That's right!
Due to the butterfly effect brought about by Red, the prison escapees Festa managed to gather and rope into his grand scheme this time were not limited to just one man: the Heir of the Demon, Bullet.
Even Patrick Redfield—who had yet to find the Bat-Bat Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Vampire in the original timeline—had been dragged aboard this pirate ship with him.
And based on the clues Redfield provided, Festa successfully helped him find the Vampire Fruit.
Compared to other Mythical Zoan Fruits, the Vampire Fruit's power was brutally simple and direct...
Drink the blood and lifespan of others, either to strengthen oneself or to extend one's own life!
That's right!
This was a terrifying Fruit power comparable to the Op-Op Fruit, one that could grant a conditional form of immortality!
And under the power of the Vampire Fruit, Redfield had now successfully restored his body to its absolute peak condition!
A top-tier monster who, according to legend, had once stood on equal footing with Roger, Whitebeard, the Golden Lion, and other legends through his own strength alone...
Today, he had returned!!!
And likewise, even though he had been imprisoned in the lightless depths of Impel Down, Bullet had never relaxed for even a moment. He had trained day and night without cease, and in terms of raw power, he was no weaker than Redfield—perhaps even stronger!
"Don't hold me back later, old man."
"Hmph! That's what I should be saying to you!"
From the dim shadows, two peerless powerhouses stepped out of the passageway.
As fellow monsters from the previous era, Bullet and Redfield were hardly strangers to each other.
Back when Bullet was still on Roger's crew, he had crossed paths with Redfield more than once.
But fate toyed with men.
Neither of them had imagined that after returning to the seas ten years later, they—two former prisoners—would end up joining forces.
After all...
Neither Bullet nor Redfield was the type to work with others. Both were lone wolves who believed only in individual strength and pursued only their own power.
And the reason these two lone wolves had gathered together was not the Straw Hat Pirates, who had recently been stirring up the seas.
On the contrary, it was Whitebeard—who, under Red's influence, had not only failed to die on schedule, but had instead grown even stronger thanks to the power of the Pokémon template!!!
The period when Blackbeard broke into Impel Down had happened to coincide with the time when the Whitebeard Pirates destroyed Marineford Headquarters and then set off the second Life Surge in the New World.
So when the two of them emerged from Impel Down and learned that Whitebeard—a man comparable to Roger—had neither died nor grown weaker with age, but was still rampaging across the seas in full force...
The two men, who had once been suppressed by Roger himself, completely lost the confidence they had in the original timeline.
Perhaps it was the common flaw of every powerhouse who had lived through Roger's era: in their world, they believed they had already witnessed the greatest power the world could possibly offer.
So from beginning to end, they simply could not believe that power greater than Roger's could ever appear in this world.
Nor could they believe that the younger generation of the seas would create a world even more brilliant than theirs.
By the same logic...
After learning of the power Whitebeard had displayed, both men felt a trace of fear rise from deep within their hearts.
The younger Bullet was somewhat better off.
But Redfield, who had already once experienced old age firsthand, simply could not summon the courage to confront Whitebeard and the others head-on.
And that was precisely what gave Festa an opening, allowing him to unite two Emperor-level monsters.
In truth, if this had been the era of twenty or thirty years ago, such a force really would have been worthy of being called the strongest in the world.
But unfortunately... the opponents they were facing were the Straw Hat Pirates—a crew capable of changing the world, and one that had already done so!!!
...
...
On the battlefield of Delta Island, the battle between the Straw Hat Pirates and the Pirate Alliance was still raging fiercely.
And even though every member of the Straw Hats had imposed all sorts of restrictions on themselves, as time passed, the balance of the battlefield was still gradually tilting.
Even a powerhouse like Cavendish was being utterly battered in the hands of the Straw Hat crew, with no ability to fight back at all.
"Damn it! Why are these guys so ridiculously strong?!"
Cavendish, who had tried to use his ultimate speed to ambush Robin only to be kicked flying by Sanji, forcefully pulled himself out of the rock wall.
Looking at that figure with his eyes covered, yet still able to accurately kick away every single enemy—whether they were pirates worth over a hundred million or mere cannon fodder...
An inexplicable chill suddenly surged into Cavendish's heart.
Clearly, if he still couldn't tell by now that the Straw Hats were using them as sparring partners, then his title of Pirate Prince would have been for nothing.
But it was precisely because he had seen through it all that fear took root in his heart.
Because he simply could not tell...
What their true power actually was!
The unknown was the best nourishment for fear.
At the same time, inside a concealed castle—
At some point, Festa had sat down in a room lined with screens, a satisfied smile on his lips.
Just then, a black silhouette on one of the screens suddenly spoke:
"So that's the Straw Hat Pirates!? As expected of the youngest Emperor crew—their strength is terrifying!"
"What do I do, bosses!? Not long ago, that witch Nami from the Straw Hats came to me and tried to buy my company, and I directly cursed her out and threw her out!"
"I really had no idea they were this strong!"
"Is it still too late for me to apologize!?"
"Heh~ Too late. Just wait for death!"
"To think you actually dared refuse a deal from the witch. Your guts are really something~"
On the screens, one underground big shot after another—figures with considerable prestige in the underworld—were chatting as if they were in some private group chat, casually watching the Straw Hat Pirates' performance on Delta Island while making conversation.
Hearing these people praise the Straw Hat Pirates instead of complimenting the grand carnival he had put together, Festa's upturned lips slowly sank.
Then his brows gradually furrowed as well.
Watching the "big shots of the underworld" group he had envisioned turn into a Straw Hat fan club, Festa finally snapped and abruptly interrupted them all.
"Hmph~ That's exactly why I say this so-called Great Age of Pirates is nothing more than the fantasy of a bunch of naïve fools!"
"I truly never imagined that people like you, who once dominated the seas, would one day wag your tails like lapdogs licking someone else's boots."
"And the funniest part is that not a single word of your pathetic simping will ever reach the ears of the Straw Hats!"
"What a pitiful bunch you all are!"
Festa leaned back in his chair with his legs crossed, revealing a contemptuous sneer.
And such naked mockery naturally sparked the dissatisfaction of all the underground bosses.
"Hm!? What did you just say!?"
One man with a glaring scar across his face suddenly shoved his face right up against the camera, as if he wanted to glare through space itself and intimidate Festa on the other side.
But with two supreme powerhouses in hand, Festa was currently more puffed up than ever before.
In this era where Roger was dead and Whitebeard no longer withdrew from the stage, he truly didn't think he could lose to anyone!
"Hmph~"
Festa let out another cold snort. Seeing all eyes focus on him once again, a cruel smile curled across his lips.
"Just wait. Very soon, all of you will learn who this era truly belongs to!"
"When that time comes, we'll drag each and every one of you bastards out into the open and kill you all, cleansing this era completely!!!"
"What!?"
Hearing Festa speak so outrageously, even several underground bosses who had not cared much before now revealed furious expressions.
Only Morgans, who held a great deal of secret intelligence, suddenly let out a laugh.
"Festa... don't tell me you..."
"Still think this is twenty years ago!?"
As Morgans spoke, the angry underground bosses gradually fell silent.
Although neither the Straw Hat Pirates nor the World Economy News Paper had ever openly admitted it...
Who in the underworld today didn't know that Morgans and the World Economy News Paper under his control had long since become aligned with the Straw Hats?
Several of the most important pieces of information about the Straw Hat Pirates had all been released as exclusive reports from Morgans's side.
Anyone with eyes could tell those reports absolutely had not been dug up by Morgans himself.
Especially after several of the original giants of the underworld had been successively crushed by the Straw Hats, while the World Economy News Paper—this crucial organization that controlled intelligence and public opinion—had instead escaped unscathed.
Now that the Straw Hat Pirates were in their full glory, Morgans's status in the underworld had risen right along with them.
"Of course this isn't twenty years ago!"
Festa answered confidently.
"In this era, there is no bastard like Roger!"
"Oh? So that's how you see it!?"
Morgans, who also counted as someone left over from the previous era, gave a mysterious smile.
"In that case, I wish you the best of luck~"
Click.
Morgans's screen flashed once, then blacked out without the slightest courtesy.
"Ran away, did he? Coward."
Festa sneered disdainfully and turned his gaze toward the other underground bosses.
Unfortunately, after the Straw Hat Pirates' purge, the underworld bosses still remaining were all rather unimpressive.
Even an outdated relic like Festa looked down on them.
"Forget it. Even if I told you my ideals, you wouldn't understand!"
"In any case, just enjoy this brand-new era that I will lead!"
"An era... filled with war!!!"
"Hahahahaha..."
Festa burst into loud laughter.
And just then, from deep beneath the sea, a battered old ship suddenly shot upward, propelled by the Knock Up Stream as it hurtled straight toward Delta Island above.
And then...
BOOM!!!!
The instant that ruined vessel slammed into Delta Island, a violent explosion erupted, blasting the island directly into countless fragments.
"Wh-... what's going on!?"
"Damn it! Why did this happen!?"
The pirates on Delta Island, who had already been thoroughly brutalized by the Straw Hat Pirates, had no time at all to react before they fell alongside the shattered island toward the sea below.
At that moment, they felt only that the world was filled with malice toward them.
What was supposed to be a cheerful carnival celebration had turned into a confrontation with an Emperor crew.
And now this towering island had exploded outright, while below them stretched the sea that countered all Devil Fruit users.
How the hell were they supposed to survive this!?
Splash!!!
Countless chunks of the island crashed into the sea, blasting up towering columns of water.
The boulders raining down from the sky and the roaring, surging waves immediately caused enormous casualties among the pirates in the spectator stands.
As for the pirates who fell from the top of the Knock Up Stream, their casualties were even more catastrophic.
Honestly speaking—
From this move alone, the total number of pirates Festa had killed was enough to rival half a year of the Marines' performance!
"So it's starting!?"
On the other side, the Straw Hats—already warned by Red in advance—were not surprised in the least by the sudden explosion.
Instead, as though fully prepared, they had already found suitable footholds and landed safely on chunks of rock.
And after landing, Luffy and the others immediately turned their eyes toward the depths of the venue.
Tap! Tap!
At that moment, two figures slowly emerged from the smoke and came before everyone.
"Th-Those are...!?"
Hajrudin, who had just climbed out of the seawater, saw the two figures and his expression changed abruptly. Ignoring Luffy beside him, he cried out in shock:
"Impossible!"
"How could they still be alive!?"
"Oh? You know them!?"
Hearing Hajrudin's shout, Luffy immediately became interested. "Hey, big guy, you know who they are!?"
"Of course I do!"
Hajrudin first glanced at Luffy, then his bell-like eyes trembled rapidly.
At that moment, it was as though he had completely forgotten the unpleasantness that had just occurred between them. Instead, he regarded Luffy as someone facing the same situation as himself.
"Those two are none other than the Heir of the Demon, Bullet, who once belonged to Roger's era, and the man whose fame rivaled Roger's—the Lone Red, Patrick Redfield!"
"I remember the Navy papers saying those two had already died!"
"So why are they here!?"
Having just celebrated his eightieth birthday, Hajrudin seemed to be recalling memories from twenty years ago, when he had only just come of age.
"Oh? So they're that incredible!?"
Hearing Hajrudin's explanation, Luffy showed a look of surprise.
After all, Red had only told him about Bullet and had not mentioned Redfield at all.
And the moment he heard that guy was a powerhouse comparable to Roger, Luffy's eyes immediately flashed with excitement.
He had already wanted to test himself against the great monsters of the old era, and now it was like someone had delivered a pillow just as he was getting sleepy!
"The Lone Red, huh!?"
"This festival just got really interesting!!!"
At the same time—
When Red saw Redfield's figure, he too froze for a moment.
Because no matter how he looked at it, he had never expected that two legendary lone wolves who believed only in themselves would appear here together as a pair.
"Things... just got interesting!"
A sharp gleam flashed through Red's eyes, and excitement spread across his face.
He had wanted to witness the power of the Vampire Fruit for a very long time!
After all, that was one of the rare Devil Fruit abilities in the world of pirates... capable of extending a person's lifespan!
(End of Chapter)