"What changes the world, makes the world different, and becomes the most dazzling figure of this era…"
Roger.
Whitebeard.
Yet even after becoming the Pirate King, Roger failed to change this hypocritical, rotten world.
As for Whitebeard, he was living in vain. For the sake of a mere division commander, he willingly stepped into a trap carefully prepared by the Marines.
It was disappointing. Truly disappointing.
I should never have abandoned my dream or sealed myself away in Impel Down simply because I believed in them.
This time, the dream of becoming Pirate King will be fulfilled by me.
And more importantly…
This boring, hypocritical world will be changed.
Redfield's voice dripped with mockery as he sneered coldly.
"Hehehe. Those are nothing but empty slogans shouted by rookies when they first set sail. Passionate, naive dreams that collapse the moment reality hits them."
His words were not only aimed at Shirogai, they were also a cruel self‑mockery.
After all these wasted years, the world remained the same. False. Rotten.
I must regain my youth. Then I will find a way to save this hopeless world myself.
"You want to save this hypocritical world."
Shirogai stared at Redfield with a faint smile, his tone calm and amused.
"But Redfield, are you certain one person alone can accomplish that? Those who walk with the will of the world gain allies. Those who oppose it gain none. In the end, this world belongs to the countless ordinary people you dismiss as twisted and ugly."
"You…"
Redfield narrowed his eyes sharply.
"You can hear my inner thoughts?"
For the first time in decades, discomfort crept into his heart.
He was the one who always peered into others.
Now, the roles had reversed.
"If listening to the darkness in human hearts could corrupt me," Shirogai said lightly, tapping his temple, "I would have gone insane long ago."
Then he smiled.
"How about this? I'll open my heart. Why don't you take a look?"
Silence followed.
An ominous sensation surged through Redfield's instincts.
This new Emperor of the Sea looked like he wanted to be observed.
"No…"
Every instinct sharpened by decades of battle screamed at him to stop.
Do not peer into him. Do not look.
His Observation Haki warned him with unprecedented urgency. Something catastrophic waited beyond that veil.
Yet curiosity won.
"Let me see how the heart of a new Emperor differs from ordinary men…"
Redfield's eyes glowed faintly red as his Observation Haki surged forward.
What he saw made his breath catch.
Before Shirogai's heart stood an enormous gate, towering and sacred, black and white intertwined. It sealed everything within, rejecting all intruders.
"Heh. So you really are interested."
Shirogai slowly closed his eyes. The smile faded from his face as he willingly opened the gate.
At that moment, the entire sixth level of Impel Down fell silent.
"Danger!"
Several powerful prisoners instinctively halted their movements, a chill running down their spines.
"Hmph, just theatrics."
Redfield forced a smile and pressed forward.
"Let me see your filthy heart."
The next instant, an immeasurable torrent of information flooded his mind.
Countless abilities. Endless calculations. Overlapping Devil Fruit powers in awakened states. Combat comprehension evolving at terrifying speed. Eyes that mirrored his own, capable of dissecting souls with a single glance.
Redfield's pupils shrank violently.
"What kind of existence are you…?"
Horror swallowed him whole.
When he finally snapped back to reality, blood streamed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. His legs trembled as he staggered backward, gasping for breath.
"You…"
His voice shook as he stared at Shirogai, who calmly reopened his eyes.
"Monster. You are the true monster."
He had only glimpsed a fragment. Just a fragment nearly shattered his sanity.
This man was the strongest being Redfield had ever encountered. Without exception.
Even Roger and Whitebeard were unqualified to stand beside him.
"So many Devil Fruit abilities… all awakened…"
Redfield's chest heaved.
"Shirogai Yamikuro," he said solemnly, "answer me one thing. Are you truly sane?"
Shirogai smiled gently.
"Do I look insane?"
"Yes," Redfield answered without hesitation.
It was incomprehensible how someone whose mind operated at such a god‑level intensity could remain so composed.
Terrifying.
"Whether I'm sane or not is irrelevant," Shirogai replied casually. "Now, a madman invites another madman to join an organization founded by madness. Isn't that interesting?"
Before Redfield could respond, a furious roar interrupted them.
"Bastard! Don't ignore me!"
World, the so‑called World Destroyer, appeared with lit dynamite in hand.
"Multiply, 100x Dynamite!"
The explosive expanded violently as it flew.
"Idiot! You'll kill us all!" "There's nowhere to run!" "We're finished!"
Boom!
The explosion thundered through Level Six.
Yet when the smoke cleared, an unnatural cold filled the air.
"Shut your bitch ass up"
Blue ice bloomed across the ceiling, freezing the inferno at its core, swallowing the explosion whole.
"An Admiral's power… Ice‑Ice Fruit?"
Bullet frowned.
Shirogai stood calmly below, frost mist curling around his left hand.
"I don't have time for unruly guests."
His pupils spun, shimmering with multiple hues.
"Go play somewhere else."
He vanished.
"One."
World was kicked into the air and swallowed by a black void.
"Two."
Bullet followed, devoured instantly.
"Three."
Pizarro disappeared the same way.
"Four."
Shot never even saw the kick.
When silence returned, Shirogai smiled faintly and looked toward the remaining prisoners.
"Gentlemen."
His voice echoed directly in their minds.
Hope ignited.
The screams of desperation filled Impel Down.
Freedom was no longer a dream.
____
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