i"Shiryu, I heard you love killing people. Come with me to the West Blue — I'll make sure you can kill to your heart's content! Hey, I'm talking to you! Where are you going now?"
"Vice Admiral Brian, please stop following me. I'm going to the bathroom."
"Alright then. I'll wait outside, and we can keep talking when you're done."
"..."
At first, Shiryu had been curious — curious how this man, so young, had risen to the rank of Vice Admiral.
But now? Now he didn't want to know.
Because if he behaved the way Brian did — this shameless, relentless persistence — maybe he'd already be warden.
Just imagine: in order to recruit one subordinate, Brian could spend an entire day glued to him, shadowing his every step, repeating like some broken record,
"Follow me, Brian, and you'll live the good life. Eat what you want, drink what you want, gamble, visit brothels — want money? You'll have it. Want territory? Take it. Want women? I'll get you some. In the West Blue, you can do whatever the hell you want!"
Shiryu had endured it for half a day before he finally broke.
He gave in. Completely.
Because Brian wasn't just shameless — he was perverted. The man had even suggested sharing a bed that night.
"Vice Admiral Brian, sir… please, you don't need to say another word. I'll go to the West Blue with you, alright?"
Shiryu had caved in out of sheer exhaustion.
If it were anyone else pestering him like this, he would've cut them down without hesitation.
But he knew full well — he couldn't beat Brian.
He couldn't kill him, couldn't drive him away, and the man would not shut up.
How could anyone live like this?
"Excellent! That was easier than I thought," Brian said with a bright grin. "I figured I'd have to give a few more speeches."
He looked thoroughly pleased. Recruiting Shiryu hadn't been hard in itself, but the timing was tricky — after all, Shiryu still felt a sense of belonging to Impel Down.
At this stage, he could torture and kill prisoners as he pleased. It was freedom he'd soon lose when Magellan eventually became warden.
"Vice Admiral Brian," Shiryu said dryly, "I just don't get it. Why do you want me as your subordinate?"
There were plenty of strong people in Impel Down. Magellan, for instance — Shiryu wasn't even sure he could beat him. Yet Brian had fixated on him. It made no sense.
"Because you," Brian said with a lazy smile, "are a nasty piece of work who enjoys killing. That makes you perfect for my team."
Anyone with a proper sense of morality or an ounce of decency would never follow him — Brian was well aware of that.
So his recruiting policy was simple: find the twisted, the cruel, the unhinged — the kind of men society couldn't tolerate. Those were the ones he wanted.
"That's… a terrible reason," Shiryu said flatly, unable to understand the man at all.
"Don't think too hard about it. Once my reassignment order comes, I'll take you to the West Blue. We'll have ourselves a fine time."
Brian clapped him on the shoulder cheerfully, while Shiryu just stood there with an expression that screamed: I need to be alone.
Holy Land Mary Geoise — the World Government's Garden.
The Five Elders sat by the pool, listening as Dasor gave his report.
The blond elder frowned slightly. "Brian cut off both of Galil's arms?"
Dasor bowed. "Yes, sir. The report's been verified. Magellan has temporarily assumed command of Impel Down. As for Galil, he's been sent to the Navy's Science Division for treatment, but… it's unlikely his hands can be saved."
The bald elder adjusted his glasses, his expression unreadable.
The bald elder with the cane sighed. "Originally, we sent him to Impel Down to temper his temper — let him sit quietly, get bored, and eventually come begging for a reassignment. But it seems no matter where Brian goes, he always manages to stir up trouble. We really underestimated him."
"Heh."
The other Elders exchanged small, knowing smiles. None of them looked particularly angry about the whole Galil incident.
Dasor smiled faintly as well. "There's another matter. Brian has also recruited the deputy head jailer, Shiryu of the Rain. The latter has agreed to follow him."
The curly-haired elder in the beret asked, "Shiryu of the Rain… is he strong?"
"Just slightly below Magellan," Dasor replied. "He's a sword master within Impel Down — quick, deadly, and vicious. But his personality is rotten; he takes pleasure in torturing prisoners. His relationship with Magellan is terrible."
The elder with the goat beard chuckled softly. "You could call that… a rather unique sort of charisma."
"Let him recruit whoever he wants," said the bespectacled elder. "If we want to restructure the Navy and balance out the other factions, Brian will need enough personal power to do it."
"That may be true," the blond elder countered, "but Impel Down's defenses are weakened now."
"Impel Down's never had an escape in history," the bald elder said flatly. "Don't worry about it. If necessary, we'll just send a few rear admirals from Headquarters to reinforce it."
After a few more minutes of casual discussion, the Five Elders stopped talking about Brian entirely, turning their attention instead to the issues in Water Seven — and the rumored weapon, Pluton.
Impel Down, Freezing Hell.
Brian and Shiryu of the Rain faced each other for the first time in a spar.
Shiryu's swordplay was lightning-fast — precise, vicious, and unpredictable. Every slash came from an impossible angle, aimed to kill.
But Brian dodged them all with nothing more than Kami-e — the Paper Art. His body swayed and twisted like smoke, slipping between Shiryu's horizontal strikes, upward thrusts, and stabbing lunges as if he already knew their trajectories.
"To think someone could master Rokushiki to this degree…" Shiryu muttered, incredulous.
He'd seen Brian use Kami-e before — but seeing it from the outside and facing it head-on were two entirely different experiences.
After hundreds of consecutive attacks had failed to land even once, frustration began to creep into him.
That tiny lapse — that irregular rhythm in his breathing — was all Brian needed.
"One Fist — Shaking Heaven and Earth!"
It was just a simple straight punch — but the air in front of it distorted, the compressed force howling toward Shiryu like a cannon blast.
Shiryu's eyes widened. Instinctively, he crossed his blades to block.
Boom!
The impact slammed into him, flinging him backward like a rag doll. He hit the wall hard enough to crack the ice behind him.
Brian didn't give him a chance to recover.
"One Kick — Tremor of the Demon!"
Using Geppo, he kicked off the air itself, accelerating rapidly — then dropped down, his heel crashing toward Shiryu's raised sword.
Shiryu's pupils shrank. He gritted his teeth and raised the blade over his head to block.
CLANG!
Brian's boot connected, the power reverberating down the steel. Shiryu's arms screamed in pain.
Then came a second kick — heavier, sharper.
Blood splattered the ice as the skin between Shiryu's thumb and forefinger tore open.
Brian landed in a graceful backflip, his coat fluttering, and looked down at his opponent with a bright grin.
"Shiryu," he said cheerfully, "you're still too weak. Your body needs more training. Your swordsmanship is sharp, but once I find the slightest opening — you're done."
Shiryu just stared at him, expression blank, before muttering under his breath,
"Vice Admiral Brian… you're not human, are you? You're a monster."
Brian chuckled. "Can't help it. I was just born with the temperament of a king, you know? Hahaha!"
He clapped Shiryu on the shoulder, still laughing, then turned and strolled away. He had other business — specifically, another round of "tormenting" the Golden Lion.
And now that teasing the Golden Lion had become his daily pastime, Brian knew that the agents the Five Elders sent to watch him would only see him as a man who spent his days idly playing with a crippled pirate —
never suspecting that beneath the laughter, he was already planning something far more dangerous.
(to be continued..)
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