Everything around Aramaki had turned to powder.
The towering forest he'd summoned—wilted, crumbled, erased.
Ayr stood over him, his sword sheathed, eyes cold.
"So... you came to challenge me because of the World Government's conscription?"
Aramaki dropped to one knee, blood running down his face. "I… I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have challenged you!"
His voice trembled, but his thoughts raced:
This strength… it's unbelievable!
Before Ayr could speak again, applause echoed from the woods beyond the battlefield.
"Clap… clap… clap…"
A calm voice followed, full of both reverence and curiosity.
"Bravo… That was quite the show."
Ayr didn't move, but his gaze shifted.
From between the trees emerged a man in a purple kimono, wearing clogs, with a wooden cane in one hand and a blindfold wrapped around his eyes. Two long scars slashed across his face. Though blind, he moved with precision, as if the very earth guided his steps.
Aramaki looked up, stunned. "Another challenger…?"
The blind man smiled politely. "Forgive the interruption. I'm simply here to witness the strength of the man said to be unmatched at sea."
Ayr narrowed his eyes. "And what's your name?"
The blind man stopped walking and tapped his cane lightly on the ground. "The old man's name… is Issho. But people just call me Life."
He paused, then added with a faint smile, "Apologies. I've yet to introduce myself properly. Quite rude, I know."
Ayr tilted his head, intrigued. "You came all this way. What is it you want?"
"I came," Issho said firmly, "to confirm the rumors."
He turned his head slightly toward Ayr's direction.
"You are the man who defeated Rocks D. Xebec… stood against Gol D. Roger… and crushed the top four powerhouses of the Marines alone."
Aramaki's expression froze.
"What…? He beat Rocks? Roger? The four Admirals—by himself?!"
He turned toward Issho, disbelief in his voice. "Wait… How do you even know that? None of that is in the official records!"
Issho only smiled. "The winds carry more than just scent and salt, young man. Stories float across the sea. I listen."
He raised his face toward the sunless sky. "If a man like Ayr is not the strongest pirate alive, then who is?"
Aramaki's heart thumped hard in his chest.
Could I really have picked the worst possible opponent?
Still, he muttered: "He's that strong…? Then why don't more people talk about it?"
Issho nodded solemnly. "Because some truths are too heavy for the world to carry. The World Government buries what it fears."
Aramaki fell silent, and so did the forest.
Ayr finally spoke again, his voice low and calm.
"Why do you want to fight me?"
Issho gave a small laugh. "You misunderstand, Lord Ayr. I don't wish to fight you—not yet. I only wish to see… or rather, feel, the strength that bends legends."
He tilted his head. "Perhaps one day, I too will reach for that height."
Ayr didn't smile, but something in his aura softened—slightly.
"Very well," he said. "The next challenger will come soon enough. I'll grant you that chance when the time is right."
Issho bowed deeply. "Much appreciated."
Just then, Ayr turned to the pulverized remains of Aramaki's forest.
"All this… just for a chance to be noticed by the Celestial Dragons?"
Aramaki clenched his jaw but said nothing.
Ayr shook his head. "You wasted your shot chasing the approval of cowards."
He then glanced at the young Marine. "You're lucky I didn't cut your ambition in half."
Aramaki lowered his head, no longer arrogant.
Ayr looked toward the trees.
He could already feel the stirring of more challengers—those drawn by the fire of the World Conscription.
A seedling swayed gently on the ground, the last remnant of Aramaki's forest.
"Let the next one come," Ayr said quietly. "I'll still be here."
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