"You are so powerful!" Yamato cried, amazement sharp in her voice as she watched her father lying defeated and helpless, hauled along the ground by Billy like nothing more than a sack. Billy only smiled, then tossed Kaido aside into the middle of the smashed, motionless bodies of the Beast Pirates, where he landed among the ruins of his own crew.
"I want them all dead," Hiyori said, eyes fixed on the men who had brought suffering to her people. Yamato hesitated for a beat, wavering as she looked at the scene, but she said nothing—her father was still the captain of an enemy pirate crew, and in that moment she had no reason to stand between him and the vengeance Hiyori sought.
"Wait!" Ulti shouted, her voice breaking through the chaos just as Yamato lifted her arm to finish them. She slammed her forehead hard against the ground, forcing herself to the dirt in a rough, desperate plea that left her panting and trembling.
"Please — take my life, but let Page One go," Ulti cried. Hiyori met her plea with a cold, emotionless stare, giving no sign that mercy would follow.
"Tell me… how many of my people suffered because of you? How many begged for mercy, and how many were simply let go?" Hiyori demanded, her voice trembling with anger, her eyes burning with restrained fury.
Ulti remained silent, her lips pressed tight, too afraid to answer. She wasn't scared for herself—death never frightened her—but the thought of losing her brother made her heart twist painfully.
"Big Sis, what are you saying!" Page One cried out, crawled forward to shield her. "No! Take my life instead—let my sister live!" he pleaded, his voice shaking but firm as he placed himself between them.
"…Lady Hiyori, why not consider having them join under you as followers? The increased manpower could be useful," Shinobu said, stepping out from where she'd been hidden and making her presence known.
She'd been ready to move in and protect Hiyori, poised for action, but the sound of the shamisen had caught her completely—she'd found herself listening until the moment passed and her original task slipped her mind.
"…what do you think?" Hiyori asked, turning to look at Billy. He only shrugged, while drinking, the drink he'd just snapped into existence.
[That's a good idea. Just as you can share your power with others, they too could pass on a portion of theirs. However, unlike you, doing so would weaken them. Think of it as lending out a part of their essence—something that allows those they empower to refine and strengthen that borrowed piece before returning it. Each one could have up to twelve under them, though doing so would cut their strength in half… by the way, you have 24 people you can give your powers to, so build your future crew around 24 people.]
'Interesting… but what about those twelve?' Billy thought, his brow furrowing slightly. 'Could they also pass their power down in the same way? And is there any method for them to keep their full strength while still maintaining those twelve under them?' His expression grew thoughtful as the possibilities began to unfold in his mind.
[Indeed. Think of it like this—the power they receive from you can be divided into thirteen parts. Twelve of those fragments are smaller, while the thirteenth equals the combined strength of the other twelve; that thirteenth would remain with the original, the one who is giving the twelve powers.]
[When someone receives a fragment and grows stronger, the original wielder can reclaim it at any time, though the recipient keeps their strength unless the originator decides otherwise. Think of it as the giver erasing the limiters placed upon the recipient, allowing them to grow infinitely stronger. But one that fragment is taken back, that limit doesn't return, and instead the recipient isn't able to grow stronger anymore.]
[The pattern can continue as well—the twelve can each create their own circle of followers, though theirs would be limited to six. Those 3 can, in return, have 2 people, and those 2 can have 1 person… it ends there. In total, 24 followers.]
"I'm only interested in females joining my crew," Billy said with a grin, clearly pleased with the new structure forming in his mind. "But we can still build a grand fleet." With those words, the Omni Sage began explaining the concept to the others, detailing how the system would function.
"A bit perverted…" Yamato said, though the faint smile on her face showed she didn't mind. In fact, she liked it. Her attention shifted toward Hiyori, watching closely, waiting for her signal. As soon as Hiyori gave the go-ahead, Yamato was ready to take Ulti under her crew without hesitation.
"Fine, death would be too kind to you all… Black Maria, I want you to join my crew. Do you agree or not?" Hiyori said coldly. Black Maria was one of the All-Stars of Kaido's crew, making her one of the strongest members among them. She owned her own brothel and was well known for keeping people as pets—breaking their will and forcing loyalty through pain and manipulation.
They used to be friends once, close enough to trust each other completely, until Maria betrayed her and chose to join Kaido's crew. That betrayal still lingered between them… well, Hiyori never betrayed Maria for it, but she wasn't willing to turn her old friend into a slave who shall spend the rest of her life reversing the damage they caused to her people.
By the way, she was different from the anime. How? That could be explained by the way she had been throwing odd looks at Billy ever since he returned with Kaido. There was something in her eyes—curiosity mixed with something else she kept well hidden.
Oddly enough, all her pets were dressed like Billy, each of them wearing the same style as if she had modeled them after him… but no one saw it, since they were defeated elsewhere.
"I will join you," she said softly, her voice quiet but clear. Hiyori nodded in response, accepting her answer without another word.
Billy didn't stand by and wait. He simply turned around and went on with his day, leaving everything else in Yamato and Hiyori's hands. They could handle it just fine. Instead, he went off to mess around with his powers for a while, testing and playing with them.
First things first, Billy began improving his overall capabilities to their limit. He pushed every aspect of himself further, refining his body and mind until they worked in perfect sync. Along the way, he created a new skill—one that allowed his Haki to grow on its own, as if he were constantly locked in a never-ending battle that forced it to evolve and reach new heights. Since Haki strengthened through combat, this ability ensured it would develop rapidly, endlessly pushing itself as though he were always fighting at his limit.
Naturally, that meant his power began increasing at an astonishing rate. With another snap of his fingers, Billy granted himself Kaido's bloodline, King's bloodline, and even infused his being with their combat experience, merging it all into his own. Once satisfied with his progress, he decided to test something entirely different: time travel.
Snapping his fingers once more, Billy found himself hurled backward through time, watching the world twist and shift until he landed roughly fifteen years in the past. He had aimed for twenty, hoping to witness Oden's death firsthand, but he failed to do so.
"Not as bad as the present…" Billy said, looking at the condition of Wano, clearly, Kiado had gotten to work, destroying Wano's beauty.
"Well, I wish to see the most important event that happened this year. Take me to it," Billy said, and with a snap of his finger, he vanished. His body moved through space and time, shifting across unseen layers of reality until he reappeared on a rooftop in another moment a few weeks into the future.
There, he saw a small blonde-haired girl curled up into a tight ball, sleeping beside her mother under the open sky. The two lay close together, using each other's warmth to fight off the cold night air.
"Isn't this that whore?" a man's voice called out suddenly. The sound startled them both awake, and the mother's eyes went wide in terror as she recognized the man walking towards her—the same man who once paid to sleep with her.
Yes, she had sold herself to survive. Food was scarce, and the cost of simply living had become unbearable. Men could still find food, but at prices she could never afford. Her husband had starved to death, leaving her alone to care for their daughter in a world that had nothing left to give. Selling herself was all she could do to keep the two of them alive.
"Oh, the whore has a beautiful daughter," one of the men said while licking his lips, his eyes fixed on the little blonde-haired girl, who was 14 years old.
The girl's face went pale as fear gripped her, and she quickly hid herself in her mother's chest, trembling as the man continued to approach them with a lustful look that made her heart pound faster.
Her mother held her tightly, trying to shield her from what was happening, her body stiff as the men surrounded them, their presence filling the air with dread.