"Do you see it?"
Inside the church, Katerus's ancient pupils glinted with blue light. In this candlelit sanctuary, it was not conspicuous, but it exuded a chilling aura.
His previously hunched body now stood completely straight.
The man no longer looked like a frail elder on the verge of the grave, but a robust youth.
Save for his white hair and wrinkled face, his physique and the aura he exuded spoke of his immense power to those around him.
To his left, one step behind, stood a woman clad in a white nun's habit, her head covered by a white veil. A faint, black smoke wafted from her person.
The woman's age was indeterminable; she could appear to be thirty, twenty, or even fifteen or sixteen years old.
It was peculiar.
She wore red high heels, and her entire form was concealed within the voluminous nun's habit, hiding her exact physique.
However, from her ageless, porcelain-smooth skin, as if from a dream, one could discern that this woman, whether in life or death, was exceptionally beautiful.
Despite her beauty, her pupils were bloodshot, revealing a madness and hatred that made one's scalp tingle and their blood run cold upon first sight.
Yet, no matter how frenzied she was, she could only be controlled and obediently serve her master, Katerus, before her.
"Truly terrifying!"
Katerus glanced at the woman and a common phrase from an old friend and colleague, Kizaru, came to mind.
Upon learning of Kouta's group's whereabouts and route, their party, led by Katerus, had arrived here.
The island's structures were not eroded by the years of a Devil Fruit user, but were inherently so, a result of the passage of time itself. Katerus was clearly familiar with the area, having brought them to reside in the church upon arrival.
And by some unknown method, he had summoned the woman (or rather, the soul of a woman) to his left, a being that even he, with his strength, found troublesome.
In the time that followed, they witnessed the terrifying prowess of Katerus and this woman.
Previously, they had waited passively; now, Katerus intended to strike proactively.
One controlled souls, the other controlled time.
Katerus first plucked a long-deceased individual from the river of history, infused their soul into the body of a CP0 agent, and then had the woman extract that person's time.
Why time, rather than life force?
Because, in this CP0 agent, he observed not only a weakening of life force but also the signs of aging. It was a decay as if corroded by the passage of time, a natural aging, rather than mere physical withering.
Furthermore, it seemed to be permanent. Even after the CP0 agent returned and the soul within him vanished, his aged body showed no signs of recovery.
Next, they had this individual infiltrate the town and escape the island. Then, with a slight manipulation by Katerus, they waited on the path that the silver-haired group would inevitably take.
This place, filled with an adventurous atmosphere and harboring an evil presence, combined with the righteousness displayed by the silver-haired group, meant that if Kaphiri pleaded, they would certainly come.
This was because everything the CP0 agent said was true, even the existence of his soul.
No one could see through it.
"The power of time!"
He did not know what Devil Fruit this woman had consumed, but from the distorted space surrounding her body, he felt an aura he had never encountered in his life.
This aura carried the dampness of ages, the flow of time, and a power that seemed capable of corroding all things.
This power, was it time itself?
And the town below, along with this church, was the time-bound prison this woman had prepared for the silver-haired group.
Once they stepped within, they would be eroded by time, silently, thereby weakening the enemy and strengthening their own side.
Combined with his own abilities, Katerus's potential control over other souls, his illusions, and Katerus's initially mentioned ability to replicate others' powers.
Upon this realization, he sighed once more.
"This time, you are likely to truly be buried here."
Recalling his gaze, Kuzan's sight, passing over the church doors, fell upon Kouta's group outside the town. They were distant, and he could see nothing, but within his Observation Haki's perception.
An aura brimming with intellect registered in his mind.
He recognized this aura.
For years, had he not been suppressing it, how could the vast Navy fail to capture a young girl if they truly intended to?
He wished to see, through Robin, what his old friend had, to his death, sworn to protect. He also wished to see what kind of flower this girl, who had escaped the ravages of war and survived the treacherous seas, could bloom into.
For the sake of this flower, he had waited for nearly twenty years.
He had never expected her to board Kouta's ship, and even follow them to this place.
This stirred a flicker of unease in his usually calm heart.
Just then, a cry from a lone vulture echoed from the sky above the church.
It was a black vulture, diving into the mist-shrouded island against the backdrop of the evening sky. Its hoarse cry carried a unique loneliness, as if mirroring the space, this island itself.
This cry, as if blowing the horn for an assault, galvanized the people on both sides.
There was no escape, no retreat. Even though this was an obvious trap set by the enemy, Kouta had no choice but to proceed.
Only he here had the confidence to stop that individual whose aura was like a flickering wick.
This was an open ploy; he couldn't refuse. Because if that woman were to be unleashed, he was unsure if he could guarantee the safety of his companions.
After all, it was a power of time that he could not comprehend at all. Who knew if it could penetrate his domain?
He himself was not afraid, for his domain was only a part of what he could control, and he possessed peak Armament Haki.
While Haki was not a direct counter to Devil Fruit abilities, if cultivated to its peak, most Devil Fruit powers in this world, unless also developed to their peak, could not penetrate the defense of Armament Haki.
"You all wait here. I'll go see what these guys are up to."
"I'll go with you."
Kuina's right hand gripped the hilt of Wado Ichimonji, and small arcs of lightning crackled from her body.
He did not try to stop Kouta, for this was a trap they had prepared. From the moment they set foot on the island, there had been no turning back.
Kouta knew this, and how could they not?
Therefore, seeing Kouta prepare to move, she immediately spoke. Having eaten a Devil Fruit, she felt that even if she couldn't match seasoned Admirals or Emperors, she wouldn't be defeated by them in a short time.
Moreover, with the characteristic nature of lightning, she was inherently in an unassailable position, as long as she remained cautious.
Kouta's opponent would undoubtedly be that figure, like an abyss. Her opponent, then, would be that cold figure.