Even Makoto himself felt his heart suddenly convulse again.
However, thanks to Asuna's Talent assisting him this time, he only experienced a sharp stabbing pain.
Although his heart's efficiency had declined considerably, he could still endure it.
While regenerating his heart once again, Makoto examined the system notifications he had just received.
He quickly confirmed that he had indeed killed Spink.
The only Player whose death hadn't been confirmed was Kawa.
Makoto had even sent a shadow clone to collect the fallen Players' loot.
'So why is the Death Note still working?'
'Could the scripts Spink wrote in the Death Note continue taking effect even after his death?'
Now that was troublesome.
Spink had clearly become extremely familiar with using the Death Note.
He had probably prepared numerous scripts in advance, perhaps even determining exactly how everyone would die afterward.
And now that Spink was dead, Makoto couldn't even find the person responsible to stop everything.
Just then, his shadow clone retrieved Spink's loot.
Makoto glanced through the contents and discovered that only 21 Fate Value remained.
'So that bastard had already activated Fate Burn?'
No wonder Makoto's heart had stopped functioning so completely earlier, while he could now endure its effects.
Apparently, Asuna's Talent wasn't the only reason for the difference.
Makoto continued searching through the loot, hoping to retrieve the Death Note and put an end to everything.
It wasn't long before the notebook appeared before him.
The moment he reached out and touched it, crimson characters suddenly flashed across his vision.
[Do you wish to bind the SS-rank item Death Note to yourself?]
[After binding, your soul will be locked. Upon death, you will be unable to enter Heaven or Hell.]
[If you choose to bind this item, you must enter a world related to Death Note, encounter a Shinigami, and obtain their recognition before unlocking all its functions.]
[Without binding, only the basic functions can be used.]
Makoto immediately understood.
'As expected, there's no way something like this would be so easy to master completely.'
That made sense.
After all, the Shinigami weren't present in the One Piece world.
The Shinigami from Death Note clearly didn't possess the ability to freely cross the multiverse either.
'Maybe I can use Making Fake Become Real to modify this Death Note's conditions of use later?'
For now, Makoto decided against binding the item.
Instead, he opened the notebook and examined its contents.
Sure enough, exactly as he had expected, Spink had already filled its pages with elaborate death scenarios involving numerous powerful figures participating in the Summit War.
After writing those scenarios, all Spink needed to do was add their death times within six minutes and forty seconds to make them take effect.
That was also why he had been writing so desperately during the final moments of his life.
Makoto picked up a pen and crossed out his own name.
However, he didn't attempt to modify the death scenarios or scheduled times for the other characters.
There were simply too many people involved.
Changing everything individually would be far too troublesome.
He might as well handle the problem using his own abilities.
'Making Fake Become Real, activate!'
Immediately afterward, Makoto mobilized his Conqueror's Haki for the first time.
With the assistance of his stand, his voice resounded across the entirety of Marineford.
"All of you, stop fighting!"
"Are you seriously telling me that a little Devil Fruit ability is enough to manipulate your minds?! Have you all lost the ability to control yourselves?!"
"Haki! Use your Haki!"
[Ding, Making Fake Become Real triggered...]
[Making Fake Become Real succeeded!]
[The scripts written in the Death Note have been weakened into the mind-control effects of a mysterious Devil Fruit ability.]
[These effects can now be neutralized using Haki.]
In an instant, Makoto's Conqueror's Haki swept across an area more than a hundred meters around him.
Marines and pirates alike collapsed in droves.
Makoto's mastery of Conqueror's Haki had only reached 30%.
At present, he could merely knock unconscious soldiers below general-level strength, and the ability was limited to producing mental pressure.
However, that was enough.
The powerful fighters who had already noticed something strange about their own behavior immediately understood what was happening.
One after another, they unleashed their Haki at full strength, completely dispelling the weakened effects of the Death Note.
The battlefield, which had descended into chaotic slaughter only moments earlier, suddenly fell into an eerie silence.
For the time being, neither the Marines nor the pirates even felt much hostility toward one another.
Instead, they were filled with fear toward the mysterious power that had manipulated their minds.
Very few cowards remained among the people who had survived fighting on this battlefield until now.
However, nobody wanted to die without understanding why.
They certainly didn't want to become puppets controlled by someone else's Devil Fruit ability!
Makoto used his Observation Haki to examine the injuries of everyone present.
Although he had personally experienced the terrifying power of the Death Note, the amount of damage inflicted in such a short time still shocked him.
Practically everyone had suffered injuries.
Even an old fox like Kizaru was no exception.
A large section of Whitebeard's chest had caved inward.
The enormous fist-shaped indentation had clearly been left by Garp.
Garp wasn't doing much better.
A massive gash had been carved across his chest, with blood slowly seeping from the wound.
Sengoku was in an even more miserable condition.
Hawk-Eye had actually severed one of his arms!
Meanwhile, Hawk-Eye's own clothing had been badly damaged after the entire Blackbeard Pirates launched a surprise attack against him.
Luffy and Ace were lying unconscious on the ground, coughing up blood after being struck by Sengoku's Buddha shockwave.
However, their chests were still rising and falling, so they clearly hadn't died.
Even deep inside Marine Headquarters, in the underground medical facilities, Aokiji and Akainu were coughing blood as they stared at each other.
Both were breathing heavily, their expressions filled with speechless frustration.
Clearly, if everyone had continued fighting according to that script for even another minute, there might not have been more than a handful of powerful fighters, or even survivors, left in Marineford.
'Just how were Spink and his people planning to summon Imu?'
'Were they trying to create such a disastrous situation that Imu would have no choice but to intervene personally?'
However, Makoto didn't think that would be enough.
As far as Imu was concerned, even if the entirety of Marineford were destroyed, he could simply rebuild it.
After all, Admiral-level powerhouses weren't particularly rare across these vast seas.
Imu controlled the Five Elders and God's Knights.
As long as the foundations of his own power remained intact, there shouldn't be any compelling reason for him to appear personally.
'Could that bastard have another trump card prepared?'
Makoto concentrated and pushed his Observation Haki to its limits.
At present, his Observation Haki could cover a radius of three kilometers and clearly perceive the condition of every living being within that range.
Unfortunately, that distance was nowhere near sufficient for his current purposes.
Makoto narrowed his eyes.
He attempted to extend his Observation Haki even farther, sacrificing precision in exchange for a broader detection range.
As a result, several powerful life-energy signatures suddenly entered his perception from the ocean.
The leading figure stood at the bow of a ship.
Although he was missing one arm, that did nothing to diminish his overwhelming strength.
Many of the other people aboard the ship also sensed Makoto's presence.
Some even interpreted his Observation Haki scan as a provocation and immediately swept their own Haki back toward him without hesitation.
Makoto ignored them and continued searching in other directions.
He first scanned beneath the ocean.
Unfortunately, the seawater dramatically reduced the effective range of his Observation Haki.
As a result, he couldn't determine whether anything was hiding deep underwater.
He then turned his attention toward the sky.
Once again, he found nothing.
Makoto began feeling that something wasn't right.
'Just where the hell is that missing Player named Kawa hiding?'
...
At this very moment, Kawa was still in the sky.
Having realized how powerful Makoto's Observation Haki was, he had gritted his teeth and activated a single-use item.
[B-rank Item: Broken Assassin Mask]
[Effect: Grants a single-use instance of Presence Concealment.]
[The item will be destroyed when you take action or reveal killing intent.]
This was the real reason Makoto couldn't detect him.
As for why Kawa had remained here instead of escaping, the answer was simple.
He was acting entirely out of self-interest.
Every other member of his team had been killed.
His captain's elaborate plan had also completely collapsed.
The only thing Kawa could do now was kill as many Marines as possible to maximize the rewards from his faction mission.
Of course, if he could also take down Red-Haired Shanks, one of the Four Emperors who was about to appear, he would earn at least one A-rank Side Mission Token!
...
Makoto withdrew his Observation Haki.
Since he couldn't locate Kawa, he decided to ignore the matter for now.
After all, he could always retreat into his cursed technique's spatial dimension.
As long as his opponent didn't produce something like the Death Note again, involving powers on the level of causality, Makoto was confident that he could avoid the coming chaos without suffering any damage.
Rather than wasting time worrying about whatever schemes his enemies might be plotting, he decided it would be better to focus on ending the Summit War as quickly as possible.
Just then, Hawk-Eye was the first to speak.
"Do you know what was controlling us just now?"
Under the influence of that mysterious power, Hawk-Eye had attacked Sengoku while feeling an overwhelming desire to kill him.
At the same time, Blackbeard and his entire crew had launched a coordinated surprise attack against Hawk-Eye.
The experience had made him feel a sense of oppression he hadn't experienced in a long time.
And Hawk-Eye certainly wasn't someone with a particularly forgiving temperament.
Back when he was bored, he had single-handedly destroyed most of the Krieg Pirates' fleet of fifty ships.
He had even pursued them all the way from the Grand Line to the East Blue!
Now that someone had dared humiliate him like this, how could Hawk-Eye possibly tolerate it?
Hearing his question, Makoto replied,
"I don't know exactly what it was. But one thing is certain. Those people weren't targeting just the Marines or the pirates."
"Their objective was to make everyone here slaughter one another."
"I may be an enemy of the pirates, but I have no intention of becoming a puppet dancing on someone else's strings."
Makoto's explanation served two purposes.
On the one hand, it helped explain the situation while maintaining his identity and the image he had established as a Marine.
On the other hand, practically all the other Players had already been killed.
And the rewards Makoto would receive from Battlefield Mode depended on his faction's share of the Contribution Points.
Since only Makoto and Sakiko remained in his faction, they would receive the entire share of the rewards.
There was no longer any need to continue slaughtering enemies.
Of course, killing powerful characters like Whitebeard would undoubtedly provide additional rewards.
However, Red-Haired Shanks would be arriving shortly.
There was also an extremely small possibility that Imu might appear.
Makoto had no desire to create further complications.
His words naturally reached Sengoku and the others in the distance.
Sengoku, who had been struggling to decide how to handle the current situation, exchanged a glance with Whitebeard.
Both men could see what the other was thinking.
At their age and status, neither had any desire to recklessly fight simply for the sake of pride.
Sengoku had originally prepared such an enormous operation because he intended to annihilate every pirate present.
However, the Marines had now suffered what amounted to a crushing defeat.
Continuing the battle was no longer an acceptable option.
Whitebeard was thinking along similar lines.
More than ten thousand pirates under his command had already been killed or injured.
Ace had also been successfully rescued.
At this point, withdrawing was clearly the wisest decision.
Makoto's explanation provided both men with a perfectly reasonable excuse.
Whitebeard spoke first.
"Sengoku, how about we end things here today?"
"You've already beaten Ace and Luffy to death. If we keep fighting, we'll only become the laughingstock of the entire sea."
Hearing this, Sengoku looked toward Luffy and Ace, who were lying on the ground and appeared to be barely breathing.
A few quick-witted pirates immediately understood Whitebeard's intentions.
They threw themselves over Luffy and Ace and began crying loudly.
Luffy frowned slightly, apparently about to regain consciousness.
Unfortunately, Ivankov promptly punched him in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious again.
Sengoku's mouth twitched.
Such terrible acting obviously couldn't fool the powerful fighters present.
Using Observation Haki, they could easily determine whether Luffy and Ace were actually dead.
However, nobody said anything.
Even Blackbeard and his companions, who still harbored ulterior motives, began quietly retreating.
They had absolutely no desire to spend the next several days being hunted down and slashed at by Hawk-Eye.
Unfortunately, just then, a figure suddenly leaped from the bow of a distant ship.
He soared through the air and landed directly on the battlefield.
It was Red-Haired Shanks, who had finally arrived in a hurry!
Although his expression appeared calm, his eyes were filled with confusion.
According to his expectations, the Marines should have held a substantial advantage after preparing so thoroughly and catching the Whitebeard Pirates off guard.
Even if Whitebeard hadn't died, his forces should have suffered devastating losses.
Yet now, the side that seemed to have suffered the worst losses was the Marines!
Even Aokiji and Akainu were nowhere to be seen.
'Since when did Whitebeard become this powerful?'
Shanks then turned his attention toward Makoto.
He had already sensed the young man's extraordinarily powerful Observation Haki.
And now, looking at Makoto's youthful face, he realized that another remarkable talent had apparently emerged within the Marines.
After considering the situation for a moment, Shanks slowly spoke.
"Continuing this battle will only cause meaningless casualties on both sides."
"If anyone here still hasn't had enough fighting, then allow us to be your opponents."
With those words, Shanks drew his sword.
He didn't even release his Haki.
Yet his reputation alone was enough to create an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Simply by standing there, he made Marines and pirates below Vice Admiral-level strength almost forget how to breathe.
Seeing that nobody answered, Shanks looked around.
Finally, his gaze settled on Blackbeard.
"Teach... No, Blackbeard. Would you like to give it a try?"
Blackbeard hadn't obtained the Tremor-Tremor Fruit yet.
Naturally, he lacked the confidence to confront Shanks directly.
Instead, he decided to firmly establish his position as an ally of the Marines.
"Red-Hair, I'm still one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"
"Are you planning to represent your entire crew in declaring war against the World Government?"
Blackbeard had merely intended to use his status as a Warlord as an excuse to refuse the challenge.
Unexpectedly, his words struck directly at one of Shanks's weaknesses.
As a member of the Figarland Family, Shanks possessed the bloodline of the Celestial Dragons.
Beneath his identity as one of the Four Emperors, he carried the lineage of the gods.
That meant he couldn't completely place himself in opposition to the World Government.
After all, he still intended to use his bloodline to negotiate with the World Government and maintain the balance of the world in his own way.
Completely betraying the World Government would mean losing that source of influence.
Therefore, Shanks withdrew his gaze from Blackbeard.
Instead, he turned toward Makoto.
"Then how about you, young man? Would you like to have a little match with me?"
Ultimately, the reason Shanks had chosen Makoto was that practically every Admiral-level powerhouse on the Marines' side had already suffered injuries.
By challenging a young fighter like Makoto instead, Shanks could demonstrate his strength without appearing to bully an injured veteran if he won.
Makoto stared at Shanks in astonishment.
He hadn't expected the man to pull something like this.
He was just about to refuse when another system notification suddenly sounded in his ears.
[Ding, you have triggered a B-rank Side Mission: Challenge from Emperor Shanks.]
[Different rewards will be granted depending on the outcome of the battle.]
[Defeat: 10,000 Mission Points.]
[Draw: 1 B-rank Side Mission Token and 20,000 Mission Points.]
[Victory: 2 B-rank Side Mission Tokens, 30,000 Mission Points, and increased reputation with both the Marine and Pirate factions.]
Makoto's eyes immediately lit up.
He wasn't particularly concerned about the Mission Points.
However, the rewards also included B-rank Side Mission Tokens!
Among Makoto's current attributes, Adaptability was his lowest.
After experiencing several different worlds, he had come to understand just how important Adaptability truly was.
Now that he had an opportunity to obtain such valuable rewards, there was no way he could simply let it pass.
However, could he actually win?
If he limited himself to Haki and swordsmanship, the answer was far from certain.
As for his cursed technique system, Makoto had already consumed an enormous amount of cursed energy.
He had used both Cursed Technique Reversal and the Reverse Cursed Technique with his original body.
Furthermore, every shadow clone he had created earlier had activated Domain Expansion.
As a result, his cursed energy reserves were practically exhausted.
Fortunately, he still possessed his chakra system.
If it came down to a decisive moment, that should give him enough power to secure victory.
With that thought, Makoto took his first step forward under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands of Marines and pirates.
Shanks looked at him in surprise.
He hadn't expected Makoto to genuinely accept the challenge.
Then he smiled.
"Excellent! As expected of the Marines' rising star!"
...
Meanwhile, high above the battlefield, Kawa was observing everything through a pair of binoculars.
A look of excitement appeared in his eyes.
'If I can take out Kitano Makoto with this bomb too, I won't have to worry about being punished when I return to the Tavern!'
…