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After his Kenbunshoku Haki awakened, the weakening effects of Seastone on him had, through countless years of endurance and tempering, become almost negligible.
Kojin clearly understood that his strength had now reached an entirely new level.
At the same time, the confidence he once possessed had returned to his heart.
Even if he were ambushed again by the Gorōsei, the outcome would be completely different from before.
In other words, he believed he had finally gained the qualifications to stand against the world itself.
Under such circumstances, there was obviously little reason left for him to remain in Impel Down.
A quarter of an hour later, he dragged the unconscious giant fish toward the entrance of Wild Beast Hell using the chains behind his back.
Meanwhile…
"Admiral Kojin wants fruit?" Hannyabal asked in astonishment.
In this damned place, where was he supposed to get fruit from? Kojin had remained silent for years since their last meeting, and now his request was absurdly outrageous.
"Yes. Sensei needs a whole basket of them, the more, the better." Kuina answered seriously.
"A whole basket?!" Hannyabal sucked in a breath.
He felt that Admiral Kojin really knew how to toy with him. But at the same time, he didn't dare ignore the order.
Soon, commands were issued from him one after another, rapidly transmitted outside, all the way to Marine Headquarters.
To Hannyabal's surprise, the request was actually fulfilled.
A battleship arrived a quarter of an hour later, and under the personal escort of a Vice Admiral, to deliver fresh fruit.
Hannyabal could clearly see that the fruit was unbelievably fresh, its colors bright and vivid.
"I am Headquarters Vice Admiral, Vice Admiral Momonga! This is the only order Admiral Kojin has given since entering Impel Down for his mission nearly ten years ago. We will do everything possible to fulfill it!" Vice Admiral Momonga said solemnly.
Hannyabal stared blankly for a moment before turning toward the red-nosed man standing behind him.
"And who's this guy?"
Vice Admiral Momonga replied indifferently,
"Just an insignificant pirate. Throw him into Level Two. That'll be enough."
Hearing this, the red-nosed man instantly widened his eyes.
"Asshole! You're the insignificant one! Back in the day, I was a monster! If I hadn't accidentally fallen into the sea, you think a guy like you could've caught me?"
Vice Admiral Momonga merely sneered without replying. He couldn't be bothered explaining himself to some nameless pirate with a bounty of only a few tens of millions.
At that moment, Kuina curiously stared at the red-nosed man. Somehow, she felt like she had seen him somewhere before.
"Damn it! How dare you look down on me! If you've got the guts, unlock these Seastone shackles and fight me! You're just a Headquarters Vice Admiral!"
The red-nosed man remained unbelievably arrogant. Even after being sent to Impel Down, he still looked completely fearless.
The scene surprised Hannyabal and also amused him a little.
"If Vice Admiral Momonga hadn't specifically mentioned they were Seastone shackles, I would've thought they were ordinary ones!"
Vice Admiral Momonga vaguely replied, "This brat really is a little different."
He was also quite puzzled.
A guy who fell into the sea while treasure hunting and greedily chasing riches was somehow still moving rather freely, even while wearing Seastone shackles.
Either this guy's physique was abnormal… Or his strength was unimaginably terrifying.
But the second possibility seemed impossible, no matter how he thought about it.
"Thanks for the fruit. You've solved a huge problem for me!" Hannyabal said with a grin.
Afterward, he bid farewell to Vice Admiral Momonga and escorted the red-nosed man while pushing the basket of fresh fruit toward the underground second level.
He absolutely didn't dare delay anything related to Admiral Kojin.
Especially since, recently, strange rumors had begun circulating around Marineford. Some people were already whispering that it was finally time for this legendary old Admiral to reappear before the world.
A short while later, Hannyabal pushed the basket of fruit before Kojin.
"Admiral Kojin, they're all completely fresh. I figured you wanted to eat them, so I got extra." Hannyabal said ingratiatingly.
Kojin nodded slightly.
Looking at the basket of fruit before him, he silently calculated that it should be enough.
Then, with a calm expression, the chain behind his back suddenly straightened with a sharp snap, instantly piercing through the giant fish's forehead.
His Kenbunshoku Haki spread outward.
Under everyone's shocked gazes, Kojin quietly waited.
Meanwhile, the red-nosed man was trembling all over. His eyes revealed shock, disbelief, excitement, agitation, and countless other complicated emotions.
"It's him! No… it's you! It really is you! To think you're actually here!"
As time passed, the red-nosed man watched the figure that had haunted his dreams all these years finally reveal a smile and pick up a strange fruit covered in fish-scale patterns from the basket.
Crunch!
The other man bit into it, juice splattering everywhere.
But Kojin's face twisted into an expression as if he had just eaten literal shit.
"A Devil Fruit?"
At that instant, those words surfaced in everyone's minds.
Then, an utterly horrifying and shocking scene unfolded before their eyes.
After consuming the fruit, Kojin's tall, gaunt body suddenly began twisting violently. His face also revealed an expression of pain and suppression.
Boom!
Barely two breaths later, the man before them exploded outright.
Kuina was dumbfounded.
Hannyabal fell into complete confusion.
Only the red-nosed man's pupils contracted violently. His entire body trembled slightly as his eyes remained fixed on the blood-soaked chamber ahead.
The memories that had long since died suddenly awakened at this moment.
A wave of excitement, agitation, and madness swept through the Red Nose man's entire body in an instant.
"He's back! He… is finally coming back!!"
For a moment, tears filled Red Nose's eyes as his entire body trembled uncontrollably.
And in the very next second…
The scattered mass of blood before them suddenly began to gather together once more.
A tall, powerful, overwhelmingly imposing body appeared before everyone's eyes.
Long black hair danced wildly in the air. His sharply sculpted face radiated toughness and resolve, his gaze fierce and razor-sharp. Thick veins bulged around his sturdy neck like coiling dragons. His abdominal muscles looked as though two slabs of rock had been embedded into his body, while eight perfectly defined muscles lined his waist with terrifying solidity.
His arms rapidly extended outward, followed by the crisp crack of clenched fists.
The thin and gaunt Kojin from moments ago had completely vanished.
In his place stood that man once more.
On his back, the hideous, demon-like muscular pattern was enough to shake one's soul.
"So this… is your prime?" Hannyabal said tremblingly.
He was utterly shocked by the transformation.
One moment, Kojin had looked like a heavily wounded prisoner on the verge of collapse.
The next, he had become a terrifyingly powerful man whose mere presence overwhelmed everyone around him.
The visual impact was indescribable.
"Oh?"
"You've seen my prime before?"
Kojin asked with interest.
He casually clenched his fists, feeling overwhelming power surging through him, as though crushing steel and rock would require no effort at all. After dying from consuming the third fruit and being reborn, he had become even stronger than before.
The sheer physical strength of this body alone was unimaginable.
And now he also possessed maxed-out Kenbunshoku Haki alongside the power of the Goro Goro no Mi.
Crackle crackle crackle!
With a single thought, dense arcs of lightning erupted around him, shrieking excitedly through the air, as if the power hidden inside his body was also rejoicing at its rebirth.
Not far away, the Red Nose man trembled even harder in excitement, as though memories buried deep within his soul had been awakened.
"That familiar power… is returning!"
Kojin spread his arms wide, his face filled with a blissful smile and intoxicated delight.
In just an instant, his strength seemed to increase by at least tenfold.
The powers of the Goro Goro no Mi and the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi were returning, while a third power rapidly emerged within his body as well.
The power of the three fruits quickly formed a mysterious balance within him, erupting into an even more terrifying force.
Logia.
Paramecia.
Zoan.
At this moment, the powers of all three Devil Fruit systems were gathered within a single person.
It could be said that Kojin might very well be the first monster in history to consume three Devil Fruits and wield the powers of all three types simultaneously.
"So it really was that fruit!"
"A Zoan… Mythical Beast type… The Fish-Fish Fruit: Kunpeng!"
The smile on Kojin's face widened further as he rapidly absorbed the information transmitted by the new fruit.
The Kunpeng was undoubtedly one of the most ferocious creatures in mythology.
It fed on dragons, and with a single meal could devour countless living beings across the seas.
Its body was unimaginably vast, its strength capable of overturning the heavens themselves. And when it spread its wings, it could soar ninety thousand li in an instant, moving at unbelievable speed while wielding the power of spatial laws.
Mythical Zoan fruits were even rarer and more precious than Logia fruits.
Many mythical beasts possessed the ability to control elements, but the Kunpeng fruit, beyond the normal characteristics of a Zoan, also granted dominion over space itself.
"Just how powerful you are… Show it to me little by little in the future." Kojin muttered softly.
Then, his eyes fell upon the Red Nose man before him. His voice suddenly turned cold and gloomy.
"I'm curious. How did you end up here? And why are you wearing a prisoner uniform like that?"
The instant those icy words sounded, it felt as though a freezing wind swept through Wild Beast Hell.
The Red Nose man shrank back slightly and forced out an awkward smile.
"Cough cough cough… It's a long story!"
Kojin stared at him calmly. "Then make it short."
"I became a pirate, fell into the sea, and got captured!" Buggy hurriedly replied at lightning speed.
After speaking, he saw Kojin's gloomy expression and immediately added,
"I was an undercover agent! The pirate identity was just a cover! You know my admiration for you has never contained even the slightest bit of falsehood!"
Kojin expressionlessly stared at him for a long while before finally letting out a faint chuckle.
"To meet a familiar face here… That really isn't bad."
The tension instantly disappeared from Buggy's face as tears streamed from his eyes.
"Senior official, I missed you so much!!"
At that moment, realization struck Kuina like lightning. She pointed at Buggy in shock.
"Y-you're Colonel Buggy! I saw your picture in the group photo on Sensei's desk!"
Buggy grinned brightly.
Meanwhile, Kojin recalled the past, his heart filled with countless emotions.
Suddenly, he stepped forward.
"There are still many people in this world… Who are waiting for me."
"Come with me. Let's go see them together."
He paused briefly.
"I hope this world still remembers me."
Those words filled Buggy, Kuina, and Fisher Tiger with excitement, while Hannyabal's body shook uncontrollably in terror.
"Admiral Kojin… You're leaving Impel Down?!"
(End of Chapter)