Night Guild's Piece – Chapter 5: Into the Abyss
The sea roared as a massive whirlpool formed beneath the Midnight Reaper, pulling it downward with terrifying force. The crew scrambled into action, gripping onto anything they could as the ship tilted at a dangerous angle.
Hiro stood firm at the bow, his golden eyes narrowing as he watched the Abyss Reapers' flagship loom over them like a predator savoring its prey. The figure standing at its helm remained motionless, his eerie crimson gaze locked onto Hiro.
"Celeste!" Hiro barked.
The navigator gritted her teeth, struggling against the violent currents. "The sea itself is turning against us! If we get pulled any deeper, we'll—"
A thunderous boom cut her off as an enormous black chain shot from the Abyss Reapers' ship, wrapping around the Midnight Reaper's hull with an unnatural speed. The moment it made contact, a suffocating presence spread through the ship, sending shivers down the crew's spines.
Musica, still clutching his violin, grimaced. "That… isn't normal."
Hikari's grip tightened on her blade. "They're trying to drag us down."
Hiro exhaled slowly, his mind racing. He had heard stories about the Abyss Reapers—ghosts of the New World, pirates who were less men and more myths. Ships that crossed their path were never seen again. And now, they had finally met them.
Hiro's fist clenched, his Conqueror's Haki crackling faintly around him. "Enough of this."
Without hesitation, he leaped off the deck.
Gasps rang out as Hiro plunged toward the black chain. Before anyone could react, his body shimmered in the darkness, vanishing into the void like a living shadow.
"Captain!"
Demetrius' shout was drowned out by the sound of impact. A shockwave erupted as Hiro reappeared, standing atop the black chain with a smirk on his face. His form flickered like a phantom, the Night Night no Mi's power blending him into the darkness.
Then, with a single motion, he pulled.
The air trembled as the massive chain jerked backward, an impossible feat of strength. The Abyss Reapers' flagship lurched, dragged forward by Hiro's sheer force.
For the first time, the figure on the enemy ship moved. A slow, deliberate step forward. His voice carried through the fog like a whisper that somehow reached them all.
"Interesting."
The single word sent a chill through the air.
Then, in a blur, he moved.
A streak of black shot toward Hiro at impossible speed, closing the distance in an instant. Hiro barely had time to react before a blade of abyssal energy slashed down toward him.
CLANG!
Hiro raised his arm, his Haki-infused forearm catching the blade just in time. Sparks flew as their auras clashed, the force sending ripples through the air.
The enemy's face was hidden behind a dark mask, but Hiro could feel the twisted power radiating from him.
"Monkey D. Hiro," the man mused. "I expected more."
Hiro smirked, eyes burning with challenge. "And I expected less."
With a sudden surge of strength, Hiro pushed back, launching the masked man into the air. Before his opponent could regain control, Hiro vanished, reappearing above him in a swirl of shadows.
"Nightfall Barrage!"
A dozen shadowy fists rained down in an instant, each one infused with Armament Haki. The impact sent a shockwave through the sky, and the masked man was sent hurtling toward his own ship.
But before he could crash, the abyss itself caught him.
The darkness around the enemy ship shifted, as if the sea and shadows had merged into a living entity. The masked man landed gracefully atop the mast, completely unharmed.
"Not bad," he admitted. "But not enough."
Hiro grinned. "Then let's raise the stakes."
He extended his arms, and the shadows around him expanded. The air grew cold, the moon above flickering as if trapped between night and oblivion.
A thick, suffocating silence hung in the air as Hiro's shadows stretched outward, clashing against the living darkness surrounding the Abyss Reapers' ship. The ocean beneath them churned violently, reflecting the unseen battle of wills between two forces of night.
The masked man remained motionless atop his ship's mast, his crimson eyes gleaming with intrigue. "You think you understand the dark?" His voice was smooth, almost amused. "Let me show you—"
He vanished.
Hiro's senses screamed in warning.
CLANG!
A razor-thin blade coated in abyssal energy clashed against Hiro's Haki-infused arm. The sheer force behind the strike sent him skidding backward along the black chain, his boots grinding against metal.
The enemy reappeared in front of him, his movements unnatural—not like a man stepping forward, but like a shadow folding reality around itself.
Hiro grinned. "Fast."
The masked man tilted his head. "Too slow."
SHING!
A second blade materialized from the darkness, striking toward Hiro's ribs. He barely managed to twist his body, the cold edge slicing through the air just inches from his flesh. But before he could counter, the enemy's form melted into the shadows again.
Celeste, watching from the deck, gritted her teeth. "He's warping through darkness itself…"
Musica narrowed his eyes. "That's not just speed. He's manipulating the very concept of night."
Soruto took aim with his rifle. "Then we just shoot him before he disappears."
BANG!
The bullet soared through the air, aimed precisely where the masked man would reappear. But the moment the bullet reached him—
It stopped.
Hiro's eyes widened as the bullet froze midair, caught within the swirling abyss around the enemy's form. The masked man flicked his wrist, and the bullet disintegrated into nothingness.
"Your crew is perceptive," the man mused, stepping forward once more. "But your understanding is still—"
Hiro moved.
"Nightfang Strike!"
A spear of pure darkness erupted from Hiro's palm, piercing forward with the speed of a thunderbolt. This time, the masked man had no time to dodge—
SHHKK!
The attack tore through his shoulder.
For the first time, Hiro saw him flinch.
Silence. Then… a low chuckle.
The masked man reached up and ripped the darkness from his wound as if peeling away mere fabric. The injury vanished instantly.
"I see," he murmured. "So you are different from your brother after all."
Hiro froze.
A heavy weight settled in his chest.
"...What did you just say?"
The masked man's smirk was visible even through the shadows. "Monkey D. Hiro." He let the name roll off his tongue as if savoring it. "Brother of Monkey D. Luffy, son of Dragon."
The entire crew stiffened.
Hikari's grip on her sword trembled slightly. How did he know?
Hiro's expression darkened. "And you are?"
The masked man bowed mockingly. "Kryos D. Noctis. Captain of the Abyss Reapers."
That name—Hiro had never heard it before. But that middle initial…
Hiro's jaw clenched. Another D.
Noctis' smile widened. "Fate is cruel, isn't it?"
Then, the abyss swallowed them whole.
Darkness surged forward like a tidal wave, consuming everything. The ship, the sea, the sky—vanished into an endless black void.
And Hiro fell.