Chapter 15 – Solar Wrath

The smell of burning wood filled the air, thick and choking. Smoke curled upward from the ruins of the warehouse, its skeletal frame still crackling with the last remnants of Kenji's solar onslaught. In the flickering glow, Author stood trembling, his clothes singed, bruises blooming across his arms and legs—but alive. Kenji hovered protectively nearby, every fiber of his being tuned to the danger that hadn't yet passed.

Because Ellion Sparrow had not fallen.

Not yet.

Footsteps echoed from the smoke.

Slow. Steady. Purposeful.

Kenji's eyes narrowed as a silhouette emerged—a tall, wiry figure with a wide-brimmed hat and a crooked smirk etched into his face like a permanent scar. Slung across his chest was a polished old flintlock pistol, gleaming darkly in the firelight.

Ellion raised the weapon with a casual flick of his wrist.

And in the other hand, he held a small leather pouch.

It jingled ominously with each movement.

"You've made a bit of a mess, sunshine," Ellion drawled, voice ringing out across the ravaged lot. "You think you've won because you can torch a few crates?"

Kenji didn't reply. His body remained tense, ready to jump into action at the first quiver.

Ellion cackled and shook the pouch. "You have an idea what's in here, don't you? Little gifts. Five little miracles. Enough to kill a god if you know what to aim for."

Ellion pulled out a single bullet from the pouch—small, dull gray, hardly impressive. Yet from several meters away, Kenji could feel it. A tug. A nip against his skin, against his very essence.

Seastone.

The word resonated inside him like the tolling of a bell.

Ellion thrust the bullet into the flintlock with a theatrical flourish, spinning the cylinder in slow rotation.

"Only five shots," Ellion said. "But you? You only need one, don't you?"

The pistol flashed into the air, its muzzle pressing against Kenji's heart.

Kenji moved instantly, body blazing into a burst of light that streaked sideways. The bullet cracked through the air a split second later, punching a hole clean through the smoldering beam where Kenji had stood.

A near miss.

Too near.

The heat in Kenji's chest surged hotter, not from his Devil Fruit, but from raw anger.

He couldn't afford a single mistake.

And worse—he knew with a stomach-knotting certainty—Ellion wasn't after him.

He was after Author.

The fight turned in an instant.

Kenji zigzagged over the battlefield, his solar power wrapped tightly against his body like a second layer of skin. He couldn't risk going all flare—not when a pinch of seastone could knock him out.

Ellion was smooth as if he'd rehearsed this a thousand times.

He didn't fire shots to waste.

The second bullet snapped out—not at Kenji—but at a pile of debris near Author, sending shards of splintered wood flying. Author stumbled backward, hands up defensively.

Kenji materialized beside him, pulling him aside just as another shot whistled past, grazing the edge of Kenji's jacket and cutting through the fabric cleanly.

Three bullets left.

Kenji gritted his teeth.

He needed to separate them.

He needed to end this before Ellion got lucky.

Kenji raised his hand—and for the first time, focused his solar energy into a searing, blinding point.

"Solar Flare Strike!"

Light exploded out, a miniature sunrise that illuminated the lot in glory. Despite having his eyes closed, Ellion stumbled, cursing, firing wildly into the ground.

Kenji dove, closing the space in a fraction of an instant.

But Ellion was no dumb thug.

He rolled to one side, hacking, already loading another precious bullet.

Two left.

Kenji's fist drove into the ground where Ellion had stood a second ago, sending molten cracks spiderwebbing through the stones. The heat warped the air, turning the warehouse into a shimmering hellscape.

Author scrambled to safer ground, keeping low, but Kenji knew Ellion's next target would still be him.

He had to end this.

Ellion crouched behind a broken cart, chuckling hoarsely.

"You're strong, kid. Stronger than anyone else I've met. But you're still just a boy trying to play hero. And you've got a weakness, don't you?"

He raised the gun again—this time aimed squarely at Author, who was trying to climb over a collapsed wall.

Kenji's heart clenched.

No time.

No second chances.

He moved faster than he ever had before.

The fourth bullet shrieked out in a slashing noise, a screaming bolt of death for Author's back.

Kenji dove forward, illuminating his legs with a focused burst of sun, a wild, blistering run.

The universe condensed to a point—the bullet, the boy, the impact.

With the very last fraction of time, Kenji rolled his body, the bullet cutting along his side, ripping flesh but glancing off his core.

Seething pain flared through him—raw, real, excruciating.

He stumbled, clutching his side.

One bullet left.

Kenji's breath came in ragged gasps.

He couldn't phase completely anymore—the wound from the seastone scrape anchored him to his human form, however slightly.

But Ellion was down to his final card.

And Kenji was burning hotter than ever.

Kenji rose slowly, blood dripping down his side, steam hissing where it touched his radiant skin.

"You're right," Kenji said, voice low. "I do have a weakness."

He moved forward, each step melting the rocks he walked on.

"But you were wrong."

Another step. Air itself rippled around him.

"You thought being armed would make you strong."

Another step. His gold eyes blazed with fury.

"You thought you could shatter me."

Ellion's hands shook as he cocked the gun for the final time.

Kenji moved forward.

Radiant Blade.

From his fist, a blade of intense, pure sunlight formed—a sword so bright it carved lines through the blackness.

Ellion fired, a scream of fury tearing from his mouth.

Kenji batted the bullet out of the air with a swipe of his solar blade—the seastone bullet bouncing harmlessly off the ground.

At the same time, Kenji closed the gap and punched—not the blade—directly into Ellion's abdomen.

The force of the blow lifted Ellion off his feet, sending him crashing into the burning remains of the warehouse wall with a sickening crunch.

Silence.

Only the crackle of flames and Kenji's ragged breathing filled the night.

He stood there, chest heaving, blood still oozing from his side but already cauterizing under the heat of his power.

Author stumbled toward him, wide-eyed.

"You—are you—?"

Kenji smiled weakly, his teeth catching the light of the flames. "Still standing."

Side by side, they went to the wreckage where Ellion had fallen.

But when they got there, they found only a smashed wall—and a blood trail vanishing into the maze of alleys beyond.

Ellion had run.

By the skin of his teeth.

Once more.

Kenji swore neither nor screamed.

He just stood, watching the smoke curl up towards the uninterested stars.

He clenched his fist.

Next time, he swore silently.

Next time, there would be nowhere to go.

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