Ronn shot Liang Bing a baffled look.
She can smell her already? Just how deep does this grudge run…
And by the book, shouldn't she be running right about now?
Why was she still calmly sipping her drink?
Wasn't she afraid Keisha would walk in and cleave her in half?
While a tangle of question marks flashed through Ronn's head, the tavern bell fell silent.
The door opened.
A woman in a white, gold-trimmed battle dress stepped inside with unhurried grace.
She was breathtaking—like the gods had been partial, handing her the most flawless set of features.
A small, rosy mouth; bright, crystalline eyes; a fine, straight nose; long, clean brows.
The cinched soft-armor and lacing traced a wasp-thin waist; her chest rose proud beneath the plates.
More than anything, she radiated a sanctity that felt untouchable—enough to make onlookers feel unworthy.
It was Holy Keisha—Liang Bing's elder sister.
Supreme leader of one of the oldest main biological civilizations, the Angels.
In the Super God universe, the most powerful being known.
Keisha's gaze made a slow circle of the room.
Humans, dragons, demons, yokai… beings from different strata sharing a single tavern—
and peacefully drinking?
Just what was this place?
She was still thinking when Ronn's voice tugged her back.
"Welcome, Queen Keisha. I'm Ronn, the owner here."
Keisha inclined her head. "Interesting."
"A voice that crossed worlds—and bypassed celestial supercomputers—to ring in my mind."
She glided to the bar and sat—never once looking at Liang Bing.
Liang Bing did the same: drank in silence, as if they were strangers.
The Holy Master and Demon Dragon sniffled their last and shuffled aside, eyeing Keisha with open disdain.
"Did we wake you?" Ronn asked lightly.
Guests invited as "confession targets" got that 7 a.m. ping in their heads.
The End-Dragon Emperor had been a case in point.
"It's fine. Call it an alarm." Keisha pinched the bridge of her nose—and her tone turned playful.
"But…"
"Waking early does give one time to consider how best to behead a certain little witch."
Liang Bing, cup halfway to her lips, froze. She turned and snapped,
"Keisha, you witch!"
"Who the hell are you implying?!"
Everyone blinked.
What?
They knew each other—and opened with insults?
Rayleigh's eyes lit up.
Women fighting? My favorite show.
"You know exactly who I mean."
Keisha crossed one leg over the other; the skirt's hem flowed over perfect, milk-white thighs.
"And really—" She smiled. "Before you talk big, try keeping your hands from shaking."
Ronn looked.
Sure enough, the wine in Liang Bing's right hand trembled.
Battle-thrill?
Bloodline pressure from her sister?
Or simple, honest fear?
"I'm so done with you, witch!" Liang Bing growled, about to rise—
—and two slender hands settled on both their shoulders.
"Easy~"
"If you two start a war and wreck the place, I'll have nowhere to nap~"
They tilted their heads.
There was Lucoa: smiling, eyes thin as crescents.
In Keisha's mind, the celestial computer chimed:
Alert: Massive dark-energy signature detected. Parsing slow. Linking Skyblade One.
Unlocking dark-seal protocol… transmitting cipher… parsing at 0.1%…
Error: Parse failed. Retry?
"Save it, witch," Liang Bing said, tamping down her urge to draw steel.
"She's the real deal—a true god, not a tech-made one like us.
Unreadable. Best behave and drink."
That was why she hadn't bolted.
The tavern forbade fighting.
She could call Keisha every name under the sun; Keisha's hands were tied.
And if it did come to blows—
even together, Liang Bing and Keisha wouldn't beat Lucoa by the tavern's power scale.
Not with Ronn—a second unreadable—behind the counter.
Sure, haul in a near-exploding supernova and maybe you could hurt Lucoa… maybe.
"A god, hm?"
Keisha's eyes glinted. She murmured, intrigued,
"Then I'll waste a minute and take a look—why this pre-nuclear world could birth a god like you."
Ronn's eyelid twitched.
Keisha's "look" wasn't Liang Bing's cursory scan.
It meant setting the celestial engines to peel the world down to its truths—
and sweep every mind within.
Any fighter with honed observation could feel it coming.
By the time Ronn moved to stop her, it was too late.
A white sheen glazed over Keisha's pupils—
—and across the One Piece world, powerhouses froze for a heartbeat.
Even Rayleigh felt it, that hot shame of being stripped bare beneath an all-seeing gaze.
Keisha blinked clear and stared straight at Ronn.
"A beautiful world—shot through with war. War everywhere…"
"How does a pre-nuclear civilization spawn gods, and devils—
and you, stronger still?"
"There's only one answer."
She paused, propped her chin on one hand—
and with the other, hooked a finger under Ronn's chin.
"You're not—"
Ronn clapped a hand over her mouth, smiling.
"Your Majesty," he said gently.
"You're not a child. You know what should—and shouldn't—be said."
For god's sake, Rayleigh is right there.
Hints were one thing. Saying it aloud was another.
Keisha's eyes turned plaintive above his palm. "Mmph—mmph…"
Liang Bing snorted. "Child?"
"Don't make me laugh."
"Even if this witch stopped having her monthly cycles, I'd still believe it."
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