"You..."
Enel froze. His pupils shrank to pinpoints as Whiteflame's hand tightened around his throat—
and in an instant, the godlike form of Raijin disintegrated.
"You actually... grabbed me...? What is this?!"
Enel struggled with all his might, trying to break free.
But Whiteflame's hand had turned jet-black, hard as steel—
no amount of electricity could shake it.
For the first time, Enel panicked.
He had never once been defeated since gaining his powers.
He had never even encountered someone who possessed Armament Haki.
To him, Mantra—Observation Haki—was already the pinnacle of power.
He had no idea there was another kind of Haki that could touch Logia-type bodies.
So now, being physically grabbed—
when he believed he was untouchable lightning—
it shattered his understanding of the world.
"Ignorant fool."
Whiteflame's eyes were like frozen steel.
"I've run out of patience. Now tell me—where is the Silent Fruit?"
"I don't know any Silent Fruit!"
"How dare you treat a god like this?! Are you not afraid of divine retribution?!"
Enel screamed defiantly.
"Don't know?"
"Then I haven't taught you enough of a lesson."
With a snap of his fingers, Whiteflame summoned a golden dagger—
and stabbed it deep into Enel's shoulder.
Blood sprayed. Enel howled in agony.
"Do you remember now?" Whiteflame asked coldly.
"Damn you... I won't let you get away with this... I'll kill you!"
Enel, even in pain, still refused to yield.
Just then—
Whiteflame's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Found it."
A signal from his IBM.
They had discovered a buried ancient city, filled with treasures beneath the island.
While excavating, near the skeletal remains of a long-dead body,
they unearthed a strange green fruit.
The Silent Fruit.
"Enel, you're truly unfortunate."
"A moment ago, you still had some value. Now… you're just trash to be thrown away."
Whiteflame didn't hesitate. His hand shot forward—
Squelch!
Enel's body jolted. His eyes widened in disbelief.
He looked down—
Whiteflame's pitch-black hand had pierced straight through his chest.
When Whiteflame withdrew his hand—
he took Enel's heart with it.
"How... how could this happen...?"
"I'm a god... how could I die... like this..."
Whiteflame released Enel's body.
It plummeted to the ground.
Even as his eyes closed, Enel still couldn't comprehend—
how a mere human had killed a god.
"Whiteflame won!!"
From afar, Rebecca and the others rushed over, cheering.
Whiteflame had already instructed the IBMs to evacuate the girls before the battle began,
keeping them safe from the deadly clash of thunder and lasers.
Now, thirty IBMs returned, forming a protective circle around their master.
One of them stepped forward, holding in its hands a green, egg-shaped fruit.
Whiteflame's Ultimate Objective!
It was finally his.
Whiteflame took the Silent Fruit, sealed underground for centuries—
and to his surprise, it was perfectly preserved.
This further proved that Devil Fruits don't rot,
regardless of how much time passes.
"Whiteflame, is this really the Silent Fruit you were looking for?"
Nami leaned in, scrutinizing the fruit curiously.
"It doesn't look any different from a regular Devil Fruit..."
"I checked the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia," said Nico Robin.
"The Silent Fruit is said to nullify all sound within a set area... but I couldn't find any information about other potential powers."
Robin had done her research when Whiteflame mentioned his goal.
But everything pointed to it being a niche utility fruit—
great for assassins or infiltrators, but hardly worth the effort for someone like Whiteflame.
"Maybe... he plans to kill someone quietly?" she wondered inwardly.
But that didn't make sense either.
Given Whiteflame's raw power—
even if his target were the Celestial Dragons,
he could just storm Mary Geoise and kill them outright.
So unless he explained it himself,
none of them could guess why Whiteflame was after this fruit.
"I don't need any other abilities."
Without hesitation, Whiteflame took a large bite of the fruit.
As expected, it was utterly vile—
far worse than anything he'd ever tasted.
No words could describe how foul it was.
[Congratulations! You have successfully consumed the "Silent Fruit"!]
The system notification chimed.
Snap.
Whiteflame snapped his fingers.
At once, a translucent Viola dome expanded from him—
but under his control, it remained small,
enveloping only himself.
Suddenly—
absolute silence.
The world around him became a vacuum of sound.
No wind, no voices—nothing.
He looked toward the girls.
They were clearly speaking, but their lips moved in silence.
Snap.
Another finger snap, and the dome vanished.
Sound returned.
"Now that you've got the fruit," baby-5 asked curiously,
"can you finally tell us your plan?"
She wasn't the only one.
Nami, Monet, Rebecca, and Robin all turned to him—
eager for answers.
"No harm in telling you now."
Whiteflame turned his gaze toward the horizon,
his eyes gleaming with sharp, dangerous light.
"Soon, a world-shaking war will erupt at Marineford."
"It will be the most colossal war of this era—one that determines the fate of the world."
He was speaking, of course, about the Marineford War.
When Whitebeard brought his forces to rescue Ace,
and battled the full might of the Marines—
a war with over 100,000 troops.
This war would accelerate the collapse of the current age.
It would send the world spiraling into chaos.
Powerful figures would rise.
The New World would become a blood-soaked crucible for the strongest.
"Are you planning to join that war?"
"What's your real goal?" Robin asked.
"The war will change the world's destiny."
"And I will be part of that change—not as a bystander, but as the one who controls it."
Whiteflame's words carried a weighty, imperial force.
To control the fate of the world.
Even if such a claim came from a Yonko, few would believe it.
But when he said it—
not one of the women doubted him.
In fact, they felt...
he might actually do it.
"But what does the Silent Fruit have to do with any of this?" Monet asked.
From what they knew, the Silent Fruit had no offensive potential.
Why would Whiteflame expend such effort for a fruit so seemingly underwhelming?
"Even with my current power," Whiteflame admitted,
"facing that many top-tier enemies at once... would be exhausting."
"If I'm to be the one who seizes the reins of the world—
I can't rely on luck or near-death survival to win."
"I must reign from the beginning—overwhelming, unstoppable, absolute."
His gaze sharpened like a drawn blade.
He didn't want to be remembered as an undead monster,
surviving again and again after brutal injuries.
No—he would conquer the world
through strength and dominion.
But his enemies were no joke.
On one side: the strongest man in the world, Whitebeard,
with his powerful sons and fierce New World allies.
On the other: the Marine behemoth,
with Admirals, Vice Admirals, Fleet Admiral Sengoku,
and even Garp—the legendary hero.
Either side, at their peak, was enough to crush continents.
And Whiteflame alone couldn't defeat both—yet.
"I need more power—more abilities—to become stronger."
"And before the great war begins…"
"I need to stage a smaller-scale war of my own."
That was the true reason he had sought the Silent Fruit.
"A smaller-scale war?"
The girls were confused.
They had no idea what he meant.
To be continued…
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789