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Redfield didn't hear a word Arthur said. He looked old, a withered husk radiating an aura of decay. Lying flat on the deck, he looked like a man who was already dead.
His consciousness was completely submerged in a deep, regenerative sleep to heal his wounds.
"Whitebeard is the only legend left... the era is cold-blooded, isn't it?" Arthur looked down at the unresponsive Redfield and sighed.
Regardless of sentiment, Redfield couldn't be allowed to live. Yet, even for Arthur, killing a figure of such historical weight caused a flicker of emotion in his heart.
He had watched from the sidelines of the previous era as Roger climbed to the top. He had seen legends fade one by one and new monsters emerge, growing alongside the shifting tides of time.
The ocean absorbed every change.
Times change, and no one stays at the top forever. Perhaps one day, Arthur himself would become a legend, a name lost to the long river of history, while only the sea remained eternal.
Precisely because a human life is a mere blink compared to the heavens, people spend their limited years chasing a single moment of glory. That was the meaning of living.
"Hmph... save the fake sympathy, Thunder Emperor!" Byrnndi World let out a disdainful, cold laugh. "I spent eleven years in that hellhole of a prison, biting my tongue. The price for betrayal is death—I knew that going in!"
A man's ambition is an uncontrollable fire. Whatever debt of gratitude he owed Arthur for breaking him out of Impel Down had been paid in full over eleven years of expanding the empire's borders.
Any pirate with the heart of a conqueror could never truly kneel at another man's feet.
"You really are naive, World," Arthur said, his expression indifferent.
"You think I didn't see your little betrayal coming? I tolerated your games for so long because I wanted to see the look on your face—that exquisite expression of despair and helplessness—when your decade of planning was cruelly shattered."
"To put it bluntly, you were just a tool for my amusement. Did you actually think you were a player? You aren't even in the same league as Redfield."
"You...!" World clutched the wound Shiryu had carved into him, his eyes bulging as he shook with pure, impotent rage.
"From the first moment I saw you, I'd already placed a reservation on that More-More Fruit. So, do me a favor... and die."
Arthur leaned down, grabbed World, Gairam, and Redfield, and tossed them into the ocean like garbage. He pulled three apples from his cloak and followed them down into the water.
The move sent a jolt of terror through Morgans. With Redfield and World handled, he was next on the chopping block. Stussy was standing right there, making it impossible to run. He stood rooted to the spot, drenched in a cold sweat.
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Redfield was truly gone. In his deep sleep, he never woke up. Arthur killed him without a shred of mercy, turning the legend into a memory.
He didn't go out in a blaze of glory under the eyes of the world; he died as he had lived—traveling a lonely path. He had sailed the seas without a crew, and he vanished in silence. Even in death, there was no one to mourn him.
That was the price of the solitary path.
World and his subordinate, Gairam, met the same end. Their powers were transferred into the apples, which transformed into Devil Fruits once more as Arthur claimed his harvest.
Arthur returned to the shore in silence, his mood dark. He could see his own future reflected in the deaths of these men.
"Stussy, gut him," Arthur said, casting a casual glance at Morgans before turning to walk toward the Thunder God Temple.
Sensing Jessica's presence inside, he found himself craving a good meal.
"Wait! Thunder Emperor!!"
The look in Arthur's eyes—the way he looked at him like a bothersome insect—stung Morgans to the core. He shouted desperately, trying to buy back his life.
"I have intel on the Op-Op Fruit! I'll trade the Op-Op Fruit's location for my life!!"
"Oh?" Arthur stopped in his tracks. He narrowed his eyes at the oversized "News Bird," and a crushing aura instantly slammed into Morgans.
Regardless of whether the intel was true or false, Arthur had to know. That fruit was his ultimate prize.
"A Marine traitor... the Barrels Pirates in the North Blue have the Op-Op Fruit! They're using Doflamingo's underground network to broker a deal with the World Government. They want five billion Berries, and the transaction happens in a month!! If there's even a single error in this report, you can kill me whenever you want!"
Under the weight of Arthur's pressure, Morgans spilled every detail he knew, terrified that a bolt of lightning was about to strike him dead.
"North Blue. The Barrels Pirates. Doflamingo's brokerage?"
The moment he heard the details, Arthur knew the intel was 100% accurate—it matched his memories perfectly.
His heart raced with the same ecstatic thrill he felt when he first ascended to the sky islands. No one understood how much this single fruit meant for his future.
"It's finally out in the open... I've been waiting years for this!"
Arthur was nearly manic with excitement. It was as if he could already hear the footsteps of the countless powerful enemies waiting to ambush him on the road ahead. He looked at Morgans, who was shivering like a helpless chick.
"Well done. You're smarter than you look. This intel is worth a dozen of your lives!!"
Forget one life; the patterns on the Op-Op Fruit were worth more than ten of Morgans.
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Inside the Thunder God Temple, the High Command Meeting began!
Though Redfield, World, and Bill were missing, the atmosphere was electric. Arthur's return had given everyone a sense of purpose. After clearing out the invaders, they had been summoned immediately.
The roster was present: Jessica, Vegapunk, Chinjao, Shiryu, Avalo Pizarro, Catarina Devon, Vasco Shot, Foxy, San Juan Wolf (who stood in the sea due to his size), and a very awkward Morgans.
"I'd like to introduce Stussy. From now on, she'll be handling all the administrative and logistical affairs for the Thunder God Pirates," Arthur said, gesturing to the smiling Stussy.
A woman who could manage the Pleasure District was naturally more capable than this group of brutes when it came to running an empire.
Arthur didn't doubt her loyalty for a second. Rulers are inherently suspicious; once the Five Elders realized Stussy had emerged from the Rainbow Mist with him unscathed, they would never trust her again.
Even if they did, the World Government wouldn't dare start a war with the Thunder God Pirates without preparing to lose their top fighters. The Revolutionary Army was already turning the world upside down, and the Government had its hands full.
Stussy's presence made Jessica visibly jealous. She glared at the more glamorous woman like she was a thief. Even a fool could see the hostility burning in her eyes, and the shrewd Stussy certainly didn't miss it.
A murmur went through the hall as the captains looked at this newcomer with curiosity.
"Quiet!"
Arthur signaled for silence and scanned the room. "I'm heading out... This is extremely important, and I can't afford to waste a second. If anyone is stupid enough to challenge us while I'm gone... Shiryu, kill every last one of them."
"Captain, you just got back and you're leaving already?" Shiryu asked.
"I've been waiting ten years for this," Arthur replied. "And it's finally time."
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