This novel is finished, and I have posted all the advanced chapters on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
As a hunter, how could his methods possibly be that simple?
Up to this point, Shiji had only displayed his ability to create seawater, along with an extremely fast, extremely powerful, and extremely tenacious physique. Sea Crystal's offense and defense could be considered an extension of that; after all, seawater had to exist first for it to be created, so it didn't really count as anything special.
However, he had just made it clear that Imu's arrival in this world was something he had personally orchestrated. The purpose, unsurprisingly, was to allow him to revive as he had now.
But at the same time, he had also revealed something else: while he could influence who came, he couldn't fully control what came. At best, he could only influence the opponent's strength.
The Devil Fruits created by Imu's true body originated from this world, and were therefore restrained by the world's god-symbol, the "Ocean." That he lost to her back then was understandable.
But what if the one who came had been a different kind of god?
What confidence did Shiji have that his plan would still succeed?
So Rowen was certain of one thing: this guy must have had some method to ultimately decide victory or defeat!
The enemy's greed was one such method.
Even if she couldn't defeat her opponent, as long as the enemy coveted Shiji's divine power and came to the Temple to plunder it, their end would be just as miserable as that of Imu and himself.
This exploited a weakness of human nature.
But human nature was unpredictable.
What if the enemy neither coveted nor plundered?
Thus, the second contingency was born…
pū chī… creak!!
Muscles were torn and ground apart. Dragging his severed leg, Rowen pulled back, staring at the two Shijis standing side by side in front of him. The corner of his mouth twitched.
Why did it feel like clones were becoming cheaper and cheaper?
Imu had one shadow clone per Devil Fruit. He himself could control lightning to form clones. And now Shiji, he had clones too?
Huh?
Wait, something wasn't right!
Rowen focused his gaze. This clone was different.
Imu's clones were, strictly speaking, extensions, extensions of his true body. His own clones were illusions, illusions outlined by lightning.
But this one…
"It's actually a living person!"
Breathing, heartbeat, muscle tremors, everything was vivid and real under Observation Haki. Unlike Shiji's true body, which was constructed from Seastone and Sea Crystal, this was a genuine human body!
And,
Damn it, it was someone familiar!
Looking at that vaguely familiar face partially obscured by the glow of surging energy, Rowen sucked in a sharp breath.
"Silvers… Rayleigh!!!"
The newcomer was none other than the "right hand of the Pirate King," Silvers Rayleigh, who had been transferred to the Ark prison after being defeated years ago in a joint siege by Rowen, Kizaru, and Bald Zero, and then imprisoned in the Holy Land!
Rowen didn't resent Bald Zero too much for keeping this from him. Back then, he had only been a Marine Vice Admiral. As one of CP0's two absolute trump cards, backed by the Celestial Dragons, Bald Zero had simply considered Rowen's status insufficient to be informed.
After all, their plan at the time had been to use the fact that Rayleigh was still alive as bait for the Revolutionary Army, either to lure them into action to recover the stolen Uranus research materials, or to secretly exchange them back. If they could also ambush the Revolutionary Army in the process, all the better. Naturally, the fewer people who knew, the better.
But Dragon was clearly a man playing the long game. Even knowing that Rayleigh hadn't actually died as publicly announced, he resisted the urge to storm the prison and refused negotiations.
But…
Why was Rayleigh here?
And where was the Ark?
At the same time, out in space, an Ark aircraft suddenly erupted in flames. The massive vessel immediately listed to one side. Under the direction of senior officers, soldiers rushed to extinguish the fire and make repairs, chaos breaking out across the ship.
Rayleigh was still the Rayleigh everyone knew, except now his body was suffused with immense energy fluctuations, of the same origin as Shiji's.
Rowen had felt this same sensation on someone else before.
"Sea King!"
Not the Sea King whose body had later been occupied, but Princess Shirahoshi herself.
Just like the Mermaid clan, the Silvers household likewise possessed a bloodline power originating from a god!
And what's more, it was completely under Shiji's control!
When other methods failed, the descendants of the Silvers household would use this power to personally bring the prey that arrived in this world before Shiji, helping him revive.
"…So it's already been eight hundred years since her failure?"
At that moment, Shiji placed his hand atop Rayleigh's head and slowly closed his eyes.
He had only just awakened and knew nothing of the changes in the outside world. But through this contingency he had arranged long ago, he gradually came to understand what had happened.
"Forbidden ancient knowledge? The Void Century? The Pirate King?"
"All petty tricks!"
Everything Imu had arranged in order to seize the world was never meant for the long term; it was merely to maintain an existing balance until his goal was achieved, nothing more.
Viewed from Shiji's perspective, such methods really did amount to nothing more than clever little schemes.
As he commented, Shiji's expression suddenly darkened.
"You vile beast!"
Although Rayleigh knew many secrets that could be considered top-level classified information, he had never found any record concerning Shiji himself.
And that was the strangest part of all!
Shiji believed that, at the very least, he should be regarded as a tragic hero in the eyes of ordinary people. Back then, when the colossal beast descended, the world would have already been destroyed if not for his intervention.
However, even on Laugh Tale, the very origin point of the eight hundred years of history, there were only records about her.
There was nothing about him. Nothing about Shiji!
It was as if he had never existed in history at all, his very existence had been completely erased.
"No wonder I was never activated for eight hundred years… you betrayed me!"
Shiji's eyes spun wildly as a killing intent filled with despair erupted uncontrollably.
After all, there was only one person capable of doing this!
The very chess piece he had personally chosen back then, the saintess who acted in his stead to wield divine power!
After Shiji fell into slumber, the saintess who ascended to power turned the tables. The very first thing she did was order the complete eradication of all records about him, burning books and silencing scholars.
The "switch" within the Silvers household required divine power feedback to activate, just like how it had now been awakened by Shiji himself.
But back then, the only person who possessed that power… was her.
Clearly, if she hadn't already decided to betray him and feared his revival, the ancestors of the Silvers family would have acted eight hundred years ago.
And after she herself was sealed away, the Silvers household never again had a chance to awaken.
"Speaking of which, I should actually thank you, 'Soryu (Azure Dragon)' Rowen, was it?"
Suddenly, the killing intent vanished completely.
Shiji looked at Rowen and curled his lips into a smile.
"Imu couldn't deal with her, and she couldn't break free from the seal. But Imu ultimately held the initiative, gradually gnawing away at the world's origin… If not for your arrogance in dragging Imu here from the Admiral level, what would this world have become? What would I have become? That's anyone's guess."
"So, before I kill you, do you have any last wishes? I can fulfill them for you."
"Heh. I knew you wouldn't be that kind."
Rowen straightened up and reached toward his body, only to realize that his clothes had already been shredded to pieces during the battle.
Helplessly, he took out another cigar from his ring and lit it. After a brief pause, Rowen smiled.
"Rayleigh's been cut off from the outside world for a long time, so he probably doesn't know that I once said something."
"Oh? And what was that?"
"This world doesn't need gods."
"Hahahahahahaha!!"
Shiji suddenly burst into laughter, laughing so hard tears nearly came out.
"I've only ever seen people climb upward, never seen anyone willingly roll downhill…"
Shua!
A cold killing intent surfaced once more. Fixing Rowen with a pair of emotionless eyes, Shiji asked:
"Do you really think you still count, as a mortal?"
He deliberately dragged out the words, his disdain for Rowen's thinking plain to see.
Even a great heretic, once successful, would undergo a decisive transformation in the very nature of life, becoming fundamentally different from mortals.
No need for gods?
Yet you yourself have already stepped into the realm of godhood!
But as he laughed, Shiji suddenly couldn't laugh anymore.
Rowen's expression hadn't changed in the slightest.
He wasn't joking.
Even now, he still firmly held that belief.
"Self-degradation, what a wicked heart!"
"Heh. You're the same!"
Refusing to back down, Rowen locked eyes with the two terrifyingly powerful enemies. In the very next second, he bent low and charged forward, striking first.
(End of Chapter)