章 46: Reverberation/???

"Did you hear!? The battle between the pirates and the Marines the other day, it wasn't in the newspaper!"

"Be quiet... I already know that. Did you come all the way here just to tell me that?"

Kureha sighed as she poured tea for the man in the black silk hat and white coat – Hiluluk, the notorious quack doctor. He continued talking, waving the newspaper around and oblivious to Kureha's cold stare.

"The sea froze instantly! There were explosions and roars! Giant Marines, and a monster even bigger than them! I've lived a long life, but I've never seen anything like it, not even on this vast sea!"

Apparently, he had watched the whole thing from a high hill with binoculars.

The battle had taken place near Drum Island, so it wasn't exactly someone else's problem, but Kureha knew that no matter who won, she wouldn't be affected. She had no particular interest in the outcome.

But.

"...Hehehe. Things have gotten quite interesting, haven't they?"

Looking at the wanted poster of the girl with a 1.2 billion Berry bounty, she recalled a familiar face.

A woman who used to visit her whenever something happened, causing trouble and inconvenience.

"Do you know her?"

"She's someone I know."

Kureha didn't remember when they first met, but until a few years ago, her name was well-known, even if her deeds were shrouded in mystery.

Thinking about it made her want to see her again after all this time.

Even if it meant getting caught up in some kind of trouble, it would certainly make her days less boring.

She would grumble about being dragged into such troublesome situations, but in the end, she would always lend a hand.

That's how it had always been.

"...A girl with a 1.2 billion Berry bounty is someone you know? What kind of people do you associate with?"

"Be quiet. What does my social circle have to do with you?"

"Well, nothing, but..."

"Then shut up."

It was rude to intrude on someone's memories.

Kureha had lived longer than Hiluluk, so she had a correspondingly larger number of memories.

"Everyone is anxious. We haven't heard anything about that pirate crew that caused a stir in the world for a while, and there are so many other pirates around these days. But! Even if everyone is tired and worn out! Once my research is complete, I'll blow away all their worries!"

"...You're not making something strange, are you?"

"Strange? That's offensive! I'm serious about creating a panacea!"

"There's no such thing as a panacea. That's why doctors exist."

"No, there is. Even incurable diseases can be cured! Miracles do happen!!"

Kureha sighed at Hiluluk, who wouldn't listen, and sank deeper into her chair. However, Hiluluk then noticed a corner of the room.

A mountain of supplies was piled high, filling the space. There were daily necessities, food, clothes – everything.

"Where did you get all this stuff? Did you steal it from another patient, you greedy old hag?"

"They agreed to it. Besides, those are from my apprentice. Don't touch them."

"...Apprentice? You had an apprentice? Come to think of it, I've seen some unfamiliar people coming and going lately."

"Hehehe. He's a much better doctor than you. I couldn't teach him everything I know, but I taught him the basics. The rest is up to him."

"He's gone? ...No, wait, could you..."

"Who knows?"

Kureha started reading the newspaper, ignoring Hiluluk, who seemed to have something to say.

Hiluluk mumbled to himself for a while but eventually gave up, saying "I'm going home!" and left.

A little later, Kureha noticed that the fire in the fireplace was about to go out. She was about to call someone, but then closed her mouth.

She was the only one left in this house.

"...Was this house always this big?"

Even with all the supplies piled high, the house somehow felt spacious.

***

──On a certain island in the West Blue.

A single figure disembarked from a small boat at the port and walked straight towards the orphanage.

This island had no major industries, and the only noteworthy building was the large orphanage, where abandoned children were gathered and lived modestly.

The director was a man of integrity, and it was said that children who had left the orphanage sometimes returned to talk to him.

The men at the port watched her go with warm smiles, assuming she was one of them.

Under their gaze, the woman with a golden skull mask hiding her face headed towards the orphanage without hesitation.

"...Big sis, who are you?"

A wary child spotted the woman at the entrance of the orphanage.

The boy, who had been at the orphanage for a long time, had never seen a woman with a tattered cloak, a cheap dress with frayed hems, and a golden skull mask.

"I have business with the director of the orphanage. Is he here?"

"...He is, but who are you? Can't you even tell me your name?" The boy scoffed, as if to provoke her.

The woman ignored him and reached for the door of the orphanage, but the boy tried to knock her hand away with the broom he was holding.

She glanced at him with annoyance and knocked him unconscious with Conqueror's Haki.

As if to say that dealing with him further would be a bother, the woman entered the orphanage while still emitting Conqueror's Haki.

The pressure alone caused the building to creak, and all the boys and girls who appeared collapsed to the ground.

Reaching the director's room, the woman opened the door without even knocking.

The room's occupant wasn't particularly flustered and was poring over documents with glasses on. Beside him lay boys and girls, collapsed with their weapons still in hand.

Ignoring them completely, the woman removed her golden skull mask, revealing her true face.

Her lustrous black hair flowed, and except for her jade-green eyes, the director recognized the face as one he knew well.

The director sighed, removed his glasses, and rested his chin on his folded hands, elbows propped on the desk.

"...It's been a while, Octavia."

"Novem has a bounty on her head. I entrusted her to you, so why isn't she here?"

"It's simple. I sold her to human traffickers."

The moment Octavia's eyebrow twitched, a flash of lightning pierced the director's heart with precision.

A thunderous roar echoed within the room, shattering the windows. However, the director was unharmed, and the body of the boy who had been lying next to him was charred and convulsing before falling still.

"You're as impatient as ever."

"I didn't come here to listen to your pointless jokes."

"Even so, a fact is a fact. I sold Novem to human traffickers. There's no other truth."

"......"

"You want to know why, don't you? Hehehe... There's no particular reason, but I guess it's because she looked a lot like you when you were young."

The director continued speaking with a gentle smile, his eyes almost crazed, showing no fear of Octavia's murderous intent.

"It pained me to sell Novem. She was my precious granddaughter, after all. But I couldn't bear the fact that she resembled you so much – the you who killed her mother."

The director's eyes, filled with a mixture of love and hatred, had ultimately led him to distance himself from her.

Looking at the wanted poster, he felt relieved that his decision had been correct.

If he had kept her with him, he would have surely killed her.

"...Is that all you have to say?"

"Yes, that's all. I knew you would come to kill me, so I've taken care of everything. But I don't intend to die."

"Do you think you can win?"

"It's not impossible. You haven't fully recovered from your injuries, have you?"

The director pointed at Octavia. As if to say that he knew everything about her.

"The government seems to have covered up the God Valley incident, but the destruction of the Rocks Pirates, the strongest pirate crew at the time, was a shock to the underworld. You were involved in that battle, weren't you? There's no way you could abandon Rocks. The intensifying battle, the crewmates who could turn on each other at any moment, Rocks' ambition. Considering all that, you entrusted Novem to me, the only one you could rely on. You thought it would be alright if she was your own flesh and blood."

The director stood up and walked around the desk, stepping over the fallen boys and girls without a care.

"I don't know the reason, but you didn't come to pick her up immediately after that incident. Of course, it would have been pointless even if you had, since I had already abandoned her before that."

"......"

"Don't be so angry. Even if you had come, I was prepared to fight. But you didn't come – it seems you were quite badly injured."

The floor began to transform with a rustling sound. The wooden building turned into straw. And the director himself was covered in straw, with numerous dolls sprouting from his feet.

"Descent of the Devil –"

He held five-inch nails in each of his fingers, and coated with Haki, he swung them at Octavia at an incredible speed.

She dodged them all effortlessly and slammed her right fist into the director's chest. The chest of one of the girls who had fallen earlier burst open, and she died instantly.

"That's a strange ability, as always. It's creepy."

"Strawman. Ten people lodged means ten deaths. Now, how many people do you think I have lodged?"

"It'll end once I kill you. What a boring ability."

Octavia began to gather lightning in her right hand, as if she had judged that it wasn't a significant threat.

However, the director already knew how strong she was. He hadn't come unprepared.

"Strawman Legion – Masquerade"

The straw floor spreading from his feet engulfed the fallen boys and girls, covering them in straw and raising them to their feet.

They swayed like ghosts with unsteady steps, but the moment they recognized Octavia as an enemy, they attacked with swift movements.

They were clad in a faint layer of Haki. Whether they had been able to use it from the beginning or the director had coated them with his own Haki, it didn't matter.

Octavia simply swung her right hand sideways, as if it were of no consequence.

"──Is this all?"

The surging lightning pierced through them without hesitation, burning and charring the boys and girls along with the straw that covered them.

A beat later, a thunderous roar echoed.

"Hehehe, you have no qualms about killing innocent boys and girls. You're like a demon."

"I wouldn't want to hear that from you, who runs an orphanage to stock up on lives."

"You're right──But even corpses have their uses."

Straw once again wrapped around her feet, and the charred corpses rose up and attacked.

It was a gruesome ability to manipulate the dead. While there were several abilities that could control corpses, none were better than this for unlimited use.

The director laughed as he expanded the range of his ability, and screams began to echo from various parts of the orphanage.

It was unclear how far it would spread, but this man was using everything he had to kill Octavia.

"You've been attacking with your right hand the whole time, but... your left arm, you can't move it, can you?"

Countless five-inch nails shot out from the giant straw doll behind the director, and Octavia deflected them.

She was a lightning human who had eaten the Goro Goro no Mi – an ability with an extraordinary amount of energy, even among Logia-type Devil Fruits. Like other Logia users, her body was essentially living lightning, so she could easily deflect attacks.

Octavia neither denied nor confirmed the director's words and swung her right hand again, mowing down the surrounding straw dolls.

"It seems I was right. Was it the Marine Admiral who did this to you, or perhaps one of your comrades from the Rocks Pirates...? Either way, it works in my favor."

Not satisfied with just the straw dolls, straw extended from the ground and began to wrap around Octavia's body.

Coated with Haki, the straw wouldn't let go of even a Logia body, binding and immobilizing her.

Meanwhile, the straw dolls swarmed Octavia, repeatedly stabbing her with the five-inch nails in their hands, then pulling them out and stabbing again.

"...?"

Something felt off. Her reaction had been weak from the beginning, and it was all too easy.

A bounty of 3.5 billion Berries was no ordinary amount. Even in the vast sea, she was among the top few.

For someone with such power to be defeated by this level of attack? The director, sensing an atmosphere like the calm before a storm, decided to unleash his trump card, regardless.

Straw transformed into sharp needles, coated with Haki and turning black, aiming for every inch of Octavia's body without leaving a single gap.

"──Die, Octavia."

Even as the straw spears closed in, aiming for her, Octavia remained motionless, receiving them with her entire body.

And yet – her body remained unscathed.

Not a single drop of blood flowed, and there wasn't even a scratch on her.

The reason was simple – she was using her Observation Haki to sense and deflect every attack.

"Your Observation Haki can't break through mine. You won't be able to inflict a single wound, no matter how long you try."

"Nonsense... Then I'll crush you without leaving any room to escape!"

"I don't mind fighting for hours, but... you're annoying."

A surge of lightning, far more powerful than before, radiated from Octavia in all directions.

The straw that had been wrapped around her and the straw covering the boys and girls were all charred and burned, turning into charcoal. The director managed to defend himself with Armament Haki at the last moment, but even a single casual strike from her possessed this much power.

It was no wonder the government considered her a threat.

"Guh──!?"

"My family has passed down everything under the name of 'Dark Moon'. My mother and I are no exception."

There was no room for others to interfere.

They assessed the times and either assisted or opposed the "D clan" of that era.

Octavia had supported Rocks, believing him to be the one to change the times, but everything had come to naught with his defeat by Garp.

Even so, everything she had fought for wasn't in vain.

"I inherited everything by killing my mother. Even if my mission is to keep fighting, I fought so that I wouldn't burden my child with this heavy burden."

"...But even so! I didn't want to lose her!"

"Everyone feels the same way. That's why we fight."

──And then, Octavia pointed her right index finger towards the sky.

"Eight Hundred Million Volts – The One Who Comes from Beyond and Pierces the Stars, Deus Ex Tonitru!"

Countless thunderbolts, with a deafening roar that saturated the air, struck consecutively from the sky.

Although only one bolt pierced the director, this attack wasn't aimed solely at him.

(──No way!? All the Strawmen disappeared with that one attack!?)

Even using Observation Haki, he couldn't detect any signs of life except at the pier.

The lightning that rained down from the sky had killed every living creature on this island. Even though it wasn't a very large island, she had accurately targeted every inhabitant with a single attack.

"Your ability is useful for staying alive, but it won't activate if there's no one left to inflict wounds on, will it?"

"...You saw through everything..."

Charred Strawmen were ejected from his body one after another.

He had thought he would be the last to die on this island, but... to be defeated so easily, he almost wanted to laugh. He hadn't even had the time to use the methods he had painstakingly prepared.

His body, scorched and tattered, was screaming in pain. His legs couldn't even support his weight, and he fell to his knees.

"...I'm powerless."

The director, collapsing face down, muttered softly amidst the wreckage that was once an orphanage.

"I couldn't become a god. I couldn't save her, I couldn't avenge her... I couldn't do anything."

"......"

He took out an old photograph from his chest with trembling hands, and the tears that spilled stained the ground.

Without delivering the final blow, Octavia turned her back and started walking towards the port.

Along the way, inside the partially remaining orphanage that hadn't been turned into straw, there was a desk, the only thing left undamaged. Inside its drawer were two photographs, carefully placed in a picture frame.

One was a faded family photo from long ago, with Octavia, the director, and her mother.

The other was of Novem – Kanata, much older than in his memory, looking bored as she read a book.

"......"

Taking only one of the photographs, Octavia left the orphanage behind.

There was nothing left for her here.

***

"Welcome back. How did it go?"

"I took care of everything."

"I see. What's that photo you're holding so carefully?"

"...It's the only photo of that child that remained."

Reaching the pier, Octavia boarded the small boat and plopped down on a chair.

The girl who had been on board with her laughed as she poured water into a cup and placed it in front of Octavia.

"Where to next?"

"We're going to Drum. I need to do something about this arm that won't move."

"That Marine Admiral was quite something, huh? To leave you with such aftereffects."

"He was a Devil Fruit user who used poison. I killed him, but it seems it was a bit too much for me to take on two Admirals at the same time."

"Of course. Normally, it's hard enough to deal with just one." The girl spoke cheerfully, as if to comfort the exhausted Octavia.

The battle itself had ended quickly, but considering who her opponents were, it must have had some effect on her.

"But well, if things don't work out on Drum, you can leave it to this all-powerful genius. I'll find a way to fix it within a few years!"

"That's reassuring, coming from a little girl who was crying after being attacked by pirates not too long ago."

"Ugh... Please don't mention that."

"Hehehe... Let's set sail. We have no business here anymore."

They weighed anchor and left the port. Shortly after, Octavia raised her hand towards the sky.

"What are you doing?"

"A bird doesn't foul its own nest – 'God's Descent'"

She struck a bolt of lightning into the center of the gathering dark clouds, triggering countless bolts to rain down on the island.

Although she couldn't destroy the island itself, everything on its surface would be reduced to ashes.

She didn't like unnecessary destruction, but she preferred to bury with her own hands what she had left on this island rather than letting it decay naturally.

──The places where Octavia rampaged were reduced to ashes, leaving only the sound of thunder echoing in the void.

That's why she was called "Reverberation."