Chapter 161: Sudden Change

While Shiro was conducting operations in Impel Down's Infinite Hell, hidden dangers began to emerge around the Amazon Lily!

Neither Hancock, the Empress of Amazon Lily, nor the stationed officers like Momousagi and Robin, were aware of the approaching threat!

Of course, at that moment, Shiro had no idea.

After the World Government's large-scale recruitment efforts, and realizing that even their strongest attacks couldn't eliminate Shiro, they immediately initiated a backup plan!

They formed an alliance with the pirate Blackbeard, taking advantage of the emptiness within both Central Authority and Amazon Lily, launching a sneak attack!

Blackbeard's target was acceptable to the World Government. As for the Government itself, its goal was clear—capture Pirate Empress Boa Hancock, the Devil Child Nico Robin, and the former Navy Admiral candidate, Momousagi!

According to the World Government's intelligence, these three women had deep ties with Shiro. Among them, the Pirate Empress was even known to the world as Shiro's official wife!

With the growing threat posed by Central Authority, the World Government no longer cared about their image. As long as it could harm Shiro and weaken the Central Authority, they would do whatever it took, no matter how insidious the means!

"Rest assured, both of you. Joining the Central Authority, you won't regret it!"

In Impel Down, within the Infinite Hell!

After much discussion, two former Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile and Jinbe, both chose to join the Central Authority as high-ranking officers.

With their addition, four of the former Seven Warlords of the Sea had now become crucial members of the Central Authority!

As the balance shifted, the power of Central Authority was now undeniably stronger than that of Navy Headquarters!

Both Crocodile and Jinbe had their own reasons for agreeing to join.

First and foremost, they wanted to escape this cursed prison. Siding with Shiro was the only right choice.

Crocodile, in particular, was influenced by Hawk Eyes' decision to follow Shiro. Knowing Hawk Eyes as a solitary figure, there was only one explanation: this kid must possess the strength to command even Hawk Eyes!

When Crocodile learned that even Magellan, the strongest man in Impel Down, had been easily defeated and captured by Shiro, he abandoned any lingering doubts.

After all, Magellan was known as the strongest man in the prison!

With Magellan now a prisoner of the Central Authority, it was clear that the seas would soon be swept up in massive storms!

As for Jinbe, his reasons were simpler. Shiro had saved the Whitebeard Pirates and Fire Fist Ace during the Marineford War. To Jinbe, this was a debt of gratitude that couldn't be ignored.

On top of that, Shiro mentioned that the Whitebeard Pirates were soon going to transfer Fish-Man Island to the Central Authority. Whether out of gratitude or for the safety of his homeland, Jinbe had no reason to reject Shiro's offer.

Thus, Crocodile and Jinbe officially became officers of the Central Authority!

Soon, a bloodbath ensued within the Infinite Hell. While a few less heinous prisoners accepted Shiro's offer, most met their end by the swords of Shiro and Hawk Eyes.

Those imprisoned in Infinite Hell were either deeply sinful or posed extreme danger. Among them were ruthless criminals, who clearly had no right to live.

However, what worried Shiro was that legendary figures like Douglas Bullet, a former crew member of the Pirate King, were no longer in Impel Down.

They must have escaped during Blackbeard's upheaval!

Aside from that, there were still some powerful monsters in the prison, though most were Devil Fruit users. Under the suppression of Seastone handcuffs, none could withstand a single strike from Shiro or Hawk Eyes!

Before long, the Infinite Hell was cleared out.

Seeing the corpses lying in blood in several cells, Crocodile couldn't help but twitch.

"Damn it! If I hadn't agreed to join just now, I might have been killed by that kid and Hawk Eyes too!" Crocodile thought to himself, feeling a sense of dread.

He had, of course, heard of Shiro before. Even before the Marineford War, Shiro was a rising star within the Navy, a hot topic of conversation.

As one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile had naturally heard of Shiro. But facing him now, he finally felt the terror firsthand!

It was an overwhelming pressure!

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that facing Shiro gave Crocodile the same feeling as when he faced Whitebeard in his prime!

And that was Edward Newgate, the World's Strongest Man!

Had Shiro, at such a young age, reached a level of power comparable to Whitebeard?

That would be terrifying!

By the time Shiro and the others left Infinite Hell and returned to the upper levels of Impel Down, the clearing operation had mostly been completed.

With the help of Domino and Sadi, the recruited prison guard troops were reorganized swiftly. Both of them held key positions within Impel Down, making the task easy for them.

Once this was done, Shiro prepared to launch his next plan of action!

Using the powerful figures recruited from Infinite Hell as the core of his army, and the prison guard troops as the foundation, he would quickly take control of the former Enies Lobby and the former Marineford!

According to Shiro's intelligence, these two regions were currently guarded by two Marine Vice Admirals.

For ordinary pirates, such defense would be intimidating enough. Clearly, the World Government and Navy Headquarters had no intention of abandoning these territories.

In fact, Marineford had been undergoing reconstruction ever since the war. However, due to the extent of the destruction caused by Shiro, only simple repairs had been completed, far from restoring the former glory of Navy Headquarters!

Now, with only two Vice Admirals guarding the area, Shiro saw no serious threat.

Even Zoro at his current level could probably cut down a Vice Admiral!

The only consideration was how quickly they could station Central Authority troops in Enies Lobby, Marineford, and Impel Down after taking over.

To ensure this, Shiro contacted Momousagi at Central Authority base through the Den Den Mushi, asking her to lead the forces to occupy these critical areas.

However, to Shiro's surprise, the Den Den Mushi was unreachable!

Not only that, but he couldn't contact Hancock on Amazon Lily or anyone else stationed at Central Authority base!

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The fanfic is finished on p@treon/tambeerg