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"Redfield, you want to regain your youth. You can name any Devil Fruit you want. Join my Thunder God Pirates, and I will use every means at my disposal to fulfill your dream. How about it?" Arthur said.
For him, this was the absolute limit. Whether the recruitment would succeed was up to Redfield.
"Ahahahaha~" Redfield slowly leaned back in the soft chair, letting out a mocking laugh.
"Arthur, I have to say, a condition like this is hard to refuse. You're even willing to offer something as legendary as 'Pure Gold.' But... you are still too young."
"Every man who has roamed these seas has his own principles, doesn't he? Even if you made me immortal right now, so what?"
Although Redfield had aged, his still-upright body suddenly shot up from the sofa, his aura radiating out without restraint.
"The Age-Age Fruit, the Return-Return Fruit, the Op-Op Fruit, even Pure Gold—what do they have to do with me? I just want to regain my youth and maintain my peak condition! Do you understand, kid?? Immortality can go to hell!"
"If you say such stupid things again, you won't have to wait for the Marines. Let me see the skills of the 'Thunder Emperor' for myself!"
Redfield's sinister eyes looked down on Arthur from on high, his disdain for so-called immortality absolute.
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Zoan Type, Mythical Beast Model, the Bat-Bat Fruit: Vampire.
This was the fruit Redfield was pursuing. An extremely powerful Devil Fruit, its ability was to accelerate an opponent's aging by sucking their blood, while simultaneously restoring one's own youth, allowing one to remain in a peak state.
Many people misunderstood this fruit. Redfield only wanted to regain his youth—he had no need for immortality.
If the Vampire form could grant immortality and maintain a peak state, would the title of "Ultimate Devil Fruit" still be placed on the Op-Op Fruit?
Would the World Government ignore this monstrous fruit? Impossible.
To achieve true immortality, perhaps only the Op-Op Fruit's "Perennial Youth Operation" could achieve it.
The function of "Pure Gold" was merely to greatly slow down a person's life force.
"It seems my idea was wishful thinking," Arthur said, looking deeply at Redfield.
Just as he had said, which man who roamed the seas didn't have his own principles? Even Whitebeard had said that a man has only one heart, and one day, he will die.
There were many who disdained so-called immortality. Even Luffy had no interest in Pure Gold—all he wanted was adventure.
Not everyone was like the highest powers of the World Government, who, having tasted the wonder of power, could never let go, and would search for the Op-Op Fruit by any means necessary.
"Redfield, I did underestimate you. However... you wander the seas alone, unable to find the fruit you covet. Your capture is already fated," Arthur said with a cold smile.
"When your lofty pride is mercilessly crushed by cruel reality, when your unbending spine is broken, the only way out you will face is submission."
"How many times a man can fail in his life is determined by his age. And you... cannot afford to lose even once."
Although Redfield was well-preserved and looked to be only in his forties, he was actually close to sixty, even older than Rayleigh, who was drinking over there.
He wanted to deny Arthur's words, but the words died on his lips. It was undeniable. Failure was the patent of the new era. If a remnant of the old era failed, they would fall from their divine pedestal.
How old was Arthur?
It was now the beginning of Sea Calendar 1500. He was only twenty years old. He had reached the pinnacle at the turning point of the old and new eras, surpassing all the new generation. He was the only one who could speak with the older generation's pinnacle as an equal.
Doflamingo, Kuma, Mihawk, Crocodile, and Moria—who were still stirring up trouble in the first half of the Grand Line, and Shanks, who was still in the West Blue preparing to set sail—in the eyes of Redfield and the others, they were all juniors, not even qualified for an equal dialogue.
The qualification for dialogue was, without a doubt, a symbol of strength and status.
"Don't you think you've said too much today, Thunder Emperor?"
Redfield's face turned cold. "State your original purpose for being here. If you can't, then before the Marines arrive, I don't mind a little warm-up to test your skills."
"Hahahaha! My purpose? It's nothing more than to use you. To let your old, weak body burn with one last spark of heat," Arthur said, revealing his intentions without reservation.
"Old, weak body?? You're the first person on the seas to call me that! Let me see if your guts match your big mouth!"
The moment his words fell, the blue umbrella in Redfield's hand was instantly coated in Armament Haki, and he lunged forward.
The air groaned under the pressure, as if it were being violently torn apart by a savage force.
"So you're finally making a move?"
Arthur's expression was unchanged, as still as a mountain. His right hand flashed with an intense, brilliant purple light, and he swung it out to meet the umbrella-weapon.
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!"
A violent explosion, and the tearing air currents instantly caused the empty bar to collapse.
The sudden commotion immediately drew the attention of everyone in the lawless area.
"What happened?"
"Someone fighting on Sabaody Archipelago?"
The pirates, bounty hunters, and merchants, who loved a good show, all dropped what they were doing and rushed over.
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At the Marine base.
"Lawless pirates. Just as I expected. A meeting of this level... it's all too normal for a fight to break out at the slightest disagreement,"
Kong said, his face grim.
He, along with Sengoku and Garp, began to advance with firm steps towards the lawless area.
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"I just want a quiet retirement, to never get involved in this kind of thing again," Rayleigh said with a bitter smile, drinking his wine. His figure flickered and quickly disappeared from the spot.
Arthur paid Rayleigh no mind. You couldn't stop someone who was determined to leave.
A crazed smile on his face, he, in front of Redfield, pulled a Den Den Mushi from his pocket and began to dial.
"THIS ERA IS STILL MISSING SOME MADNESS! MORGANS! CONNECT ME TO EVERY VIDEO DEN DEN MUSHI IN THE WORLD! BROADCAST THIS GRAND EVENT TO EVERYONE!!"
"BOSS! AFTER TWO MONTHS OF PREPARATION, IS IT FINALLY STARTING?!"
On News Coo Island in the New World, the duck-voiced Morgans received the order...
In an instant, all the places in the world with a Video Den Den Mushi automatically projected a series of images.
The giant mangrove trees, the bubbles shimmering with seven colors in the sun, the crowds of people, the Marines!
Everyone dropped what they were doing and stared intently at the scene unfolding before them.
"What's happening?"
"This is the Sabaody Archipelago, isn't it?"
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