"Kozuki Toki, are you feeling better now? Do we need to go back and rest?"
Toki shook her head. "No. I feel very good right now. Your vitality has recovered, which means I can take you back to any era in the past."
At her words, a spark of excitement flashed through Ritter's eyes.
"Any time?" he repeated softly, anticipation impossible to hide in his voice. "Does that mean we could even go back to… that far?"
Toki nodded slightly, her gaze gentle yet firm. "Yes. As long as you can provide enough vitality to sustain it, we can precisely lock onto any moment stored in your memories. It will not put too much strain on me. You can rest assured, Mr. Ritter, as long as your life force keeps flowing."
Ritter fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Once we return to the past, how long can we stay there?"
Toki considered this carefully. "The length of our stay depends on how fast your vitality is consumed. In theory, as long as your life force does not run dry, we could remain in the past indefinitely."
She paused, then added seriously, "However, every action and every change accelerates that consumption. Especially when you deviate from the original course of events, the cost increases exponentially. So, Mr. Ritter, try your best not to alter what is meant to happen. Or at the very least, make sure others subconsciously believe events unfolded as they were supposed to, just as I explained before."
Ritter nodded. "No problem, no problem. Kozuki Toki, don't worry. I have more than enough vitality."
He had killed countless enemies. Even when his strength was greatly diminished, he was still a killing machine in large-scale battles. He might not defeat top-tier opponents easily, but against weaker foes, his efficiency was terrifying.
Toki smiled faintly. "Exactly. With your abilities, supporting a short 'trip' like this should be more than sufficient."
Ritter took a deep breath. Blood mist gathered in his palm, condensing into a dazzling sphere of pure life energy. He looked at Toki, his tone firm and solemn. "Then let's begin. I want to go back to the day when the Golden Lion wreaked havoc at Marineford."
"As you wish, Mr. Ritter."
Ritter arrived on a small island near Marineford. He immediately swept the entire island with his Conqueror's Haki, confirming there were no threats. Then he set a perimeter of blood mist around Toki to ensure her safety.
"Kozuki Toki, please rest here for a moment. I will be back soon."
With that, Ritter turned and sped toward Marineford.
Boom! Crack!
Ritter stood atop a high cliff on the outskirts of Marineford. Dense fog wrapped around him, rendering him invisible.
"It's almost time…" he murmured, his gaze sweeping over the naval fleet anchored in the harbor. In his memories, his younger self should be hiding somewhere, waiting for the moment when the Golden Lion would unleash chaos upon the world.
Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared before his eyes.
Sixteen-year-old Ritter was crouched on the roof of a warehouse, the massive Black Tide sword resting casually on his shoulder, blood mist coiling around his body. The older Ritter could not help but smile.
"So he did come."
He had to admit it. He really was handsome back then. The more he looked, the more handsome he seemed, which slightly eased his future self's urge to slap his younger self across the face.
Below, the Golden Lion's wild laughter thundered across the battlefield. "Hahahaha! Sengoku, Garp! Today I'll show you what a real pirate looks like!"
Ritter watched as the floating islands under the Golden Lion's control crashed toward Marineford, explosions painting half the sky crimson. A faint smile curved his lips.
Yes. Perfect. The timing was just right.
"Heh heh, still as hot-tempered as ever… When I get the chance, I'll help you express your 'missed feelings' for Captain Roger. Wahahaha."
Ritter's voice was unusually relaxed.
The scene before him overlapped with memories from the past.
Back then, he had fought side by side with the Golden Lion, stirring chaos during the great battle. In his youth, his vitality had been boundless. Wherever Black Tide pointed, no one dared stand in his way. The blade had once threatened the future three admirals themselves, forcing them to hesitate while the Fleet Admiral was pinned down by the Golden Lion.
This description is for reference only. Please defer to the established canon within the story.
Now, he was merely an observer, quietly waiting for that familiar moment.
Alarms blared across Marineford. Sengoku's furious shouts, Garp's iron fists, Kong's roar. Everything unfolded exactly as history dictated. Ritter's gaze pierced through the smoke, locking onto the figure wielding Black Tide in the distance.
That was his younger self, battling three Marine admirals at once. Blood mist and Haki intertwined as his fighting spirit surged.
"…Truly exhilarating," Ritter chuckled softly and shook his head.
Back then, I…
Relying on illusions and swordsmanship, he had withdrawn unscathed from the admirals' encirclement, then secretly cooperated with the Golden Lion to leave Marineford utterly humiliated. Later, the Golden Lion was captured and imprisoned, while he himself escaped successfully.
That was power.
Suddenly, a golden beam of light sliced through the night sky, aiming straight for the space just behind the younger Ritter's heart.
"Borsalino. Still fond of sneak attacks," Ritter snorted.
He had been waiting for this moment. Waiting for his younger self to unleash his final move. He wanted to leave something behind for the "three pillars." Ritter knew that Pirate King Roger was being escorted personally by them, with Garp holding the defensive line. The three admirals were closest to Roger, and Ritter could not allow them to sense anything abnormal.
With his current strength, casting illusions on the three admirals would take no effort at all, as easy as picking up a pebble from the roadside. Leaving something behind was simply an extra measure of caution.
"Ice Age!"
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
"Ryusei Kazan!"
"Mist God Style: Final Slash!"
When the younger Ritter's Mist God Style Final Slash collided with the combined attacks of the three admirals, the air above Marineford seemed to freeze.
"Now."
Ritter flicked his finger. Three threads of blood mist, thin as hair, slipped silently into the smoke, drifting along with the shockwaves. They precisely wrapped around the admirals' wounds.
Sakazuki's magma-scorched left shoulder suddenly erupted with sharp pain. A wound that should not have existed began to bleed. Crimson ice crystals seeped into the gaps of Kuzan's icy armor. Near Borsalino's temple, a thin streak of blood appeared for no apparent reason.
"Cough… Was that just now?" Sakazuki wiped the blood from his face.
Kuzan pressed a hand to the back of his neck. "No. I did not expect the injury to be this serious."
"That will do," the future Ritter said softly, withdrawing his hand.
What followed was already well known.
In the distance, the younger Ritter raised Black Tide and declared coldly, "Is this all the strength the three admirals have? The next time we meet, it won't be this easy!"
With that, he scattered Seastone powder and fled at full speed.