Sage retracted his hand, his eyes as calm as a still well, as if this was only natural.
"You..."
Maroni wanted to say something more, but his eyes suddenly widened, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"This shouldn't be, it shouldn't be, why are you so strong!" His voice was hoarser than before.
"Isn't it natural for me to be strong? Have you stayed in Impel Down for so long that your brain has gone dull?"
Sage looked down at him and said, "You seem to not understand. The main reason I've been able to hold this place for half a year is because I'm strong enough. You couldn't hold it because, in my eyes... you're too weak."
"Your physique is weak, so when I hit you, you die. Your Haki is weak, so you can't last a few exchanges with me. Even if you develop your ability remarkably, it's just one ability."
Sage pointed a thumb at himself, proudly saying, "I'm a triple threat!"
To surpass is to crush.
The North Star Divine Fist, although almost turned into 'True Damage' across the seas, is still fatal for those with a weak physique; one punch may not explode them instantly, but it brings them close to death.
This guy is the same.
"No, it can't be, it can't..."
Maroni's body hunched more and more, but at this moment, his aura was intense, "Not enough, the time is not enough, I haven't prepared, and it shouldn't be you who kills me..."
"Heinrich..."
Like a somniloquy, he murmured, painfully lifting his head, his face flushed with blood, "You think you've won!"
"The sea is merciless! You can never win in the end, no matter how strong you are, you'll grow old, and there'll come a day when you die, and then you'll still fail!"
"No one can win in the end; only legacy can! The tradition on the seas is correct; the will of generational inheritance is eternal!"
He extended his trembling hand, his eyes turning crimson, "Time is not enough, I can't die now, this place needs someone to inherit my will to protect it to ensure the homeland..."
To ensure the homeland is no longer invaded by people like Sage!
Once, when he became a pirate, he too protected his homeland.
Becoming a pirate was because there were too many pirates around. He could only become a pirate to deal with them. Later, as his fame grew, he gradually lost his original intention and began to covet this land.
Later, after being defeated by Whitebeard, he realized it, but it was already too late.
Whitebeard took over his territory, and Maroni didn't think of taking it back. First, he had no face to, and second... not long after, he was captured by Garp.
In prison, he occasionally heard rumors about Whitebeard, knowing that he was getting stronger and feeling more at ease himself.
Until half a year ago...
Died!
The guy who should have remained strong in his eyes eventually died, and with his death, his territory fell into chaos again, including his homeland, Celent.
Back then, Maroni realized, the notion of escaping prison urged him out, but looking at the state of his homeland, he truly made up his mind.
Going back to protect... that was also disgraceful, plus mere protection was futile; the cruelty of the sea cannot be handled by protection alone. Whitebeard showed him with his experience that it would cause trouble.
Before having enough strength, don't set sail, don't expose it!
As long as this place is turned into a Country of Fear, no one will approach, nor will anyone inside go out. Continuous training would one day produce someone who would surpass him.
The one he had high hopes for was that boy named Heinrich, mixed-blood like him with long arms and legs.
The plan was already thought out: keep training continuously, as long as before his death, someone could surpass him.
Using fear to cultivate enemies, as long as someone can overthrow him, they surely can lead others to continue surviving.
By then, it could use the mist ability, forcing the chosen one into a hallucination. Just find a way to swallow the person alive, and they'd definitely gain the ability!
Devil Fruit, he had researched it too.
For the powerful ability users, eating a second Devil Fruit wouldn't be problematic because it would be directly expelled. In other words... if the devil can't possess the body, it will escape.
And for ordinary people, if they don't have a Devil Fruit, there's another way.
Swallow alive!
The fruit hosting the devil is called the Devil Fruit, and a person hosting a devil... essentially the same.
Just swallow it. Once swallowed, the ability can be inherited by someone, and at that time, the chosen person would definitely understand.
Because the sea is really too cruel.
But now, that day will never come, a sudden intruder shattered his scheme.
"I, I..."
Maroni glared viciously at Sage, clenching his teeth, as his will surged, which made Sage shake his head and say:
"It's useless if your body can't keep up. I've never seen a dead person with willpower. Even the Pirate King was just dead after beheading."
"Give up. I don't care what you want to do. You just need to know you're now a candle in the wind, easily extinguished, like this..."
Sage flicked his thumb, sending a threadlike Haki crashing to Maroni's forehead, causing him to tilt back, ceasing all breath.
Dead is dead, why struggle so much.
He wasn't much interested in listening to or witnessing people's stories. His trigger for becoming a pirate was Ennio, that deadbeat Lily's father using life to tell him stories.
"On the sea, there are dreams and will, and there are regrets... and you're not the only one."
Sage looked at Maroni, who kneeled back, eyes wide open and unseeing, and sighed, "Everyone dies with regrets; to die without any is an impossible feat. So your death isn't too disgraceful, dying at my hands is better than dying by some nobody."
"Sage."
Just as he finished, Lily quickly landed with Moon Step, glanced at Maroni, and paused, "Is he 'Fear of the Mist' Maroni?"
"Do you know him?" Sage asked.
Lily recounted Hawkins' words, and Sage nodded, "I knew he was outdated, but I didn't expect him to be eliminated so early... Looks like he went in his twenties, never mind, it's not important."
"Indeed, it's not important. I have good news."
Lily said, "A kid said there's a gold mine here."
Hearing this, Sage laughed heartily, "Very good indeed! A gold mine, great, I love that kind of thing! That kid should be rewarded, reward him generously!"
He patted Lily's back and walked back, "Take me to the gold mine, where is it..."
Before finishing, he suddenly paused, instinctively turning his head towards the sea, his eyes' red dots nearly spiraling.
He saw...
...
"Attack!!"
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!!!
A large number of cannonballs launched simultaneously with more Peacekeepers deploying. As the cannonballs and Peacekeepers attacked indiscriminately, the Death Star left behind had no time to sail away, the entire ship blasted apart and split.
...
"Quite daring!"
Sage's eyes burst into red, covering the entire sockets. He stepped forward, rushing rapidly toward the direction of the parked Death Star.
Seeing...
That brief future!