"This is a one-time thing! If you test me in this manner again... I will kill you," Adrian said, putting away his Conqueror Haki and giving a cold, serious look. "Redfield, other than me, there's no ship in the new era that can contain you old powerhouses."
"What is your goal? To dominate the seas? Or to become the next Pirate King like Roger? As long as you surrender to me, I can satisfy any of your ambitions... because I am destined to become the king who rules this world. Now, I will give you your final choice: join, or... die?!"
The moment the words left Adrian's mouth, Redfield was left a little stunned. Is this really a choice? There's only one option here!
"Hey, old guy, don't even think about becoming the Pirate King. I've already called dibs on that title with the captain," Bullet said defiantly. But his eyes were filled with anticipation. The two were from the same era and were on equal footing in terms of strength. It would be much more interesting if Redfield joined them.
"Hmph, you brash kid. Even Roger wouldn't dare be so presumptuous in front of this old man," Redfield replied, rubbing his aching head and returning to his aloof expression. He looked at Adrian with a complex gaze. "If I find that you're unable to reach that peak, or if your ambition has weakened, I will leave at any time."
To be honest, Redfield wasn't afraid of facing both Adrian and Bullet at the same time. But he was very interested in Adrian's rare Conqueror Haki. He wanted to see if this black-haired boy who is under the age of 20 could achieve such an astonishing ambition. And he knew that Adrian was right—there truly was no other ship in the new era that could take him.
But for Adrian, no matter what Redfield was thinking, it didn't change the fact that he had compromised. That was enough.
"Welcome aboard, Redfield the Aloof!" Adrian nodded in satisfaction, but stopped Redfield as he walked toward him. "You don't have to follow us for now. Go to a place called Sleeping Ancient Town. There, you will find a Bat-Bat Fruit, Model: Vampire that will allow you to regain your youth. Right now... you're too weak!"
If he couldn't be used to his full potential, there was no point in recruiting Redfield. Although he still had the strength of an elite Vice Admiral, it was a far cry from his prime. In the original story, after escaping from prison and feeling his body decay, Redfield began to search for the Vampire Fruit to restore his youth.
"Jie ha ha ha! Captain, you might be the first person in this world who dares to call that old guy weak," Bullet said with a laugh. He's taken a liking to Adrian's personality more and more. With his arrogance alone, he was the perfect captain! Being low-key was just an excuse for the weak. Which true powerhouse wasn't arrogant and domineering? If you had strength but still had to be cautious, what was the point of having strength?
"After I find the Vampire Fruit, I'll come back to you... Your Excellency, My Lord," Redfield said calmly. He turned and left without delay. Instead of being angry at Adrian's words, he felt a sense of gratitude. During his 30 years of imprisonment in Eternal Hell, he had lost too much. It was time for the world to remember the terror of "Redfield the Aloof."
"My lord, should we continue down?" Betty asked, her voice still trembling with fear. She was a little shaken by the scene she had just witnessed. This was a completely new version of pirating she had never seen in the Revolutionary Army.
"Of course. How can we stop our harvesting halfway?" A bloodthirsty smile returned to Adrian's face. "Besides, there's a top-tier Devil Fruit waiting for me in Eternal Hell."
"Hey, is the captain after that old guy World's More-More Fruit?" Bullet was stunned for a moment before grinning. "He's really unlucky. I thought the captain would recruit him too."
The three figures quickly disappeared down the passage. Soon, the sounds of wailing echoed from Level 5, the Freezing Hell.
In Level 6, Eternal Hell, which was covered in blood and corpses, a tall middle-aged man with a horned hat slowly stood up and twisted his stiff neck, making a "click" sound. He was Byrnndi World, the "World Destroyer," who had been feared by both the World Government and the Marines in the old days. Because he had been frozen for 30 years, the 78-year-old World had maintained the peak physical state of his forties.
"Heh, I never thought I'd see the light of day again," a ferocious smile spread across his face. "Marine, World Government, are you ready to face my wrath?" During the 30 years he was frozen, his body had lost all power, but his consciousness had remained. The painful experience of being betrayed by his subordinates gave him a crazed desire to destroy the entire world. The first thing he would do after leaving Impel Down was to destroy Marine Headquarters and the World Government. He wanted the whole world to once again tremble under the shadow of Byrnndi World.
"I told you guys, you remnants of the old era should have left the stage of history a long time ago. But you're all still fantasizing about dominating the new era... Have you no shame?" Adrian's figure slowly emerged from the darkness at the end of the passage. Behind him, Bullet had an embarrassed expression on his face.
"Captain, I have a feeling you were just scolding me, but I have no proof."