Killing Intent Bai Cangshu, Completely Insane (3K)

"Fire!"

Boom boom boom boom…

The three warships turned broadside at once, their cannons roaring at full power. Every Marine on deck braced themselves. Chaton stood at the very front, bandages wrapped around his body, and the usual lazy look had vanished from his face.

The surrounding sea was littered with the corpses of Marines and Netherworld demons.

Onigumo’s face was wrapped in bandages, one eye covered as well—whether it had been blinded or merely injured was unclear. The long hair behind him still gripped bloodstained long swords like arms. Just moments ago, he had nearly single-handedly slaughtered every infected, frenzied Marine aboard the ship, including two field-grade officers.

The power of Life Return meant that although Onigumo had suffered the worst injuries during the previous Raigo, he was now in better condition than Doberman.

"Headquarters reinforcements will arrive soon. These monsters… these scum must all be wiped out. Not one left alive!"

Spandam, scared out of his wits, stamped his feet inside the cabin. Hearing that the Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals had still given the order to fire, he stuck his head out and shouted,

"If the bombardment destroys Eldorado, the World Government will not let you off!"

Doberman stood behind Spandam, his expression cold and grim. His lips moved, and his voice came from behind Spandam.

"At a time like this, if one more CP Agency officer becomes a casualty, we’ll only need to add another line to the report."

"Be smart, Officer Spandam~"

The chilly emphasis on that final word, officer, made Spandam shudder. He no longer dared to fight these Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals with real authority for command.

The Marines’ greatest reliance in sailing the seas and dominating the first half of the Grand Line was their sound firepower structure and vast manpower.

Most pirate crews were shattered by wave after wave of bombardment before they ever reached a boarding battle, the stage most suited for pirate officers to show their strength.

Tokikake and the others remained alert for a possible attack from Enel, but he did not appear. It seemed he too had been held back by the changes on Skuld Island.

That did not make Chaton relax.

The situation in these waters had grown too complicated for an Admiral Candidate like him to handle. The power of that Logia Type Ability User who called himself a god, along with the endless strange phenomena now appearing, made Chaton unwilling to press any deeper.

Including Vice Admiral Dalmatian, who had just entered the island, two Marine Vice Admirals had already gone in, yet no news had returned. The island was like a trench that devoured everything, swallowing all life whole.

"Continue the bombardment! Fire every last shell at that island!"

Onigumo continued roaring. Chaton did not stop him either. He judged that under these circumstances, there was most likely no chance that any ordinary people remained alive on the island.

"Big guy… the big guy is still on that island!"

A timid voice sounded from behind him. Chaton turned around. Olgins, massive in stature, instinctively tensed every muscle in his body before quickly relaxing again. He could tell that these Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals were on an entirely different level from him.

No matter how guarded he was, it would be useless.

Cindy regretted it now. The big guy had clearly saved her at sea, yet she had feared him because of the blood on him. In the end, she had not even managed to say goodbye properly before watching him leave.

The big guy was not normal. Maybe he was not a good person either. Cindy could tell that he was different from pirates like Uncle Olgins, who only looked fierce, and different from Marines like Uncle Lucido, who was always shouting that nothing anyone did would matter. The big guy was indifferent and cruel, with no reverence whatsoever for life.

He might have killed many people…

Cindy had always known that. Yet when she had been at the end of her rope, when she had been trapped in the sewers of Skuld Island with no hope in sight, when that priest had captured her, she had still placed her hopes on that "great villain" to solve everything…

Just as she had often hated that god’s cruelty to the bone, rather than watching good people die one after another, she would pray for someone even more vicious to inflict an even crueler punishment upon that god.

Fighting evil with evil, becoming even more evil than evil…

Cindy was not as innocent and naive as she appeared. She felt guilty over such thoughts.

Chaton merely glanced at the little girl. These two would probably be the only survivors of this incident…

"Vice Admiral! A large number of unidentified ships have appeared behind us!"

"Vice Admiral, Headquarters has sent word. We are to cooperate with the World Government and seize Eldorado!"

"Lord Tokikake, communication from Headquarters—the Donquixote Family has appeared in the waters around Mock Town…"

"Lord Onigumo, reports say that the Golden Emperor, Gild Tesoro, has appeared in the first half of the Grand Line and is heading toward these waters."

The communications officers aboard the warships suddenly became busy as a flood of messages arrived all at once.

Tokikake and the others had keen hearing, and every report reached their ears.

He took a deep breath. Clearly, Eldorado’s allure far exceeded expectations. The truly powerful figures of this world had begun to take notice of this place.

"Request Admiral support. I believe the intensity of this war has completely exceeded what we can handle."

Chaton had barely spoken when a Marine rushed out of the cabin and said excitedly,

"Vice Admiral Garp is sailing toward these waters!"

You have undergone conversion by God Hand: Roland. Warning, EX051, your bloodline is undergoing Apostle transformation...

Apostle transformation failed.

You have suffered erosion from Bio-Implant: Left Arm of the King. Warning, EX051, you are about to enter a near-death state...

You are undergoing conversion by God Hand: Roland. Cell activity has increased abnormally...

A flood of panel notifications continuously refreshed before Bai Cangshu’s eyes, cycling over and over as though the system had encountered a bug.

Under the enormous drain of flesh and life energy from the Left Arm of the King, Bai Cangshu’s body could no longer make ends meet and rapidly deteriorated. As a result, his defenseless body was utterly unable to resist that erosion.

Thus, Bai Cangshu’s cells were activated on a massive scale. His body was now completely enveloped by fleshy tumors bearing all kinds of human faces, as if he had entered an embryo.

God Hand’s conversion could never be completed, because the immense bodily activity and energy were swiftly siphoned away by the Left Arm of the King. To a certain extent, the two malignant powers reached a balance.

Bai Cangshu’s body became the vessel for both powers.

Bai Cangshu calmly sensed the changes in his body every moment. At this instant, his Transparent World seemed to advance another step, allowing him to observe even more changes within himself.

The growths on his internal organs. The loss of bodily energy.

The paths of his blood flow. The abnormal devouring force coming from his left arm.

Crack!

Bai Cangshu’s left hand suddenly twitched. That withered left arm, which had been completely numb, was now becoming close to a normal human arm. Aside from its still-withered skin, the muscles beneath had filled out once more.

Whenever Bai Cangshu’s blood flowed into his left arm, it immediately seemed to ignite like fire.

Bai Cangshu could feel a powerful force like molten lava gathering within that arm. Merely clenching his left hand made him feel explosive energy.

"Yes, just like that…"

"Only by controlling this arm can we grasp the sword Guts left behind. Only then can we…"

"Kill that son of a bitch Abyss God!"

Muttered words appeared out of nowhere in Bai Cangshu’s mind. He froze and looked toward the Space Panel, yet there was no notification at all.

White light enveloped Bai Cangshu. Even Bai Cangshu himself did not notice that his right hand, once wreathed in scarlet light, was now completely shrouded in holy white radiance.

Virtue Sequence · Third Tier · Morning Star of Hope

Roland’s fluid form seeped out from the countless human faces on the gigantic arm and began wrapping around Bai Cangshu’s body. His consciousness also began to invade Bai Cangshu’s body little by little.

This was the process of his revival. He had always been waiting for a possibility, one that would allow him to take revenge on the Abyss God.

The tragedy of Guts and himself should not have ended that way. Thus, he had found hope.

He looked at Bai Cangshu with benevolence, but the next moment, his face began to twist. He could no longer restrain his malice. He had to complete his incarnation here, or he would never be able to leave this world again, never become a Reincarnator again.

His own body had already been destroyed, but as long as he acquired the body before him, whether it was the Captain or those Kings of Darkness, they would ultimately accept him…

Roland’s thoughts were chaotic, devoid of logic, cause, or consequence. Everything he did now was driven entirely by obsession. His thoughts leaped wildly, yet he firmly believed that his actions were right.

Because during the brief time after becoming a God Hand, he truly had seen such a possibility.

He chose to stand upon that path of possibility. Even if he was killed, even if he was trapped in this Derivative World, imprisoned and electrocuted, he believed that the future would unfold this way.

He would be reborn in a new form, within this more gifted body.

The Child of the Morning Star was destined to fall into darkness.

This was Causality Law. The Virtue Sequence Reincarnator, Morning Star of Hope, would ultimately fall upon the path of Scarlet Great Sin.

The world was meant to be this way.

His body gradually merged into Bai Cangshu’s, but Bai Cangshu’s left arm suddenly clenched into a fist.

Black lightning and flames erupted together.

Bang!

The surrounding flesh burst apart piece by piece. The faces that represented every intense human desire shattered one after another.

Half of Bai Cangshu’s face became serene and peaceful, while the other half revealed a cruel smile.

"You want my body? Then why not make it more thorough…"

You used Legacy Crystal: Satsui no Hado.

Purple-black waves instantly entered Bai Cangshu’s flesh.

Kill!

Slaughter!

Massacre!

Butcher!

Kill kill kill!

The frenzied killing intent instantly tore through Bai Cangshu’s mind. Even his mental strength, which had touched the extreme limit, was utterly incapable of resisting that surging killing intent.

The muscles in Bai Cangshu’s face gradually twisted into a savage expression. Even the peaceful half of his face could no longer remain calm.

"You want my body? Then let every consciousness fight over it!"

Great hidden dangers had always lurked within Bai Cangshu’s body. Countless yin spirits lay concealed inside him. Now that Bai Cangshu’s primary consciousness was suppressed by two foreign powers, a great number of yin spirits sensed an opportunity. In an instant, black spiritual energy began flickering across Bai Cangshu’s body.

"Ha, haha…"

"HAHAHAHA!"

Amid the crazed laughter, the arm over a thousand meters tall began exploding apart inch by inch. Blood and debris poured down like a waterfall, drowning everything before it.