"Captain Roger...
held himself a truly grand funeral."
The three walked down the street. Their obvious pirate attire made many civilians hurriedly move aside,
but Loguetown was already crowded to an outrageous extent. No matter how people tried to avoid them, some were inevitably squeezed their way.
"Ah!"
Walking at the front, Austin suddenly felt something slam into his leg.
Looking down, he saw a child.
A white-haired brat.
He looked a little familiar...
Austin narrowed his eyes and rubbed his chin.
Meanwhile, the brat who had crashed into Austin was sitting on the ground clutching his head, tears glimmering at the corners of his eyes.
A bright red lump had risen on his forehead. It looked painful just to see.
He felt as though he had not crashed into a person, but into a wall made of steel!
"Hey, brat, what's your name?"
Austin slowly bent down and looked at the reckless little fellow.
"Why should I tell you, pirate!"
Unexpectedly, the kid was stubborn too. Even with a bump on his head, he still dared to talk back to someone so much bigger than him.
"He's just a kid. Let's go, Austin!" Buggy felt that talking to such an unlikeable child was a waste of time and urged him on.
"Okay, okay," Austin replied softly.
Then he smiled, looked at the brat standing on guard and gritting his teeth as he glared at him, and extended a hand...
Before slowly flicking the lump on his forehead.
"Ah!!! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!!!"
The little fellow immediately burst into tears from the pain, clutching his head as he rolled around on the ground.
Austin instantly smiled even more happily and followed the other two onward.
"Then, farewell, Smoker."
"You... why do you know my name...
Damn it, it hurts!!!!"
Watching Austin's nasty behavior and the young Smoker with the huge bump on his head, Shanks adjusted his straw hat.
A strange glimmer appeared in his eyes. For a moment just now, he had seemed to see his younger self.
"Austin, you really haven't changed after all these years..."
"I was just joking."
Austin smiled mischievously.
At that moment, at Loguetown's execution square,
crowds from all corners of the world had gathered there. Whether they were pirate rookies who had made names for themselves in the New World, fledgling revolutionaries, or local residents drawn by the fame,
everyone formed a vast circle around the enormous platform at the center of the square, waiting together for the arrival of that historic moment.
At that moment, in a corner of the square,
"Pururururu..."
"Reporting, just as you predicted, traces of [Black Spear] have been found in Loguetown. He is accompanied by..."
At that point, the suited figure holding the Den Den Mushi abruptly stopped, his expression stiffening.
This made the person on the other end suspicious.
"Accompanied by who?"
The Den Den Mushi wore an extremely serious expression as it questioned him.
However, the man in the suit no longer had the attention to reply. He had noticed that a towering figure's shadow had enveloped him from behind, and cold sweat instantly covered his entire body.
"Um, were you calling for me just now?"
When he turned around, a handsome smiling face was bent over, looking down at him.
Though the smile was so gentle, the man only felt ice-cold all over, as if he could no longer sense the temperature around him.
"Sorry, my Observation Haki seems a little too sensitive. If someone calls my name, I can sense it, you know~"
With a casual kick, Austin viciously struck the suited man in the stomach. The man had just begun reaching for his weapon when his eyes rolled back, and he fainted after vomiting bile.
Austin ignored him and instead picked up the Den Den Mushi from his hand.
"Moshi moshi, may I ask why you are investigating me?"
Seeing the Den Den Mushi imitate the distinctive features of a bearded man with a scar across his forehead, Austin's lips curled into an interested smile.
"...Five Elder—Lord Saint Warcury."
Red Line,
Holy Land—Mary Geoise,
Chamber of Power.
Within this room that symbolized the World Government's highest authority, five figures sat or stood.
All of them stared solemnly at the Den Den Mushi in the middle of the table.
Then suddenly, the respectful and nervous expression the Den Den Mushi had been imitating changed.
Its eyes flashed red, replaced by a carefree, cynical grin.
"[Black Spear] Dotol Austin... How did you learn our identities?"
After a brief moment of shock, Saint Warcury was the first to question him.
"Well... maybe I used Future Sight and heard you introduce yourselves."
Austin made up an excuse casually.
Anyway, whenever something could not be explained, blaming Observation Haki was the right answer.
After hearing this, the five exchanged glances following a brief moment of surprise.
"Observation Haki... What a distant future!
Then let us speak plainly. Our time is precious as well.
The World Government investigated your whereabouts because we intended to recruit you as one of the [Shichibukai]. What do you say?"
Shichibukai?
Holding the Den Den Mushi, Austin was taken aback by those words.
He had originally thought the World Government wanted to capture him, perhaps even with some kind of trap prepared.
He had not expected that he, one of the culprits behind Marineford's destruction, would receive such an invitation.
Just thinking about it amused Austin.
"Oh... is that really okay? I invaded Marineford not long ago. Right now, I'm the Marines' mortal enemy.
If you bring me into the World Government's system, then the Marines' dignity..."
"The Marines' dignity is worth shit."
Before Austin could finish, Saint Saturn cut him off. The Den Den Mushi immediately changed into the image of an elderly man wearing a flat cap.
His expression was grave.
"We have thoroughly investigated and analyzed you, Black Spear.
Your abilities and talent are an enormous threat to the World Government. A Devil Fruit ability that is nearly impossible to capture, and monstrous talent in Haki—the World Government will not create such a threat out of thin air merely to preserve the Marines' dignity."
There was no other choice.
When they had first heard Austin's name and deeds, the Five Elders had considered dispatching CP0 to assassinate and capture him.
But after truly analyzing all of Austin's information and battle records,
they helplessly discovered that it was nearly impossible.
Moreover, as he grew older and stronger, that possibility would only approach zero without limit.
And once they provoked him, even if he merely relied on his teleportation ability to launch constant attacks on affiliated nations and Marine branches, it would be enough to deal a devastating blow to the World Government's rule.
Therefore,
despite their humiliation and reluctance,
they had to appease this monster they had no way of dealing with.
Even if it meant letting the past be the past.
Even if it meant extending an olive branch.
Before you continue