Yasopp represented William's ultimate trump card—an insurance policy for absolute victory.
In the confrontation with Golden Lion Shiki, William would have preferred to defeat the legendary pirate through his own strength. However, true to his calculating nature, William never allowed overconfidence to cloud his judgment.
Despite Shiki's evident decline and the problems plaguing his organization, he remained the same legendary pirate who once stood as an equal to Gol D. Roger and Edward Newgate. William would have been foolish to underestimate such a figure.
Why had William deliberately chosen to battle Shiki during a thunderstorm? Not merely because the rain enhanced his Steam-Steam Fruit abilities, but primarily because he understood Shiki's psychological vulnerability to such weather. The lightning-filled sky and howling winds would force Shiki to restrict the mobility granted by his Float-Float Fruit, limiting his movement range to reduce the risk of lightning strikes.
This constraint created the perfect opportunity for Yasopp's marksmanship—a skill that bordered on the supernatural. The only variables William and Yasopp couldn't fully predict were the extraordinary mobility of Shiki's Devil Fruit and the defensive capabilities of his Haki.
But as the battle reached its climax, with the once-mighty lion's will and stamina at their lowest ebb, Yasopp's single shot served as the death knell—the final toll of the funeral bell marking the end of Golden Lion Shiki.
The confident sniper had already instructed all of William's forces to return to the airship before taking his shot.
As the islands continued their inexorable descent, William struggled to gather his remaining strength. He activated his elemental transformation to hover in mid-air, pushing off with his feet in an attempt to escape the falling landmass. His depleted state made even Moonwalk impossible, leaving his aerial movement painfully slow.
A figure approached rapidly through the air—Yasopp, effortlessly executing Moonwalk to reach William's side. Without hesitation, he hoisted his captain onto his back and carried him swiftly to the waiting airship.
Once safely aboard, William finally had the opportunity to examine the cascade of information from the Plaza of Fate that had flooded his mind following Shiki's death.
[Turning the Tide]: You resisted the allure of joining the legendary pirate Golden Lion Shiki, choosing instead to defy him to the end, defeating him and thwarting his plans.
Target: "Golden Lion" Shiki (Deceased)
Mission Reward: Special Trait Heart of Iron
Heart of Iron: Through rigorous training and battle experience, your will has become as unyielding as steel. In moments of need, this will manifests as tangible power.
Achievement Trait Acquired: Lionheart
Lionheart: Against overwhelming odds, you shattered Golden Lion Shiki's ambitions. Whether you embrace it or not, this deed has marked you as extraordinary, fundamentally altering your destiny.
Following the acquisition of the Lionheart achievement, William's original special trait Heroic Aura began to transform.
Heroic Aura: Your destiny is one in ten thousand. Your unique charisma makes your every action captivating to others.
The text gradually blurred before reshaping into new words.
Overlord: You possess the qualities of a true ruler—traits found in perhaps one among millions. You are destined for greatness. Your every word and action draws attention and admiration, making it far easier to inspire unwavering loyalty in others.
Similarly, the special trait Gekokujō underwent its own metamorphosis.
Gekokujō: Your fierce ambition cannot tolerate others standing above you. Neither reputation, rank, nor superior strength can intimidate you.
It transformed into World-Swallowing Aura.
World-Swallowing Aura: The combination of your kingly qualities and boundless ambition has cultivated an extraordinary presence. A mere glance from you can make others tremble with fear, sweat pouring from their brows.
Background Trait Acquired: Miracle Under the Sky
Miracle Under the Sky: Seventeen years after Sea Circle Calendar 1496, the "Sky Lord" Golden Lion Shiki has once again fallen to a man from the East Blue, meeting his end beneath eastern skies. Some view your victory as a harbinger of a new generation of heroes rising to shape the world in the Great Pirate Era. Others see Shiki's demise as the final curtain call for an aging epoch. Regardless of how the world interprets this battle or what future it portends, one certainty remains—your name has transformed from obscurity to worldwide renown!
Grand Line, New World, Dressrosa.
One year earlier, Donquixote Doflamingo had successfully installed himself and his family as rulers of this nation, reclaiming the throne that had historically belonged to the Donquixote lineage.
A change in leadership inherently introduces uncertainty to diplomatic relations with neighboring countries—especially when the new ruler is someone as domineering as Doflamingo. Rather than working to stabilize these relationships, the man who simultaneously held the titles of Celestial Dragon, Shichibukai, and King of Dressrosa actively destabilized them. Through overt and covert means, he leveraged his status, power, words, and economic influence to foment regional tensions, creating an atmosphere of crisis that forced nations into an escalating arms race—a race from which he profited handsomely by selling weapons.
This trajectory would inevitably lead to conflict. Eventually, some nation would buckle under the ever-increasing, seemingly endless military expenditures and fire the first shot, igniting full-scale war.
Yet Doflamingo, the architect of this brewing catastrophe, felt no moral burden. In his worldview, great eras were like massive waves crashing against the shore, with ordinary people mere grains of sand swept away by the tide. To the world at large, their lives held no significance—they weren't even worth acknowledging, for countless such grains were destined to be swallowed by the sea with each wave.
Life was a brutal elimination tournament. Only those who remained after the waves had receded could influence the tides themselves. To survive until the final round, Doflamingo couldn't afford to concern himself with the fate of insignificant sand grains.
Doflamingo reclined leisurely on a poolside lounger, enjoying the bell-like laughter of young women nearby, when the sharp ring of a Transponder Snail shattered his tranquility.
Answering the call, his expression shifted subtly. He immediately excused himself from the crowded pool area and retreated to his private study.
There, Trebol, a senior member of the Donquixote Family, had been waiting.
As soon as Doflamingo entered, Trebol approached with his characteristic hunched posture, presenting a sealed document. "Information from Vergo."
William wasn't the only one who viewed the Marines and World Government as obstacles to his ambitions. Nor was he alone in developing elaborate countermeasures.
Like William, Doflamingo had independently reached the same conclusion—the optimal strategy was to plant a high-ranking mole within the Marines.
Vergo was Doflamingo's nail driven deep into the heart of the Marine organization, positioned to deliver critical intelligence at pivotal moments. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
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