Big Mom was equally displeased. "Kaido, after dying once, you've certainly become quite sharp-tongued."
Kaido ignored Whitebeard and Big Mom's remarks and turned to Ren. "Actually, besides that, I have something else—"
"What is it?"
Kaido scratched his cheek, his gaze falling toward the ground below, seemingly looking through the roof at Straw Hat and the others celebrating their victory.
"I lost the war against the Straw Hat crew and those samurai. My subordinates probably won't have a good end either."
"Since I'll be working under you, I'm short on manpower. I hope you can take my fallen subordinates along as well."
Hearing this, Big Mom immediately caught on and said to Ren, "My son Perospero is also down there. I don't know what's become of him, but if he... I hope you can bring him here too."
Ren had naturally already considered the issues raised by Kaido and Big Mom.
He hadn't just brought Shisui and the others with him on this trip.
"Don't worry. My subordinate is already active below. She will collect the souls of your deceased subordinates."
Among the subordinates of the Four Emperors, there were many powerful individuals worth recruiting.
While Ren was subduing Kaido and Big Mom on the roof, Amanai Riko, who was now proficient in using the 'Kiritsugu' ability, was below gathering the fallen souls.
Quite some time had passed since he began convincing Kaido and Big Mom.
Since he was now able to manifest his Zanpakutō's ability, Riko must have nearly finished her work below.
Ren and the others did not wait long.
A faint whistling sound approached, and a young girl's figure leapt from the hole in the roof. Using Shunpo, she flickered and appeared before Ren in the blink of an eye.
"Lord Ren, the soul collection below is complete."
"They have all agreed to serve under you and have successfully entered into contracts." Ren looked at Amanai Riko, who had run to him as if seeking praise, and nodded slightly.
"Well done."
Hearing this, Amanai Riko scratched her head, a bashful smile on her face.
"It's nothing, it's nothing! It's just what I should do, hehe."
After Amanai Riko, dozens more figures leapt out of the hole.
Ren looked over to see several Uchiha with crimson eyes holding Kidō ropes, followed by souls they were leading up.
These people were men and women of all heights and sizes.
Once they reached the roof and steadied themselves, they looked around until they saw the most prominent figures standing in the distance: Whitebeard, Kaido, and Big Mom.
"Pops! And Ace! I can't believe I'm really seeing you again. That Reaper girl wasn't lying to me!"
"Lord Kaido, it really is you!"
"Mama, I'm sorry. I lost."
Seeing their former leaders, the crowd immediately swarmed forward, surrounding the three of them.
A glamorous man with a topknot had tears shimmering in his eyes, his gaze reflecting the figures of Whitebeard and Ace.
"Pops, Ace, to be able to see you again... sniff... it's wonderful!"
"Izo, it really is you!"
Ace's face lit up with surprise before turning to grief.
Whitebeard looked at Izo, a flash of sorrow crossing his expression.
"Izo... so that's it. You fell in this war as well..."
Izo wiped away his tears and smiled. "It's nothing. What matters more is being with you after death, Pops."
He suddenly remembered something and said, "By the way, Pops, Ace—Marco and I both fought in this battle. I didn't see him here, so he must still be alive and well."
Ace wiped the tears from his eyes and chuckled at Izo's words. "Marco's ability is quite rare. There's no way it's his turn to die."
To the side, Big Mom was also surrounded by her eldest son, who was in soul form.
"Perospero, it seems you've died too."
"Mama, I'm sorry. I lost to that cat demon."
"It doesn't matter. Being able to see you after death is enough."
Compared to the deep emotional bonds of the other two, Kaido's side was much more blunt.
A giant man standing eight meters tall approached Kaido, looking like a child who had made a mistake, his face full of guilt.
"Lord Kaido, I'm sorry. I was no match for that dog."
"It's not your fault, Jack. Your opponent was simply too strong."
Beside this Lead Performer of the Beasts Pirates were the pirates who had died in this battle.
Facing Kaido, each one was uneasy, their expressions full of fear that they would be blamed.
Kaido took in their expressions and waved his hand.
"At this point, even I have been defeated. What more could you have done?"
"If anything, dying in this war means you've already done right by me."
"You did well, boys! Wororororo!"
Kaido's laughter held a strangely liberated quality.
Ren surveyed the area, recognizing the various figures appearing before him one by one.
Jack the Drought, the magician Hawkins, Big Mom's eldest son Perospero, and Whitebeard's son Izo—
These were all powerhouses who had shaken the world of pirates, and now they were all under his command.
"
Ren couldn't help but nod to himself. The harvest was quite good; it hadn't been a waste to bring so many people along.
An Uchiha approached Ren and knelt. "Lord Ren, we found a corpse on the roof with the soul still inside."
"On the roof?"
Ren said to Amanai Riko, "Go take a look. If they're useful, keep them."
After Riko followed the Uchiha over, Ren felt the 'Kiritsugu' ability activate smoothly.
Before long, she brought back an odd-looking middle-aged man.
The man wore a white suit with an overcoat draped over his shoulders. His face was pale as if painted white, and his eyes were mismatched—one black and one white.
Looking at the man's appearance, Ren remembered him.
"It's you, the one from CP0."
"Yes... my lord."
The man seemed quite restrained as he stood before Ren.
Ren remembered that during the fight between Luffy and Kaido, this man had suddenly intervened, disrupting their battle. In the end, he was crushed by an enraged Kaido's club.
His last words were: "Iron Body!"
Ren waved him away, dismissing him after the brief meeting.
The CP0 agent looked at the pirates around him and tried to lower his profile, only to spot a former colleague in the same state.
"Guernica, you died too."
"Maha, we both entered this war with missions. There's no difference."
Seeing that the souls had all arrived, Ren called Whitebeard over.
"Newgate, take these people back to the Yellow Springs City."
"I'll leave it to you to keep them in line. Don't let them cause any trouble."
Whitebeard gave a confident smile. "Leave it to me. There won't be any problems."
Standing beside Whitebeard, Izo looked curiously at the legendary master of the afterlife before looking away.
He whispered to Ace, "Ace, is this the new boss Pops found after dying?"
"That's right. The Big Boss's name is Ren, or Shihoin Ren," Ace nodded. "He might look a bit somber, but he's actually a good person at heart."
"Enma? Like King Enma?"
"The pronunciation is similar, but his position in the afterlife is pretty much the same as King Enma's anyway."
"I see."
Whitebeard accepted the task readily, and Ren naturally trusted him.
Without further word, Ren beckoned Shisui and walked toward the hole in the roof.
"Shisui, follow me."
"There's one more matter I want to handle while we're here."
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]