The embers of revolution smoldered in every corner of the sea.
Raizen had declared war — not with speeches, but with fire, death, and a map cut in blood. The world had begun to bend, but now it would start to break. And with every enemy he crushed, the same question echoed among friend and foe alike:
"What is Raizen becoming?"
Emberfang – Below Deck, Infirmary
The scent of antiseptic and blood hung thick in the dimly lit hold. Raizen stood beside the cot of a young crewman — Nello — who had taken a stray shrapnel blast during their assault on a Kronvale shipyard. His side was torn open. Zhara's hands were shaking as she stitched the wound.
"He's just a kid," she muttered.
Raizen didn't flinch.
"They all are," he replied, "until the world forces them to grow teeth."
Zhara turned, blood smeared across her sleeves. "You told him this was a supply raid. You didn't mention artillery."
Raizen's voice was cold. "If I told them the truth, no one would've come."
She stared at him in silence.
And for the first time, she wasn't sure if she still followed a liberator… or a tyrant in bloom.
Kronvale – Capital Fortress
Onyx towers rose over the merchant city, gleaming like polished knives. Inside the Fortress Hall, the ruling council sat behind walls of velvet and paranoia. They had underestimated Raizen. And now, Kronvale's gold ran red.
"So this boy... this Nightborne," Chancellor Gorven said, fingers trembling around his goblet, "he attacked four ports, sank six convoys, and assassinated Lord Delrick... in one week?"
"Yes," the spymaster croaked. "He's not after our trade. He's after our influence."
A silence fell.
Then the general stood.
"Then it's time we show him what Kronvale does to thieves."
He pulled down a scroll — revealing the black seal of The Leviathan Protocol.
Emberfang – War Council
Maps were unrolled. Chess pieces shaped like ships and cannons scattered across them.
Raizen pointed at Kronvale's western defenses. "That's where they'll break."
Calder looked up, concerned. "We've pushed too fast. Kronvale isn't like corrupt ports or weak outposts. They build armies like factories. We'll bleed men by the minute."
Raizen didn't hesitate. "Then we'll bleed faster than they can count."
Silco raised an eyebrow. "And what about our own people? Supplies are dwindling. Morale is slipping. You're fighting the World Government and the richest state in the North Blue."
Raizen turned to him.
"Let me worry about morale. You just build me the cannon."
The Cost
Three days later, the assault began.
The Emberfang's fleet attacked Kronvale's coastal chain. The first victory was swift — too swift. It was bait.
The second wave was crushed under artillery guided by long-range Den Den Mushi. A new prototype — gifted by a shadowy figure in Marineford.
Raizen's forces lost two ships, seventeen crew, and a captain.
Nello died without ever waking up.
The Fire Inside
That night, Raizen stood alone above the shattered remnants of Kronvale's outer wall. Zhara approached him in silence. She had blood on her sword, but her hands didn't shake anymore.
"You won the battle," she said.
"No," Raizen murmured. "We traded lives for bricks."
He turned to her, his silver hair damp with rain. "They fear me more than ever. But I didn't come here to be feared."
Zhara looked him dead in the eyes.
"Then what did you come here to be?"
Raizen didn't answer.
Because for the first time since Noctis, he didn't know.
In the Shadows – Watching Eyes
From afar, an old man in a crow-feather cloak closed a black book. He had once served a pirate king. Now, he simply observed the tides.
"Power is always hungry," he whispered. "But when a child feeds it… the world should tremble."
End of Chapter 13: The Cost of Power