Ace exhaled slowly, still feeling the lingering tremor in his muscles after testing his new attack power. The crater at his feet was still smoking. Hyogoro stood frozen, wide-eyed, as if he had just seen a myth come to life.
Without saying anything, Ace walked toward him.
Hyogoro instinctively stepped back. Ace placed one hand casually on Hyogoro's handcuffs.
A faint crackle.
A soft vibration.
And then—crunch.
The seastone cuffs shattered like brittle glass.
Ace flicked the broken pieces upward with a wave of his hand. They spun in the air once—twice—before detonating in a clean white blast.
Hyogoro's jaw dropped.
"You… Internal Destruction Armament Haki… You already mastered it?"
Ace scratched the back of his head.
"Ah… yeah. It just kinda clicked. But I don't really have time to talk to you right now."
Hyogoro blinked. "Huh?"
Ace gave him a bright smile.
"I've got things to do. I won't be staying in Wano anymore. And for now, all the strong guys in the prison are unconscious, so go ahead—take your allies and get out of here."
He pointed at Hyogoro's now-broken cuffs.
"Besides, you can break the other cuffs too, right?"
Hyogoro nodded slowly, still processing everything.
Ace turned to leave, then froze as something suddenly came to mind.
"Oh right. I forgot to mention…"
He glanced back with a calm, almost casual expression.
"I killed Kurozumi Orochi. And his gang. They're gone."
The air in the prison stopped.
Even Hyogoro felt his heart skip a beat.
"You… killed Orochi?"
"Yup." Ace shrugged. "So you can take over Wano again. As for Kaido… I can't help you deal with him right now. But don't worry—he won't attack you."
Hyogoro frowned. "How can you be so sure?"
Ace smirked.
"Let's just say… Kaido has other problems at the moment. And besides, having you act as his middleman is much better than the entire country being slaughtered."
Ace took a few steps away, waving lightly.
"Work under him for now. Maybe I'll get stronger and come back… or maybe you'll get strong enough to handle him yourself. Who knows? And hey—maybe Toki's prophecy will really come true."
He turned, fire rising around his feet.
"Well then… goodbye, Hyogoro-old man."
And with a burst of flames, Ace shot into the sky.
For a long moment, silence washed over the prison.
Then, as the realization of Ace's departure settled, the prisoners felt something heavy in their chests. Relief… awe… gratitude… and a strange, painful kind of respect.
Hyogoro took a deep breath and straightened his back.
"Alright! Enough standing around. Let's move! Everyone—help the others get out! We're free again… thanks to that boy."
And just like that, the old samurai began guiding every prisoner out of the hell they had lived in for far too long.
---
It was around eight o'clock.
Darkness had already rained over the sky — the kind of heavy darkness that seemed to press down on the drifting island itself. Onigashima was alive in the usual chaotic way: chairs scattered everywhere, pirates shouting, arguing, drinking, fighting, and breaking bones over meaningless matters.
That was simply how the Beast Pirates lived.
That was how Kaido ruled.
The strong climbed upward.
The weak sank downward.
Simple. Cruel. Effective.
This harsh, unforgiving rule was exactly why the Beast Pirates became one of the Four Emperors' crews — one of the strongest pirate forces in the entire world.
Everyone at the bottom dreamed of eating a Devil Fruit.
Everyone with a Devil Fruit dreamed of rising higher.
Everyone who rose higher dreamed of recognition.
And so the cycle continued.
Wars happened often.
People died.
People grew stronger.
New members joined just as easily as old members fell.
It was a never-ending flood of ambition and violence.
Yet tonight, one person infiltrated Onigashima without resistance… again.
Just like the time he had invaded years ago to challenge Kaido — and instead stumbled across Yamato while Kaido was away. Back then, Ace thought Kaido was with his crew, so the security gap had surprised him.
Now he realized the truth.
It was always this lax.
Using his memories as a guide, Ace navigated the familiar corridors until he reached the place where Yamato usually trained.
And there she was.
Yamato stood in front of her hut, swinging her massive club through the air in slow, heavy arcs — practicing some form of swordsmanship adapted to her weapon. Her hair swayed with each motion, and her expression was focused, determined.
Seeing a random pirate approach, Yamato frowned slightly but didn't react. She had grown used to Beast Pirates wandering around.
That was when Ace spoke — in his real voice.
"Hey, Yamato. Long time no see."
Yamato froze.
Her head snapped toward him so fast it looked painful. Her eyes widened, disbelief flashing across her face.
"A–Ace?!"
Before he could react, she rushed forward and wrapped him in a tight hug. Yamato, being taller and far stronger, nearly crushed him in the process.
Ace stiffened, feeling the… blessing of being hugged by someone much taller, but he forced his thoughts to remain pure.
"Well, Yamato," he said, patting her back awkwardly, "I need your help with something."
Without hesitation, Yamato pulled back and nodded.
"What is it? Tell me. I'll help."
Ace smiled.
"I want to defeat someone. I'll need your help dealing with his crew… and helping me if I can't beat him alone."
Yamato replied immediately:
"Alright. I'll help you defeat him!"
But then her expression dimmed.
Her shoulders slumped.
Her voice softened.
"…But I can't leave the island."
Ace chuckled gently.
"Well, I can fix that."
He reached for her seastone cuffs.
With a quiet breath, he pushed Haki into his fingers and pressed firmly.
Crack.
Tiny fractures appeared.
Then more.
Then — shatter.
The cuffs broke apart completely.
Ace grabbed the broken halves and hurled them with all his strength toward the center of Onigashima. They disappeared into the distance like bullets fired from a cannon.
Yamato stood frozen, shocked speechless.
No one had ever broken her cuffs.
No one had ever even tried.
Before she could respond, Ace grabbed her hand.
"We need to go. Now."
And he pulled her into a sprint.
They dashed across the rocky floor of the island, heading for the far edge — the one place where the cliffs dipped low enough to reach the sea.
Moving quietly with Yamato was nearly impossible.
Kaido's men monitored her, not constantly but within a certain range. And almost everyone on this island possessed Observation Haki.
Even pausing for a single second risked being noticed.
So Ace ran.
Yamato ran.
And the darkened island stirred around them.
---