"Do you think I care about dying?"
Saint Saturn retorted coldly, "Attacking Mariejois and slaughtering the World Nobles, your crimes are so great that killing you a thousand times wouldn't be enough!"
"Really? That's great." Wayne tilted his head slightly, his face full of joy. "So, how much bounty does the World Government plan to put on my head?"
"My demands aren't high; something similar to Rocks would be fine. After all, we both killed Celestial Dragons, and maybe I even killed a few more."
"A bounty?!" Saint Nusjuro's voice was rough, his eyes filled with fury. "Wishful thinking! The dead don't need a bounty! Even your name will never appear on any newspaper!"
If the world knew that the "Holy Land" had been trampled upon in such a way, the Creator's authority would be completely ruined!
Therefore, "Wade" must disappear silently, and no outsiders must ever know!
Wayne chuckled softly and silently thought to himself, 'Use Reincarnation Card.'
"Ding! Reincarnation Card is being used... Reincarnation Card used successfully. The current body will disintegrate and be destroyed in 59 seconds. Please prepare, Host."
"59, 58..."
Hearing the system's countdown, Wayne immediately relaxed. He spread his hands and shrugged at the Gorosei. "Tsk tsk...that's a real pity."
"But, I bet you'll still print my wanted poster in the end."
"Dream on! Do you still think you can possibly escape?"
"Escape? From the moment I stepped foot into Mariejois, I never once thought of escaping."
"It's a shame, though. If it weren't for you loyal guard dogs desperately protecting your master, perhaps I could have met that fellow hiding in Pangaea Castle."
"Who exactly are you?"
"How did you know?"
Wayne's words sounded in the Gorosei's minds like thunder from a clear sky. Now they were both shocked and furious, even suspecting that this "Wade" might actually be Rocks himself.
Because in this world, besides them, only Rocks, who broke into the Flower Room back then, had seen Imu.
Looking at the Gorosei's incredulous expressions, a satisfied smile appeared on Wayne's face. "It seems I'll have to trouble you to say hello to Imu for me."
"And tell her..." Wayne's body, like a weathered sand sculpture, began to crack and turn into specks of light, drifting upwards.
"We'll definitely meet sooner or later!"
"No!"
"Stop him!"
"Kill him!"
Saint Saturn, Saint Nusjuro, and Saint Warcury attacked simultaneously. Saint Garling also reacted, slashing at Wayne's head with his sword.
However, the blade simply passed through where his body should have been, without the slightest obstruction.
Wayne smiled, waving goodbye to the Gorosei, who were now completely engulfed in rage and panic, as if bidding farewell to an old friend. "No need to see me off, I'll go on my own."
As soon as his words fell, Wayne's body dissolved into particles and vanished into the air.
Rumble~
The Gorosei's attacks missed, instead affecting Saint Garling, leaving him dusty and extremely disheveled.
"Damn it, this guy is definitely big trouble. We must awaken and report to Imu as soon as possible!"
"What about this Wade fellow?"
Saint Saturn's chest heaved up and down as he roared, "What else can we do? Put a bounty on him! As soon as he reappears, capture him at all costs! We will never allow another Rocks to emerge in the sea!"
Impel Down, Infinite Hell.
The live broadcast had ended, and even the Den Den Mushi in his hand had disappeared, but Shiki was oblivious to that, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Although he had thoroughly enjoyed watching today's events, he had also seen the power of the World Government.
He used to think that the World Government ruled this world solely by using the navy as enforcers, but now it seemed that the navy might just be a tool for the World Government to rule the seas.
Through the live broadcast, he could clearly feel that those five old men were definitely top-tier fighters. Even at his peak, if he dared to attack Mariejois, his fate would very likely be no better than Wayne's.
"Rocks, was that person you saw in the Flower Room back then Imu, you bastard?"
..."Please choose your reincarnation method, Host."
1: Reshape body, reincarnate on the spot.
2: Reincarnate through rebirth, with the option to choose the target of rebirth.
Wayne, in his soul state, stroked his chin. "I can actually choose? ...In that case, I choose to reshape my body!"
"Do you need to adjust basic data such as facial features and body shape?"
Wayne's face lit up with joy. "Holy crap, I can even customize my face? Yes, yes! Of course, yes!!!"
Customizing his face was simple: first, generate a template based on his appearance on Earth, then modify out any facial imperfections.
As for height, he adjusted it to 196cm. His other length didn't need much adjustment; as long as he didn't seek out the giant race, it would certainly be more than enough for normal ladies.
Finally, he fine-tuned the body proportions to make his overall appearance more natural.
"Done! Let's start the reincarnation!"
"Reincarnation in progress, estimated time 3 days. Please wait patiently, Host."
"Wha..." Before he could utter a complete word, Wayne completely lost consciousness.
World Economic Journal.
"You said that when you went to Mariejois to deliver newspapers, it had already turned into ruins?"
The seagull standing in front of Morgans nodded, patting its chest to guarantee that it was absolutely not lying.
Morgans, the president of the World Economic Journal, rubbed his hands excitedly. "Gahahahah! This is big news! No, I need to quickly send seagull reporters to Mariejois to take photos and make this public."
Morgans had a premonition that this news would definitely make the World Economic Journal famous again, and he was already somewhat impatient about it.
Marineford, Fleet Admiral's temporary office.
"Wade? That name sounds familiar. I think I've heard it somewhere." Kong rubbed his head, trying hard to recall.
"I remember now. Before Roger's execution, a guy named Griffin D. Wade escaped from Impel Down."
Upon hearing this news, Saint Saturn's expression immediately changed. Another natural enemy of the gods! No wonder he dared to directly attack Mariejois. Are those damned remnants still unwilling to accept their fate?
"Why didn't you mention such important news sooner!"
"Saint Saturn, I remember reporting this to you, but neither I nor you paid attention. After all, this guy was just an ordinary criminal before. Who could have known he had such powerful abilities?"
"In fact, I suspect he deliberately infiltrated Impel Down to achieve this unspeakable secret."
Saint Saturn snorted coldly. "Enough, I don't want to hear your explanations. In any case, we are drafting Wade's wanted poster. Immediately send us his previous information."
"Understood."
After the call ended, Kong rubbed his temples with a headache.
Roger's execution, Shiki's attack on Marineford, Wade's attack on Mariejois—it truly was a tumultuous time...