One Piece: The True Codex

At the residence of Count Rielde, the Minister of Internal Affairs, the atmosphere of the secret meeting was far from the high spirits of past gatherings. The number of attendees had dwindled significantly, and the room was filled with an oppressive air of gloom and despair.

"Who did it? Who took it upon themselves to poison Arcadio?!" Count Rielde's round face trembled with rage as he scanned the room.

Those nobles who met his gaze quickly lowered their heads, avoiding eye contact.

"My lord, no matter who acted, what's done is done. The real issue now is how to deal with the current situation," one noble sighed.

Hearing this, the other nobles began to voice their grievances:

"That's right, Arcadio has gone mad."

"Kuro and his investigative bureau are slaughtering nobles left and right!"

"We must stop them!"

One noble, his expression grave, turned to Count Rielde and said, "Three nobles arrested by Kuro and his bureau have already died in prison. Do you think Kuro would dare act without Arcadio's approval? This isn't just revenge—Arcadio is using this opportunity to eliminate dissent and wipe out anyone who poses a threat to him. What does he intend to do? Commit treason?"

"We must report this to His Majesty!" another noble chimed in.

"It's useless," Count Rielde said, shaking his head. "Who knows what spell Arcadio has cast over His Majesty? The king trusts him implicitly, especially after this incident. To His Majesty, Arcadio appears to be a loyal minister, a steadfast servant willing to risk everything for the crown. Anyone who criticizes or accuses him is automatically labeled a sycophant."

"Foolish king!" one noble cursed angrily.

The room fell silent. No one stepped forward to refute the statement.

"Are we just going to sit here and wait for death?" someone muttered despairingly.

After a long pause, Count Rielde finally spoke, his tone slow and deliberate: "Perhaps we should reach out to Stolt and see if we can negotiate with him."

...

After receiving a report from Ajin via a Den Den Mushi, William set out for the small town where the 16th Marine Branch was stationed to meet with Nezumi and his men.

On a Marine warship marked with the number "16," Colonel Nezumi, the commanding officer of the 16th Marine Branch, stood shoulder to shoulder with William. Together, they gazed at the endless expanse of a massive bridge in the distance.

It was a rare sight: a notorious pirate and a high-ranking Marine officer, standing side by side, casually discussing the so-called "Bridge Kingdom" of Tequila Wolf.

"The population of Tequila Wolf has grown significantly, yet the World Government continues to send more people there. The bridge itself produces nothing, so the logistical burden is becoming increasingly heavy," Colonel Nezumi said, chewing on a cigar in a manner reminiscent of his predecessor, Roy. "Our job as the Navy to guard this place is no picnic either. Any incident here often directly implicates the World Government, and the consequences can be severe."

"Have the World Government or the officials at Tequila Wolf come up with any solutions?" William asked.

"Solutions? What solutions could they possibly have? Let them starve!" Nezumi scoffed. "Most of the people up there are criminals from various nations or citizens of non-affiliated countries. Even if they starve to death, no one cares. In fact, it even reduces the logistical burden."

William nodded, clasping his hands behind his back as he continued to study the bridge. After a moment, he asked, "If the population is such a burden for the officials on the bridge, then they shouldn't object if I were to purchase some of the people, right?"

Nezumi froze, looking at William with a puzzled expression. "What do you need people for?"

"I plan to open a mine. Since no one cares about these people's lives, I might as well use them for labor," William replied nonchalantly.

"As long as you give the officials their cut, I don't see why anyone would object," Nezumi said with a shrug, showing no sign of suspicion. "After all, people die up there every year. If they can turn 'dead men' into Belly, who wouldn't be happy?"

William turned to Nezumi with a smile. "In that case, I'll need you to help make the arrangements. I've recently purchased a new estate in the noble district of Kalmar City. The servants and maids are ready, but I haven't had a chance to move in yet. If you have time, you should stay there for a while and take a break."

Delighted, Nezumi eagerly threw an arm around William's shoulder. However, due to William's height, Nezumi had to stand on his tiptoes, making the scene somewhat comical. "Don't worry! With our relationship, I'll make sure everything you need is taken care of. Oh, and by the way, I've already submitted the report to transfer Ajin to Marine Headquarters for advanced training. It shouldn't be long before he can head to the Grand Line."

"But honestly," Nezumi added, adopting a faux-wise tone as he tried to lecture William, "sending Ajin to Headquarters isn't a great idea. I know the Grand Line better than anyone—I came from there, after all. Ajin is strong, but he could be very useful here in the East Blue. Why send him to the Grand Line to risk his life?"

Seeing William's silent smile, Nezumi shook his head. "I get it. You want the 'Six Powers,' right? I just don't understand you people. Spending all that time torturing yourselves with training instead of enjoying life."

He pulled a notebook from his pocket. "I didn't find any information about the 'Six Powers' in Roy's office, but I did come across this. I think you'll find it interesting."

William took the notebook and flipped it open. On the first page, a bold title caught his eye:

Life Return.

"What is this?" William asked as he skimmed through the contents, his expression growing serious.

"It's another technique used within the World Government," Nezumi explained, gesturing toward the notebook with his cigar. "But unlike the 'Six Powers,' which are combat techniques, this is a form of meditation training. From what I can tell, Roy was trying to practice it, but judging by his condition, he probably failed."

Nezumi's guess seemed plausible. The notebook was filled with annotations, likely written by Roy himself.

According to the notebook, Life Return was a meditative technique that emphasized the connection between consciousness and the body. It allowed practitioners to extend their awareness to every part of their body—limbs, muscles, even hair and internal organs—and control them at will once mastered.

In fact, the swordsmanship William had learned also touched on the concepts of mindfulness and awareness. After all, Koushirou's style was called "Isshinryu" (One-Heart Style).

However, swordsmanship was ultimately a martial art focused on defeating enemies. Its emphasis was on physical strength and combat techniques, and its approach to mindfulness and awareness was relatively superficial compared to the profound concepts of Life Return.

As William flipped through the notebook in front of Nezumi, he asked, "Has anyone at Marine Headquarters mastered this technique?"

"Are there any monsters at Headquarters who haven't mastered something?" Nezumi quipped.

William pursed his lips, reassured that this wasn't some fanciful, impractical method.

What intrigued him most about Life Return was its ability to extend consciousness throughout the body and control every part of it. His Steam-Steam Fruit currently had two primary offensive capabilities: utilizing steam pressure and high temperatures. However, both had reached a bottleneck in terms of power. The root cause was his inability to fully contain the steam and heat generated by his powers.

If William could master this technique, it might significantly enhance his abilities.

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