"Bang."
As soon as the same words as before came out, everyone was shocked and fascinated at the same time.
Tens of guns in different models materialized out of thin air and shot at the same time, as each one was carefully coated with Shun's haki. Each bullet was deadlier than most cannons.
"Kghh-!" Garling, now expecting what would happen, tried to protect himself by deflecting or straight up slicing the bullets, and he succeeded. But another gun would simply materialize behind him.
Seeing Garling torn to shreds, Shun's smile grew wider.
"Hmm, a gun is mightier than a sword."
"…"
In Beehive Island, the Blackbeard Pirates had taken over a few months ago and had proven their strength by becoming the fourth sea emperor, just as they did in the original story.
While Blackbeard lacked the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, being able to steal devil fruits and eat multiple ones was an inevitable advantage over others. Previously, the Marines took over Beehive Island after Ochoku was defeated. However, as the island didn't hold much value, they didn't deploy strong defenses there, unless they sent an admiral, which would be madness since the admirals had far more important responsibilities than guarding some pointless island. In the end, the Blackbeard Pirates would take over the island anyway.
Currently, Blackbeard and his subordinates were drinking and watching the live broadcast. Shun's broadcasts had become some of the most famous entertainment in the world, as this world didn't have much else in the way of entertainment. Shun's unpredictability and his tyrant-like behavior, directed only against the higher-ranking nobles, had earned him the public's affection. There were even small cult-like groups spreading Shun's teachings. It was still minor, but it was honest work.
"Zehahaha, such a frightening… yet fascinating ability…" Blackbeard laughed and muttered with a longing look in his eyes.
Blackbeard's second choice, after failing to get the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, was the Strength-Strength Fruit, which Shun had previously been searching for. It was a simple but top-tier fruit, the wielder of which could apparently lift up mountains.
"Commodore, should we steal his ability? It would be a huge boost for us," Laffitte, one of Blackbeard's earliest teammates, suggested with a smile.
"!" His words immediately silenced the room, everyone paying attention. The power to do whatever they imagined? An ability that could turn back time and even teleport… however…
"Idiot, do you think it's possible?!" Blackbeard asked back with his eyes widened.
"Not at all~" Laffitte replied with a laugh.
"Zehahaha."
"Hahahaha." The silent room returned to its joyous atmosphere. The Blackbeard Pirates were as harmonious as ever.
Meanwhile, on a boat resembling a red bull.
"This brat… knows what he is talking about!" A father who went to buy milk but never returned, instead becoming a pirate, was laughing as hard as he could while holding his gun.
A silver-haired man with a gun at his side also nodded with a small smile.
However, the usually cheerful captain was silent, much to the confusion of the crew.
Back to the Colosseum.
After less than half a minute, the old man who had been torn to shreds was back up. Even his blood and clothes returned to their original state.
"The World Government has an insurmountable amount of resources and treasures…" Shun spoke.
"So… why didn't you eat a devil fruit when you are this weak?"
"…"
Shun's innocent and curious question drew an immediate reaction.
The reaction was an obvious…
Slash.
Hundreds of slashes in mere seconds hurtled toward Shun. But each of them was dodged easily. It somehow resembled fights from Dragon Ball, where characters punched and dodged at high speed.
'Oh, I got it.' While dodging, Shun managed to grab a single strand of hair.
"Bang."
Rat-a-tat-tat-! Rat-a-tat-tat-!
Another rain of bullets poured down on Garling.
This time it took more than a minute for the old man to go down, as he was adapting to Shun's attacks before turning into torn shreds of flesh.
'I finally got to use this magic, huh…' Shun thought as he pulled out a weird-looking doll from his storage ring. Then he placed the single strand of hair he had collected earlier into the head of the doll.
'It's another magic from Grimoire Heart. As it was previously used by a dumbass, it looked like garbage, but it should be top-tier magic depending on who uses it.'
Garling was already standing up again.
'This old man seems to be adapting and getting better, but I don't have any intention to train some old bastard.'
"You got up again, huh? All right, I'm bored. You win." Shun suddenly spoke and started walking away from the battleground.
"…"
"Eh? Does that mean Saint Garling won? I won my bet—eh!!"
"Me too! As expected of Saint Garling—eh!"
"As tenacious as a cockroach—eh!" The gambling degenerates went wild in the audience.
"Well, that went better than I expected…" Sengoku sighed in relief, as it seemed to end without any major incident this time.
"I always thought the brat was similar to someone…" Garp suddenly started.
"Huh? What do you mean by that, Garp-san?" Aokiji asked.
"Looking at Shun next to the Celestial Dragons… that brat acts exactly like them!"
"…" Sengoku and the others agreed unanimously.
"Wait!!" Just when they thought it was over, surprisingly Garling shouted at Shun's back.
"Huh?" Shun turned back.
"This humiliation… I won't allow anyone to leave this Colosseum. I will kill everyone who witnessed this fight," 'Garling' spoke some crazy nonsense.
"He can't be serious, right?" Aokiji asked with a furrowed brow.
"Who knows, Celestial Dragons aren't to be judged by our morals. And that one seems ranked just below the Five Elders," Sengoku replied with a shrug.
'What is this? I can't move my body?!' Garling was equally shocked by the nonsense he himself was spouting. Was he going to kill everyone in the world, including the Five Elders?!
"I see. Good luck with that." Shun said and turned back while fiddling with the invisible doll in his hand. Turning things invisible by repelling light was as easy as breathing at his level.
Shun jumped and joined the Marine audience.
Only Garling was left in the arena. Then, to everyone's shock, the man radiated an immense level of Conqueror's Haki coating his entire body.
"!"
'Turning his body into feather weight, also coating his body with Conqueror's Haki. The old man must be happy getting all those power-ups.' Shun smiled as he looked at the finished product.
What Shun using was a black magic called, Ushi no Koku Mairi. By putting the target's hair into the doll, Shun can control the target by moving the doll. But with Shun's mastery, he could do a bit more than that, like controlling their muscles and make them speak. But it was impossible to control their mind, which wasn't in Shun's interest anyway.
Garling had now turned into one of the strongest in the world.
Swoosh.
SCHLICK—!
No one except the Five Elders and the Navy audience was able to keep up with his moves.
THUD-! THUD-! THUD-!
Tens of heads of Cipher Pol members and slaves fell to the ground. The most shocking thing was… there were even heads of the Celestial Dragon gamblers.
"!"
"What do you think you are doing, Garling?!" Saint Nusjuro shouted with rage.
Garling didn't answer, he just continued swinging his sword until no one remained from the gambler Celestial Dragons' side.
"…"
"Sengoku! What are you doing? Stop him!" The Five Elders turned to their most obedient soldier.
"He is a Celestial Dragon too. Can we fight him?" Sengoku asked, as the sudden change in the situation was far too abrupt.
One moment the duel ended, and now some madman was going berserk…
"You really can't predict those scums…" Garp muttered as if reminiscing about something.
"Shun, go stop him," Sengoku said without expecting a positive response.
"They're the Five Elders, they'll be fine. I'm a bit tired after going all out earlier." Shun said and took a seat.
"…"
Sengoku was right.
Meanwhile, the old man Garling, who was previously a toy that would get torn to shreds only to return a bit stronger, was having the time of his life.
He rushed at the Five Elders but was stopped by Nusjuro, the old guy with a sword.
Clang-!
Their swords met shortly before separating again. Nusjuro defended himself desperately from the power-boosted Garling.
'Despite being higher rank, those elders are on Garling's level or weaker. They are definitely not at the admiral level, huh…' Shun thought while playing with the doll skillfully.
Soon, it happened.
Clang-!
With the sound of a sword being deflected, Nusjuro was defeated. He was beheaded in front of the global live broadcast.
"!!"
"World's highest authority was beheaded by one of their own! It's big news!" Morgan was screaming excitedly. Now he wouldn't stop the stream even if his life was threatened.
'Those old guys from the World Government really die easily. Is it because of their belief in their immortality, or are they just weak? Probably both…'
After beheading Nusjuro, Garling went to kill the remaining elders so he could 'eliminate the witnesses.'
Meanwhile…
"Huh… is this considered domestic violence among the Celestial Dragons?" Shun commented while munching some of Garp and Sengoku's rice crackers.
"…"
Even Garp didn't have the mood to laugh at Shun's jokes in this situation.
"Garp, Aokiji, we have to assist them!" Sengoku shouted.
"Yeah…" x2
With that, the three left, while Shun remained with Tsuru.
"…"
The Navy trio were among the strongest in the world, so their help was much appreciated, but…
"Where's your damn grandson…" Saint Saturn asked in a foul mood.
"He said he is tired after going all out earlier," Sengoku just rephrased what he heard.
'Deal with each other directly, bastards, always using me as the middleman…' Sengoku seethed with frustration but kept his poker face perfectly, thanks to being Fleet Admiral for decades and Shun's rage-baiting from time to time.
"Oi! Sengoku, this guy isn't weak. He is rather strong. Help us!" Garp shouted. He wasn't really in the mood to go all out to protect scums.
Meanwhile, Garling ignored the Marine trio and rushed toward the remaining four elders.
With each slash, the elders' defenses were broken.
Swoosh-!
This time Saint Topman was beheaded.
'Damn it, is that bastard using some type of ability to control me?!' Garling thought with unconcealed anger on his face, which only worked in Shun's favor, as he resembled a guy who had completely lost himself in fury and was attacking his allies.
'Getting this much power boost and experiencing the feeling of being one of the strongest in the world… this old man must be quite happy. I'm such a nice guy, huh…' Shun thought while pretending not to notice Tsuru's suspicious eyes about the whole thing.
Swoosh-! THUD-!
Another one beheaded, then another, and the last one. They would regenerate shortly after, but being beheaded on live broadcast was a humiliation they could not endure.
"Are you the one doing this?!" Nusjuro, who had already regenerated, asked. They weren't stupid.
Shun just remained silent, as if he didn't notice the accusation directed at him. He masterfully controlled the doll, making Garling perform impossible movements.
'Even if his bones broke, he would regenerate anyway. Isn't he the perfect puppet… almost immortal and doesn't need to be fed.'
"This bastard must have an ability to control others…" the regenerated elders were discussing while Garling exchanged half-assed blows with the Navy trio.
Hearing the voices, out of nowhere Garling shouted, "I always hated you all, acting all arrogant… even today you bastards publicly humiliated me."
"…"
Hearing Garling's reasoning, the elders began to rethink their earlier accusation. Garling always seemed unhappy about being ordered by them, but he still followed orders. But had he been accumulating this much frustration that it exploded after the trash-talking Marine delivered the final blow?
They glanced at Shun, who stood up and started walking toward Morgan.
Once he was in front of the live broadcaster Den Den Mushi…
"Hello, everyone. Rayleigh and I are releasing our first adventure and historical book in a month. Why the sudden release of a book? Well, there is an outdated book about a guy named 'Noland the Liar.' We thought it's about time to make a new version. The title will be 'Frau D. Shiki the Liar.' The launch day and signing session will be at Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 60. The date is May 10th. Anyone interested, feel free to come. Let's have a fun day. Rayleigh and I will be there."
Shun waved at the camera dendenmushi with a bright smile.
"…"
Morgans, who was filming, thought, 'As always, you can never predict what words might come out of his mouth…'
"Bastard, is it time for an advertisement?!" Sengoku shouted from the other side of the seats, where the VIP seats for the Five Elders were.
Shun finally ended his little intrusion while the elders desperately fought for their lives. The power-boosted Garling was too much for them.
"All right, you can end the stream. I'm leaving. They seem to be accusing me. It seems like I'm not welcome here." Shun spoke as if he was hurt by their false accusation.
While it felt regretful, Morgan thought what he had gotten was more than enough.
Gotcha.
Morgan stopped the stream and was instantly hit with a POP-!
And with another POP-!
To the surprise of the old men struggling out there, Shun really left!
"That brat really wasn't controlling him?!" Sengoku and Garp, who also believed Shun had something to do with it, now felt a bit guilty.
"…"
The Five Elders also fell into confusion.
"Garling bastard is really doing it on his own?!"
——
Back in Sengoku's office, Shun had returned alone.
'The rat king of the world government didn't show up huh… is this because I'm not from the D family?' Shun fell into his thoughts until he fell asleep, as for the doll he was no longer controlling it. He had also took away his buffs, so Garling must be getting beaten to death now. As for the accusations and Garling becoming weak after Shun left…
'Well… Do they have a proof that I did it?'
——
After a few hours, Shun finally woke up.
'Been a long time since I took a nap… I haven't taken a nap since the Heian Era…' Shun thought jokingly while yawning.
Creak-!
"Oh, you guys are back? Good timing, bring in the two prisoners," Shun said to the previous group of four Marines.
"…"
"Brat… Sorry for doubting you earlier. We thought that you were controlling him," Garp said while scratching his head.
"Ah, don't worry about that. Because I was really controlling him."
"…"
"YOU WHAT?!" Sengoku, who had kept his calm for months, finally exploded.
"Well, it was obvious, right? Him getting weaker right after I left. But my acting was good enough to even fool you guys, huh… Anyway, just bring in the two prisoners."
"…"
Sengoku didn't say anything more. He simply dialed a Marine to bring the five elders' offerings for the duel, which were two weak individuals. One a pirate, the other one was a loyal government dog.
While waiting, Shun spoke to the four veteran Marines.
"Since you guys learned a bit too much, how about joining me?"
"Join what?" Garp asked. He didn't care much about the whole incident. Some scums died?
"I'm planning to attack Mariejois in a few months. The timing is about when I get Shiki's devil fruit."
"!!"
"YOU WHAT?!" x4
This time even Tsuru couldn't keep her silence.
"Well… listen." Shun stood up and started his lecture.
"Isn't the World Government just a nuisance, corrupted and shameless enough to not even hide it?" Shun spoke with a righteous tone.
"My plan is simple. Recruit elite soldiers, kill everyone in Mariejois in a single day, and take control from the World Government. That way the Navy's funding wouldn't get disrupted, and we could keep the system as it is. The Navy would even get stronger with the resources no longer being eaten by worthless pigs," Shun started explaining his grand plan while the four listened in silence.
"Well, give it some time to think. Regardless of your decisions, I'll attack anyway, even if I have to join other groups that are willing to fight. Like your son's group, maybe…" Shun said while looking at Garp.
"…"
After a long silence, Garp asked,
"What's your chance of winning?"
"Garp!" Sengoku was shocked but didn't know what to say.
"Hmm, as you guys probably know, there's a rat king in the World Government," Shun started another piece of lore.
"!"
They were a bit surprised but didn't ask.
"His abilities are a bit tricky. First, immortality, then the other rats around him are immortal too, as they form something like a contract with Imu. But if you somehow kill a Holy Knight, apparently it weakens the rat king.
Well, that's all I know currently. So I would say the chances are… currently about 69%, but after stealing two more abilities, it'll rise above 90%."
"…"
The room became silent, as they had received a bit too much information about the World Government.
"Well, you can give your answers in a month."