The sea breeze that blew out stood still at this moment.
Red Hair, with his back to Sage, was equally frozen in place.
"It's over."
Lily said softly, slightly loosening her grip on the sword hilt.
Kizaru chuckled, "Indeed, young lady... please don't look at me with such a dangerous gaze, it's quite frightening."
Lily had been watching Kizaru closely.
Even though Sage was full of confidence, believing Kizaru wouldn't take action, unforeseen events, by definition, cannot be predicted.
If Kizaru intervened in a battle of this magnitude and gave Red Hair a chance to catch his breath, he might just manage to escape.
When dealing with formidable opponents, either strike decisively or refrain from making an irreversible move.
If you do everything to the extreme and still let the main target escape, that would be the most foolish action.
Fortunately, Kizaru never made a move.
Her gaze shifted away from Kizaru and onto Red Hair.
In that seemingly frozen space, Red Hair seemed suspended mid-air, his entire body rigid and unmoving. Yet after a moment, he tremblingly extended his hand, shifting his gaze to the Western Sword in his hand.
"The sea shouldn't have people like you..."
A hoarse whisper slowly drifted from Red Hair's mouth: "A void in chaos, vanishing shadows, recalling the day of the promise, listening to the voice of the waning moon... a new dawn has come, they will surely meet again."
"Destiny cannot be stopped, for that is the most desired dream world, Sage, you cannot stop it, that world... will surely reappear."
Hoo...
The sea breeze blew, and the frozen Red Hair shattered with the wind, turning into flying ash and dispersing into the air.
"A world of dreams?"
Sage turned his head, chuckling coldly, "Dreams are subject to change; when one's ability and will are enough to surpass the world, dreams will be led. It's all about having an environment that reminds you of your original intent."
Sage wasn't clear on what destiny was.
Maybe Red Hair was right, that unstoppable destiny, revived through the Nika Fruit, also represents the embodiment of the world's dreams and desires.
It seems like destiny, but just like the manifestation of Devil Fruits, it's only desires leading the way.
But desires, indeed, can be altered by the environment.
When young, the wish might be to urinate more, to play with pee and mud, which was a desire.
When older, the same desire to urinate more comes from not wanting to be labeled as having frequent or urgent urination.
Desires change with the environment and experience.
People of the past perhaps wanted freedom, the freedom to live and roam the seas.
In contrast, those who were satisfied with life and only wanted to maintain the status quo or uphold order were the minority.
Desires vary according to individual circumstances.
Sage was sure he brought something different.
"Ask the people of O'hara, their desire isn't freedom! It's for me to live forever, to continue bringing them vitality and prosperity, and for this life to never change, with a genuine hope that I will rule here!"
Sage stretched out his hand, clenching it tightly, laughing wildly:
"What freedom of the seas, what destiny's obstruction—those things... cannot hinder me! Just like your fate, you can't stop me! Hahaha, haha!"
Amidst the laughter, Sage retreated from his transformation state, but the black and red Supreme King's Haki soared to the sky, not diminishing, which made Kizaru's face change suddenly.
"Oh~ a little stronger again, how frightening, you must be the strongest on the seas now, but you seem to be getting endlessly stronger... does the human body really have no limit?" Kizaru wondered.
The sea's limit surely exists.
As a top expert, Kizaru hadn't yet felt any distinctive changes in Sage.
They were still on the same level.
But that infinitely rising Haki and constantly condensing physique continued to widen this gap; perhaps still on the same level, but the combat power difference was becoming despairing.
Kizaru could still manage an even battle, his speed unmatched, as long as it wasn't a fight to the death.
If it were a genuine confrontation where he couldn't escape from Sage, he would surely lose.
"It's all settled now, so I will take my leave; the matter of Tot Musica, and Red Hair, I still have to report... Sage."
Kizaru looked at Sage, "Some things aren't as simple as you think."
With that, he transformed into a yellow light, vanishing into the air, reappearing on the battleship, and the Navy Fleet at this moment changed course, departing from here.
"Tsk, how complicated could it be? Just find the source."
Sage looked towards Mary Geoise, smirking, "I'm not interested in any historical secrets, but I do have some insights on how to resolve these tangled threads."
Burn the entire clump of tangled thread and reweave it in the desired direction; that's what Sage excelled at.
If a chessboard is good, keep playing on it.
If the chessboard is not, then just flip it and start anew.
For instance, right now...
"Going back, Lily."
He moved, riding the dark clouds to the Death Star, and Lily moved as well, transforming into a bolt of lightning, aligning behind Sage.
Upon reaching the deck, Buggy instinctively shielded the unconscious girl, warily watching Sage.
"Sage, this is Shanks' only daughter, she, she..."
Though Buggy couldn't quite find the words under Sage's gaze, his actions said it all.
Having just carried the might that felled Red Hair, Sage's Supreme King Haki hadn't completely dissipated, and its emanating power was quite terrifying.
Even Crocodile and the others were silent when facing Sage, instinctively avoiding conversation with him.
Not out of fear, but Observation, or rather biological instinct to avoid dialog with a formidable presence.
Normally, no living being would talk to Sage exuding Supreme King Haki.
However, Buggy broke this rule.
This surprised Mihawk after a moment of bewilderment.
He admitted Buggy had redeeming qualities, including his stirring speech last time on Kale Bali Island, which was indeed excellent. But this time, bravely speaking to a powerful figure as a weak one shone even brighter than that stirring ability.
In some ways, Buggy couldn't really be considered weak anymore...
"Am I such a dishonorable person? What I say, one word is as good as a nail."
Sage waved his hand, "Don't worry, brother, this is a promise I made. She is not dead, so I will save her."
As he spoke, he extended a finger, lightly tapping the unconscious Uta, with a wave of Haki passing over Buggy and entering Uta's forehead. Her body visibly trembled, and the breath that had been teetering on the edge began to stabilize.
It wasn't about restoring any vitality, just allowing the overly exhausted body, which couldn't even find rest, to fall asleep.
Uta had fallen to such a state due to prolonged sleeplessness and overuse of her powers, to the point where peaceful slumber was impossible, leaving her life to wither.
But Sage could do it, without forcibly extending her life like he did with Pedro, simply letting her sleep sufficed.
"This sleep will be long, it'd be best to find a doctor to keep her nourished. By the time she wakes, she should recover well... Buggy, you and Red Hair were on the same ship once. Considering the current situation, you still seem to have a good relationship, so I'll leave it to you to decide this woman's fate."
Sage said as he stepped towards the captain's room, a grin on his lips: "As for now, lads, set sail! Notify O'hara, I'm throwing a grand feast! To celebrate taking down another of the Four Emperors! Hahaha!"
The plan, another part completed.
Only one more left.
And it was the most crucial one, the one that could perfect Sage's entire vision.
"You won't be able to resist; unless you've given up on your ambition, I'm much longer-lived than you, Teach..."
Sage looked up at the sky, "I just wonder, how you will gamble on this game!