Hearing that familiar name from Zephyr's mouth, Ren couldn't help but feel an indescribable sense of strangeness.
It had been quite some time since he last visited the City of the Yellow Springs. When did he get such a person under his command without him knowing?
Where on earth did Riko find such a 'grandmaster' who dared to take such a name?
Noticing Ren's reaction, Zephyr glanced at him with a puzzled expression.
"Is something wrong with Kongming, my King?"
"No, it just sounds a bit familiar."
Ren waved his hand, suppressing the complex expression on his face, and directly asked Zephyr about his doubts.
"Where did this Kongming come from? And how did Riko find him?"
Zephyr explained, "He was a student of mine back in the Marines. He once served as the commander of a base, but later, he literally worked himself to death due to a relentless schedule."
"After I took up my post here in the City of the Yellow Springs, I gave Riko a list of the outstanding students I had taught, and Kongming was among them."
"When Kongming's soul arrived here, I saw that his administrative abilities were exceptional, so I brought him here to handle some paperwork for me."
In his previous life, Zephyr had served as a Marine Admiral. Later, because his family was murdered by pirates, he became disillusioned and retired to the second line, retaining his Admiral rank while serving as the Chief Instructor for Marine recruits.
Ren was naturally aware of these facts.
It was just the name Kongming...
Considering the general obsession with the Three Kingdoms period in Japan, it wasn't entirely surprising for someone to have such a name.
He could just treat it as a tribute to Chancellor Zhuge Liang.
The three of them didn't wait long in the tea room before the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from outside.
Before the person even arrived, a hearty, carefree laugh rang out first.
"Hahaha! Zephyr, Sengoku and I came together as soon as we heard the notice. Sakazuki is here too. So, what's going on?"
Immediately following that, a rather exasperated voice spoke up.
"Garp, you idiot! You didn't listen to a single word Kongming said, did you?"
"The Lord of the Underworld has descended upon the city, which is why we were called here."
"Hey, Sakazuki, use your magma to plug this fool's mouth so he doesn't say anything stupid!"
A deep, solemn, and hoarse voice responded.
"Sengoku-san, Garp-senpai, we are about to meet the Master of Death. Please stop bickering and maintain the dignity of the Marines!"
"Magma brat, is that how you talk to your seniors... Oh, we're here."
The three distinct voices drew closer until Garp's voice trailed off, and the wooden door of the tea room was pushed open with great force.
Ren looked up to see three exceptionally burly figures enter his sight.
The first to enter with a grand, swaggering stride was a spirited old man in a gray suit, draped in a Marine 'Justice' coat.
He looked to be in his fifties, with short, grayish-white hair and a beard. A stitched scar ran across the corner of his eye, and a bright smile revealed a set of perfectly white teeth.
Behind him, to the left, was another old man of similar age, dressed in colorful casual clothes with a white afro. His long beard was tied into a braid, and he wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses.
To the right was a robust man in his prime, wearing a white suit and a peaked cap. He had a solemn expression, a short beard, and frostbite scars covering one side of his face, with a piece of his ear missing on the same side.
Ren's eyes lit up when he saw the trio.
He had felt a sense of familiarity from their voices outside.
Seeing them in person confirmed his suspicions.
How could he not recognize these three?
The Hero of the Marines, Garp the Fist;
The former Fleet Admiral, 'The Strategist', Sengoku the Buddha;
And the former Admiral Akainu, later Fleet Admiral, Sakazuki.
Looking at Zephyr sitting before him, Ren realized that the three top combat powers of the Marine's old era were now gathered under his command.
Garp strode in and scanned the room, quickly taking in the situation.
His gaze skipped over his old acquaintances, Whitebeard and Zephyr, as well as the two CP0 agents standing in the back, landing finally on Ren, who sat in the seat of honor. He looked Ren up and down.
After another hearty laugh, the imposing old man picked his nose and said, "So you're the big boss behind this city? You look—"
"Thump!"
Before Garp could finish, a massive fist descended, slamming heavily onto the top of his head and knocking him flat on the floor.
Sengoku retracted his fist and adjusted his black-rimmed glasses, his expression a mix of urgency and exasperation.
"Garp, you bastard! Mind your manners!"
"We are currently facing a god who truly wields authority over the afterlife."
Turning to Ren, Sengoku bowed with a look of deep apology.
"Great King, please do not mind Garp's nonsense."
"He was like this in life too—always shooting his mouth off and causing no end of trouble."
Ren waved his hand and pointed to the sofa in front of him.
"It's fine. Just take a seat."
He had known their personalities for a long time, so why would he care?
Especially Garp. Despite his crude and carefree exterior, he was a truly kind-hearted man with virtues few could match.
"We thank the King for his magnanimity."
Sengoku bowed again, then gave Garp a light kick on the floor.
"Garp, get up already."
Clutching the large bump growing on his head, Garp scrambled up and offered Ren an apologetic grin.
"Haha, sorry about that, King Enma. This old bag of bones was being disrespectful just now. My apologies."
"Please, sit down," Ren said.
Although this tea room was intended as a breakroom for the staff, it was built to be extremely spacious. The sofas and coffee table were equally large.
Even though the men present were literal giants, there was no sense of crowding once they sat down; in fact, there was still plenty of room.
Zephyr pulled some cups from under the table and brewed tea for the three newcomers.
Ren nodded inwardly as he looked at them and asked, "I have been in the Soul Society recently and haven't paid much attention to this place. How did you three arrive in the Underworld?"
Sengoku took the teacup, holding it in both hands, and said, "After that great war that swept across the world, I went into full retirement. I eventually died of old age."
"It wasn't that long ago. After I passed, I met your messenger, that young girl Riko. I signed a contract and came to this City of the Yellow Springs."
He looked at Zephyr and Whitebeard with a hint of surprise.
"I never expected to run into old acquaintances from my life after death. I must admit, seeing Zephyr and Whitebeard gave me quite a shock."
"Destiny truly is a mysterious thing."
Having said that, Sengoku finally took a sip of his tea.
Ren nodded, then looked at Garp sitting next to Sengoku.
Garp was grabbing snacks from the table and eating heartily. Sensing Ren's gaze, he stopped.
He took a gulp of tea, hurriedly swallowed his snacks, and said, "As for me, I died a bit earlier than Sengoku. After I died, I heard Riko-chan mention that Ace was here too, so I came along."
"When I saw that brat Ace later, it really gave me a fright. I never imagined I'd actually get to see him again after death."
Whitebeard chimed in, "Ace and I met Boss Ren back during the Summit War."
"The Boss pays close attention to that world. It's only natural for a grandfather and grandson to reunite after death."
Garp laughed loudly at those words.
Ren then turned his attention to Sakazuki.
Sakazuki remained silent for a moment before speaking. "I died during that great war, much earlier than Sengoku-san and the others."
"I also met that girl Riko after I died, but I still had some lingering attachments to the world of the living. With Riko's help, I stayed on the sea for a while longer."
"It was only recently that I truly set foot in this city of the dead."
Ren asked with a look of confusion, "What exactly was this 'great war' you all keep mentioning?"
At the mention of this, Sengoku's expression turned solemn. He adjusted his glasses, a glint of white light reflecting off the lenses.
Sakazuki's face darkened, his lips thinning; he clearly didn't want to say much.
Only Garp wore a smile of immense pride.
"It was nothing much, really. It's just that Luffy actually found Roger's great treasure, which triggered a world-spanning war against the World Government."
"After Luffy and his crew won that war, they actually held a massive banquet where everyone in the world could participate. Just thinking about that scene... it was spectacular."
Hearing this, Sakazuki snorted coldly but remained silent.
Ren nodded slightly.
Without him realizing it, so many years had passed.
In the Soul Society, his perception of time wasn't very sharp, so he hadn't expected to have missed such a massive conflict.
Years ago, he had heard rumors about this from others.
Ever since the Summit War, Whitebeard had predicted the coming of this great battle. As the darkness of the World Government was revealed step by step, it was only natural for things to develop that way.
He asked, "And then? What happened to Luffy and the others after that?"
Garp replied, "Right now, he and his crew should still be adventuring somewhere on the sea. That kid can never stay still."
Hearing news of Luffy, Ren couldn't help but nod.
Regardless of anything else, Luffy was his favorite animated character as a child. Especially during the Arlong Park arc, when the four of them stood up in anger for Nami; the memory still made his heart stir.
Even now, though Ren had been tainted by the world and possessed the cynicism of an adult, he still harbored a great deal of goodwill toward Luffy and his crew.
Ren's emotions were hardly concealed, so Garp and the others naturally noticed.
Garp asked curiously, "King Enma, it seems you quite admire Luffy and his crew."
"Yes. Garp, you have a good grandson," Ren said.
Luffy had survived Garp's harsh training as a child and grew up among bandits, yet his personality never twisted. That was truly a rare and precious thing.
Ren waved his hand, moving past the subject.
"Let's not talk about that for now. Let's talk about you."
"Now that you've come to this City of the Yellow Springs and joined my ranks, how do you feel?"
Upon hearing this, Sengoku and Sakazuki exchanged a glance, each seeing the other's thoughts.
Sengoku nudged Garp, who set down his tea. His expression became much more serious than before.
"We've been in this city for a while now. We've learned a lot about this place and your existence from Zephyr and Whitebeard."
"We also know that you, King Enma, are not a native deity of this realm, but a Reaper who descended to these Yellow Springs from another world."
Ren's expression didn't change. He stared at Garp and said, "That's correct. I have never hidden that fact."
"Why? Do you have a problem with that?"
Garp waved his hand dismissively. "How could I? An old bag of bones like me doesn't have those kinds of thoughts. If anything, I'm very grateful for what you've done."
"Grateful?" Ren raised an eyebrow. "Because I kept Ace and your souls here, allowing you to reunite?"
"That's certainly part of it, but it's more than just that."
Garp reached out and pointed toward the window.
"The fact that you allowed me to reunite with my grandson and old friends after death is a debt I can never repay in this lifetime."
"Beyond that, I once stepped outside this city's barrier and looked around. All I saw was a desolate wasteland where the souls of the dead were frozen to the earth, devoid of freedom."
"Seeing a city like this standing in the middle of that wasteland made me realize that your arrival was by no means a bad thing."
"Because of your presence, this stagnant Netherworld has sparked with a different kind of life. For that alone, I am sincerely grateful."
"Thank you, King Enma."
Ren replied, "I understand what you're trying to say."
"You want to transform this entire land of the Yellow Springs to be like this city, sheltering the dead so they can exist peacefully in the Netherworld without being frozen by the chill like the souls outside."
"I have that intention as well. However, it is a massive undertaking. With our current strength, we cannot yet achieve such a world-transforming feat. We have to take it step by step."
"?"
A question mark practically popped over Garp's head.
Once he realized what was said, his eyes widened, and he pointed at himself.
"I... I meant something that impressive?"
Seeing Garp's reaction, Ren was stunned. "Was that not the deeper meaning behind your words?"
"Garp..."
Zephyr couldn't help but facepalm, Sengoku sighed at the ceiling, and Sakazuki silently turned his head away, refusing to look at Garp.
Even Whitebeard had a smile on his face as he gently shook his head.
Garp looked bewildered. "Wait, I didn't mean it that way... Uh, wait, no, yeah! That's exactly what I meant!"
"Exactly! That was my plan all along!"
"As expected of me. I'm pretty amazing."
As he spoke, Garp crossed his arms and nodded repeatedly, his face full of pride.
Thump.
Sengoku's hand formed a blade and chopped down on Garp's head.
A slightly smaller bump rose out of the large one already on Garp's head.
Garp gritted his teeth, tears pricking his eyes, looking indignant.
"Sengoku, you've gone crazy again—"
"Shut up, Garp! If you can't speak properly, don't speak at all!"
Sengoku hissed, then looked back at Ren.
"I apologize. Garp has always been blunt and speaks without thinking. He's not trying to overstep."
"Please, Great King, do not be angry."
Ren pressed his hand down, calming Sengoku's nerves. "I know. I won't get angry over such a small thing."
Seeing that Ren was truly not angry, Sengoku let out a long sigh of relief, then punched Garp again for good measure.
Watching the two old goofballs bickering again, Ren felt helpless. He hadn't expected someone as serious as Sengoku to have such a flighty side to his personality.
He quickly spoke to stop them and asked Sengoku, "What about you, Sengoku? What are your thoughts?"
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]