Night fell. The world lay silent.
Longinus opened his eyes on the bed—calm, unblinking—and slowly sat upright.
From the center of his palm, the Seven-Star Sword emerged, glowing with a faint, eerie green light. Its blade trembled softly.
"Three years… and you still haven't given up?"
"Every time I use your power, I relive that nightmare from three years ago.
But you should know—Eren may be a part of me…
but I am not Eren."
"He is only a fragment of my soul.
Demi… I will find her.
But only with power that I can control."
The green glow dimmed.
The trembling faded.
And the blade slowly sank back into Longinus' body.
Longinus didn't mind.
Compared to three years earlier, this demonic blade was far more obedient—still dangerous, but ultimately a mindless tool.
Now, he possessed one primary, rational persona, and two sub-personalities entirely under his control.
Eren's shattered soul fragment had become what he called the Kind Persona—his greatest support for infiltrating the Navy.
After all, when it came to acting… who could surpass a version of his true self?
In this persona, he could perfectly wield the natural talent of this body.
A talent shared only with individuals like Aisa of Skypiea and Queen Otohime of Fish-Man Island—
a natural-born Observation Haki, so sensitive that it could read hearts when others let their guard down.
Not quite on the level of Big Mom's monstrous intuition, but still a top-tier starting point.
And then there was the other soul—
the one from another world.
A soul that knew the future of this world…
A soul that had become the vessel for the Seven-Star Sword…
A soul steeped in killing intent.
This, he named the Slaughter Persona.
It was the source of his overwhelming physical strength—
for every life the Seven-Star Sword consumed, it devoured both vitality and soul, and fed them back into Longinus' body.
In just three years, he grew strong enough to overpower Zoan users—
because he had nearly wiped out all nearby Sea Kings.
This was also why he had no intention of eating a Devil Fruit.
Why choose a single fruit… when the entire ocean was his power source?
And he knew well—
In the deep sea near Fish-Man Island lurked Sea Kings thousands of meters long.
Those would be the stepping stones to the top of the world.
As for souls…
Sea Kings were far inferior to humans in quality—
especially strong humans.
That was why he had set his eyes on Impel Down, and why the identity of a Marine would grant him the perfect cover to kill with legitimacy.
His rational main persona could shift instantly between personalities.
Even the most advanced Observation Haki could not see through his disguise.
And with triple-layered soul pressure, his main persona projected a natural leadership aura—the reason the junior recruits treated him like a born commander.
This aura only worked on those much weaker in willpower, but that was enough to remove his last concern about joining the Navy:
The Celestial Dragons.
Longinus knew one truth:
Unless he defected like those legendary transmigrators, the matter of the Celestial Dragons haunted every Marine.
But with soul suppression, he wouldn't lose patience and kill one accidentally.
Because killing a Celestial Dragon—unless he planned to overthrow the World Government—was meaningless.
It changed nothing.
Even if he escaped the Admirals, those he "saved" would suffer even worse misery.
Longinus did not consider himself a good man—
but he refused to be a hypocrite who committed evil in the name of good.
He wasn't going to kill a Celestial Dragon.
…However, if his alternate account did it, well…
that had nothing to do with him.
After all, Lu Xun once said:
A vest and a main account are legally independent individuals.
The next day, golden sunlight pierced the clouds, lighting up the sea.
A gentle breeze brushed against the smiling faces of the townsfolk.
Surviving death made one stronger.
Though shadows of fear lingered, they had lived—
survived the Giant Rhino Pirates—
even defeated them in an impossible reversal.
Compared to towns slaughtered by that crew, they were blessed.
And all thanks to one man—
a former outsider.
"Longinus, we really owe you everything," the village chief said, equal parts guilty and grateful.
"In fact, we've owed you for three years."
"If you hadn't rescued me back then, Chief, I'd have drowned from exhaustion long before now."
Longinus shook his head gently. He took no credit.
"Yes… we in Falling Leaves Town were lucky that, three years ago, we found you washed ashore."
The villagers gathered—not only to celebrate last night's survival… but also to send Longinus off.
"Brother Longinus… you must come back to visit us!"
A runny-nosed kid cried, unwilling to part.
"Nonsense!" Buggy waved dramatically. "Brother Longinus is gonna be a Marine Admiral! Admirals spend every moment hunting evil pirates—he won't have time to play with brats like you!"
Longinus only smiled, not bursting his childish fantasy.
"Then… when I grow up, I'll join the Marines too!"
The little kid wiped his nose and raised a fist.
"I'll fight like Brother Longinus! I'll protect everyone!"
As the village showered him with blessings, Longinus smiled lightly.
"Everyone… I'll be going now. If all goes well, I'll join the Marine G-2 Branch. If you ever need help, you can look for me there."
The villagers waved, crying openly.
"Longinus! You must become an Admiral!
Falling Leaves Town may not be your birthplace, but we will always be proud of you!"
Longinus waved one last time and walked toward the sea without looking back.
A few surviving pirates—those spared for knowing how to sail—followed him nervously onto a ship formerly owned by the Giant Rhino Pirates.
Sails unfurled.
The helm turned.
And Longinus' ship slowly vanished beyond the horizon.