KING did not want to fight.
He wanted to complete Sengoku's order — control the situation — with the lowest possible cost, then find somewhere quiet to finish his sleep.
He stopped in the center aisle.
Too lazy to approach the stage.
Too tired to raise his voice.
"…Quiet down."
His tone was hoarse, thick with morning irritation.
But accompanying his words came a strange rumbling sound.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Deep. Heavy.
Like the heartbeat of an ancient leviathan in the abyss.
The Emperor Engine.
His accelerated heartbeat, amplified by emotional agitation and an uncontrolled surge of willpower, carried the oppressive weight of Conqueror's Haki.
To KING, it was just stress.
To everyone else—
It was terror given sound.
The air thickened instantly.
The spectators closest to him stiffened… then collapsed.
Like wheat cut by a silent scythe.
The second row followed.
Then the third.
Fear has weight.
Nobles attempting to scream found their lungs frozen. Knees buckled. Many lost consciousness before they even understood what was happening.
Within seconds, a hollow circle formed around KING.
A vacuum of silence.
KING blinked.
Is this… Conqueror's Haki?
The thought barely formed before—
Buru buru buru…
The Den Den Mushi rang again.
The sound was unusually irritating.
He answered without looking.
A languid voice came through.
"Moshi moshi~ is that King~?"
Borsalino.
"I'm already above Sabaody~" Kizaru continued lazily.
"If you can't control the situation, for justice's sake I may need to use Yasakani no Magatama to clean things up~"
A pause.
"Reconstruction costs will be deducted from your year-end bonus."
"…How terrifying~"
Crack.
The receiver fractured in KING's grip.
Year-end bonus.
That was his retirement fund.
That was his future island.
That was sunbathing and peace.
You cancel my vacation.
You take my money.
His heartbeat doubled.
THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP—!!
No longer a heartbeat.
War drums.
The pirates still conscious turned deathly pale.
Eustass Kid, already injured, felt his blood freeze.
Trafalgar D. Water Law's forming ROOM shattered before it could stabilize.
Monkey D. Luffy's advancing fist slowed as if moving through thick tar.
At the edge of the hall, Silvers Rayleigh paused.
He had intended to move.
Instead, he observed.
KING did not know.
He only knew:
If this chaos continued,
his retirement fund was gone.
He dropped the cracked Den Den Mushi.
Took one step forward.
"I said…"
"All of you—"
"Don't move."
Absolute Suppression
The air vanished.
Pressure crushed the space itself.
The Emperor Engine roared at peak intensity, the sound merging with an invisible wave of willpower.
An absolute command.
Luffy's fist stopped mid-swing.
Law's fingers froze.
Kid's magnetism collapsed.
Even the auctioneer Disco froze mid-scream, mouth open like a wax statue.
The only sound left was KING's footsteps.
Rayleigh felt cold sweat form.
This suppression did not distinguish friend or foe.
Even he was included.
So this is the Navy's strongest rising force… he thought.
KING walked through the frozen crowd.
Past Luffy — whose instincts screamed danger.
Past Law — who chose not to breathe.
They thought he was searching for someone to kill.
He was not.
He was searching for—
The Den Den Mushi lying near the fallen Celestial Dragon.
He needed to report to Kizaru that the situation was contained.
Then leave.
Sengoku had ordered control, not extermination.
He pushed aside the unconscious noble's bloated thigh with two fingers, as casually as moving a sack.
Gasps echoed silently in the minds of those still conscious.
No one treated a Celestial Dragon like that.
KING didn't care.
Compared to his bonus, they were irrelevant.
He picked up the Den Den Mushi—
A blinding golden radiance flooded the shattered entrance.
Light particles condensed.
A tall figure in a yellow striped suit materialized.
Kizaru had arrived.
His gaze paused.
Not at chaos.
At order.
Pirates, nobles, guards — all frozen in impossible poses.
KING stood at the center, holding the Den Den Mushi like a stage manager ending a performance.
"Oh my~"
"This is… spectacular, King."
KING turned, expression flat.
"All present. None escaped. Control mission complete."
He shoved the Den Den Mushi into Kizaru's hands.
"My vacation has one day and twenty hours remaining. Goodbye."
He turned to leave.
A photon-bright hand rested lightly on his shoulder.
"Don't rush off, King."
KING stopped.
Kizaru floated beside the unconscious Celestial Dragon and nudged the noble's cheek with his polished shoe.
"I'm afraid that won't do."
He straightened.
"You protected a Celestial Dragon… to the point of unconsciousness."
"The World Government will require a full report from the highest-ranking officer present."
KING's pupils tightened.
"My rank is Vice Admiral," he said carefully.
"Ara ara~"
"But I arrived after you."
"Procedurally… you are the senior officer on scene."
A pause.
"So the 20,000-word incident report… and the briefing at Mary Geoise… are yours~"
Silence.
Twenty thousand words.
Self-criticism.
Mary Geoise.
KING slowly turned his head.
His dead-fish eyes reflected Kizaru's amused face.
The Emperor Engine roared like an engine detonating.
THUMP!!
"Admiral Borsalino…"
"I refuse."
Attempted Escape
The oppressive pressure cracked.
Kid was the first to break free.
He grabbed Killer and sprinted toward the breach.
Escape.
If these two monsters fought, everyone would die.
He reached the opening—
A beam of light appeared.
Not blinding.
Unavoidable.
BANG
His metal arm shattered.
Kid was kicked back across the hall, crashing into rubble.
Kizaru's leg remained extended.
Hands still in pockets.
"These youngsters… so rude."
He didn't even look at Kid.
His gaze remained on KING.
"How can you leave while we're still discussing work assignments?"
A pause.
"Right, Eustass 'Captain' Kid… bounty 315 million."
"How terrifying~"