Killing thousands alone was tedious—
but having thousands kill one another was far quicker.
Four thousand.
Two thousand.
One thousand.
Five hundred…
Every breath marked a new decline—
a heartbeat extinguished.
The sound of slaughter faded into eerie silence.
The battlefield had become hell itself—
shredded limbs, crushed bone, pools of blood thick as sludge.
Life here was as insignificant as dust.
And from within this deathly stillness came…
a faint, trembling sob.
"All my fault… all my fault!
If I hadn't insisted on fighting…
If not for my so-called pride…
they wouldn't have died—none of them!
I dragged them into hell with my own hands…
I'm not worthy to be their leader!"
Staring at the annihilated Happo Navy forces, Hanpao collapsed to his knees.
"Leader… you can't bear all the blame.
I'm responsible too.
I underestimated the enemy.
I failed to stop you."
"L-Langya…?
You're alive?
You're actually alive?"
Hanpao jerked his head up, joy and disbelief flooding his face.
"Maybe the pain burned my soul so badly it left a trace of clarity.
But that no longer matters.
Right now, we need to focus on staying alive."
Langya inhaled deeply, staring at the slowly approaching Apophis with hardened eyes.
"Langya, go first.
I'll hold him off."
"That's my line.
The Happo Navy can survive without me.
But it can't survive without the Thirteenth Pillar."
"I've lost all right to call myself leader.
You're more qualified—"
"Enough.
This boring tragedy ends here."
Apophis stepped before them, looking down with cold indifference.
"Apophis!
I'll kill you—!"
Fueled by rage, grief, and humiliation, Hanpao lunged forward.
"Calm down!
Haven't your reckless decisions caused enough deaths?!"
Langya seized him forcefully, roaring in his ear.
Hanpao froze, trembling with frustration and shame.
Langya swallowed his hatred and faced Apophis with composure.
"Lord Apophis, we lost this battle.
But there is no true enmity between us.
Perhaps we can resolve this through… gentler means."
Apophis remained silent.
Langya continued, voice steady.
"A true pirate isn't ruled by emotion.
Only profit is eternal."
"As for the fallen Happo Navy troops…
I will shift all blame onto Buffet."
"He pretended to request our aid,
but actually planned to wipe us out, weaken the Flower Country,
and frame you for it—
so we'd become enemies, damaging both sides.
A vile scheme."
Langya spun lie after lie, even convincing himself.
"That bastard Buffet!
If not for Lord Apophis saving us,
his plot might have succeeded!"
Hanpao stared speechlessly.
Is that really something you can just say with a straight face?!
"After this, Lord Apophis will be honored as the highest guest of the Flower Country.
And if you wish to train Armament Haki before entering the New World,
Chief Chinjao would be the perfect instructor."
"It is a mutually beneficial arrangement."
"…You almost tempt me to accept."
Langya brightened—
but Apophis's next words froze him solid.
"Unfortunately,
I am not a pirate.
Nor do I pursue such trivial things."
Langya steadied himself and pressed on.
"Whatever Lord Apophis desires,
we will provide.
And neither Hanpao nor I possess great talent.
We are leagues beneath someone like you.
You never need fear we'll pose a threat."
"If you two were capable of ever threatening me…"
For the first time, Apophis's voice held a ripple of emotion—
excitement.
"…I would gladly let you live.
Being chased from behind—
that thrill is exquisite."
Hanpao and Langya shivered.
This man is a monster.
Who the hell enjoys being threatened with death?!
Even among butchers like us, Apophis is insanity incarnate!
Both secretly regretted everything.
If they had known Apophis was such a lunatic,
they'd never have provoked him.
"And trash…
has no value in staying alive."
As Apophis raised his sword overhead, Langya shouted desperately:
"Chief Chinjao has a bounty over 500 million!
If you kill us, he'll definitely avenge us!"
"Is that so?
Then you've given me yet another reason to kill you."
The sun bled red across the sky.
Two severed heads rolled across the ground, faces frozen in despair.
"G-Get the ships ready—now!
We're leaving at once!"
Capone Bege's legs trembled uncontrollably.
Even a man as ruthless as him felt suffocated by the carnage he'd witnessed.
"If I look up and see that demon standing in front of me… I'm dead."
"Boss, but this base—"
"It's over.
And Chinjao is not someone who listens to reason.
Even Buffet's death won't stop him from burning this place down."
"Boss… where do we go now?"
"The West Blue is too small.
The mafia world is too narrow."
Bege stared toward the vast ocean.
"I'm going to sea.
I'll become a pirate.
I'll unify the West Blue—
then head for the Grand Line."
—One day later—
A quiet bamboo forest.
Wind rustling gently.
Suddenly—
an overwhelming aura exploded, pressing the bamboo flat.
"APOPHIS!!!
I'll kill you!
I'll kill you no matter what!!"
"Grandfather… is Father never coming back?"
"No.
And it's better this way.
He destroyed half the Happo Navy.
He never deserved to be leader.
Even in death, he must return the title of Thirteenth Pillar!"
"Uu… uuu…"
"Abu, stop crying!
If you're a man, bear it!
As for Father's grudge—
I'll avenge it myself!"
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