Lord Enma

A dull voice rang out, immediately drawing the attention of countless Lost Souls.

The Lost Souls raised their heads and looked at several pitch black figures standing in midair out of thin air.

The leader's lips were pressed tight, his brows furrowed, and his face carried a stern authority.

Most striking of all were his crimson eyes, seemingly glowing with a dim light and giving off an ominous aura.

The five or six people behind him also had crimson eyes, their faces as cold as frost, devoid of any excess emotion.

"Who are you people?"

"Marines? Or pirates from some faction?"

"Floating in midair—is that some special ability?"

"Looks like you've been waiting up there for a while. What exactly do you want?"

As the Lost Souls below all looked up at them, the black figures in midair slowly descended.

They stopped roughly ten meters in front of Whitebeard, their bodies still suspended in the air, their gazes level with Whitebeard's enormous height.

A red gleam burst from the leader's eyes as an invisible pressure suddenly descended upon the many Lost Souls.

Boom!

The sudden, immense pressure instantly forced the souls in the area to crawl on the ground.

"W-What is this?"

"Conqueror's Haki? No, this isn't Haki!"

"Who exactly are these people... Are they even human?"

The faces of the Lost Souls flushed crimson as though they were carrying tens of thousands of pounds on their backs, unable to make even the slightest movement.

Forget moving—they could not even speak.

The air seemed filled with lead, unbearably heavy. Every breath required the strength of their entire bodies.

Some unruly souls tried to rise and resist, only to be crushed back to the ground by the pressure, blood flowing from their seven orifices.

Across the entire area, only a handful of people remained standing through sheer force of will.

Among them were the center of everyone's attention, Whitebeard, and Ace, who gritted his teeth and endured beside Whitebeard.

An ancient, majestic voice rang across the field, reaching the ears of every Lost Soul with perfect clarity.

"My name is Uchiha Fugaku. For the time being, I am a Shinigami."

"I have appeared before you because my Master is merciful and wishes to grant you Lost Souls an opportunity."

"To live another life in another world and exist for a thousand years. Those who agree shall sign a contract; those who refuse shall disperse here and now!"

As his words fell, Fugaku turned his gaze toward the towering Whitebeard, a flash of approval passing through his eyes.

He had been holding back and had not used his full Spiritual Pressure, yet Whitebeard could withstand it in such a frail form. That alone proved the strength of his will.

Fugaku slightly eased his Spiritual Pressure, giving them room to catch their breath.

As the pressure on their bodies suddenly vanished, all the Lost Souls felt themselves lighten, experiencing an unprecedented sense of relief as they greedily gulped down fresh air.

Their chests rose and fell violently, and the field was filled with the sound of people gasping for breath.

"Huff, huff... A legendary Shinigami?"

"With such might, calling you gods would not be an exaggeration."

"And who is this Master you spoke of? What does living another life in another world mean?"

"Explain it clearly! What is this contract? If we refuse, are you going to kill us?"

Fugaku ignored those chaotic questions and instead stared directly at Whitebeard, whose face bore a thoughtful expression.

Whitebeard's sons might not be particularly sharp, but Whitebeard himself was not like them. He was, in fact, exceptionally wise.

Fugaku had watched the entire Summit War and had gained some understanding of the keen instincts and intelligence of the man renowned as the world's strongest.

"Whitebeard, what will you choose?"

Fugaku knew that Whitebeard possessed the greatest prestige. His opinion was essentially the opinion of this group of pirates.

Moreover, his Master valued Whitebeard so highly that they might even become colleagues in the future.

With that in mind, he softened his attitude somewhat.

"I can give you time to consider, but not much. I hope you make your decision soon."

Whitebeard looked at Ace before him, then swept his gaze over the sons gathered around him. After a brief consideration, he neither agreed nor refused, instead asking Fugaku, who stood in the air, "Shinigami, may I meet the Master you spoke of?"

Fugaku nodded. "Naturally. My Master had intended to meet you in the first place."

With that, Fugaku turned around and led the way.

Whitebeard had just taken a step when two shouts rang out at once.

"Wait, Old Man!"

"Wait, Shinigami!"

Fugaku slightly turned his body and cast a sidelong glance, locating the people who had spoken.

One was a Marine General surrounded by Marines. The other was Ace, the fuse that had ignited this war.

"What is it?"

Under the overwhelming gaze of Fugaku's Sharingan, Ace stepped forward several paces and shielded Whitebeard.

"Pops, Shinigami, please take me with you. I want to meet your master too."

The Marine General said, "Shinigami, I have the same request."

Once the two of them stepped forward, the Lost Souls below—pirates and Marines alike—also called out to Fugaku with requests.

"Shinigami, let us go too. We can't trust you if it's just Old Man going."

"That's right! What if you mean Old Man harm? You aren't worthy of trust."

"Hmph. Even if we are dead, we cannot allow the pirates to make a single move unchecked."

"Not just the pirates—we are also worried about the major general's safety, especially with Shinigami like you who intend to collude with pirates."

Faced with these clamorously shouting Lost Souls, every word they spoke was brazen, arrogant, and utterly self-important.

Yet Fugaku was not entirely angry at that moment.

Though he was indeed furious, beyond that fury, he found it difficult to understand the arrogance of these Lost Souls.

Whether pirates or Marines, why was every last one of them so arrogant?

They spoke without thinking at all.

They had just experienced being ground into the dirt by his Spiritual Pressure, so how had they forgotten it the very next moment?

Were normal people always this brave when facing a powerful being whose true strength they knew nothing about?

"Quiet!"

Boom!

Fugaku's Spiritual Pressure erupted once more, greater than before, directly pinning everyone firmly to the ground.

Some whose wills were weak had already completely passed out under the pressure.

Looking at Whitebeard, who was bleeding from his seven orifices and nearly unable to hold on, Fugaku somehow felt a trace of kinship.

Having fools beneath you who had no brains and could not see the situation clearly was truly difficult to handle.

Still, to be safe, he reported the current situation in full to Kenma.

After waiting for a while, Kenma's voice sounded in Fugaku's mind.

"They were going to meet us sooner or later anyway. Let them come."

After receiving permission, Fugaku withdrew his Spiritual Pressure.

The many Lost Souls once again gasped heavily, and when they looked at Fugaku, their eyes could not help but carry traces of fear and obedience.

"My Master has permitted you to appear before him, but you must maintain order. My Master dislikes chaos."

"Follow me."

Fugaku led the way ahead.

"Thank you."

Whitebeard steadied his breathing and followed.

"Damn it..."

Ace had just wanted to seize the chance to resist the pressure, but he had momentarily forgotten that he was dead and could not use his abilities at all. He could only watch helplessly as Old Man suffered.

Now that he saw Old Man about to leave, he gritted his teeth and followed as well.

"Wait for me, Old Man."

He wanted to see just who this mysterious Master of the Shinigami was, to dare put on such a grand display.

Once the two moved, the pirates and Marines who could still act also followed behind the Shinigami.

Looking at Fugaku leading them ahead, Whitebeard cautiously asked, "Shinigami, who exactly is this lord you speak of, and how should we address him?"

Seeing that Whitebeard's attitude was fairly good, Fugaku kindly replied, "My Master's status is noble. There is no need for you to speak his name too often. You need only address him as Lord Kenma."

"Lord Enma?!"

Whitebeard was shocked.