On Saint Lakeman's luxurious cruise ship, the sea breeze moved gently across the deck.
The ship sailed away from Impel Down, leaving the massive prison behind like a dark iron mountain sinking into the horizon.
The atmosphere on board was entirely different from the suffocating cold of Freezing Hell or the dead silence of Eternal Hell.
Here, sunlight touched polished wood.
Servants moved quietly. Cipher Pol agents stood guard in hidden positions.
The women around Lakeman relaxed after several tense days in that gloomy prison.
Lakeman lay on a recliner, his platinum-blond hair touched by the light, his blood-red eyes half-lidded in comfort.
Makino approached with a handmade cocktail.
As his personal bartender, she had always taken pride in preparing drinks that matched his mood.
Sometimes it was a strong cocktail. Sometimes a sweet juice. Sometimes a refreshing mocktail with fruits gathered from different islands.
Sometimes it was herself. Her body, her pussy, her ass, her tits, her mouth.
She had excellent skill and never stopped experimenting.
This time, however, Lakeman did not take the glass immediately.
His gaze remained on the two men standing before him.
Patrick Redfield.
Douglas Bullet.
Both were legends of the old era.
Both had been bound to his system for years, silently providing feedback through their training and survival inside prison. But only now had they truly submitted to him.
Redfield stood calmly, his youthful body restored, his aura deepened by the Vampire Fruit.
Bullet stood like a silent beast, his healed physique carrying the pressure of a man who had regained his path.
Lakeman looked at them for a moment, then spoke.
"Since you have chosen to follow me wholeheartedly, I will not be stingy."
With a thought, two deep green pills appeared in his hand.
They were not ordinary medicine.
Each pill was formed from concentrated life essence, refined and compressed by the power of the Steal-Steal Fruit.
A soft green glow pulsed inside them, carrying dense vitality.
Lakeman flicked his fingers.
The two pills flew toward Redfield and Bullet.
Both caught them carefully.
Lakeman said, "These can heal almost any injury instantly. No matter how severe the damage is, as long as a sliver of life remains, the pill can restore you to peak condition."
Redfield's eyes moved slightly.
Bullet's breathing also paused for a moment.
For people of their level, ordinary medicine had little value. But this was different. This was a second life.
Both men suppressed their excitement, but the joy in their eyes could not be hidden.
"Thank you, Saint Lakeman," Redfield said respectfully.
"Thank you, Saint Lakeman," Bullet followed.
Lakeman finally took the cocktail from Makino's hand and leaned back.
"I have a task for both of you."
Their expressions became serious.
Lakeman took a sip of the drink before continuing.
"Do it well, and perhaps you can truly begin chasing higher realms."
The moment they heard those words, both Redfield and Bullet's eyes ignited.
Higher realms.
Ever since witnessing Lakeman's strength in Impel Down, their understanding of power had been shaken again and again.
They had seen emperors.
They had fought legends.
They knew the strength of monsters like Roger, Whitebeard, Garp, Sengoku, and Rocks.
But Lakeman's power was different.
It was beyond their scope.
That golden Conqueror's Haki, the restoration of Redfield's body, the killing of Shiki, the strange devil fruit harvesting methods, and the existence of the black Haki from the Florian Triangle had shown them that the sea was far deeper than they had once believed.
The reason they followed Lakeman was not only survival.
It was ambition.
Only Lakeman seemed capable of guiding them to a level no pirate of the old era had truly controlled.
Lakeman noticed their excitement and chuckled.
"Before giving the task, I will first explain the division of strength in this sea according to my own understanding."
Redfield and Bullet immediately focused.
Makino stood beside Lakeman quietly, holding the tray. Seeing him finally drinking what she had made, a faint pleased look appeared in her eyes.
Lakeman said, "Let us begin from admiral-level combat power. Anything lower is not worth discussing here."
Redfield and Bullet nodded.
They were both familiar with the term.
Lakeman continued, "To possess admiral-level combat power, one usually needs an admiral-level physique as the foundation, along with Haki, swordsmanship, martial arts, or Devil Fruit ability."
He raised the glass slightly.
"Of course, there are exceptions. Someone with an average physique but an overpowered Devil Fruit can temporarily reach that level in combat. But without a strong foundation, they will not last long against a true monster."
Bullet nodded slightly.
He understood that well.
Power without endurance would eventually collapse.
Lakeman continued, "I divide the admiral level into early, mid, high, and peak stages. The difference depends on real combat ability, not titles."
Redfield listened attentively.
Lakeman's classification was direct, but it had logic.
Titles in the world were often political. Strength was not.
"Above admiral level is emperor level," Lakeman said. "This corresponds to the combat power of the Four Emperors, Marine Marshals, and the strongest monsters of the sea."
His gaze moved between them.
"You both belong to this realm. Bullet, You are currently at the early emperor level. Redfield, after your restoration and with the Vampire Fruit, you are at the peak emperor level. Once you fully adapt to your new fruit, you will go further."
Bullet's eyes narrowed slightly.
He did not argue.
Redfield lowered his head.
"Thank you for your judgment, Saint Lakeman."
Lakeman said calmly, "Many renowned pirates, admirals, and marshals throughout history remained within this realm. Roger, Shiki, Linlin, Kaido, Sengoku, Garp, Kong, and others all examples."
Both men's expressions became solemn.
It was one thing to call someone strong.
It was another to place monsters like Roger, Garp, and Kaido into a system and judge them from above.
Lakeman dared to do it.
More importantly, he had the strength to do it.
"As emperor-level experts yourselves, you should understand the requirements," Lakeman said.
"A terrifying physique, high-level Haki, powerful combat skills, a special bloodline, a rare talent, or a top-tier Devil Fruit."
He glanced at Redfield.
"Redfield, your naturally born, powerful Observation Haki is one example."
Then he looked toward the distant sea.
"Linlin's steel-like body, Kaido's special bloodline and Zoan power, Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit, Sengoku's mythical Zoan, Roger and Garp's Haki, Shiki's Float-Float Fruit, and destructive Logia or rule-based Paramecia fruits can all help create emperor-level combatants."
Lakeman paused.
"But even among emperors, there are differences. Early, mid, high, and peak. Combat experience, physical condition, Haki mastery, Devil Fruit awakening, and fighting will all decide where someone stands."
Redfield and Bullet held their breath.
Their knowledge had reached this point before.
But what came after was what they truly wanted to know.
Lakeman leisurely took another sip of the cocktail. Makino's face reddened slightly when she felt her ass being kneaded.
Lakeman smiled faintly before continuing.
"Above emperor level is the Overlord Realm."
The atmosphere on the deck changed.
Redfield's eyes sharpened.
Bullet became completely still.
Lakeman said, "Rocks D. Xebec reached this realm. The Five Elders and the Captain of the Knights of God also stand there."
Bullet's pupils contracted.
Redfield's expression changed.
Lakeman continued, "Roger, at his true peak, also touched this realm. Unfortunately, his illness caused him to decline back toward peak emperor level. The same can be said for Garp and Whitebeard at their best. They entered the Overlord Realm for a time, then regressed due to age, injuries, illness, or the burden of their own powers."
Bullet's expression showed disbelief.
He had once been part of the Roger Pirates, yet even he had not clearly understood such a division.
Redfield also frowned.
He had fought Roger, Whitebeard, and Garp before. In his memory, they had been powerful, but not so far above him that he could not understand them.
After a moment, Redfield asked, "Saint Lakeman, when I fought them, I did not feel such an overwhelming difference. Were they truly above me?"
Lakeman chuckled.
"That depends on when you fought them."
Redfield looked at him quietly.
Lakeman said, "Perhaps they had already passed their prime. Perhaps they had not yet fully stepped into that realm. Perhaps they simply did not use their full strength."
He placed the glass down.
"Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit was powerful, but every shock also burdened his own body. The old man being alive for so long was already a miracle. As for Roger, his illness may have forced him to restrain himself. Using too much power might have accelerated his death."
Lakeman leaned back.
"I am telling you this based on information, observation, and deduction. As for the exact truth. Who knows?"
Redfield lowered his head slightly.
"I understand."
Lakeman looked at him with interest.
"Do not worry. Once you fully adapt to the Vampire Fruit, you should be able to enter the Overlord Realm."
Redfield's eyes flashed.
"Thank you, Saint Lakeman, for clarifying my doubts."
Bullet could no longer suppress his curiosity.
"Saint Lakeman, are you also in the Overlord Realm?"
Lakeman only chuckled.
His expression carried faint disdain.
Before he answered, Redfield spoke first.
"Idiot."
Bullet frowned.
Redfield glanced at him and said, "Have you forgotten the crushing power of Saint Lakeman's Haki? How could master be only at that level?"
Bullet's expression stiffened.
Redfield continued, his eyes sharp with understanding.
"From Saint Lakeman's description, and from what I know of Roger, Whitebeard, Garp, and Rocks, the difference between admiral, emperor, and Overlord Realm is not impossible to imagine. It is large, but still within the scope of mortal combat."
His voice became deeper.
"But master's golden Haki and that black Conqueror's Haki from the monster beneath the Florian Triangle were different. They gave me the feeling of instant death. It was terror from the depth of the soul."
Bullet remembered that feeling.
The golden Haki.
The black Haki.
Both had rendered him powerless, like a fish placed on a chopping board.
His face became solemn, and he nodded.
Redfield said with disdain, "If Rocks, Roger, Whitebeard, or Garp had possessed power at that level, they would have overturned the world long ago."
Lakeman laughed heartily.
"Indeed."
He felt more satisfied with Redfield as a subordinate.
Killing him would have given feedback, but keeping him alive had its own value. A restored Redfield was not only powerful. He was perceptive.
Lakeman's expression became more serious.
"As for my level, I am in the Demigod Realm."
Redfield and Bullet's hearts shook.
Lakeman continued, "It is beyond the Overlord Realm. A watershed. A transition from mortal toward something divine. At this stage, physique, Haki, lifespan, senses, Devil Fruit ability, comprehension, and life level all undergo evolution."
He looked toward the sea.
"The gap between the Demigod Realm and the Overlord Realm is vast. If a battle between two Overlord Realm masters can destroy an island, then a clash between two Demigod Realm beings can devastate an entire region of sea and trigger disasters across the world in seconds."
Redfield and Bullet sucked in a cold breath.
Redfield felt especially fortunate.
Years ago, he had escaped from the Florian Triangle without understanding what he had survived.
Now he realized he had brushed against a monster that stood in a realm far beyond his peak.
Lakeman said, "According to my guess, the monster beneath the Florian Triangle should be at the peak of the Demigod Realm."
Redfield's face became grave.
Bullet suddenly remembered something.
"Master, nearly six or seven years ago, while we were still locked in prison, we felt a suffocating presence. It was as if the world was about to end. Even Impel Down shook like it was about to be torn apart. But it ended almost instantly, as if it had been an illusion."
Lakeman smiled faintly.
"Oh, that event."
Redfield and Bullet looked at him.
Lakeman said casually, "That was my clash with Imu, the queen and ruler of the Celestial Dragons."
The deck fell silent.
Lakeman continued, "We clashed for less than a second, yet it nearly killed many Celestial Dragons, destroyed several islands, caused massive tsunamis, and created extreme weather across the world. We stopped immediately. Otherwise, you would both have died in Impel Down without ever knowing why."
This time, Redfield and Bullet truly shuddered.
A clash shorter than a breath had shaken the world.
That was the Demigod Realm.
Redfield asked carefully, "Master, you and Imu will not fight again, will you?"
Lakeman laughed.
"Why would I fight my own woman?"
He did not say the rest aloud.
'Except in bed.'
Redfield and Bullet lowered their heads, pretending not to notice the strange smile on Lakeman's face.
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