"Death? Do you think I care about that?"
Saturn coldly said, "Attacking Mary Geoise, slaughtering the world nobles, your crimes are so severe, it would not be enough to kill you a thousand times!"
"Well, that's great." Wayne tilted his head slightly, a smile full of joy on his face. "So, how much bounty is the World Government going to put on me?"
"My request isn't high, something like Rocks' bounty will do. After all, we both killed Celestial Dragons, though I might've killed more."
"Bounty?!" Nasjuro's voice was hoarse, filled with anger. "Foolish delusion! A dead man doesn't deserve a bounty! Not even your name will appear in any paper!"
If the world knew that the "Holy Land" was trampled on like this, the Creator's authority would be utterly ruined!
Therefore, this nuisance must disappear without a trace; no one else can know!
Wayne smiled softly and silently activated his reincarnation card.
["Ding! Rebirth card is being used... Rebirth successful. Current body will disintegrate and be destroyed in 59 seconds. Please prepare, Host."]
["59, 58..."]
Hearing the system's countdown, Wayne relaxed, shrugging his shoulders at the Five Elders.
"Tsk tsk... Such a shame."
"But, I guess, you'll eventually print a bounty for me anyway."
"Dream on! Do you think you can escape?"
"Escape? I've never thought about running since I stepped into Mary Geoise."
"What a shame, if it weren't for your loyal guard dogs desperately protecting your master, I might've seen that guy hiding in the deepest part."
"Who the hell are you?"
"How would you know?"
Wayne's words hit the Five Elders like a thunderclap, and they were both shocked and furious, even suspecting that this guy could be Rocks himself.
Because, aside from them, only Rocks had ever met Imu in the past.
Seeing their incredulous expressions, Wayne smiled with satisfaction: "Looks like I'll have to trouble you to send my regards to that Imu person."
"And tell her..." Wayne's body began to disintegrate like a weathered sand sculpture, turning into particles of light that floated upwards.
"We'll meet sooner or later!"
"No!"
"Stop him!"
"Kill him!"
Saturn, Nasjuro, and Warcury launched their attacks, while Garling reacted, slashing toward Wayne's head with his sword.
However, the blade passed right through the space where Wayne's body should have been, without any resistance.
Wayne smiled, as if saying goodbye to an old friend, and waved at the Five Elders, who were now enraged and panicked. "No need to see me off, I'll leave on my own."
Just as the words left his mouth, Wayne's body completely disintegrated into particles in the air.
Boom! The Five Elders' attacks missed, instead striking Gringoo, leaving him looking disheveled and embarrassed.
"Damn, this guy is a huge trouble. We must inform Imu-sama immediately!"
"What about that guy?"
Saturn's chest heaved as he roared: "What else can we do? Put a bounty on him! If he reappears, we'll capture him at all costs! We cannot allow another Rocks to emerge on the seas!"
...
Impel Down, Eternal Hell.
The live broadcast had ended, and even the Den Den Mushi had vanished, but Shiki remained unaware, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Though he had enjoyed the show, he had also witnessed the true power of the World Government.
He had always thought the World Government relied on the Marines to control the world, but now he realized that the Marines might just be a tool for the World Government to dominate the seas.
From the broadcast, he could feel that the five old men were top-tier experts. Even at his peak, had he dared attack Mary Geoise, his fate likely wouldn't have been much better than Wayne's.
"Rocks, that bastard, was the person you met, was this so-called Imu back then?"
.....
"Please select your rebirth method."
Reshape your body and rebirth in place.
Reincarnate and choose your next life's body.
In his soul state, Wayne rubbed his chin: "Can I choose? In that case, I'll go with reshaping my body!"
"Would you like to adjust facial features, body size, or other basic data?"
Wayne's face lit up: "Holy crap, I can adjust my face? Yes, I want that!"
Adjusting his face was simple: he'd use the template of his original appearance and fix any minor flaws.
He would adjust his height to 196 cm; no need for length, just enough to deal with normal women, unless he was fighting a giant or something.
Finally, he made slight tweaks to his body proportions to look naturally balanced.
"Done! Begin rebirth!"
"Rebirth in progress, expected duration: 3 days. Please be patient, Host."
"Ugh..." Before he could speak another word, Wayne lost consciousness completely.
.....
World Economy News Paper Base.
"You said you went to Mary Geoise to deliver newspapers, but it's already a ruin?"
The seagull standing in front of Morgans nodded, patting his chest to assure him that he wasn't lying.
Morgans, the President of the World Economy News Paper, rubbed his hands with excitement: "Gahhh! This is BIG NEWS! I need to send a seagull to Mary Geoise to take photos and make this public!"
Morgans had a feeling this news would skyrocket the agency's fame, and he couldn't wait to get it out there.
.....
Mary Geoise, Kong's Temporary Office
"Wade? That name sounds familiar. I think I've heard it before." Kong rubbed his head, trying to recall.
"I remember now! Before Roger was executed, a guy named Griffin D. Wade escaped from Impel Down!"
'D...' Saturn's face changed instantly; 'Another enemy of the gods. No wonder he dared to directly attack Mary Geoise. Those damn remnants still refused to accept their fate!'
"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?!"
"Saint Saturn, I believe I already reported this to you, but neither you nor I paid much attention to it. After all, this guy was just a regular criminal before, who would've known he had such power?"
"In fact, I suspect he intentionally infiltrated Impel Down to achieve some dark secret."
Saturn snorted coldly: "Enough, I don't want to hear your explanation. In any case, we are preparing Wade's bounty. Send us his previous information right now!"
"Understood."
After hanging up the phone, Kong said in frustration.
The execution of Roger, Shiki attacking Marineford, "Wade" attacking Mary Geoise, what a chaotic time...