A deathly silence filled the giant cave. Saul stared with eyes wide with terror and disbelief, while the books around him seemed to tremble from the mounting pressure of Haki in the air.
"Little... brother?" Rayle repeated the word in a faint voice, as if it were a stab from a distant past.
He looked at the man standing before him; he was tall, with disheveled hair turning gray, and half of his face and body were covered in hideous burn scars that looked like demonic engravings. This was "Kyle," the man chased by rumors as the "Man with the Burn Scar," the guardian of the final Poneglyph.
"Don't look at me like that, Rayle," Kyle said with a faint, painful smile. "The world has forgotten us, hasn't it? Eight hundred years you slept in your ice, while I was burning in the 'hellfire' that Imu-sama unleashed when you betrayed us. Do you remember the day you handed over the weapon 'Uranus' to the Government?"
Rayle's eyes widened, and a violent purple aura began to explode from his body. "Lies! I never handed over anything! I was imprisoned because I refused to be part of the world's cleansing!"
"The victor is the one who writes history, my brother," Kyle replied coldly, then pointed his hand toward the Seraphim (S-Hawk) who stood obediently behind him. "I have regained control over this puppet using ancient codes that even Vegapunk doesn't know. And now, we need your key. We need the 'Void Heart' to open the final gate."
"You will get nothing," Rayle roared, lunging toward Kyle with speed faster than the eye could follow.
"Void: Fist of Extinction!"
The void gathered around Rayle's fist, creating a small black hole that devoured air and light. But Kyle did not retreat. He raised his burnt hand, and suddenly, deep blue flames ignited—not physical fire, but flames that began to consume the surrounding Haki.
"Blue Combustion: Ashes of Eternity!"
The two powers collided in the center of the cave, causing a shockwave that shattered giant rocks and sent Ohara's books flying everywhere. Saul screamed as he tried to protect the manuscripts with his massive body: "Stop! You will destroy the history of the world!"
But the fight was faster than words. Kyle possessed a power similar to Rayle's, but it relied on "burning" instead of "erasing." S-Hawk did not remain a spectator; he lunged with his black sword toward Rayle, aiming a cutting strike of Conqueror's Haki mixed with laser energy.
Rayle found himself trapped between his brother and the strongest Seraphim. "Emeth!" Rayle shouted.
The giant robot "Emeth" moved despite its low energy, smashing the cave wall to enter with its massive frame, blocking the Seraphim's strike with its steel arm. "M-a-s-t-e-r... f-l-e-e.. t-h-e e-n-e-r-g-y.. i-s r-u-n-n-i-n-g o-u-t!"
"No one is fleeing," Kyle said, raising his hand toward the ceiling, as blue fireballs formed over the entire cave. "If you don't hand over the 'Void Heart,' I will burn Elbaf and everyone on it, starting with these poor people's books."
At that critical moment, as despair crept into Saul's heart, the entire island shook with a massive explosion from outside. It wasn't an attack from the Marines, but a very familiar sound... the sound of red Conqueror's Haki that split the sky.
A man with red hair and a black cloak entered, missing his left arm, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword "Gryphon." Behind him was a small fleet of giants, and on his face was a serious look rarely seen.
It was the Yonko "Red-Haired" Shanks!
Everyone stopped fighting. Shanks looked at Kyle, then turned his long, deep gaze toward Rayle. "So... the rumors were true. The 'Good News' that Captain Roger told me before his death has finally awakened."
"Shanks?" Rayle murmured, feeling the terrifying pressure of the Conqueror's Haki emanating from him.
"Kyle," Shanks said in a warning tone, stepping forward and making the ground crack beneath his feet. "I allowed you to stay in Elbaf because you protect the Poneglyph... but if you touch this boy, or hurt the books of Ohara, you will discover why they call me 'Red-Haired'."
Kyle laughed hysterically. "Shanks! Do you think you can protect him? You are just a guardian of the old covenant! This boy is the 'Sin' that will make the world drown completely!"
Shanks turned toward Rayle and smiled a mysterious smile. "Rayle... Luffy is on the other side of the island, fighting the rest of the Seraphim. Go to him. I and Kyle have an old score to settle, but I'll deal with your 'brother' and the remnants of the past."
But before Rayle could move, a Den Den Mushi fell from Kyle's pocket and began to broadcast a distorted and terrifying message, a voice that made even Shanks knit his brows.
"Order 66... Activate 'Seraphim Nika'... Annihilate Elbaf immediately."
Blood froze in everyone's veins. From the sky of Elbaf, dozens of World Government flying ships appeared, and in their lead was a completely new Seraphim no one had ever seen before... a Seraphim carrying Luffy's features and his floating white hair, but with cold robotic eyes.
The World Government has created a Seraphim version of Luffy (Gear 5)!