After the first ship went up in flames, Koa didn't stop.
From the sky, still cloaked in invisibility, his eyes locked on the two remaining Celestial Dragon vessels. Without hesitation, he summoned two more vibration-enhanced, magma-coated arrows. They glowed with silent fury, heat distorting the air around him as he pulled them back on his ethereal bow.
With a low breath—
Fwip. Fwip.
Two invisible projectiles ripped through the sky, slicing through the clouds like death itself.
Seconds later:
BOOM!
BOOM!!!
The sea erupted in fire and chaos. The ships didn't just explode—they disintegrated. The arrogant screams of the Celestials were silenced instantly, replaced by stunned silence and the crashing of waves.
Koa stayed motionless, eyes closed, senses flared with advanced Observation Haki. He searched carefully—no breath, no life signs left. Only the immortal ones remained… the God's Knights. Everyone else—the common Celestial Dragons, their guards, their pampered servants—had all been wiped out.
Justice.
For the thousands of lives lost, for the slaves they discarded like tools, for the innocent civilians hunted for sport—this was Koa's payback.
But far below, chaos bloomed.
The God's Knights—still locked in battle across the island—suddenly froze. Their auras flared with rage, sharp and hateful like blades drawn from sheaths. They felt it—the deaths. Not just one or two Celestials… all of them. They immediately abandoned their fights, abandoning pride and position, and bolted toward the shoreline.
No one knew what had happened.
To the Marines, it looked like sabotage—planted bombs, or traps timed to detonate. That was the only theory that made sense. But even then, how could someone breach a Celestial ship?
No one saw the arrows. No one even knew where to begin.
And Koa?
He didn't care.
The job was done.
Floating down toward the clearing once more, he found the rifle—the Celestial's golden bait weapon—still lying where he had last seen it. But the sniper was gone. Smart, he thought. Or dead. Either way, she was no longer his concern.
He picked the rifle up and instantly turned it invisible, tucking it away with the rest of his spoils.
Then, without pause, he flew off toward the royal vault, where he hoped the rest of the God Valley Kingdom's treasures remained.
-------------
When Koa finally arrived at the area where the God Valley Kingdom's vault was hidden, he was met with an unwelcome surprise.
Pirates.
Already there. Already looting.
The entrance had been broken open—gold, jewels, and rare artifacts were being hauled out by the handful. The once-sacred vault now resembled a chaotic treasure dump, with pirates scrambling like rats to claim whatever they could carry.
Koa's eyes narrowed.
His Observation Haki swept across the scene, quickly identifying the one in charge. Standing atop a pile of gold like a self-proclaimed king, a flamboyant figure barked orders while guzzling wine straight from a crystal bottle.
He wore a long crimson coat, its golden shoulder pads gleaming in the fractured sunlight. The ends of his sleeves were trimmed in gaudy pink, and his pants—absurdly—were vertically striped in white and black, like some kind of twisted circus ringleader.
He exuded arrogance.
"You lot! Don't touch the blue chest—it's mine! And someone bring me another bottle!" the man shouted, not even looking at the pirates he commanded.
Koa didn't recognize him from the anime or manga. But his presence was undeniable—his Conqueror's Haki faint but real, as if he were someone trying too hard to belong in the big leagues.
Koa stayed invisible, observing quietly. He didn't like the idea of sharing the vault, especially not with someone who had the gall to take what was meant to help fund Koa's future.
His jaw tightened.
'So this is Captain John. He's in my way,' Koa thought coldly.
He floated a little higher, already considering how he might deal with the situation.
"I don't feel the same aura from him as I did from Big Mom. That means he's not on her level. Maybe I can fight him—to sharpen my Armament Haki—and use the distraction to steal the treasure he's hoarded. I'll make them invisible and float them away while we fight," Koa thought, hovering silently above the vault entrance, fully cloaked in invisibility.
He focused his senses on the figure below—Captain John, infamous for his greed and betrayal. Koa had already recognized the man from the stories: a legendary pirate whose obsession with treasure had led to his eventual betrayal by his own crew. The irony wasn't lost on Koa—perhaps he could speed up that downfall a little.
After a moment of stillness, Koa made his decision.
He would engage Captain John head-on. Confident in his abilities and fully restored thanks to Ivankov's healing slug, Koa had every advantage. With his Hax, speed, invisibility, and Observation Haki, this wasn't just a fight—it was a test run.
Still, he didn't intend to face the entire crew.
He spotted at least thirty pirates under Captain John's command. Thinning their numbers would increase his chances of success, and chaos would help cloak his true intentions.
Koa took a deep breath.
Silently, he coated both of his axes in jet-black Armament Haki, the blades humming with lethal energy. He closed his eyes, focused on his killing intent, and readied his attack. In under five seconds, Koa unleashed a devastating flying slash—a horizontal wave of compressed haki slicing through the air like a guillotine.
The result was immediate.
The slash tore through the unsuspecting pirates, cutting down at least half of them before they could even react. Blood sprayed the gold-stained vault as bodies crumpled in shock and silence.
Captain John, however, was no fool.
His Observation Haki flared, and with a swift, drunken sway, he twisted just enough to avoid the slash while simultaneously raising his cutlass, blocking the tail end of the attack with precise haki control.
'Expected,' Koa thought coolly, unfazed by the dodge. He hadn't anticipated John saving any of his men. And he was right. The greedy pirate didn't so much as glance at the corpses of his fallen crew.
"Coward! Who the hell are you?! Come out and face me!"
Captain John roared, eyes blazing as he looked around, foam gathering at the corners of his lips. "You dare sneak attack me? I'll mount your head on my mast!"
"Sorry, I've already called dibs on that treasure—so I'm gonna need you to surrender it… immediately."
Koa's voice rang out, calm yet firm, cutting through the tense silence like a dagger. As he spoke, he slowly deactivated his invisibility, revealing himself mid-air, hovering with quiet authority just above the bloodied vault.
At the same time, he subtly re-activated the invisibility—this time on the treasures he had already touched, causing crates of gold, gemstones, and ancient artifacts to shimmer and vanish one by one, as if being devoured by thin air.
Captain John turned sharply, his eyes narrowing beneath the shadow of his hat as he stared at the floating figure now in front of him.
"You little punk… You think you can just show up, steal my loot, and walk away like it's nothing?" he growled, gripping his ornate, wine-stained cutlass with both hands. His Observation Haki was flaring wildly, but the sudden disappearance of his precious treasure made his rage override any composure he might have had.
"You're gonna regret that."
Koa smirked.
"You can try."