sunlight, she looked almost angelic.
The boy stared in a daze.
She's… beautiful…
"What's wrong? Did the trauma mess with your head?" The silver-haired girl frowned slightly. "That would be a problem—I'm no psychiatrist."
Seated elegantly in a chair beside him was Kaguya
Her blunt words jolted the boy back to reality. A sudden realization hit him, and he frantically asked, "My sister—where's my sister?! Do you know where she is?!"
Kaguya's lips curved into a gentle smile. "Relax. Your sister is in the next room. Your parents are there too."
"M-my parents?!"
His eyes widened in disbelief, joy flickering within them. He grabbed Kaguya's hand, his voice trembling with desperation. "My father—my mother—they're alive?!"
A nearby Marine frowned and barked, "Mind your manners! Show some respect!"
Kaguya merely waved a hand dismissively. "It's fine. Given what he's been through, his reaction is understandable. Your parents were injured, but nothing life-threatening."
The Marine scoffed. "If not for Inspector Kaguya, you'd all be dead by now."
The boy didn't wait to process the words—he leaped out of bed and sprinted toward the next room.
Due to the sudden outbreak of Amber Lead disease among the citizens of Flevance, combined with opportunistic invasions from neighboring countries, the war had left the nation in ruin. Countless lives were lost, buildings were reduced to ashes, and even the royal palace was consumed by flames.
However, thanks to Kaguya's intervention, Flevance had avoided total destruction—a fate far better than what had happened in the original timeline.
As for the young boy, Kaguya had come across him by chance.
When she found him, he was already unconscious, lying motionless on the ground.
Ordinarily, a half-dead body on the street wouldn't have caught Kaguya's attention. If not for the hat on his head, she might have stepped right over him without a second thought.
Yes—
This boy was Trafalgar D. Water Law.
The future "Surgeon of Death", wielder of the Op-Op Fruit.
Kaguya hadn't expected to actually run into him here.
After all, most of Flevance had already fallen to the invading armies. The city's core was engulfed in flames, civilians were being massacred, and corpses littered the streets.
For him to have survived… Was this the so-called protagonist's plot armor?
But right now, he was nothing more than a normal child.
Abandoning him on the street seemed cruel, so Kaguya had him taken to a hospital.
Not just that—
She had personally ordered a Marine search party to comb through the ruins of the city.
It wasn't long before they found Law's parents and sister.
They were lucky—at the time of Kaguya's arrival, the western district had not yet fallen to enemy forces.
Now, Kaguya sat in a chair, flipping through a medical journal that once belonged to Law's father. It contained valuable research on Amber Lead poisoning.
These notes helped Kaguya gain a deeper understanding of the mineral, which in turn fueled her own research.
She realized that Amber Lead was simply a heavy metal—a particularly unique one.
If used correctly, it could have a wide range of applications.
Even in modern times, heavy metals—many of which were toxic—were still widely used in medicine, industry, and technology.
And if the World Government had been mining this mineral so aggressively, there had to be a reason. Especially since Vegapunk, a scientist 500 years ahead of humanity, was involved.
Could Amber Lead be a crucial material for a classified weapon project?
Regardless, that wasn't Kaguya's concern right now.
Her gaze shifted toward the ruined royal palace.
It was time to collect protection fees.
...
Law, upon reuniting with his family, broke down in tears.
Having survived the hellish nightmare of Flevance's fall, their embrace felt almost surreal—like a second chance at life.
Without the intervention of Kaguya, they would have undoubtedly perished.
Whenever Law recalled the horrifying nightmare he had endured, the memories sent shivers down his spine.
He rushed back to the hospital, intending to thank Kaguya, but she was gone.
After asking a Marine soldier, he learned that she had left.
Stepping outside the hospital, Law's eyes widened in shock.
Towering massive trees had appeared throughout the city.
Their colossal trunks stretched high into the sky, their lush canopies casting vast patches of shade over the streets. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, scattering into dazzling beams that danced across the ruined ground.
The chirping of birds echoed in the newfound silence, adding an almost peaceful touch to the once-devastated city.
Was this really the Flevance he had always known?
Law couldn't believe his eyes.
He was certain—these colossal trees hadn't existed before.
"Kid, are you shocked by what you're seeing?" A nearby Marine chuckled. "I was stunned too! Inspector Kaguya is truly incredible."
"Inspector Kaguya?" Law's mind immediately recalled the silver-haired girl. He hesitated before asking, "Are you saying... she grew these trees?"
"'Grew' isn't quite the right word," the Marine scratched his head. "It was more like—they suddenly emerged from the ground. And those very trees single-handedly wiped out the invading army."
"Trees… defeated an entire army?" Law frowned, his voice skeptical. "I'm not a three-year-old. You don't expect me to believe that, do you?"
"Brat, why the hell would I lie to you?" The Marine scoffed. "You wouldn't understand, but our inspector's power is beyond your comprehension. She's recognized as one of the strongest people in the world."
"One of the strongest…?" Law murmured in disbelief.
"That's right," the Marine boasted. "She's defeated countless foes! Even the infamous Whitebeard and Kaido—some of the most feared pirates in the world—are no match for her!"
Law's eyes widened.
Even though he had grown up in a secluded kingdom, he knew the names Whitebeard and Kaido.
These were monsters who could annihilate entire nations single-handedly.
"Of course, explaining all this to a clueless kid is pointless."
"Tch, whatever. You weren't even the one who did it. What are you so proud of, idiot?"
"O-oi! You brat, that's way out of line!"
Inside the ruined royal palace, Kaguya received a "warm" welcome.
After a "cordial" conversation with the king and queen, they amicably exchanged opinions in a "friendly" atmosphere.
To express their boundless gratitude for Kaguya's assistance, the king generously offered her everything from the royal treasury, including his personal vault, as well as next year's tax revenue— all as a "gift".
Kaguya politely declined.
But the king was simply too insistent.
He was so adamant that she had no choice but to accept.
Strangely, after she left, both the king and queen burst into tears.
Perhaps… they were just tears of joy?
That's what Kaguya chose to believe as she sailed away, treasure-laden.
Her trip to Flevance had been more fruitful than expected. Not only had she amassed great wealth, but she had also acquired several Devil Fruits.
Not bad.
As for the forest she had created with Wood Release?
She decided to leave it intact.
The trees had an unexpected beneficial effect—they were absorbing the Amber Lead contamination from the soil. In time, they would even draw out the poison from people's bodies.
It wouldn't be immediate, but soon enough, Flevance would free itself from the curse of Amber Lead.
In a way, this was her "service" in exchange for the "protection fees" she had collected.
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