The cold wind howled, picking up the smell of blood on the ice.
Kuzan, Borsalino, and Sakazuki formed a triangle, trapping the solitary red figure in the center and blocking all his paths of retreat.
Sakazuki's face was filled with coldness, and the magma on his fist was still "sizzling," looking as if it would pierce the chest of that legendary pirate in the next second.
"It's finally over."
Borsalino had a lazy look, like he was ready to get off work, and was muttering under his breath.
"For the overtime pay when we get back, I'll have to apply for triple from Tatsuki."
Tatsuki was in no hurry to issue the execution order. He stepped on the crushed ice covering the ground and walked slowly toward Redfield.
Under the gaze of those crimson eyes full of vigilance and weakness, with a "clink," he stabbed the Tensa Zangetsu in his hand into the ice in front of him.
He unhurriedly fished a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, most of which were soaked in seawater, picked out one that was barely smokable, put it in his mouth, and with a "click," lit his lighter.
Deep breath, into the lungs, exhale.
White smoke dispersed between the two.
"Patrick Redfield." Tatsuki looked down at the man who gave even the World Government a headache.
"You are strong, like a monster. If you had teammates, even just one, the ones lying here today might have been us."
Hearing this, a mocking sneer appeared on Redfield's pale lips, his voice raspy yet still arrogant. "A loss is a loss, brat. No need to insult me with such flattery. Only the weak need to huddle together, the truly strong have always walked alone."
"Walked alone?"
Tatsuki flicked the ash from his cigarette, a hint of faint pity in his eyes.
"That's because you're still young. You can still swing that broken umbrella of yours, and you can still rely on this Haki to run rampant."
"But what about ten years from now? Twenty years from now?"
Tatsuki took a step forward, his voice lowering, every word accurately piercing into the deepest and most feared weakness in Redfield's heart.
"When you're old, when you can't swing your umbrella anymore, when your Haki begins to fade, and when you've even lost all your teeth... who will block the blades of those young, ambitious people for you?"
"Roger has Rayleigh and Gaban, that old man Whitebeard has a ship full of foolish sons willing to take a blade for him, and even a fool like Shiki has an entire Sky Fleet to use as cannon fodder."
"And you, Aloof Red, on the day you become old and weak and fall from your throne, on this vast sea, will there be a single person who cares whether you live or die?"
Redfield's crimson pupils suddenly contracted.
Those hands, which had not wavered even when facing the combined attack of the Three Future Admirals, actually trembled slightly at this moment.
Aging.
This was the greatest nightmare of his life.
He pursued the ultimate personal military power, trusted no one, formed no alliances, and took no crew members. But precisely because of this, he feared aging more than anyone else, feared the loss of power, and knew even better what a desolate end would await him once he grew old.
"It seems I've hit the mark." Tatsuki grinned, revealing his fangs.
"What you seek is power that reigns supreme over everything. But this human shell limits you. It will age, and it will decay."
"Do you want to break free from these shackles?"
"Do you want to transcend humanity, gain true immortality, and possess youth that never fades?"
Redfield's breathing suddenly stopped as he stared intently at Tatsuki. "What... what are you talking about?"
"Mythical Zoan, Bat-Bat Fruit, Model: Vampire."
Tatsuki slowly spat out those words, slamming them against Redfield's heart.
"Eat it, and you will no longer be a mortal, but a king who walks in the dark night. You can restore your youth by sucking the blood of the strong. Your peak period will no longer be a short few decades, but forever."
Redfield's mind went blank.
Immortality!
That was the fruit of a god that he had dreamed of and searched for years in vain.
"You have this fruit?!"
For the first time, Redfield's voice lost its composure, carrying an undisguisable longing and tremor.
"Not right now." Tatsuki shrugged and said matter-of-factly.
The fire in Redfield's eyes cooled instantly, and killing intent surged once again.
"Are you playing me?"
"Don't be in a hurry."
Tatsuki pointed to his head with the finger holding the cigarette.
"But I know where it is, and I know how to get it. In this world, only I can help you get it. That is a priceless treasure, Redfield."
Tatsuki held up a finger, revealing his true intentions. "Ten years."
"Be my shadow for ten years. That four-billion-berries bill will also be written off."
"I don't need you to be my dog. I just need you to deal with the trash that is inconvenient for 'justice' to handle in the darkness."
"Ten years later, I will personally offer this devil fruit and return your freedom."
"At that time, whether you want to go and overturn Mary Geoise or be a ruler, it's all up to you."
"Of course..."
Tatsuki's tone changed, and the warmth in his eyes vanished instantly.
"You can also refuse and maintain your ridiculous solitary pride."
"And then, be turned into roasted meat by Sakazuki right now."
A deathly silence enveloped this broken ice field.
The veins on Sakazuki's temples throbbed, and the magma on his fist dripped onto the ice, making a piercing sizzling sound.
"Tatsuki! Do you know what you're saying?!" Sakazuki finally couldn't help it anymore, stepping out in a fit of rage.
"Making a deal with a pirate? Even giving him a Devil Fruit?! This is a desecration of justice!"
Tatsuki turned around slowly and said coldly in a voice only the four of them could hear, "Sakazuki, a brain is a good thing. I hope you use yours too."
"Kill him, and we only get a corpse and a few words of commendation. But will the pirates on this sea decrease? No."
"But if we put a collar on this lone wolf and have him bite other wolves to death?"
"Use evil to wipe out evil, use darkness to swallow darkness. If you don't get your hands dirty, how can you expect to climb to the highest point to implement your Absolute Justice?"
"Or do you plan to be an Admiral who only knows how to kill on command for the rest of your life?"
Sakazuki's body froze.
He looked into Tatsuki's bottomless black eyes, where the ambition was hotter than magma and darker than the abyss.
"Using black... to nurture white..."
Sakazuki gritted his teeth and with difficulty spat out the theory Tatsuki had once instilled in him.
In the end, his boiling magma fist slowly extinguished with endless reluctance.
He acquiesced.
Redfield took in this entire scene. He looked at the young Marine before him. That face was young, greedy, and filled with undisguised ambition.
A Marine?
No, this guy was purer than the worst pirate.
But... that was eternal youth.