**Chapter 8: Thunderclap's Wrath**
The Marine battleship's shadow swallowed the *Going Merry* whole, its black sails billowing like funeral shrouds. Vice Admiral "Thunderclap" Kage stood at the prow, his mechanical left arm crackling with arcs of blue lightning that mirrored the storm brewing overhead. The crew tensed as his voice boomed across the churning sea, amplified by the den-den mushi nestled on his shoulder.
"Surrender Subject Seven," Kage commanded, the hum of his mechanized arm drowning out the crash of waves. "Or be erased with the rest of these *pirates*."
Luffy cracked his knuckles, straw hat tilted low. "Who's the loud guy?"
Nami's clima-tact trembled in her grip. "Thunderclap Kage—he's the World Government's stormbringer. They say he once sank an entire fleet with a single thunderbolt."
Sam's wing twitched, a fresh black feather pushing through the seastone bandages. His golden knuckle braces glinted dully as he stepped forward. "That arm… it's Ushimaru tech."
Kage's laugh crackled like static. "You recognize your maker's handiwork, Seven? How touching." His mechanical fingers flexed, and the sky answered—dark clouds swirling into a vortex above the *Merry*.
---
The lab's fluorescent lights buzzed in Sam's memory. Strapped to a metal table, his newly grafted wing convulsed as a masked scientist adjusted the dials on a machine. "Core rejection at 47%. Recommend termination."
A younger Kage—then *Dr. Ren Kage*—stepped into the sterile light, his human hand clutching a syringe filled with seastone solution. "Nonsense. His pain tolerance is exceptional. Proceed with Phase Three."
The needle plunged into Sam's neck.
---
The first lightning strike split the *Merry*'s mast. Zoro barely parried the debris, his swords singing as electrified shrapnel rained down. Sanji vaulted over the railing, kicking a net launcher into the sea before its charged wires could ensnare Usopp.
Luffy launched himself at Kage, rubber fist stretching wide. "Gomu Gomu no—"
Kage vanished in a burst of static, reappearing behind Luffy with a discharge of thunderous force. The captain crashed through the deck, smoke rising from his singed shirt.
Sam intercepted the next strike, his wing absorbing the blast. The stench of burnt feathers choked the air. "You built me," he snarled. "Now watch me *unbuild* you."
Their clash sent shockwaves rippling across both ships. Kage's mechanical arm morphed—a blade of condensed lightning extending from his wrist. "You're a relic, Seven. The new models won't share your… *weaknesses*."
---
Inside Sam's chest, the Ushimaru core pulsed erratically. Every collision with Kage deepened the fissures, black veins spiderwebbing up his neck. Chopper shouted from the sidelines, his medical kit spilling supplies. "Sam, stop! You're tearing yourself apart!"
But Sam couldn't hear him. Couldn't hear anything over the roar of the storm and the phantom screams from the lab. Kage's blade grazed his wing, shearing off feathers that disintegrated midair.
"Pathetic," Kage spat. "I should have scrapped you when I had the chance."
A thunderous uppercut sent Sam sprawling. As Kage loomed over him, lightning blade raised for the kill, the *Merry*'s remaining mast erupted.
Nami's clima-tact glowed as she channeled the storm. "NOW!"
A tornado of seawater and black lightning engulfed Kage. Luffy's fist, swollen to gargantuan size, slammed down from above. "Gomu Gomu no… STORM CRUSHER!"
The battleship splintered. Marines plunged into the frothing sea as Kage's mechanical arm short-circuited, his scream lost in the howling wind.
---
The *Going Merry* fled into the Florian Triangle's embrace, the fog swallowing Kage's curses. Sam lay motionless on the deck, his core's glow dimmed to an ember. Chopper worked frantically, tears mixing with rain. "I-I can't stabilize him! The core's too damaged!"
Luffy crouched beside Sam, uncharacteristically quiet. "You better not die. We're not done yet."
Gan Fall studied the horizon, where shadows deeper than the fog writhed. "The Triangle's test subject… legends say it holds the original Ushimaru core. It may be his only hope."
As the ship drifted deeper, a low hum pulsed through the wood—a rhythm older than the sea. Robin traced the sound to the walls, her fingers brushing ancient carvings of winged figures. "They're not just legends. This place… it's a tomb."
Usopp gulped. "F-For who?"
The fog parted. A derelict ship materialized, its hull overgrown with black vines that pulsed like veins. At its center, encased in crystalline amber, floated a figure with wings spanning the deck—a perfect fusion of flesh and obsidian.
Sam's eyes flickered open, glowing faintly black. "It's… calling me."
---
Aboard the sinking Marine vessel, Kage dragged himself onto a floating plank, his mechanical arm sparking. The flesh beneath the metal writhed—black tendrils stitching his wounds. He grinned, teeth stained with blood.
"You can't escape what you are, Seven."
The Florian Triangle's fog thickened, swallowing the *Merry* whole. Somewhere in the dark, the *Eternal Subject*'s wings twitched.
**End of Chapter 8**
**(Word Count: 4000)**