Sailing: A Retired Veteran Awakens with Genryusai Template

Staring at the bottomless, thousand-meter abyss that had suddenly appeared on the Red Line, the world fell into silence. A third of the world's H-government had completely vanished—erased, merely because it was caught in the aftermath.

Even the shaggy Five Elders stood frozen, their jaws nearly hitting the ground. Their throats quivered, struggling to form words. They had witnessed it clearly.

It was only the front end of the charred blade that had merely touched the ground... yet it had caused such an earth-shattering catastrophe!

"That man... What is he?!"

"The entire Grand Line... it's going to be destroyed!!!"

Across the world, countless onlookers trembled in horror, feeling the temperature rise continuously. Fear gripped their hearts, unable to be contained.

At this moment, in the heart of Mariejois—the epicenter of terror that silenced the Grand Line and the entire world—

Bai Ye stood, gripping the "Remnant Fire Taito."

"Remnant Fire Taito: East-Rising Sun Blade."

His eyes were cold as they locked onto Im.

In a flash—

Shunpo!

Bai Ye vanished, only to reappear before Im in the blink of an eye.

Without hesitation, he swung the scorched blade downward towards Im.

A flicker of surprise flashed through Im's crimson eyes. Raising a hand, a ripple of invisible purple energy erupted from his body, aiming to suspend time across Mariejois, just as before.

Yet, in the next second—

Im's pupils constricted.

The power of time made contact with Bai Ye.

It should have frozen him entirely.

But this time—

More than ninety percent of its effectiveness had been completely negated!

Before Im could react, the Remnant Fire Taito was already descending upon him!

In that instant, Im finally understood why the flames had seemingly vanished from all of Mariejois.

Because all of the heat—all of it—had been condensed into that seemingly insignificant, charred blade!

It wasn't just the temperature that had reached unimaginable levels.

The sheer power had multiplied several times over!

If this strike landed—

The thought alone sent shivers through Im.

Gritting his teeth, he lifted his right foot and activated his second Devil Fruit ability, instantly retreating just as the blade fell.

BOOM!!!

Mariejois quaked.

Another abyss, thousands of meters deep, carved itself into the land. The very sky seemed to be torn apart!

Dust clouds barely had a chance to rise before they were flattened by the sheer wind pressure unleashed from the impact!

Buildings across Mariejois crumbled instantly, smoothed to the ground by the shockwave's devastating force.

As the destruction settled, Bai Ye's gaze shifted into the distance.

There, space rippled—

And from the void, Im emerged.

It was now evident.

Im possessed more than one Devil Fruit ability.

The power displayed just now had to be space-related.

Had it not been for that ability—

Bai Ye was certain.

That last strike would have ended everything.

But Im was full of surprises.

Bai Ye wasn't shocked.

After all, in the world of One Piece, there was already one man known to wield two Devil Fruits at once.

And Im—the hidden ruler above even the Five Elders, the mastermind behind the world's control—

He was bound to possess even more.

But it didn't matter.

No matter how many abilities Im had—

Before the Bankai Remnant Fire Taito—

It was all meaningless!

Im's crimson eyes narrowed as he stared at Bai Ye.

"That level of destruction... Unbelievable that a mere 'inferior creature' could wield such power. But—!"

Im's voice sank.

"As long as you can't touch me...!"

A tear echoed in the air.

Just as Im raised his right hand to unleash another ability, his voice faltered.

Suddenly—

A crack appeared on his clothes.

Then another.

Before he could react, pain surged through his chest. His body trembled as crimson blood spewed from his lips.

"Impossible...?!"

Shock filled Im's glowing red eyes as he stared at the blood staining his fingers.

He had been injured?

When? How?!

"It seems that even the blood of 'gods' is no different from that of ordinary people."

Bai Ye's voice carried nothing but disdain.

Im's expression darkened, his mind reeling as pain wracked his internal organs. He clenched his teeth.

"I never even made contact... Could it be that the heat has reached a level where even space itself cannot withstand it?! What kind of joke is this?!"

Fury twisted his features as he glared at the man who had brought the World Government to its knees.

Snarling, Im raised his right hand.

"Then I'll just kill you! Once you're dead, all of this will be over!"

He clenched his fingers.

The power to freeze time surged forth once more.

In an instant, Mariejois was separated from the Grand Line yet again.

Im's gaze was cold, laced with anger.

"Even if the effectiveness of my time manipulation has weakened for unknown reasons... what remains—"

"—is more than enough to kill you!"

Im extended his left hand, preparing to unleash a devastating attack against Bai Ye.

But—

BOOM!

Before Im could even approach Bai Ye—

An indescribable, searing heat erupted from Bai Ye's body, burning a blazing orange-red!

It was as if the very sun itself had descended upon Mariejois, engulfing Bai Ye in pure, unrelenting flames!

In that moment—

Mariejois transformed into the core of a sun.

Buildings across the land were instantly reduced to ash.

The Celestial Dragons—obliterated before they could even scream.

Chunks of the Red Line melted away.

Even Im—

Despite his overwhelming abilities—

Was forced to retreat from the unbearable heat.

Bai Ye's voice echoed through the inferno.

"Remnant Fire Taito: West—Remnant Sun Prison Garb."

He turned his gaze toward Im.

"If you think you can get close, feel free to try."

"But if not—"

Bai Ye stepped forward, his body ablaze like a walking sun, the air around him distorting from sheer heat.

"It's my turn."

With those words, Bai Ye vanished.

And for the first time—

Im's face twisted in true fear.

Gone was his godlike confidence.

Gone was his arrogance.

He, the ruler of the world—

Now knew what it felt like to stand before true destruction.