With that, Marco draped his arm over Ashveil's shoulder, grinning widely.
Ashveil shook his head, clearly exasperated by Marco's antics.
Shortly after, Flower Sword Vista, Diamond Jozu, and other commanders arrived, each holding massive wine glasses. They pulled Ashveil toward the night's celebratory banquet.
"Seriously, Ashveil, you're too slow! You're the star of tonight's feast, and yet you're late!" Fire Fist Ace said, a large piece of meat clenched in his teeth as he approached.
Ashveil merely shook his head, muttering, "You guys…"
He joined the banquet, quickly noticing something curious: his alcohol tolerance had risen along with the enhancement of his Conqueror's Haki. The system didn't mention it, but Ashveil considered it a pleasant hidden bonus.
Facing the crowd's invitations, Ashveil smiled confidently. With his Conqueror's Haki now at 20,000 points, no amount of drinking would overwhelm him tonight.
"Come on, let's drink until we can't stand! Anyone who doubted last time, step up now! No backing down! I accept your challenge!" Ashveil declared, finally showing an uninhibited side as he drank and ate alongside everyone.
Laughter and revelry lasted well into the night.
Meanwhile, in the Room of Flowers, a chilling presence stirred. Eyes sharp and cold, Imu awoke, scanning the surroundings with lethal precision.
'Even Bickley has fallen… I had assumed the Holy Sword would ensure that child could defeat Ashveil,' Imu murmured, her voice cutting through the air.
"But now… it appears I miscalculated. In eight hundred years, you are the first, Ashveil, to force me to act personally," Imu continued, a shadow of unease creeping into her tone.
In centuries past, even the strongest once-in-a-century individuals could be handled by the Gorosei and Sword Saint Bickley. Imu herself had rarely intervened directly.
Yet now, a twenty-year-old had bested the pinnacle of Imu's lineage among the Celestial Dragons. A sense of genuine crisis gnawed at her, one she hadn't felt in eight centuries.
This child cannot be allowed to live. He must be eliminated immediately. The thought grew ever darker in Imu's mind.
At that moment, a figure appeared before her, kneeling with utmost caution.
"Dun, report. How did the task I assigned you proceed?" Imu asked, her expression unreadable.
Dun, Bickley's twin brother, bore a similar physique and facial features. Though not as formidable as Bickley, he remained a powerful combatant. His brother's failure had left him wary, his every movement calculated.
"Reporting, Lord Imu, the task assigned has been completed," Dun said respectfully, voice careful.
Behind him, a group carried a red-cloaked figure, his body scarred from head to toe. This was the notorious criminal Red Count, recently freed by Ashveil from Impel-Down.
Imu didn't spare Red Count a glance, instead extending her hand.
Seeing this, Dun hastily approached, presenting the key fragment to her. Imu activated her ability, confirming its authenticity, and exhaled slowly, satisfied.
Rising gracefully into the air, Imu departed. Only then did everyone else in the room rise.
Those who had escorted Red Count looked to Dun for guidance.
"What should we do with him now, Sword King?" they asked.
Sword King Dun's lips curved into a disdainful smile.
"This Red Count is foolish to covet the King of Heaven. Since the fragment has been confirmed by Lord Imu, he holds no further value," Liduo Dun said, his tone cold.
"Dispose of him immediately, but ensure he is removed before execution. This is the Room of Flowers; do not sully it," he murmured.
The scarred and weakened Red Count, unable to speak, was carried away with only one fate awaiting: death.
After the group departed, Dun narrowed his eyes, muttering to himself.
"Is Ashveil truly that powerful?" he wondered aloud. "I never imagined Lord Imu would act personally and even bring the King of Heaven along. That weapon was what Lord Imu used against her mortal rival, Popos, thousands of years ago. Could it be that Ashveil has now reached a level that even makes Imu recall Popos, her lifelong adversary?"
As Imu flew over Holy Land Mary Geoise, the Celestial Dragons gazed in awe, fear, and disbelief.
"The ancient ancestor has moved? Could the Sword Saint have truly failed?" some whispered.
"The Sword Saint… even Lord Sword Saint has failed?"
Word spread rapidly across the Celestial Dragons. If these rumors were true, the world itself was shifting. Only Imu could maintain control.
Far beyond Mary Geoise, the wider world buzzed with speculation.
"Did you hear? That massive commotion yesterday… it was Ashveil fighting someone!"
"What? You're joking. Could mere human power really reach such a scale?"
"You underestimate him. Ashveil is a being who challenges the entire World; natural disasters are a small thing for him!"
"Who was fighting him exactly?"
"A relative at World Headquarters told me the World Government sent their strongest champion. Even so, they lost to Ashveil."
Shock rippled among the listeners. If true, the world might be entering a new era—not one dominated by the Celestial Dragons, but by Ashveil.
Discontent with the Celestial Dragons had long simmered among the masses. Were it not for their military enforcers, rebellion might already be widespread.
In the New World, aboard the Red Hair Pirates' ship, a skull-patterned flag swayed in the sea breeze.
Red-Haired Shanks stood at the bow, eyes fixed on the horizon toward the Whitebeard Pirates.
"This world is about to change, Beckman," Shanks murmured.
Beckman, cigar clamped in his mouth, tilted his head. "Shanks, do you mean… Ashveil?" he asked, curiosity flickering in his gaze.
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