The Throat of Fate

"No, of course I believe Impel Down can't hold you."

"Just based on the courage it took for you to storm Marine Headquarters alone without bringing any subordinates, I believe you have the resolve to cut off your own arm and pay any price!"

Carlos took out another bottle of liquor and tossed it to Golden Lion. Sitting across from him, he wore a smile, but his tone was firm and certain.

This guy needed his ego stroked. Whether Golden Lion could actually do it or not, he just had to talk him up, right?

Golden Lion accepted the liquor with some delight. Carlos's words left him with mixed feelings—pleased, yet embarrassed. Courage was certainly not something he lacked, but not bringing his men really had been a mistake. He had been too hot-headed and forgotten about it.

"Kid, what's your name?"

For someone like Golden Lion to take the initiative to ask for his name meant that he had already begun to acknowledge Carlos.

The art of talking people around was an incredibly profound field. Used well, there was no one it could not influence. Though Carlos had only scratched the surface, it was effective when used in the right place.

"My name is Lucifer Carlos."

"Good, Carlos. You're a talented man. Join my Flying Pirates. I'll give you an officer's position first. After you earn some merits, I'll promote you to vice-captain!"

Carlos was somewhat surprised, but he remained calm. He was not tempted by the offer of rising straight to the top.

Carlos smiled faintly. "With my current strength, it would be rather difficult for me to make it in the New World. Besides, I'm actually the same kind of person as you—I refuse to live beneath another."

"I will build my own power. The Flying Pirates may be powerful, but they are yours, not mine."

"We can cooperate, but joining is out of the question."

Golden Lion froze, clearly not expecting Carlos to refuse...

Although his Flying Pirates had been severely weakened, they were still one of the top forces in the New World, only slightly inferior to the Whitebeard Pirates and the Roger Pirates. Though the Roger Pirates had disbanded, it had not been long, and their influence remained immense.

If Carlos joined the Flying Pirates, with Golden Lion protecting him, he could basically do whatever he wanted so long as he did not provoke the handful of people who could not be provoked!

Strength, power, money, territory, women—nothing would be lacking. With that spatial ability of his, Golden Lion would certainly not be stingy about nurturing him.

Yet he had refused. It truly exceeded Golden Lion's expectations. Still, Golden Lion was not angry. Though this man was young, he suited his tastes quite well. Even seeing him in his current state, Carlos had not tried to step on him. He had even treated him to drinks.

"Have you really thought this through?"

"I have. Fame, money, power, women—whatever I want, I, Carlos, will take it myself!"

"No matter what level of force it is, I will never attach myself to it. I will only cooperate with it!" Carlos said with a serious expression.

"Good. You truly are extraordinary. I believe you, and I admire you even more now."

"I accept the deal you proposed."

"From now on, as long as my Flying Pirates can get what you need, I'll sell it to you at cost!"

"Hahaha... That's wonderful."

"Pleasure doing business with you!"

Carlos laughed heartily and extended his hand. Golden Lion paused slightly, then understood what he meant and awkwardly held out his shackled hands.

"Wait."

Carlos suddenly spoke, and Golden Lion's outstretched hands stopped in midair.

"What is it?" Golden Lion asked in confusion.

"I'll remove those Seastone handcuffs and shackles for you."

"You can remove them?"

"These handcuffs and shackles are primarily made of Seastone. They're extremely hard!"

"It won't cost you anything to try. Want to give it a shot?" Carlos asked with a smile.

"Fine. Give it a try, then."

"Spread your arms and legs apart a little."

Golden Lion did as he was told. He was rather curious what method this young man would use to remove them...

What method? Naturally, the most violent one—breaking them directly!

Carlos had quite a few methods, at least two.

"Here it comes. Don't move."

Carlos gave him a warning. His eyes closed, then suddenly snapped open. The four-pointed sickles in his pupils transformed into six-pointed plum blossoms—Sasuke Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan.

Amaterasu!

Carlos stared at the Seastone handcuffs on Golden Lion's wrists. His left eye focused, and a wisp of black flame abruptly appeared on the cuffs. It seemed to have no temperature, but that was only because its heat was restrained within. In truth, it contained terrifying power!

Seastone and seawater were the bane of ability users, but they were not the bane of abilities. Abilities could still affect seawater and Seastone.

The suddenly appearing black flames gave Golden Lion quite a fright. Fortunately, he was no ordinary man. He controlled himself and did not make a fool of himself.

In the blink of an eye, the black flames melted through the handcuffs. Carlos then used Kagutsuchi to control the black flames and melt through the shackles as well.

"Hahaha..."

Feeling his power return, Golden Lion laughed freely. His laughter was like a lion's roar, echoing throughout the Kamui Space.

Carlos was not worried that Golden Lion would go back on his word. This was the Kamui Space, where everything was under his control. If Golden Lion truly reneged, Carlos could leave whenever he wanted, and Golden Lion would be unable to stop him. He could only remain trapped here until he died.

After using Amaterasu and Kagutsuchi, Carlos switched back to his Kamui Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Another pair of strange eyes. This is your Devil Fruit ability, isn't it?"

"That's right, it is."

"Oh, I should also tell you a secret I learned through my spatial ability. It concerns Roger."

"What? Something about Roger? Tell me quickly." Golden Lion said eagerly.

"Roger wasn't captured. He was suffering from a terminal illness and had already reached the point of no return. He didn't have much time left, so he turned himself in."

"He wasn't captured—he turned himself in?" Golden Lion's eyes lit up, his face filled with delight. It felt as though a collapsed belief had been rebuilt.

"Why did he turn himself in?" Golden Lion pressed.

"I don't know why he surrendered, but he definitely had another purpose. Otherwise, why bother turning himself in? Wouldn't it have been better to quietly live out the final stretch of his life...?"

"You were Roger's longtime rival. Based on what you know about him, why do you think he did this?"

Carlos naturally knew why Roger had turned himself in, but he did not tell Golden Lion outright, instead letting him figure it out himself.

The reason he had told Golden Lion this information and made him guess was to get Golden Lion to act more normally—and to keep him from causing trouble in Loguetown after getting out, lest he disrupt Roger's plans.

Although a large number of powerful Marines were stationed there, making such a possibility extremely unlikely, and Golden Lion in his current state would find it difficult to interfere with the execution, Carlos still had to take precautions. The Great Pirate Era Roger would usher in was an important opportunity for Carlos's development.

As he had always said, chaos was the ladder of ascent. The Marines and the World Government were too dominant, and that was not good for him.

Golden Lion fell into thought upon hearing this. After a while, he finally said, "Based on what I know of Roger, he must be planning something huge. Even in death, he would want to go out with a bang and cause enormous trouble for the World Government and the Marines!"

"Most likely."

"By the way, I've shown enough sincerity in this deal, haven't I?"

"Hahaha... You have, more than enough. You're the most sincere person I've ever met!"

"I admire you very much, and I'm very happy as well."

"Hahaha... I knew those incompetent Marines couldn't possibly have captured Roger. So he turned himself in. Now it all makes sense."

"Then the knowledge about Haki, and the specifics of our cooperation..." Carlos said with a smile.

"I'll teach you—right away!"

"We'll discuss it—immediately!"

"Kid, do you want to learn swordsmanship?"

The more Golden Lion looked at Carlos now, the more pleasing he found him. This young man had not only rescued him in a dignified manner, but had also resolved the knot in his heart. No question about it—he had to treat him properly!

"I'll pass on swordsmanship. My combat system has already taken shape. Could I learn Body Techniques instead?"

"Of course. My Body Techniques may not compare to those old fellows Garp, Redfield, and Roger, but they're still quite respectable."

"Oh, I've collected quite a few secret techniques from different Body Techniques schools. I can send them to you later."

Damn, all that praise wasn't wasted. Golden Lion, you're really coming through!

"Then I'll gladly accept."

"Don't be so stiff. Be straightforward!"

"Then I'll take them."

"Now that's more like it."

"How about we eat while we talk?"

"Hahaha... Thoughtful of you. I happen to be hungry."

"Kid, I really admire you!"

Carlos felt somewhat embarrassed. He wanted to say, "Old man, I'm quite fond of you too," but he only thought it. Saying it aloud might get him beaten up, and in a head-on fight, he still could not overpower Golden Lion...

This secret meeting was extremely important to both of their fates and had a very positive impact!