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Even though Arthur had managed to block Whitebeard's tyrannical, overwhelming blow, his body still slid backward, unable to stop.
He had truly reached the end of his rope. He could no longer summon even a shred of strength to counterattack.
His sliding body was barely propped up by a single hand on the ground, just enough to keep from collapsing completely.
"You've really gotten old, Whitebeard," Arthur taunted.
"Hmph."
With a cold snort, Whitebeard gave Arthur one last, deep look. He swung his greatcoat, which billowed in the wind, and turned to leave.
"Sons. We're returning to the New World!!"
And just like that, he was gone.
There was no hesitation, no intention of striking again. Surrounded by his sons, he boarded the Moby Dick and sailed off into the distance.
"Cough, cough..."
The coughing grew heavier. Although Arthur had blocked the punch, he had been forced to burn through the very last of his reserves, worsening his injuries. If he didn't die here today, the time he would need to fully recover would depend entirely on the skill of the Thunder God Pirates' doctors.
The entire Sabaody Archipelago was now empty—save for Arthur, Redfield, Kong, Sengoku, and Garp.
From the outer seas, countless pirates were now swarming in like a tidal wave. Farther still, the Marines who had been sent away by Kong were now arriving late to the party.
For fear of suffering catastrophic losses, the Marines had only sent their top-tier powers. But the cleanup work still had to be done by the foot soldiers.
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"Hahaha..."
A hoarse, magnetic laugh echoed.
Redfield, lying on the ground, his body trembling, laughed with a bitter unwillingness. Perhaps he was seeing his own future. Perhaps he was despairing at what he was about to face. And he was not satisfied.
"Redfield, this is the price for your wanton rampage. The great underwater prison is where you belong," Sengoku said, enduring the tearing pain in his own body. He propped up Garp and Kong and sat down beside Redfield, preparing to watch over him until reinforcements arrived.
The World Government's order was absolute: arrest Redfield. If he escaped, the consequences would be unimaginable, a price they could not afford to pay.
"Well, well... what do we have here?" Arthur laughed weakly, trying to recover enough strength just to move.
"You see this, Redfield? This is what happens when you go it alone. I didn't bring my subordinates with me either, and now that I'm at my limit, how many people do you think are coveting this head of mine? Cough, cough..." He gave a pale, powerless smile, pointing to his own head while wiping away the blood that was still trickling from his mouth. His eyes, however, glanced towards the port.
"If you've only come to mock me, then feel free to do so," Redfield said with a tragic smile, closing his eyes.
"ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THIS?! REDFIELD!!" Arthur's voice was now a roar, a reprimand, completely ignoring Sengoku, whose face had turned ashen.
"ARE YOU REALLY SATISFIED WITH SPENDING THE REST OF YOUR LIFE IN THAT SUNLESS PRISON, LETTING ALL THE POWER YOU USED TO CONQUER THE SEAS ROT AWAY UNTIL YOU DIE IN OBSCURITY?!"
"So what if I am?"
"Bullshit! No one likes having their freedom restricted!"
Arthur roared, a crazed look in his eyes. "If you just nod, if you agree to be my first mate, I will lead the entire Thunder God pirates to attack Impel Down! I will use all my power to help you find that fruit you've been dreaming of—"
"Redfield, this is the third time I have invited you. We are both facing these consequences now. Are you still hesitating?! Cough, cough..."
The roar agitated his injuries, and another mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips.
Sengoku, hearing these words that were nothing short of utter contempt for the Navy, erupted in fury.
"What are you saying, Arthur?! Do you think Impel Down is your home—that you can just come and go as you please? If you set foot there, be ready for your entire fleet to be wiped out!"
"GET LOST!!"
Arthur gave him a cold glance, then continued to stare at the exhausted Redfield, waiting for his answer.
"Whether I live or die is my own decision. This is the path I have chosen, and I will see it to the end," Redfield said calmly, refusing him once again.
"Hahahaha... I see now. It's because you can't let go of your pride, can't bring yourself to follow a brat who is more than a generation younger than you. Is that it?" Arthur suddenly understood.
All this time, he had never really interacted with his peers.
He was always dealing with the older generation. So much so that he had forgotten the simple fact that he had reached the pinnacle at only twenty years old.
He had started to think of himself as one of them, a man of that era. But no matter how hard he tried, the age gap was there. If you couldn't conquer them with your spirit, they would never see you as a peer.
His own generation saw him as a senior, while the seniors saw him as a kid.
Perhaps, among the men of that era, only Roger had ever truly treated Arthur as an equal.
"You haven't been broken. Your pride is still standing tall. Your indomitable spirit is still intact. You will absolutely never agree to my offer."
"Then stay in Impel Down. Wait until your pride has been ground to dust, when your aloofness is no more. Then, I will lead the Thunder God Pirates to attack the great prison. The position of first mate will always be waiting for your presence."
After speaking, Arthur struggled to his feet and began to drag himself, step by step, towards the beach.
To be qualified to be his first mate—there was truly no better candidate on the seas. Neither Shiryu, nor Byrnndi World, nor Naguri possessed that grand courage, that ability to make the final decision.
After thinking it over, of all the people he knew, only Redfield met his standards.
He slowly raised his head. In the direction of the sun, there was a golden glint—the color of gold in the sunlight. The [Thor] was parked in that direction, but Arthur no longer had the strength to leap up to it.
"I really don't like this feeling. It's like even my own life is no longer in my hands," Arthur muttered to himself, a pain in his heart.
Constantly climbing upwards, in order to obtain what he wanted, he had, without realizing it, reached the very peak of the sea. How long had it been since he had tasted such powerlessness?
The pinnacle... in truth, was easy to climb.
As long as you had the talent and a certain amount of luck, you could take it one step at a time, moving forward with unwavering determination. Each step would bring you closer.
As long as you didn't die, as long as you were young, you would one day reach it.
However, what no one knew was that the descent from the pinnacle—was the most dangerous part of all.
It was like a steep mountain.
The way down is often much harder than the way up. At any moment, you could fall into a bottomless abyss, never to recover.
"It's been too long at the peak. It's cold. I had to come down and play sometime," Arthur said to himself, taking a deep breath.
The searing pain in his chest and his grievous injuries were making his consciousness begin to blur.
Phantom images appeared before his eyes.
He staggered, ready to fall at any moment. At this moment, Arthur was like an old man at death's door.
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"KILL HIM!!"
"KILL 'THUNDER EMPEROR' ARTHUR, AND I'LL BE FAMOUS ACROSS THE SEAS!!"
"HIS HEAD IS MINE!"
Roars came from the distance as groups of pirates swarmed towards him like a tidal wave.
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