One Piece : Prince of Charlotte Family

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Clang! Clang! Clang!

The Shichiseiken returned to its sheath.

Long silver hair flowed in the air.

The man was dressed in an extravagant white outfit decorated with hexagonal plum patterns. His noble and arrogant aura was undeniable—he was someone who couldn't be underestimated.

Removing the cloth covering his eyes, Wilhelm looked calm and expressionless. "Still not good enough..." he muttered.

The earlier clash of Conqueror's Haki had been flashy but meaningless.

In his eyes, it was unimpressive—nothing worth boasting about.

Ever since awakening his Conqueror's Haki, Wilhelm could control it freely, but no matter how hard he trained, he couldn't grasp the advanced technique of Conqueror's coating. It felt like an unbreakable barrier blocked him from reaching it.

Even so, his training wasn't in vain.

Over the past two months, his persistence and relentless efforts had paid off. Both his swordsmanship and Haki had improved significantly. He had mastered the external release of Armament Haki, and after two months of intense training, he could now use it with much greater skill.

The quality and strength of his Armament Haki had also improved, though he still fell short of mastering the advanced technique of internal destruction. However, he was close—it felt like he could almost tear through the barrier and unlock it.

It was only a matter of time before he succeeded.

His Observation Haki had also advanced. While he couldn't yet predict the future, the progress he'd made was remarkable.

Now, his Observation Haki could scan the entire Freezing Hell with incredible precision. Even tiny objects smaller than a fist in hidden corners could be detected and identified with ease.

Even with his eyes covered, Wilhelm could block any attack from any angle with precision.

"Master Wilhelm, another flawless victory!"

Excitement was clear in the voice of "Thousand Faces" Johnny, who licked his lips and added, "By the way, we've almost recovered all those valuable Devil Fruit abilities. It's about time we leave!"

He had grown tired of this place and couldn't wait to head to Happy Street to indulge himself and make up for lost time.

"Yes, it's time to leave," Shiryu of the Rain said with a quiet chuckle.

And then, without warning—

Shiryu's blade, the deadly Thunderstorm, flashed like lightning and pierced straight through Johnny's chest.

"Wha—!" Johnny coughed up blood, his eyes wide in shock as he looked down at the sword impaling his heart.

He turned to Shiryu, disbelief etched on his face.

"You...why...?"

A cold, bloodthirsty smirk spread across Shiryu's face. "Did you really think a washed-up, useless old man like you was worthy of joining us?"

As Johnny's life slipped away, Shiryu twisted the blade and added mockingly, "Thanks for all your hard work these past few days."

"But in the end, for you prisoners, there's no hope. All that awaits you is this deep-sea prison, where you'll suffer endlessly until you die. At least, you got to enjoy two months of freedom before meeting your end. Consider it a reward for your efforts."

"Ack... is that so?"

Coughing up blood, Johnny suddenly understood and let out a bitter, unwilling smile. "So it was just my imagination... cough... cough..."

His eyes grew dim as he slipped into darkness.

Swish!

Wilhelm stood there, his figure still and composed.

He glanced briefly at Johnny, whose life had already faded away.

A faint blue light shimmered in the freezing air.

In Wilhelm's hand, a strange Devil Fruit appeared.

"Master Wilhelm, this is the last Devil Fruit," Shiryu said.

He wiped the drops of blood that had already begun to freeze in the bitterly cold environment of the Freezing Hell from his blade, Thunderstorm, before asking, "Shall we leave?"

Shiryu, too, had been anticipating this moment.

Wilhelm wasn't the only one who had grown stronger over the past two months. Shiryu had also abandoned his hesitation and fought without restraint. He battled the prisoners Wilhelm defeated, using those fights to sharpen his own skills.

Thanks to this, his swordsmanship, Haki, and mastery of the Momo Momo no Mi (More-More Fruit) had all advanced. Shiryu was eager to leave and test his strength in the outside world.

"It's about time..." Wilhelm nodded.

In an instant, two large black suitcases materialized in his hands, his abilities making the transfer seamless. The Paramecia-type Disguise Fruit, which Wilhelm had just recovered, was immediately secured inside one of the suitcases.

Turning to Shiryu, Wilhelm said, "Follow the plan. I'll be waiting for you on the other side of the Gate of Justice."

"Be careful. Don't let anything unexpected happen."

Over a month ago, Wilhelm had already sent Dr. Hawkins out of Impel Down.

Hawkins had gone to Guanhao Island, CP9's training base, to capture an 11-year-old Rob Lucci, a genius prodigy.

The boy's skills, combined with the Paramecia Baku Baku no Mi (Munch-Munch Fruit) and Hawkins' advanced scientific expertise, had been critical for assisting Tom the Fishman in constructing the ultimate ark.

Thanks to Hawkins' contributions and the capabilities of the Baku Baku no Mi, the process of synthesizing and building advanced equipment had sped up dramatically.

The Ark Maxim was completed two weeks ago.

"Understood. Leave it to me," Shiryu replied with a slight nod.

His expression turned sinister as he smirked. "Honestly, if we had more time, I'd love to settle the score with that fool Magellan."

He sneered as he continued, "Lately, prisoners from the Fourth Level, the Blazing Hell, and the Sixth Level, the Eternal Hell, have been mysteriously disappearing or dying under 'accidental' circumstances during torture. Even the dumbest guards are starting to get suspicious."

"Magellan's questioned me repeatedly, but I've denied everything. His patience must be wearing thin by now."

This, of course, was all part of the plan.

In the future, when Shiryu inevitably used his Momo Momo no Mi abilities in battle, people might connect him to Byrnndi World, the pirate who had been frozen in Impel Down. Investigations could lead them to suspect the existence of a method to steal Devil Fruit powers.

Rather than leaving the Marines and the World Government to speculate endlessly, they had decided to leave a clear trail.

Shiryu would make a dramatic "defection," openly admitting to his crimes before leaving Impel Down.

Claiming that he had grown dissatisfied with the Marine and World Government's decisions, Shiryu would stage a rebellion.

"In a desperate gamble, I killed dozens—no, hundreds—of Devil Fruit users in Impel Down, hoping one or two of their abilities would reappear here. As luck would have it, I managed to obtain the Paramecia Momo Momo no Mi."

Sheathing Thunderstorm, Shiryu shrugged, licking his lips as a twisted smile formed.

"My 'inhumane' and 'unprecedented' acts as a warden will go down in history!"

Wilhelm added with a calm tone, "Given your reputation, your shocking crimes, and the threat posed by your Momo Momo no Mi, the Marines will have no choice but to issue a bounty for you. It's safe to assume your bounty will start at 500 million berries, or perhaps even higher than mine."

Shiryu laughed darkly, his sinister grin widening.