Chapter 156 - 156: Unfortunately, I Have No Emotions
North Blue.
At the harbor, a group of young men were carrying large blades and fishing spears.
While adjusting their clothes, they boarded a medium-sized fishing boat.
The gathered youths excitedly looked at the pirate flag spread across the deck.
"Is everything ready?"
"All ready, boss!"
"Hahahaha!"
"Good!"
"Today, the Black Tiger Pirates are officially formed!"
"Quick, raise the pirate flag!"
"The One Piece will definitely be ours!!!"
Watching the pirate flag slowly rise, these local thugs—who usually ran wild in their village—felt a surge of ambition. Something deep within them had begun to stir.
However...
Before their excitement could settle...
A bolt of lightning struck the pirate flag halfway up.
Enel appeared at the top of the mast and crouched down:
"Just about to set sail, huh."
"You know this counts as a crime in progress, right?"
"Do you even know what a Scouring the Four Seas Operation is?"
Electric sparks flickered in his hand as he pointed toward the group below.
The thugs below gulped nervously. Scouring the Four Seas Operation...? They were illiterate and honestly didn't know, but they'd vaguely heard of it before.
What they did know was—they were probably going to die.
Instantly, they fell to their knees in tears, begging for mercy.
Enel frowned slightly. This... he wasn't quite sure what to do. After all, they hadn't actually set sail yet.
After a moment's thought, he fired a bolt of lightning downward.
Zzzzt—
A not-too-high, not-too-low voltage stunned them all into unconsciousness.
He pulled out a Den Den Mushi:
"Hello, Sakazuki-san..."
...
North Blue, Scouring the Four Seas Operation, on the third giant warship.
Sakazuki hung up the Den Den Mushi and chuckled softly:
"Still young..."
As dusk approached...
The medium-sized fishing boat slowly arrived.
After sailing all day, it finally neared the warship where Sakazuki was stationed.
Enel sat atop the mast, waving at Sakazuki.
Thunk—
The fishing boat gently bumped against the warship.
Sakazuki walked to the railing and looked down:
"These are the ones?"
Enel nodded:
"That's right."
"How should I put it..."
"These guys were a bunch of small-time thugs."
"Heard about the One Piece."
"So they banded together to set sail."
"Planned to head to a nearby island this morning for supplies."
"I spotted them just as they were raising the pirate flag—it was only halfway up when I struck it down."
"They're all here."
"They haven't done anything bad yet."
"Their family situations are... pretty sad, too."
Sakazuki glanced at the medium-sized fishing boat and made a judgment.
Tap—
The sound of leather shoes hitting the deck rang out.
Sakazuki jumped down and landed on the fishing boat.
He walked up to a young man slumped on the floor.
He reached out his right hand, grabbed the youth by the head, and lifted him straight up.
Held in front of him, the youth's feet dangled in the air.
Sakazuki said indifferently:
"Pathetic?"
Boom—
The young man's head exploded.
Sakazuki casually kicked the corpse aside.
Without even turning his head, he walked toward the next one, speaking to Enel as he did:
"Most people with a proper moral compass, when faced with the weak..."
"...will feel pity, sympathy, or other such emotions due to their tragic experiences or backgrounds."
"And so, they'll let them go."
"That's normal."
"It means you're a young man with a sound sense of values."
"I'm pleased."
"But unfortunately..."
"I don't feel that way."
He reached the next pirate.
With a casual kick—
Bang!
Half of the man's body exploded, turning into a mist of blood and scattered fragments.
"Human desire is like a boulder rolling down a mountain."
"Once it starts, it can never stop."
He approached the next pirate.
His brutal methods and a faint burst of Conqueror's Haki...
Left the newly-formed pirate crew completely paralyzed with fear.
Crunch—
The pirate's head was crushed into fragments with a sickening crackle.
"Maybe they do have some tragic backstories."
"Maybe even some pitiful and touching reasons."
"But."
"You tell me."
"Where did this ship come from?"
Boom—
Another pirate's head burst into blood mist.
Enel finally noticed something wrong with the boat.
Right—how did a bunch of thugs get their hands on a fishing vessel?
This kind of medium-sized fishing boat wasn't something a group of thugs could afford.
Sakazuki crouched before another pirate:
"Speak."
The pirate flinched violently and came to his senses, kowtowing repeatedly:
"Mi...Mi...Mister!!!"
"Please let me go!"
"It was... it was that guy's idea!"
"We stole this fishing boat!"
"It had nothing to do with me!!!!"
Sakazuki raised his hand and patted the pirate's face—slap slap:
"Where did you steal it from?"
The pirate trembled and stammered:
"I-It was from Obird's house in the village."
"We took it from that old man."
"Right! That's it!!!"
"I'll report it!"
"Marine-sama!!!"
"That old man Ian had a daughter too!"
"They did unspeakable things to her!!!"
"I wasn't involved!!!"
The surrounding pirates finally reacted and started shouting back:
"Bastard!"
"You just couldn't get it up!!!"
"You touched her too, plenty of times!"
"Sir! Don't believe him!!!"
"Damned liar!"
"I really wasn't involved!!!"
"Spare me, please, sir!"
The pirate in front of Sakazuki turned his head to retaliate—
Zzzzt—
The sound of roasting flesh filled the air as magma from Sakazuki's hand clamped over the pirate's mouth.
It continued to pour down, covering his entire body.
Struggling in silent agony, he gradually stopped moving.
The terror in his eyes before death was absolute and full of despair.
Sakazuki slowly stood up:
"Got it now?"
Enel's face was so dark it could drip water.
"...Got it."
Sakazuki nodded:
"Clean it up."
"Send the ship back."
Enel gave a light hum in acknowledgment.
Expressionless, he looked at the group of pirates still sobbing and cursing.
His voice rang out—cold and ruthless:
"200 Million Volts!!!!"
Under an extremely high-voltage current, one by one, human-shaped charred husks appeared...
The world went silent.
...
New World, in a towering secret location that pierced the clouds.
After the slaughter, only ten biology scholars remained. They were brought back.
And Dr. Indigo had finally gotten what he wanted—he was made Head of Research.
Those haughty scholars who used to mock his clown-like appearance now worked nervously under him.
Afraid he might take offense at anything.
Though the team was small, Dr. Indigo had achieved his goal.
Gazing at the cultivation tank before him, Golden Lion bit down on his cigar:
"How much longer?"
Dr. Indigo raised his fingers and muttered:
"Uhh..."
"Roughly 5... maybe 10... or 13—"
Golden Lion suddenly cut in:
"You have five years."
"If you fail, you all die..."
Ignoring the conflicted look on Dr. Indigo's face,
Golden Lion narrowed his eyes at the monster within the cultivation tank.
He had a feeling... his time was running out.
Unlike the original timeline where a ship's helm crushed his skull and left him deranged—
The current Golden Lion was frighteningly lucid, but more gravely wounded than ever. And that clarity made it unbearable.
His strength was waning.
Missing limbs, missing legs, and two years of starvation had irreversibly damaged his body.
Every moment, Golden Lion could feel his power slipping away.
He was afraid. Deeply afraid. Terrified of the vision he couldn't shake...
Five years was the absolute limit he could tolerate. If he waited any longer, he might not even be able to lift his swords...
"I'll prove I was right, Roger..."
"Pirates are the true rulers of the sea."
"This so-called Great Pirate Era is nothing but a bunch of fangirls playing make-believe."
"I'll show this world what a real pirate looks like."
"Just wait for me..."
---
(For each review +1 additional chapter)
read +135 chapters on Patreon tambeerg