Whitebeard's Reaction

"Th-this... is Lord Enma the Shinigami spoke of?"

As they looked at the man sitting atop the pile of rubble, the Pirates were filled with a complicated mix of shock and fear.

They had previously endured the Red-Eyed Shinigami's aura twice, each time being crushed to the ground, unable to move or resist in the slightest.

After experiencing that pressure that bore directly down upon their souls, they had clearly become much more sensible.

At the very least, they no longer dared to openly express their dissatisfaction, much less speak ill of King Enma in front of the Shinigami.

Naturally, one had to show respect before the strong.

At the same time, they had grown curious. If this Shinigami possessed such terrifying might, just how frightening must his Master be?

At the very least, he had to be some vicious demon that could devour ten children in a single bite.

Yet seeing him in person left them somewhat disappointed.

He did not look savage or terrifying at all. He was practically no different from an ordinary person.

He was not even one-tenth as frightening as they had imagined.

Even some random pirate on the seas with a bounty of ten million looked far more vicious than this Enma.

But then, they saw the Shinigami who had terrified them all behaving with complete respect before Lord Enma, like a servant attending his Master. Not a trace of his former terrifying aura remained.

He was as docile as a house dog.

Only then did they believe that this seemingly ordinary Lord Enma was the true big shot.

Whitebeard stepped forward and raised his head to look at the solemn-faced Enma, his own bearing unconsciously weakening somewhat.

"Are you King Enma?"

"With such an esteemed status, you went to such great lengths to appear here in person. Your purpose cannot be simple. What exactly do you want from us dead men?"

Hearing Whitebeard's form of address, Kenma was momentarily stunned.

He knew that the pronunciation of his name did indeed sound very similar to Enma.

He also knew what the title "King Enma" meant in the minds of the living.

The ruler of afterlife worlds such as Yomi and Hell—wasn't that how it was in Dragon Ball?

Upon hearing Whitebeard's address, Kenma immediately realized that the man had misunderstood.

In keeping with his principles of honesty and trustworthiness, Kenma explained, "Whitebeard, I think you've misunderstood."

"I am not the King Enma you believe me to be, nor am I the ruler of the Afterlife. Our names merely sound similar. That is all."

After bringing this group to Soul Society, they would sooner or later realize that this misunderstanding had arisen from a homophone.

It was better to admit it openly now and make his stance clear.

"Not King Enma?"

Seeing his decisive denial and the sincerity on his face, Whitebeard believed more than half of it. He did not seem like someone who would lie.

But even if he was not King Enma, the power the Shinigami had displayed was already enough to make this group of wandering souls take him seriously.

"Then what did that Shinigami mean by living another life in another world? Are you taking us to reincarnate?"

"And what exactly is this contract you mentioned?"

Whitebeard did not stand on ceremony and directly raised the most crucial questions at hand.

Faced with Whitebeard's doubts, Kenma did not lie. He truthfully explained his origins and the purpose of this trip.

"It is not reincarnation. I would merely bring your soul to the world where I live."

"Well... just as it sounds, I am not from this world. I come from a world of Lost Souls known as Soul Society, and I am a professional Shinigami in Soul Society."

"I happened upon this war when I descended into this world, so I came to collect several souls that interested me."

"Whitebeard, in light of your magnificent final curtain call, I will now give you two choices."

"One, form a contract with me and become my subordinate. I will take you to Soul Society to Live Another Life. You can live there as a soul. You can eat, sleep, marry, and have children without any issue."

"The other choice is to refuse my goodwill, in which case your soul will scatter and vanish here."

Whitebeard frowned. "You mean that if we refuse, you'll destroy our souls?"

Kenma lightly shook his head.

"I am not that overbearing. If you refuse, I will simply give up on your soul. But in this world, the final fate of Lost Souls will not be pleasant!"

"As for the afterlife of your world, heh..."

That disdainful snort revealed Kenma's true opinion.

Whitebeard's heart skipped a beat as he sensed something wrong in Kenma's tone.

"What is wrong with the afterlife of our world?"

"Who knows... I don't know either."

Kenma's answer immediately made the unease in Whitebeard's heart surge.

Yet since he knew nothing at all about the underworld, he had no way to guess further.

Still, judging by the other man's attitude, it was clearly not anything good.

Seeing Whitebeard's expression gradually darken, Kenma sighed inwardly.

Everything he had said about this world's underworld was true.

He genuinely did not know.

He had previously wanted to investigate this world's underworld, but he had been unable to find a way inside.

Nothing he had said to Whitebeard was false, nor had he concealed anything.

His tone merely carried the slightest hint of his own subjectivity.

If Whitebeard misunderstood because of that, then it had nothing to do with him.

Whitebeard pondered the conditions Kenma had offered, then looked at the sons gathered around him. His expression suddenly froze before he finally realized something.

"Wait, Enma. It seems you only mentioned me just now? What about my sons?"

"Naturally, they will be left to fend for themselves."

Kenma wore an entirely matter-of-fact expression.

"I already said that I only collect souls that interest me. Whitebeard, your soul, Fire Fist Ace's, and that Giant's soul are the only three that interest me at present."

"As for the Pirates under your command, or even these Marines, they hold no value for me whatsoever."

Kenma's words reached the ears of Whitebeard and the others with perfect clarity.

Whitebeard's expression instantly changed, turning incomparably grim.

The Pirates by his side, as well as the Marines, immediately erupted into waves of clamor.

"What?! How dare you look down on us like this?"

"So what if you're a Shinigami and King Enma? How dare you act so arrogantly before us!"

"Forget these Pirates—what's wrong with us Marines?!"

Just as the voices of the Lost Souls grew increasingly loud, waves of Spiritual Pressure erupted across the field, pressing precisely upon every single Lost Soul and forcing them all to the ground.

The entire field fell silent at once, becoming instantly quiet!

Standing beneath the pile of rubble, Fugaku's Mangekyo shone within his Eyes, flickering with an eerie scarlet light as he cast a sidelong glance at the Lost Souls standing near the front, including Whitebeard.

"Our Master stands before you. Mere undead, watch your words!"

His words were filled with a bone-freezing chill.

Yet more terrifying than his words was the merciless gaze in his Eyes, as though he were looking at the dead.

No, these people were already dead.

Fugaku was speechless. Were the people of this world really this stupid?

Why did none of them ever learn their lesson?!

"It's fine. Withdraw your Spiritual Pressure."

Kenma spoke softly to Fugaku, who waved a hand toward the crowd.

The Uchiha scattered among the Lost Souls also withdrew their Spiritual Pressure in unison.

The Lost Souls immediately felt their bodies lighten, the oppression upon them vanishing in an instant. The square filled with the sound of heavy breathing.

They had experienced once more that pressure which seemed capable of crushing their souls, except this time it was far stronger than the previous two occasions.

Had it not stopped in time, they all felt their souls would have been crushed on the spot.

A despairing sense of helplessness rose in their hearts. Their faces were pale, filled with indescribable terror.

They glanced furtively at Kenma, then immediately looked away, not daring to meet his gaze.

It was as though standing before them was a King of Beasts ready to choose someone to devour at any moment.