"Demon Eye Ryūjin, for the sake of Garp's two grandsons, do not try to kill Garp anymore."
While the two Garps fought fiercely, Aokiji's soul looked at Ryūjin with a grave expression.
"You have already killed nearly all of the Marine's strongest fighters, leaving only Garp alive. If Garp dies as well, the world will descend into complete chaos."
"No, even now, the world is already heading toward turmoil. Pirates who lose their greatest restraint will spread endless destruction across the seas."
"Demon Eye Ryūjin, is this really the outcome you want?"
"As expected of an Admiral, your soul still hasn't gone to the Pure Land after being pulled out for this long."
Ryūjin glanced at Aokiji's soul, mild surprise flashing through his eyes, but his tone remained indifferent.
Moments later, Aokiji's soul drifted into the air and vanished completely.
Without question, it had entered the Pure Land.
Still, Aokiji's words made Ryūjin pause and think.
He knew exactly what kind of disaster would follow if Sengoku and the Three Admirals all died.
Pirates across the seas would become more reckless than ever.
The Marine and ordinary civilians alike would fall beneath an overwhelming shadow of fear.
The Marine would fare slightly better. After all, they had maintained control over the seas for decades, and that authority was not built solely on the strength of a handful of top fighters.
Although powerful combatants played a major role, the Marine's overall military strength could not be ignored.
Even if they lost a few high-level fighters, they could still oppose pirates, though the difficulty would multiply countless times over.
But ordinary civilians were different.
Against pirates, they had almost no means of resistance.
They were little more than prey waiting to be slaughtered.
Ryūjin enjoyed battle, but he had no interest in watching innocent families be destroyed while the world burned under the greed of pirates.
He did not consider himself a good person.
Still, causing worldwide chaos for no reason was not something he cared to do.
Even if Aokiji had said nothing, Ryūjin had already begun considering a solution.
And the answer was simple.
As long as the world never learned Sengoku and the others had died, stability could still be maintained.
In other words, if he created substitutes for Sengoku and the Admirals, not only could he prevent chaos, but he could also quietly seize control of the Marine.
Collecting Devil Fruits would become far easier as well.
A perfect arrangement.
The Transformation Jutsu was rare in the pirate world, but in the ninja world, it was basic knowledge.
He could simply grab a few shinobi from Konoha and have them impersonate Sengoku and the others.
But after thinking it over, Ryūjin quickly dismissed the idea.
The method was flawed.
Even if Transformation Jutsu perfectly replicated someone's appearance, pretending to be another person was far more complicated than changing faces.
Habits.
Speech patterns.
Instinctive reactions.
All of these things would eventually expose the deception.
Take Kizaru for example.
That irritating, laid-back attitude mixed with the strange aura of shamelessness he carried naturally.
Ryūjin doubted anyone could imitate it properly.
Transformation Jutsu could mimic the body, but not the soul.
That flaw alone made it unreliable.
More importantly, the powers of Sengoku and the Three Admirals were impossible to fake.
If they were ever forced to act publicly, the deception would collapse instantly.
At best, the plan would only work for a short time.
It would never achieve Ryūjin's long-term goal of maintaining balance while using Marine influence to gather Devil Fruits.
"Then the only option is to resurrect them."
Ryūjin narrowed his eyes.
"These bastards are luckier than they realize."
After weighing every possibility, he arrived at the perfect answer.
Resurrect Sengoku and the Admirals.
Then place them under Kotoamatsukami.
There was no method more effective.
With his decision made, Ryūjin ignored Garp, who was still locked in combat against the Water Mirror Technique version of himself.
Instead, he crouched on the frozen battlefield and began carving an extremely complicated jutsu formula into the ice.
The symbols for Edo and Tensei slowly appeared within the formation.
Once it was complete, Ryūjin spread his Observation Haki across the battlefield.
Soon, he found a Marine soldier still barely clinging to life.
With a casual motion, Ryūjin dragged the man over and tossed him into the center of the jutsu formula.
"Demon Eye Ryūjin, what are you doing now?!"
Seeing Ryūjin target another Marine, Garp roared furiously.
Ryūjin ignored him entirely.
After making sure everything was ready, he slammed his hand down.
"Edo Tensei!"
"Aaaaaah!"
The Marine soldier screamed in agony.
But the scream quickly stopped.
His body twisted unnaturally.
Then, before everyone's eyes, his appearance transformed.
The Fleet Admiral, Buddha Sengoku, stood there once again.
"Demon Eye Ryūjin? Didn't I already die?"
Sengoku looked completely stunned.
He remembered clearly.
Ryūjin had snapped his neck.
He should have died on the spot.
But now he stood here again.
Alive.
"No..."
Sengoku frowned.
"Something feels wrong."
He quickly examined himself.
Cracks covered his skin.
His body was cold.
No heartbeat.
No warmth.
A disturbing sensation spread through him.
"Demon Eye Ryūjin, what have you done to me?!"
Shock, anger, and fear mixed in Sengoku's voice.
By all logic, he should already be dead.
Yet somehow, he still existed.
That alone filled Sengoku with dread.
Ryūjin's methods were horrifying.
"You talk too much."
Ryūjin shrugged lazily.
His eyes shifted into the Rinnegan.
Clapping his hands together, he spoke calmly.
"Hell Realm."
A massive King of Hell statue suddenly appeared before them.
Sengoku's expression changed instantly.
An overwhelming pressure descended upon him.
It felt as though some supreme existence had arrived to judge his very soul.
"What the hell is that?!"
Ryūjin ignored him.
Using the Human Path, he forcefully extracted Sengoku's soul from the Edo Tensei body.
Then he grabbed Sengoku's corpse and threw both body and soul into the King of Hell's mouth.
The massive jaw shut.
Crunching sounds echoed out.
Moments later, the King of Hell spat Sengoku back out.
Alive.
Truly alive.
Before Sengoku could even react, Ryūjin activated Kotoamatsukami.
A command was instantly engraved into Sengoku's consciousness.
Follow Ryūjin's orders without question.
Sengoku froze briefly.
Then he lowered his head respectfully.
"Lord Ryūjin."
"Good."
Ryūjin nodded.
"Go calm Garp down."
At the same moment, Ryūjin dispelled the Water Mirror Technique.
The duplicate Garp vanished instantly.
Whoosh!
Garp rushed forward at full speed.
He had seen Sengoku standing again earlier but had been too occupied to approach.
Now that the fight was over, he could finally confirm what he saw.
"Sengoku... are you alright?"
Disbelief covered Garp's face.
He had witnessed Sengoku die.
There was no mistake.
Ryūjin had snapped his neck.
Yet here Sengoku stood, perfectly fine.
"Garp, I was killed."
Sengoku spoke seriously.
"But he resurrected me."
"So stop."
"...What?"
Garp stood frozen.
Resurrection?
Even for Demon Eye Ryūjin, that sounded impossible.
Still, he had seen everything.
The cracked version of Sengoku.
The strange transfer.
And somehow, the dead Sengoku standing again.
His mind struggled to process it.
"I'm about to resurrect one of the Admirals next."
Ryūjin spoke casually from nearby.
"So Vice Admiral Garp, are you planning to interrupt me again?"
Garp fell silent.
After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"You can really bring back the dead?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
Ryūjin replied casually.
"But if I do this, stop getting in my way."
Without waiting for an answer, Ryūjin activated Edo Tensei again.
This time, he summoned Kizaru.
Then, using the Hell Realm, he restored Kizaru's body before merging body and soul back together.
A little over ten minutes later, Admiral Kizaru stood alive once again.
Naturally, Ryūjin immediately used Kotoamatsukami on him as well.
Garp stared in complete disbelief.
Kizaru had actually returned from the dead.
A chill spread through him.
If Ryūjin could resurrect people this easily...
What would stop him from bringing back monsters like Roger or Rocks?
The thought alone was terrifying.
"Kizaru."
Ryūjin's voice suddenly echoed out.
"Kill every surviving Marine here."
Garp's eyes widened.
The truth about Sengoku and the Admirals being controlled could not spread.
Naturally, witnesses had to disappear.
"Yes, Lord Ryūjin."
Kizaru answered without hesitation.
Then he transformed into light and shot into the sky.
"Kizaru! What the hell are you doing?!"
Garp shouted furiously.
But Kizaru paid him no attention.
Yasakani no Magatama!
Golden light rained across the battlefield.
Chi! Chi! Chi! Chi!
Explosions echoed everywhere.
Screams followed.
The surviving Marines, including Vice Admiral Momonga and the others, died one after another beneath Kizaru's attack.
"Kizaru! Stop! Have you lost your damn mind?!"
Garp roared desperately.
It made no difference.
Kizaru carried out Ryūjin's orders without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Sengoku stood silently nearby.
Expressionless.
Like none of it mattered.
At that moment, Garp understood.
Sengoku had been controlled too.
"Demon Eye Ryūjin, what exactly did you do to them?!"
Garp glared furiously.
Ryūjin simply laughed.
"Vice Admiral Garp, you didn't seriously think I'd resurrect them for free, right?"
Before Garp could respond, Ryūjin's Sharingan spun.
"Sleep for a while."
Garp's body stiffened.
Then he collapsed onto the ice.
Unconscious.
Afterward, Ryūjin placed Sengoku, Kizaru, Garp, and the corpses of Akainu and Aokiji into the Kamui Dimension.
Once everything was handled, Ryūjin floated above the sea and raised his hand.
"Shinra Tensei."
Boom!
A massive force erupted outward.
The sea exploded into towering waves hundreds of meters high.
The battlefield vanished beneath the raging ocean.
Marine warships.
Corpses.
Evidence.
Everything sank into the depths.
As though nothing had ever happened.
Soon after, Ryūjin entered the Kamui Dimension.
Sengoku and Kizaru immediately bowed.
"Lord Ryūjin."
"Lord Ryūjin."
Ryūjin nodded.
"After I resurrect Aokiji and Akainu, all of you will return to Marineford."
"On the surface, continue acting normally."
"But secretly, I want you collecting Devil Fruits with everything you've got."
"Understood?"
"Understood, Lord Ryūjin!"
Neither Sengoku nor Kizaru hesitated for even a second.
===
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