Wrath of the Forgotten Lineage

The Abyss Warden cut silently through the ocean as night blanketed the world. Deep in the ship's lower decks, where the relic chamber pulsed with latent energy, Darius stood before the Genesis Ark with Selene, Elias, and the rest of the crew. The battle against CP-0 had left bruises, both physical and emotional, but they now stood at the edge of something far more profound.

"Begin playback," Selene said, her fingers working across the control console they'd pieced together from the Ark's interface.

The Ark shuddered. A low hum echoed like a breath from the abyss itself. Then, golden light spilled outward, forming an image of a regal figure clad in robes laced with geometric runes—his face hidden beneath a jagged crown.

A voice—ancient, distorted, yet still clear—resonated across the chamber.

"To those who find this, know that I was once called the King of the First Sea, ruler before time was stolen. The Void Century was not silence. It was slaughter."

The crew froze.

"Twenty ancient clans stood beside me—Nefertari, D., Kuina, Kozuki, and more. We built the world upon truth, upon memory. But the Alliance… they feared freedom."

"They called themselves gods. And so they erased us."

The projection showed a massive war—a clash of Titans and celestial beings. What had once seemed legend now burned into the eyes of every pirate in the chamber. Ships made of light, warriors who wielded storms, and atop them all: a lone, shadowed throne.

"We sealed our last hope in twelve Arks, each containing a fragment of the world's forgotten history. If you have found this one... then the war has begun again."

Darius's eyes narrowed. "This is what the World Government buried. Not because it was dangerous, but because it revealed them."

Selene nodded. "The Alliance that became the Celestial Dragons. This was their crime. This… was the birth of their tyranny."

Elias scribbled notes. "So the Genesis Ark isn't just a relic—it's a declaration of war from a forgotten king."

The projection faded, leaving behind a map glowing on the Ark's surface—twelve points across the world. Some deep in the Grand Line, others in forbidden seas no man dared enter.

"We're going after the rest," Darius said. His voice was low, commanding, electric. "We'll expose everything. Every lie, every corpse they built their throne on."

But even as the crew rallied around their captain, far across the Red Line, within the depths of Pangaea Castle, the storm had already begun.

Holy Land Mariejois — Chamber of the Five Elders

The silence in the room was suffocating. A single den den mushi lay on the stone table, its eyes still wide from the report.

Lucci and CP-0—defeated. Three members were unaccounted for. The Genesis Ark activated. And the pirates were still alive.

"Darius D. Xebec," the bald Elder said, his voice cold.

"He's no ordinary upstart," muttered the mustached one. "That Ark—how did they even find one? We made sure they were scattered beyond recovery…"

Another spoke, this one with the crescent scar. "They've awakened something ancient. We should consider calling in—"

A shadow passed through the chamber as the massive doors creaked open.

Imu.

Clad in regal robes of black and gold, the sovereign of the world entered in silence. The Five Elders bowed.

"The child of Rocks has become a problem," Imu said calmly, hands folded beneath their robes.

One Elder dared speak. "We underestimated the lineage. The boy… he's different. His crew has technology lost even to us."

Imu approached the center of the room. On the large monitor, a still frame showed Darius standing before the Genesis Ark. Even through the screen, his eyes burned with inherited defiance.

"There is a reason Rocks sought the throne," Imu whispered. "His will was not ambition. It was vengeance. His son has inherited that flame."

"What do we do?" another Elder asked. "A second strike? An admiral?"

Imu turned toward the shadows behind the throne, where a glass chamber pulsed with dormant life. Inside, a body floated—something ancient, and perhaps divine.

"No. The time for pawns has passed. Prepare the Seraphim. Mobilize Saturn. And activate Project Yomi."

The Five Elders stirred, uneasy.

"That project is unstable—"

"And so is the future," Imu snapped. "The truth is bleeding into the world. If Darius reaches another Ark, the balance breaks. The lies unravel. And then… the people will remember what was stolen from them."

Back aboard the Abyss Warden

Selene sat beside Darius on the top deck, both gazing into the stars. Below, the crew celebrated quietly—the Genesis Ark's secrets had shaken them, but also united them.

"So… we know the truth now," Darius said. "And we know they'll try to silence us for it."

Selene didn't answer at first. Then she looked over and offered him a small, rare smile.

"You were born for this."

He chuckled, tired. "Born from a ghost, raised in the dark, now leading a rebellion I didn't know existed."

"You're not your father," she said softly. "But you carry what he couldn't finish."

A wind blew across the sails. In the distance, a storm brewed, lightning forking across the sky.

"The world's going to come for us," Darius said.

"Let them," Selene replied. "We have the truth on our side now."

And somewhere below the deck, the Genesis Ark's final message began to blink—unreadable before, but now slowly translating into one line of text:

"When the thirteenth Ark awakens, the sky will fall."