One Piece: The Multiverse Simulator

Marineford remained in chaos, but anyone paying attention would notice that the Marines had begun to pull back, regrouping their forces and opting to stand on the sidelines.

Whitebeard had miraculously come back to life. Marco and the others, who had already retreated to the coastline, now hesitated, unsure whether to flee or stay.

Meanwhile, Buggy the Clown and a group of Impel Down escapees continued wandering across the battlefield. Buggy claimed he was "choosing a worthy opponent to make his move."

"The Ancient Weapon, Wood; the Strongest Man in the World, Whitebeard; the instigator of this war, Blackbeard; and those like Shiryu of the Rain and Avalo Pizarro—they're all terrifying figures.

With so many strong opponents, Captain Buggy, isn't it time you stepped up? If you take down just one of them, we'll be famous across the entire sea!"

Hearing the enthusiastic cheers of his underlings, Buggy felt a massive headache coming on. He had bragged so much earlier that these fanatical followers now genuinely believed that not even Wood or Whitebeard could hold a candle to him.

Famous across the sea? Buggy thought bitterly. Any one of those guys up there could wipe him out with a single finger.

"You idiots, can't you see what's happening?" Buggy snapped. "The Marines are pulling back and watching from the sidelines.

Do you think Aokiji and Kizaru are just for show? They could join the battle anytime, but they're not. Doesn't that make it obvious they're waiting for the right moment?

What do you want me to do? Fight Whitebeard to the death, only for the Marines to swoop in and take all the glory?"

Surprisingly, despite the divine aura surrounding him in the eyes of his followers, Buggy's words carried some logic. His explanation quickly convinced his dimwitted crew.

"So what do we do now, Captain Buggy?" one of his lackeys asked eagerly.

"We steal a Marine ship and prepare to escape!

The Whitebeard Pirates have their own ships and can retreat at any time. We don't even have a boat! No matter how this battle ends, we'll be stuck here waiting to die.

Of course, I could escape on my own, but I can't bear to leave my brothers behind after everything we've been through together."

Buggy's heartfelt performance left Mr. 3 feeling deeply inferior. He realized there was a reason Buggy could become a captain.

Despite being terrified, Buggy managed to present himself as a selfless leader who cared about his crew.

And, absurdly enough, the escapees from Impel Down believed him. Moved to tears by Buggy's apparent loyalty and compassion, they became even more devoted to him.

On the other side of the battlefield, Wood had once again donned his Teigu, Winter Knight, and begun unleashing large-scale magical attacks akin to devastating artillery barrages.

Avalo Pizarro, with his Island-Island Fruit, had merged with the island itself. Normally, this would make him nearly invincible, as his body became indistinguishable from the entire island. Unless the island was severely damaged, he wouldn't be hurt.

But how many people on the sea could destroy an entire island with ease?

Unfortunately for Avalo, he had encountered one of those rare individuals: Wood.

Thanks to his vast magical reserves, Wood was throwing out high-tier "Saint-level" and "Emperor-level" spells every few seconds.

For fighters like Shiryu and Catarina Devon, who had transformed into Wood using her Mythical Zoan fruit, the elemental barrages were survivable—albeit barely.

However, for massive targets like Avalo Pizarro, fused with the island, and Sanjuan Wolf, who had grown to an enormous size using his Inflation-Inflation Fruit, they became little more than sitting ducks.

The powerful but wide-reaching spells hit them directly every time, making it impossible to avoid.

Under the relentless bombardment, the first to fall were not the weaker members of the group but the ones who should have been the hardest to take down: Avalo Pizarro and Sanjuan Wolf.

"Catarina! Didn't you copy that guy with your Devil Fruit? If you keep holding back, we're all going to die here!"

Vasco Shot, usually perpetually drunk, had sobered up significantly in the face of imminent death. He shouted at Catarina, his voice tinged with desperation.

At the start of the battle, Shiryu and the others had assumed that Wood's elemental attacks were a result of his Devil Fruit powers.

But as the fight dragged on, they began to realize that Wood's abilities weren't tied to any Devil Fruit at all.

In fact, they came to the shocking conclusion that Wood wasn't a Devil Fruit user at all—he was just a normal human.

As ridiculous as this truth seemed, repeated confirmation left no room for doubt.

There were two key reasons they reached this conclusion. First, Wood's power system was far too diverse and complex.

They had seen many Devil Fruit abilities in their time, but they had never heard of one that granted the user control over fire, water, wind, ice, earth, lightning, darkness, and more.

Second, when Sanjuan Wolf and Avalo Pizarro used their combined powers to hurl an entire section of Marineford's defensive wall—laden with Seastone—at Wood, the result was telling.

Despite Seastone's supposed ability to suppress Devil Fruit powers, it had no effect on Wood. Instead, Wood retaliated with an advanced version of his Hyakki Yagyō Sword Style, leaving both of them gravely injured.

Sanjuan Wolf, along with the Seastone-laden wall, was turned into a massive ice sculpture. Avalo Pizarro, on the other hand, was struck with a Haki-imbued slash that severed his fusion with the island, leaving him on the brink of death.

Realizing that Wood's powers came from within himself and not from any Devil Fruit, Vasco Shot and Shiryu began to grow suspicious of Catarina.

There had never been any real trust among their group—only a temporary alliance out of necessity. And now, with the tide turning against them, tensions were rising fast.

Among the notorious criminals of Impel Down's Level Six, none were strangers to scheming and betrayal. Every one of them was full of ulterior motives and far from trustworthy.

Thus, it was no surprise that Vasco Shot and Shiryu of the Rain began to suspect their supposed ally, Catarina Devon.

Their reasoning was simple: Catarina's Nine-Tailed Fox fruit allowed her to perfectly replicate someone's height, physique, and even strength. If Wood wasn't a Devil Fruit user, and his abilities were rooted in his own skills and power, why couldn't Catarina—disguised as Wood—use them?

The answer, they concluded, was that Catarina was holding back. Despite having the power to match the real Wood, she was deliberately pretending to be weaker. Her plan, they guessed, was to let Wood exhaust himself by fighting them, and then swoop in at the end to claim victory over an already weakened opponent.

It was a plausible theory. After all, these criminals were used to such underhanded tactics. They could easily imagine Catarina exploiting their deaths to secure her own glory.

In truth, if Catarina had truly copied all of Wood's abilities perfectly, she might have considered such a plan. But the reality was far different.

Catarina had been using Wood's full power from the start. The problem was that she couldn't replicate the overwhelming elemental attacks or the devastating swordsmanship that Wood displayed.

"It doesn't matter what I say—you probably won't believe me," Catarina said, her tone bitter. "But I'm not holding back. I can't use his powers.

I can feel the energy within me, but it's like there's no channel to release it.

Do you seriously believe this guy is a normal human? Even if he's not a Devil Fruit user, do you think a normal person could master and use so many elemental powers simultaneously?"

Catarina, who was a master of deception, now found herself at a loss.

She wasn't pretending. She genuinely wanted to know what kind of monster Wood was.

How could he not only transform his body but also wield such diverse elemental powers, heal himself, and do it all without relying on a Devil Fruit?

And why couldn't her Nine-Tailed Fox fruit replicate these abilities?

"What do we do now?" Vasco Shot grumbled. "At this rate, we're all going to be killed by that monster.

He wasn't even this intent on killing us at first. Shiryu, what exactly did you do to provoke him?"

Seeing Catarina's frustration and realizing she likely wasn't holding back, Vasco turned his ire toward Shiryu.

Earlier, it was clear that Wood had been holding back during the fight, showing no real intent to kill. But something had changed, and that change seemed to stem from Shiryu's actions.

They had no personal grudge against Wood. In fact, most of them hadn't even heard of him until they escaped Impel Down.

If Shiryu had provoked Wood, why should the rest of them suffer the consequences? Maybe handing Shiryu over to Wood could appease him and de-escalate the situation.

"Don't bother wasting your breath," Shiryu said coldly, his long black coat tattered and bloodstained. "Even if you hand me over, he won't let you go. You were all involved when we attacked those people in Impel Down, weren't you?

Don't tell me you've forgotten about Little Sadi, Saldeath, and Domino?"

"Little Sadi? Saldeath? Domino? Who are they, and what do they have to do with us?" Catarina asked, her brow furrowed.

The names meant nothing to her or Vasco. After all, they rarely remembered the names of insignificant individuals. In their eyes, the only person in Impel Down worth remembering was Magellan.

"They were the Chief Jailer, Head Jailer, and Chief Warden of Impel Down," Shiryu explained. "And the man you're fighting now? He used to be one of them—or at least part of Impel Down's staff."

Shiryu's words hit like a thunderbolt. Catarina and Vasco exchanged stunned looks.

"So you're saying the nobodies we fought back then were his old friends? And because we hurt them, he's decided to kill us?"

"He was part of Impel Down? Was he the former Chief Warden? If he's stronger than Magellan, then that makes sense."

But their assumptions were quickly shattered by Shiryu's next words.

"No, he wasn't the Chief Warden. He wasn't even part of the core staff. He was just a stationed Marine.

Back then, he was weak and insignificant. Forget the strength he has now—he couldn't even handle the so-called 'nobodies' you mentioned."

Hearing this, Catarina and Vasco were utterly dumbfounded.

If what Shiryu said was true, then Wood's transformation over the past twenty years was nothing short of miraculous.

To go from a weak, unremarkable Marine to someone capable of fighting the strongest forces in the world—without the aid of a Devil Fruit—was a story so extraordinary it defied belief.

"Years ago, I was nothing more than a nameless grunt," Wood admitted, his voice calm yet firm. "I didn't even have the qualifications to set foot in Impel Down's fifth or sixth levels.

It's no wonder none of you recognize me.

But you shouldn't have harmed my friends. Since you did, I have no choice but to make you pay for it. You'll die here."

Wood didn't know if Little Sadi and the others still considered him a friend, but he had never forgotten the kindness they had shown him.

Without them, he wouldn't have survived long enough to gain the strength he now wielded. In fact, he might have died at the hands of Golden Lion Shiki years ago.

Regardless of how much time had passed, Wood was determined to repay their kindness. And for the harm these criminals had done, he would exact retribution.

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