"Lord Enma...?"
Hearing that name from the Shinigami before him, Whitebeard was startled. It sounded incredibly familiar.
He remembered hearing from his younger brother Oden long ago that, in Wano Country's ancient legends, the deity who ruled the Afterlife was called King Enma.
Could the legends have been true?
No, the Shinigami had already appeared. King Enma must have been real as well.
Whitebeard simply had not expected that he, merely an ordinary Pirate, would be worthy of meeting such an important figure after death.
It seemed that even in the underworld, he, one of the Four Emperors, still carried some weight.
Could it be that the enemies he had defeated had gone to the Afterlife and spread Whitebeard's name there?
Whitebeard was somewhat puzzled. Even if he had some fame, it should not have been enough to warrant King Enma coming personally.
It was not just Whitebeard. The veteran pirates beside him who had once served alongside Oden were equally astonished when they heard that name.
"King Enma..."
Ace had personally visited Wano Country, so naturally he knew that title.
Though surprised, thoughts of the friends he had met in Wano Country filled him with melancholy.
He wondered how Tama, Yamato, and the citizens oppressed by the Beasts Pirates and Orochi were doing now.
He would no longer be able to fulfill their promise...
As they made their way over, an enormous voice, resonant as a great bell, sounded from behind them.
"Old Man, Ace, everyone, it's great that you're all okay."
"Huh? Why can't I see Marco and the others? Where are they?"
"Ah, isn't this Marine Headquarters? Why can't these Marines see me?"
Hearing the voice, everyone turned around.
They saw an incomparably massive giant striding toward them. His skin was bluish-brown, two horns grew from his head, and his mouth was full of fangs, making him look terrifyingly ferocious.
From afar, he looked like a mountain slowly moving toward them.
"Little Oars?"
"Yeah, Little Oars died too."
Little Oars walked toward Whitebeard and the others, muttering his confusion to himself.
In just a few steps, he reached them, crouching down to look at Whitebeard and Ace.
"Old Man, Ace, what's going on?"
Seeing that Little Oars still had not grasped his circumstances, Ace's heart clenched, and guilt and self-reproach surged through him once more.
Tears spilled from his eyes again. His face was already streaked with tears, but he bit down hard, stopping himself from crying aloud.
Little Oars had died to save him.
He had even dragged Whitebeard and the rest of the crew down with him.
Seeing Ace's state, Whitebeard sighed. Then his expression hardened, and he raised his head to shout at Little Oars, "Idiot son, you're already dead, aren't you?"
Little Oars suddenly understood. "That's right, I remember now. The Shichibukai and the Marines killed me."
Whitebeard gritted his teeth and shouted, "Not just you. Me, Ace, and everyone else—we're all dead now."
"Ace and Old Man too... Does that mean we still failed to save Ace?"
Little Oars froze for a moment. Then he looked at Whitebeard and Ace, and a genuine smile appeared on his face.
"We failed to save Ace, and even got Old Man caught up in it. That isn't good..."
"But being able to stay with all of you is really wonderful."
That smile on such a vicious face instead gave the fierce-looking giant an innocent, childlike air.
"Idiot son!"
Whitebeard knew Little Oars's innocent nature, but hearing him say that still made his eyes redden.
But this was not the time to wallow in momentary emotion.
"Oars, we're going to meet King Enma now. Do you want to come with us?"
"Yes! As long as I'm with Old Man, I'll go anywhere!"
"Then follow us."
Led by Fugaku, the large group of Lost Souls arrived at a field of rubble before the Marine Headquarters building.
The moment they arrived, Whitebeard and the others were overcome by complicated emotions.
The reason was simple.
On one side of them, the Fleet Admiral and the Generals were directing the postwar cleanup.
Sengoku was clearly standing right beside them, yet he noticed nothing... Facing this old enemy in such a form was truly a strange feeling.
"Whoa, this is my first time seeing the Fleet Admiral from so close!"
"That's Akainu. He's wrapped in so many bandages—he really gave it everything. Compared to him, Aokiji and Kizaru beside him..."
"Of course. General Akainu is the example for all Marines. If he died too, he definitely wouldn't let you pirates off!"
"Pah, pah! What are you saying? The Generals should be alive and well, then wipe out every Pirate on the seas and carry justice through to the end!"
Seeing the pirates and Marines on the verge of causing another disturbance, Fugaku did not even need to intervene this time. Whitebeard and the Marine officers suppressed it themselves.
Once order had been restored, Fugaku first warned Whitebeard and the Marine officers.
"You will soon meet Lord Enma. You Lost Souls must mind your manners before him."
Fugaku then said to the Uchiha beside him, "Before Lord Enma, make sure to maintain order among these Lost Souls. Do not bring shame upon the Uchiha Clan."
"Understood."
Several Uchiha replied, then spread out among the Lost Souls, ready to suppress them at any moment.
Fugaku quickly descended from the air, landing on the ground before jogging toward the front.
Atop the rubble sat two young men dressed in the same pitch-black clothing. One sat casually, while the other stood guard behind him.
The Lost Souls saw that the red-eyed Shinigami who had summoned them was kneeling on one knee before the young man seated atop the rubble.
His face was filled with respect, and none of the lofty bearing he had displayed before the Lost Souls remained.
How could Whitebeard and the others fail to understand what this meant? This young man was the Master mentioned by the Shinigami—the legendary King Enma!
As they observed King Enma's appearance, they found, to their surprise, that the ruler of the Afterlife was nothing like they had imagined.
He was not ten meters tall, red-faced, fang-toothed, and hideous.
Instead, he was no different from an ordinary person. He was even somewhat handsome.
The only particularly memorable thing about King Enma was his thick, heavy eyebrows.
The red-eyed Shinigami spoke with King Enma, but they were too far away and their voices too quiet for the others to hear clearly.
After the two finished talking, however, the red-eyed Shinigami stood and beckoned to them, signaling for them to come over.
As they drew closer, Whitebeard and the others saw him more clearly.
"He really does look no different from an ordinary person."
When everyone approached, King Enma also cast his gaze over them.
He lightly swept his eyes over the Lost Souls before finally settling them on Whitebeard at the front.
His face was utterly calm, without the slightest expression, giving off a stern and somber feeling.
"Whitebeard, Edward Newgate, correct? Your final words were very well said."
"You have heard what Fugaku told you. I can give you an opportunity to live another life."
"So, do you want to sign a contract with me?"
Before you continue