"Worse than that? What do you mean?"
Bullet frowned as he stared at Redfield, who had finally recovered from his dazed and fearful state. An ominous feeling rose within him.
"Bat, do you know something?"
...
The other Air Force Admirals also turned toward Redfield.
"It's only a baseless guess. I can't even confirm whether it's true."
Redfield took a deep breath.
"To be honest, I sincerely hope I'm wrong."
He chose not to reveal his suspicions.
Among everyone present, he was perhaps the one who understood Shirogai the most.
Years ago, he had glimpsed the tightly sealed depths of Shirogai's mind.
What he saw there remained one of the most horrifying experiences of his life.
Shirogai's thoughts moved at a speed incomprehensible to ordinary people.
In the span of a single breath, his mind could process information hundreds of millions of times faster than a normal human.
But that wasn't what terrified Redfield.
What truly frightened him was what lay behind that door.
A mountain of corpses.
An endless mountain stretching across the land.
And every corpse was Shirogai.
Thousands.
Tens of thousands.
Hundreds of thousands.
Countless dead versions of the same man.
What kind of monster repeatedly killed himself within his own mental world?
Was that something a human being could even accomplish?
Redfield was certain of one thing.
The only reason he had escaped that sea of madness unscathed was because Shirogai had allowed it.
Otherwise, the moment he returned to reality, he would have completely lost his mind.
Just like Shirogai should have.
Yes.
Redfield had always believed Shirogai should have gone insane long ago.
Yet he never did.
He acted normally.
Spoke normally.
Lived normally.
There was never the slightest sign of losing control.
And that was exactly what frightened Redfield the most.
As someone born with extraordinary Observation Haki, Redfield had spent much of his life suffering from the burden of perceiving the hearts of others.
He understood better than most how fragile the human mind truly was.
Strength often came hand in hand with unbearable suffering.
And when that strength finally broke, collapse followed in an instant.
No one could continuously endure the pressure Shirogai carried.
No one could wield hundreds or even thousands of abilities while maintaining perfect rationality.
Nobody.
The countless individuals who became cruel tyrants after gaining power had merely become slaves to their own broken hearts.
Power had consumed them.
Power had become their master.
Yet Shirogai possessed power capable of controlling the entire world.
And still, he never used it that way.
If Shirogai ever became his enemy...
Redfield couldn't imagine any path to survival.
He couldn't imagine anyone surviving.
A mad Shirogai would become the world's greatest nightmare.
That was why Redfield had always paid close attention to something nobody else noticed.
The world only cared about the latest earth-shattering feat accomplished by the God King.
Redfield cared about something entirely different.
After everything ended...
Was Shirogai still mentally stable?
Would loneliness eventually consume him?
Would overwhelming power distort his perception of humanity?
Would he someday begin viewing people as ants?
Would he decide that the world itself no longer deserved to exist?
Redfield didn't want the actions of a handful of filthy Celestial Dragons to push someone like Shirogai over that edge.
Because if that happened...
The world might truly end.
He had no doubt Shirogai possessed the power to destroy everything in an instant.
And deep down...
Redfield believed Shirogai would eventually go mad.
Now, Shirogai had suddenly launched an assault on Mary Geoise.
His actions were completely different from before.
It almost seemed as though...
The future Redfield feared was beginning to unfold.
Could it really be a sign that the God King was approaching the brink?
"Shirogai..."
Redfield silently prayed.
"I hope you still remember everything we talked about."
The Straw Hat Pirates.
Those precious companions.
They were the anchor that bound Shirogai's reason to the world.
They would keep him from being swallowed by loneliness.
They would keep him from being consumed by the emptiness that came with standing above everyone else.
They would keep him from succumbing to the temptation of absolute power.
And they would keep him connected to a world that increasingly felt too small for someone like him.
A bitter smile appeared on Redfield's face.
"I've only just escaped my own emptiness and found meaning within the Air Force."
After wasting decades of his life, he had finally realized something.
Protecting ordinary people, the very people he once looked down upon, was far more valuable than any grand adventure.
As Shirogai had once said.
Even extraordinary people were still people.
They came from the masses and eventually returned to them.
But what about someone like Shirogai?
A being comparable to a god.
No.
An immortal god.
Could such a person truly return to the people?
How could an elephant hide among a colony of mice?
Redfield didn't know.
Sometimes he even felt ridiculous for attempting to understand the thoughts of the God King with the perspective of an ordinary man.
Perhaps Shirogai already knew exactly what he was worried about.
Perhaps he simply couldn't be bothered to explain himself.
In response to Bullet's questioning, Redfield merely shook his head.
"Gentlemen, pretend I never said anything."
"It wouldn't change anything anyway."
What was the point?
Everyone in this room stood among the strongest individuals in the world.
Yet who here could oppose the God King?
Speaking further would only create unnecessary concerns.
Those worries were better left to the old man who constantly overthought everything.
The younger generation still had bright futures ahead of them.
"Tch. Playing mysterious."
Bullet clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Then he turned toward the newest admiral.
Vochi Admiral Charlotte Katakuri.
A smirk appeared on his face.
"Don't sit there looking so serious, Vochi Admiral."
"You aren't acting like this because you came from a Yonko crew, are you?"
"Or maybe the Big Mom Pirates look down on us outsiders?"
...
Katakuri slowly raised his head.
Even with his mouth closed, his distinctive fangs remained visible.
His gaze met Bullet's without the slightest fear.
"Everyone here is no longer a pirate."
"The identity of a pirate belongs to the past."
His voice was steady and composed.
"We are Air Force Admirals."
"Continuing to boast about pirate achievements is irresponsible."
"We were pirates before."
"Now we serve the Air Force."
"Our current identity determines our responsibilities."
Katakuri looked directly at Bullet.
"I suggest the Sky Demon Admiral put aside his former glory and focus on fulfilling the duties he carries now."
"Katakuri, you bastard, ahahahaha..."
Bullet pointed at him and laughed.
Then he suddenly threw a punch.
"Hey, rookie!"
"Aren't you acting a little too arrogant?!"
...
The fist wrapped in Armament Haki stopped less than an inch from Katakuri's face.
Katakuri didn't move.
Not even slightly.
He simply sat there with his arms folded.
Watching.
Waiting.
Completely unafraid.
"Tch."
Bullet withdrew his fist.
"How boring."
His brows furrowed.
Observation Haki.
Katakuri had already seen the future.
He knew Bullet would stop.
That was why he hadn't bothered moving at all.
"Very boring."
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Galdino, who had quietly observed the entire exchange, began applauding.
The sound immediately drew everyone's attention.
"Alright."
"The friendly banter between admirals ends here."
The Air Force Marshal's expression became serious.
His voice echoed throughout the conference room.
"What we are about to discuss concerns the survival of the entire world."
"This is no game."
Galdino slowly rose to his feet.
His eyes swept across every admiral present.
Then he spoke firmly.
"To protect peace."
"Until death."
"For all who breathe."
Snap!
The carefree atmosphere vanished instantly.
Every admiral stood upright.
Their expressions became solemn.
They saluted their marshal in perfect unison and shouted with unwavering determination:
"To protect peace, until death, for all who breathe!"
===
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