Chapter 146: Contracts

As everyone stood stunned, a pirate ship with a dragon's head carved on its prow swiftly entered Marineford. Several figures disembarked from the ship.

At the forefront was a man wearing a red cape. Though he had lost his left arm, it did nothing to diminish his commanding presence. Even with his disheveled appearance, he carried an undeniable air of a king.

This was none other than Red-Haired Shanks, one of the Four Emperors of the New World.

After disembarking, Shanks faced the three Admirals, as well as the veteran powerhouses Sengoku and Garp.

For some reason, he sensed that something was off about the atmosphere, but he didn't have time to dwell on it.

Shanks had one purpose in coming: to end this battle as quickly as possible.

Every second wasted meant more lives lost.

If the Navy's forces were weakened too much, they would no longer be able to maintain order on the seas, and the world would descend into chaos.

Until Luffy's strength matured and he could take up his destined role, the world needed stability.

With this resolve, Shanks drew his sword and began walking forward, his every step drawing the attention of all present: "This battle is over. Continuing will only lead to needless casualties for both sides.

If anyone still feels like causing trouble, then come on! We'll take you on ourselves!"

But to Shanks' surprise, the crowd's reaction wasn't what he expected.

The looks they gave him were strange, unsettling even.

It was then that Shanks noticed the fighting between the pirates and the Navy had already stopped. Both sides had orderly separated, standing on opposite sides without crossing into each other's space.

Just as Shanks was beginning to feel utterly confused, Sengoku withdrew from his Buddha form and addressed him gravely:

"Shanks, this war is already over. But a new one... is about to begin!"

Shanks: "???"

—-—

Meanwhile, Alex opened a portal and returned to Fish-Man Island. He left behind the living vine cruise ship he had casually created for Whitebeard as a gift.

After all, Alex could create as many of these living ships as he wanted, so retrieving it wasn't worth the trouble.

Back on Fish-Man Island, Alex informed King Neptune of his plan to move the island into his pocket dimension.

Though Neptune wasn't sure what a "pocket dimension" was, he trusted Alex, who was now their protector. Without hesitation, Neptune agreed to the proposal.

Neptune then informed the Fish-Man Island residents that there would be some tremors soon. With preparations in place, Alex began his work.

Standing at the center of Fish-Man Island, Alex immediately activated his Third Tree: Abyss form, causing the energy within him to surge exponentially.

He expanded his domain, instantly enveloping all of Fish-Man Island and the massive Sunlight Tree Eve above it.

Alex gently stomped his foot, and intricate runes appeared across every corner of Fish-Man Island, fortifying it to prevent the island from collapsing due to uneven forces during its relocation.

Once all preparations were complete, Alex took control of the vectors of Sunlight Tree Eve and everything on Fish-Man Island. Both the island and the tree began to shake violently.

Under the immense tremors, the roots of Sunlight Tree Eve detached from the ground, and Fish-Man Island separated entirely from the seabed rock, becoming a movable mass.

Then, a massive golden portal appeared above the crown of Sunlight Tree Eve.

The enormous portal drew the attention of nearby residents, who emerged from their homes to witness a golden ring, several dozen kilometers in diameter, suspended in the sky. Within it, they could glimpse a strange, otherworldly island.

The surrounding seawater surged into waves, and the ground shook intensely.

The trunk of Sunlight Tree Eve began to ascend, passing through the golden ring and entering another world.

The residents, having never seen such a miraculous sight, began to murmur amongst themselves. Eventually, they agreed: this was a divine miracle!

As Sunlight Tree Eve's trunk and roots gradually rose out of the water, the fish-men and merfolk on the island watched in awe.

When most of Sunlight Tree Eve had entered the pocket dimension, the island beneath it, wrapped in its roots, also emerged from the ocean floor.

Some pirates on the surface, who had visited Fish-Man Island before, shouted in astonishment:

"That's Fish-Man Island! It's rising to the surface!"

Another pirate asked in confusion:

"What's that golden ring? Is it some Devil Fruit power?"

Yet another pirate refuted the idea:

"No human could possibly wield such power. This must be a miracle from the gods—a divine blessing!"

One pirate speculated:

"Could it be that Fish-Man Island has been chosen by the gods and is now ascending to heaven?"

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Fish-Man Island finally disappeared into the golden portal, vanishing from sight.

When the island was gone, the golden portal gradually faded as well. If not for the churning waters and lingering vibrations, the residents might have thought it was all just a dream.

Alex placed Fish-Man Island in his pocket dimension, positioning it 5,000 meters beneath the sea near Paradise Island.

Once the island was securely in place, the runes Alex had inscribed earlier seamlessly connected with those within the pocket dimension, continuously strengthening Sunlight Tree Eve and elevating its essence of life.

Additionally, the energy compressed by Fish-Man Island enhanced the pocket dimension's energy production, raising it to a higher tier.

Alex realized that if he could obtain a stronger energy source, he might even be able to generate energy at a multiversal level.

For now, Alex ignored the various upheavals happening in the pirate world. He focused on training and honing his skills within the pocket dimension.

Having given the Celestial Dragons a one-month ultimatum, Alex used this time to upgrade one or two of his abilities.

The first skill he chose to train was Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.

As a power capable of killing anything, Alex took this ability very seriously. Before returning to the Marvel Universe, he wanted to raise the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception to Level 4, ensuring greater confidence in facing the Celestials.

Training this ability was straightforward. Alex continuously used it to eliminate various targets—plants, animals, inanimate objects like rocks, and even the air around him. Everything became a part of his practice.

Through constant use, Alex realized the true power of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception: as long as he could see the lines of death, following them would result in an unavoidable and irreversible death for the target.

The system notifications echoed in his ears repeatedly:

[Mystic Eyes of Death Perception EXP +1]

[Mystic Eyes of Death Perception EXP +1]

[Mystic Eyes of Death Perception EXP +1]

…

Finally, after ten days of relentless training, Alex heard the long-awaited notification:

[Mystic Eyes of Death Perception EXP +1]

[Congratulations! Your skill Mystic Eyes of Death Perception has leveled up!]

[Mystic Eyes of Death Perception Level 4 (1/5000): You can perceive the death lines of nearly all entities, including intangible ones, as long as you understand their nature of death. Following these lines causes unavoidable and incurable damage!]

With the skill's upgrade, a surge of icy energy coursed through Alex's entire body, gathering in his eyes and greatly enhancing their power.

Alex felt a profound change within himself. On objects where he had previously seen death lines, the number of visible lines increased significantly, and the lines themselves became wider.

Moreover, Alex could now see death lines on objects he had previously been unable to perceive, such as flowing air or dancing flames.

Using a dagger forged from imaginary mass, Alex sliced along these lines. The flowing air immediately ceased, and the dancing flame was extinguished.

They were "killed" by Alex.

Alex was quite satisfied with the enhancements to the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. Any object cut along a death line was almost impossible to restore. He wondered whether the Celestials, after being "killed," would still maintain their usual arrogance.

After that, Alex spent some time upgrading the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique by one level.

[Multiple Shadow Clone Technique EXP +1]

[Congratulations! Your skill Multiple Shadow Clone Technique has leveled up!]

[Multiple Shadow Clone Technique Level 4 (1/5000): Create an unlimited number of shadow clones by expending vast amounts of energy. The number of clones depends on the amount of energy consumed. Each shadow clone is a physical entity, and dispelling them allows the user to absorb their memories. Chakra can be substituted with other energy sources!]

At Level 4, the number of clones Alex could create no longer had any limits. The number was now directly proportional to the energy he consumed.

After upgrading this skill, Alex checked the current fusion progress of the Ryougi Shiki Template:

[Template Fusion Progress: 76%]

If things went as expected, the fusion progress would reach 80% upon his return to the Marvel Universe. There was a high likelihood of achieving 100% there, unlocking a new character template.

Alex eagerly anticipated the next character template.

Once all his preparations were complete, a month had passed.

However, Alex knew it was highly unlikely that the Celestial Dragons had vacated the Holy Land of Mary Geoise as he had demanded. Thus, the massacre was about to begin.

Opening a portal, Alex exited his pocket dimension and arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago.

Spreading his domain instantly, Alex sensed that the Celestial Dragons in Mary Geoise had not complied with his ultimatum. Furthermore, the Navy's top forces, except for Garp, Tsuru, and a few others, were stationed at Mary Geoise, alongside secret organizations such as Cipher Pol (CP), the surviving Shichibukai, and the Science Division.

It was evident they had no intention of surrendering. Instead, they were prepared to fight to the death.

However, Alex did not personally attack Mary Geoise. Instead, he intended to use it as a training ground for his followers, allowing them to hone their abilities and generate more energy.

With a mere thought, Alex expanded his domain to encompass the entire Pirate World.

In the next instant, all the inhabitants of the world froze, their minds filled with the presence of a mysterious contract.

The contract promised immense power and eternal life in exchange for pledging allegiance to the great Alex.

Despite the tempting offer, no one immediately signed the contract. Everyone understood that there were no gifts without a price.

The contract explicitly stated that Alex retained the right to reclaim the granted power at any time, along with the user's soul and all energy within their body.

In essence, signing the contract meant surrendering one's life and existence to Alex, the Great One.

In addition, the contract imposed several strict limitations:

1. Evil individuals could not sign the contract. Only those with neutral or good intentions were eligible.

2. Signatories could not abuse their granted powers. They were required to train diligently and improve themselves.

3. After signing, participants were obligated to attack the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, continuing until it was utterly destroyed.

The appearance of the contract caused an immediate uproar.

Some were outraged at the idea of relinquishing control over their lives:

"Damn that Alex! What gives him the right to control our lives?"

"Exactly! Only fools would sign this and give up their freedom!"

"I'd rather die than sign it!"

For these dissenters, Alex had no tolerance. As soon as they finished their complaints, the contract in their minds turned gray, forever barring them from signing.

Another group, composed of inherently evil individuals, sought to escape their dire circumstances by signing the contract. Upon discovering they were ineligible, they lashed out:

"Damn it, I can't sign? What gives Alex the right to judge my morality?"

"Alex, you @!#￥&*…"

In response, Alex calmly disrupted the vectors within their skulls. Their heads exploded violently, leaving them lifeless on the spot.

Witnessing this brutal outcome, no one else dared to insult Alex again.

Despite the strict terms of the contract, its appeal reached a vast number of people, and some chose to sign.

—-—

On a small island in the early stretches of the Grand Line, a group of pirates was wreaking havoc, mercilessly slaughtering the island's inhabitants.

In a secluded corner, a young girl watched helplessly as her parents were murdered. She was consumed with hatred for the pirates but was powerless to confront them.

As she gritted her teeth to suppress her emotions and avoid detection, a pirate spotted her. With a sinister grin, he called out:

"Captain, there's another one over here! Hmm, not bad-looking. We're in for some fun tonight!"

The pirate lunged toward her, his malicious intent clear.

Drowning in despair and terror, the girl struggled against her powerlessness. Just as she was about to give in, a scroll materialized in her mind.

Though she had never learned to read, she inexplicably understood the text. After comprehending its contents, she shouted with all her might:

"Whoever you are, I accept this contract! I offer everything I have to you! I want revenge!"

The moment she accepted, a surge of overwhelming energy erupted within her, manifesting as a tangible force of will. A sigil of the Flame-Flame Fruit etched itself into her soul.

Feeling the newfound power coursing through her, the girl stared down the pirate who now gazed at her in terror. Her youthful face hardened with resolve.

Moments later, an inferno engulfed the entire island, incinerating every pirate.

---

This scene repeated across the world in countless variations.

Those who signed contracts with Alex became his followers, converging on the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. They wielded the divine powers bestowed upon them, ready to overthrow the World Government and establish a new order under Alex's will.

°°°

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