"What... what?!"
Barrett, who had just quickly flipped to his feet, froze in place upon hearing Garp's words. His pupils trembled involuntarily.
"Betrayed by adults as a child, betrayed by friends as an adult, and now even Roger—the first person who truly accepted you, the first person to defeat you—is gone. You've lost your purpose in battle, your direction in life."
"You must feel so lonely, so lost."
Garp made no move to pursue him. Instead, he stood there, pitying the child who had strayed onto a path of no return.
Once, Barrett had craved honor, valued his comrades, and found a purpose in life after meeting Roger. Yet, time and time again, reality had mercilessly crushed him, forcing him into the person he was now.
A man who trusted only himself, lived only for himself, and faced everything alone.
The Barrett of today was nothing but a lost and confused monster!
"Cough, you... you..."
Barrett trembled all over, completely stunned. He didn't even bother to wipe the blood that had coughed up from his mouth.
Every word Garp spoke felt heavier, more painful than the punch he had just taken. Each sentence struck his heart like a hammer.
It was as if something buried deep within him had been ruthlessly dug out and exposed to the scorching sun.
"Shut up!!!"
Barrett screamed hysterically at Garp.
At the same time, he erupted into a frenzy once more. All the power within him surged like a tsunami as he charged forward with everything he had.
"Listen, kid, I truly hope you'll meet someone who can accept you for who you are again."
"But for now, you need to calm down!"
As Garp spoke these heartfelt words, two fists—one large, one small, but both equally dark and unyielding—collided in mid-air, each carrying compressed Haki and power to their limits.
[BOOM——————]
A blue-black wave of energy clashed with a pure black one, each pressing against the other. But the moment the pure black wave surged like a mountain, overwhelming the other, an intensely blinding light exploded.
This time, the ground beneath them could no longer hold.
The entire surface was torn apart like a tidal wave under the immense pressure.
Buildings, corpses, even tree roots were uprooted and flung into the distant ocean.
Two days later.
The sound of a Den Den Mushi rang out in the deepest part of Pangea Castle, within the Chamber of the Moon in Mary Geoise.
"Lord Imu, Douglas Barrett has been personally defeated by Garp and is now imprisoned in the 'Infinite Hell' of Impel Down."
Imu listened, unsurprised, and calmly replied, "Good. Proceed as previously instructed."
"Yes, as per your command!"
After placing the receiver back on the Den Den Mushi, Imu had the visual Den Den Mushi connect to Impel Down's surveillance system.
Soon, a high-definition virtual image appeared in the air before him.
The scene showed Barrett, shackled hand and foot, lying on the cold, damp floor.
He was dressed in a black-and-white prison uniform, his face bruised and swollen, devoid of any dignity.
"This one has potential."
Imu's eyes were filled with a sense of regret for wasted talent.
But he also knew that the other party's personality was too extreme, and without proper discipline, it would be difficult to make good use of him.
A single misstep could result in self-harm.
Fortunately, as a transmigrator, he had some understanding of Barrett's inner thoughts.
Moreover, with his own strength and influence being sufficiently powerful, it wouldn't hurt to try wielding this double-edged sword.
However, much like Shiki the Golden Lion, he couldn't be used directly at the moment.
He would need to be imprisoned for at least two years to temper his temperament. Even the best sword must be obedient to be truly useful.
At that moment, Barrett in the high-definition projection suddenly spoke.
"Who is it?"
Although he was lying on the ground and couldn't see the person outside the cell, his Observation Haki still allowed him to sense the other's presence.
And it was strong.
"I come on behalf of the Celestial Dragons and the World Government. As for my name, you need not know."
"Hmph, the Celestial Dragons? Those lackeys of trash? What pitiful creatures," Barrett sneered, staring at the dark ceiling.
But the shadow outside the cell didn't retort or scold him, which surprised him.
"The higher-ups sent me to ask you, are you content?"
Barrett frowned and remained silent, using his silence to deal with the shadow, who didn't seem to mind his attitude and continued speaking.
"You were defeated by Roger, and now Roger is dead. There's no way to surpass him anymore. This time, you were defeated by Garp, but he's still alive. Are you content to waste your days in the depths of the sea, squandering your talent every moment?"
Barrett's face showed anger. How could he be content? How could he possibly be content!
"So, what? Are the Celestial Dragons planning to release me and make me their dog?"
"Do you remember your ambition?" the shadow asked.
The strongest in the world! Those four words immediately appeared in Barrett's mind.
"The World Government is the highest authority on this planet."
"Here, you have access to the best training resources and the most top-tier fighters. Don't you want to challenge the Marine Admirals yourself, or perhaps fight Garp again in the future?"
"Here, you can even be given the greatest wars, ensuring you'll never lack for battles. Most importantly, all of this is legal."
"Isn't this the best shortcut for you to become the strongest in the world?"
Every word the shadow spoke echoed in the cell, and Barrett's pupils involuntarily flickered.
Because it all sounded quite reasonable.
However, having grown accustomed to trusting no one and preferring to fight alone, it was difficult for him to convince himself to join the World Government and obey the Celestial Dragons.
"You're hesitating."
"And the point of your hesitation is that you'd have to take orders from the Celestial Dragons, whom you despise, right?"
Barrett remained silent, or perhaps he was tacitly agreeing.
"What if I told you that you only need to take orders from one man, a man who can truly be called the strongest in the world? How does that sound?"
"What? The true strongest in the world!" Barrett was shocked.
"Don't joke with me. How could the World Government have someone like that? Since Roger's death, the only man on the seas qualified to vie for the title of the strongest is that freakishly strong Whitebeard!"
"Hehe, let me tell you, whether it's the Whitebeard you mentioned, or Garp who just defeated you, or even Roger from before—none of them are a match for that person. They are far from it. So, are you interested in seeing for yourself?"
The shadowy figure laughed.
"That's impossible!" Bartolomeo, lying on the ground, gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Whether it's possible or not, you can see for yourself. But first, you need to get out of here."
"Fine!"
"I agree. Let me out. If such a person truly exists, I'm willing to join the World Government!"
"That's good. However, you can't leave just yet. Because right now, you don't understand the value of freedom, nor will you cherish it. Take some time to experience what it feels like to live through each day as if it were a year. I'll come back in a year or two."
The cell fell silent again, though Bartolomeo's heavy breathing lingered, his bloodshot eyes filled with resentment and anger.
Outside, as the shadowy figure turned around, a man in a black suit approached, bowing his head respectfully and asking, "Sir, should we remove the 'Soundproof Barrier'?"
"Yes."
Looking around, one could see a faint purple aura enveloping Bartolomeo's cell and the space a few meters outside the door.