Facing Shiranami Hakusei's sincere gaze, the dying embers in Bundy Wald's heart flared back to life.
"Fine! Since you insist, then I'll oblige!" He wasn't one to overthink things. With a deep breath, he dropped into a combat stance.
Shiranami raised an eyebrow, his Lightning Shield already active.
"I won't move. If you can land a hit, you win."
…Huh?
Wald might have been grateful for being freed, but that didn't mean he was willing to let his pride be trampled. Hearing Shiranami speak with such arrogance, he lunged without hesitation!
Wald had eaten the Momo Momo no Mi, the More-More Fruit, which allowed him to increase the speed of any object up to 100 times depending on mastery.
At present, Wald could amplify speed up to 20 times. Even though he'd only developed one-fifth of its potential, his combat prowess was still terrifying.
His figure shot out with explosive speed, almost equal to Shiranami going all-out!
Wald unleashed a wild barrage of fists and kicks at Shiranami. His blows were so fast they left afterimages in the air. Even the powerful pirates watching couldn't help but praise him.
"This guy Wald is no joke. Even in the New World, he'd be a major threat."
"Not bad at all. Engaging him in close combat is definitely reckless."
"Heh, you don't know the half of it. Close combat is only half of Wald's strength. His real power is long-range artillery."
"Oh? Explain."
"Think about it, what happens when you fire a cannonball coated with Haki at twenty times the normal speed? You figure it out."
The crowd suddenly understood.
That really was insane.
As the outside world heaped praise on Wald's strength, only Wald himself knew just how miserable he felt inside.
He had one thought, and one thought only:
What the hell is this guy made of?!
This was just… broken. Ridiculous. Monstrous. No matter how he looked at it, it was unfair.
He'd gone all out for several minutes, yet hadn't managed to lay even a finger on the guy!
Even when he resorted to using Armament Haki, Shiranami's own Haki blocked him clean.
The man was completely unscathed.
Meanwhile, Shiranami was calmly testing the limits of his Lightning Shield.
"Looks like Haki-based attacks are still a challenge…"
After taking multiple Haki-empowered hits, his shield hadn't broken, but it had begun to distort under the pressure. If someone like Red-Haired Shanks were the one attacking, it probably wouldn't hold up.
"I'll need to find a way to enhance the shield's strength…"
While he was pondering upgrades,
Wald's frustration boiled over. His attacks slowed down, and their power waned until, finally, he stopped altogether.
"Forget it! I give up! Damn, that was just brutal, bro!"
As the dust cleared and his voice echoed through Level 6, the prisoners finally saw the scene:
Two figures, one calm and unfazed, the other defeated and slumped.
Damn!
All the elite pirates present had sharp eyes. They knew Wald had gone full throttle. Even with the smoke clouding the view, they were well aware, Shiranami never moved.
Ten minutes of continuous assault, and Shiranami remained untouched.
Even these battle-hardened legends were stunned.
None of them could say with confidence that they could take that kind of onslaught without moving.
Meanwhile, Shiranami casually patted the nonexistent dust off his shoulders, nodded with a faint smile, and said,
"You're pretty strong. So, what do you say? A bet's a bet, right?"
…Huh?
Pretty strong?
Everyone rolled their eyes. Are you serious?
Wald took a moment to collect himself, then looked up, eyes firm.
"I, Bundy Wald, pledge to follow the Captain!"
Boom!
That sent the entire prison block into a frenzy!
"Wald actually became that kid's subordinate?!"
"No kidding! Honestly, even I'm a little tempted…"
"Definitely strong!"
Immediately, a wave of bootlicking voices echoed through the level, hoping Shiranami might let them out too.
Shiranami ignored them completely.
Pleased, he helped Wald up. The two exchanged some light banter before Shiranami turned and walked toward the silent, motionless figure of the Red Count.
Redfield.
Shiranami had done his homework before transmigrating. He knew this man wasn't evil, just… cursed by a dangerous Devil Fruit. His defining trait wasn't his power but his Observation Haki.
Redfield had awakened it at just six years old, and it only grew stronger with age. As he grew older, his Observation Haki became almost prophetic.
Add in his Devil Fruit, when he drank someone's blood, he could return to his youthful peak, and you had a terrifying combo of skill and physical regeneration.
But that very gift had also been his curse.
It was because of this supreme Observation Haki that he had seen through too much cruelty in the world. Disillusioned, he chose to isolate himself, becoming bitter and reclusive.
However, as a man blessed with spoiler-level meta knowledge, Shiranami knew the truth, Redfield wasn't unwilling to work with others. He just didn't want to work with monsters with twisted hearts.
And most importantly: he hadn't yet obtained the Vampire Fruit.
So persuading him wasn't as hard as it seemed.
All he had to do was show true sincerity, a noble heart, and, of course, offer the right bait.
And with the strength he had just displayed, Shiranami was confident this recruitment would succeed.
Though Redfield sat silently with his eyes closed, he surely noticed Shiranami walking toward him.
Out of curiosity, the Red Count couldn't help himself. He silently activated his Observation Haki to probe the approaching figure.
But Shiranami had inherited Roger's peak-level Haki. The moment Redfield moved, Shiranami sensed it.
He grinned.
"Heh. Good. I was hoping you'd take a peek."
As long as Redfield made the first move, the rest would be easy.
Shiranami cleared his mind and projected nothing but sincerity, calm, and an upright spirit from his heart…
He felt Redfield's mood shift slightly.
Shiranami's eyes lit up. It was working.
Time to bring out the main course.
With practiced ease, he shattered Redfield's chains and stepped forward with a solemn tone.
"Red Count, have you made up your mind? Will you follow me?"
Redfield blinked.
"If you think I, someone who's lived his whole life alone, would be moved just because you let me out, and would follow you for that… then you've severely underestimated Baroric Redfield."
As soon as he finished speaking, a blast of Conqueror's Haki erupted from him, surging toward Shiranami.
Shiranami simply smiled and waved a hand, unleashing his own Conqueror's Haki in return.
Roger's Haki. The Pirate King's will.
Even someone as formidable as Redfield couldn't suppress it.
But Shiranami had no desire to crush him.
He matched Redfield's pressure, and with a final, precise push, their twin waves of Haki clashed violently,
BOOM!
The shockwave tore through the room.
Neither of them flinched, but the spectators staggered back several steps from the sheer force.
"Damn! He actually overpowered Redfield?" the Evil Governor King exclaimed.
"This is nuts! How can a kid have this kind of power? What does that say about the rest of us old-timers?" muttered Big Barrel, shaking his head in disbelief.
Shiranami, meanwhile, just shrugged modestly.
But inside, he was ecstatic.
Holy hell, this combo of Third Raikage's body and Roger's Haki is ridiculously overpowered!
Redfield stood in silence for a moment, then let out a quiet, weary sigh.
"I've already got one foot in the grave. I wouldn't be much help to you. You'd be better off asking someone else."
Shiranami's eyes sparkled.
Opportunity spotted.
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter