Location: Elbion Expanse – Scorchfang Ridge
As the last of the temporal storm faded, the sand gave way to a jagged canyon—red cliffs carved by aeons, not water. Toni, Shanks, and Roger pressed forward while the others secured the ship behind natural time-locked barriers.
The Memory Fragment had revealed a hidden message:
"Find the Pactborn in the Ridge of Teeth. The Monster that Swore to Man."
Toni took point, both blades sheathed but ever-alert. The heat was unnatural. Not from the sun—but from breath. Enormous, ancient breath.
Roger exhaled. "This whole place smells like something waiting to kill us."
Shanks grinned. "Or something that already did."
They didn't notice the colossal shadow until it blocked out the two suns.
🐉 The Apex Beast – Wyvrakai, the Storm Maw
It dropped from the ridge like thunder—wings of stone and scale, eyes glowing with molten runes. Its fangs were taller than ship masts. A living fossil of death.
Name: Wyvrakai
Species: Ancient Leviadrake
Hunted: 497 Kings, 2 Emperors, 1 Celestial Dragon Fleet
Rayleigh, still at the ridge's edge, flared his Haki. "Don't fight it! It's the guardian!"
But the moment he said it, Wyvrakai dove toward Toni.
⚔️ Midair Clash – Toni vs. Wyvrakai
Toni's body moved on instinct—his Echo Instinct triggering with a pulse of light. He dashed left, then up, his Observation Haki letting him read the beast's trajectory like music.
"Twin Fang Style – Sky Rend Spiral!"
He launched upward with a spiraling dual slash, slicing across Wyvrakai's cheek and leaving molten cuts on its face.
The dragon roared.
Its breath attack ignited midair, forming a lance of plasma that nearly struck Roger. Shanks deflected part of the blast with raw Conqueror's Haki, but the force pushed them all back.
Then, unexpectedly, the beast stopped.
It looked at Toni.
Then it bowed.
🔥 The Pactborn Awakens
The sand below trembled.
From beneath the canyon rose a gigantic humanoid figure, half-man, half-scaled beast, with runes carved across his chest and a blade made from a slain sea king's spine.
His voice was deep and bitter.
"You bear two fragments of the blade. And you fight like one chosen by the Pact."
"I am Xalgor, the Last Monster Hunter.
I made the Pact with Wyvrakai a thousand years ago. And now, boy—
You must prove yourself worthy to inherit it."
Toni looked up, heart pounding. "Then let's fight."
🗡️ Trial of the Pact – Blade and Beast
Xalgor did not use speed. He did not use tricks.
He used pure, unstoppable power.
Toni's first three strikes were blocked with one hand. The hunter moved like stone turned to flesh—each motion deliberate, each blow like a tidal wave.
Phantom Shift Counter!
Toni activated Form VII, vanishing behind Xalgor—but his opponent spun and backhanded him into a wall.
HP -34%
Roger stood tense, ready to interfere. But Rayleigh held his shoulder.
"No. He has to earn this."
⚔️ Toni Unlocks Blade Memory
As blood dripped from his brow, the Mythblade in his hand glowed.
A memory unfolded—faint, like a dream:
A warrior with eyes like dying stars. The original wielder of Tenryūzan. A memory of the battle that split the seas.
"When you strike, do not strike the enemy. Strike the truth they carry."
Toni breathed in.
Everything slowed.
He moved again.
Twin blades became extensions of his breath, his thought, his will.
He struck low, then turned and reversed mid-air, bringing both blades across Xalgor's runed arm.
CLASH!
The spine-blade cracked.
Xalgor smiled.
"You pass."
🛡️ The Pact is Forged
The ancient hunter knelt.
From his chest, he removed a sealed crystal:
"This is the Pact Seal—when burned into your blade, it allows you to summon the beast that guards you."
Toni took it.
System Update: Pact Slot Unlocked – Wyvrakai Bonded
Pact Skill: Storm Maw Descent – Temporarily summons Wyvrakai for one mid-air AOE attack
Cooldown: 3 major fights
Myth Memory Fragment 3: Location Revealed – Skyrend Monastery, North Blue (Drifting Monks' Refuge)
Toni bowed. "I'll honor this pact."
Xalgor stood, eyes full of stormlight. "Then go. The World Government will not let you reach the fourth fragment without blood."
As the sun set, Roger smiled.
"You're shaping up to be a monster in your own right, kid."
Shanks laughed. "He's already better than Buggy."