Fisher Tiger continued to climb the Red Line, estimating it would take him about five more hours to reach the summit.
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind hit him, making him lose his footing and almost fall. Out of the corner of his eye, a flash of vibrant red seemed to appear.
After steadying himself, he looked around but saw nothing, thinking it was his imagination. He shook his head, trying to clear it, and then continued to climb...
"Hmm, that's enough for now! I have other things to attend to, so I can only play with you up to this point today. If there's a chance next time, let's play together again."
In mid-air, Nero's dragon wings gently flapped as she spoke to Borsalino, who was lying amidst the rubble.
"Spare me! Once is enough for this kind of thing."
Borsalino pushed away the earth and stones covering him, sighing helplessly. He sat up halfway, then lay back down.
"Don't say that! Hmm, our compatibility is quite good, and I had a lot of fun this time!"
Nero expressed high approval for him. Compared to Aokiji and Akainu, this guy possessed both strength and speed.
He spoke well, shone brightly during fights, and was quite durable. If she didn't have other matters to attend to, Nero would have wanted to play with him for a few more days.
"Kowai ne~ So, to make it easier for me to report back, can you tell me what important matters you have next?"
Borsalino inwardly sighed that it was finally over, while calculating whether this body of injuries, plus the mental blow, would be enough to secure a year of paid leave.
His question had no other meaning; if he could glean some information, it would be even easier to secure his vacation later.
However, if he couldn't get anything, it didn't matter. Encountering a young dragoness on Sabaody Archipelago and being unable to defeat her despite his best efforts—that reason was already sufficient. The rest was just taking a shot in the dark.
"Hmm, you want to know?"
Nero didn't directly say no, revealing a mischievous smile and looking at him with a wicked expression... I shouldn't have asked. Now, do I want to know? Or do I not want to know?
Borsalino really wanted to just faint right now. That smile looked ominous no matter how he saw it.
Fortunately, Nero quickly said, "It's a pity! Even if you want to know, I won't tell you now. But don't worry! You should find out what I'm going to do very soon."
"Kore wa, kowai ne~"
Borsalino dared not ask any more questions, fearing that if he really got an answer, he might have to sacrifice himself here.
"Hmm, see you later then!"
With that, Nero's dragon wings flapped vigorously, and she quickly vanished into the horizon.
With no one to stop him, Borsalino lay on the ground in a more relaxed posture.
"Hong dou ni kowai ne~ Someone help me up, I feel like my back is broken, and also..."
...Meanwhile, Nero, who had left, wasn't lying; she indeed had important matters to attend to.
Accelerating continuously, Nero returned to the spot where she had parted ways with Fisher Tiger, flying rapidly upwards along that section of the Red Line.
Soon, she saw Fisher Tiger still climbing. Without stopping, Nero swiftly passed him, her speed creating a strong gust of wind.
Breaking through the clouds once more, Nero arrived at the top of the Red Line, which was Holy Land Mary Geoise, the residence of the Celestial Dragons.
She had wanted to come here for a long time, especially since the Celestial Dragons up here always acted so arrogant.
And the owner of the Empty Throne—Imu!
As well as the Celestial Dragons' national treasure, the Ancient Weapon uranus!
According to the truth Nero learned at Raftel, even her current self would have slim chances against these.
Her aura was restrained to the extreme, and it was due to the characteristics of Observation Haki that she could perfectly control her own aura, even evading Observation Haki's detection, which allowed her to brazenly come here.
However, what Nero didn't know was that the moment she set foot on the Red Line...
In the deepest part of Mary Geoise's Pangea Castle, above the Empty Throne in the Room of Flowers, a woman slowly opened her eyes.
"What is this aura? Like Joy Boy, it carries a certain special quality. It's a terrible feeling."
"Defilement, destruction, tyranny, chaos, and also the end..."
Speaking of this, she couldn't help but fall silent, like an unknown monster born at the end of an era, even more terrifying than Joy Boy.
If the warrior of freedom and liberation was her fated enemy, then this aura was a malevolence that devoured everything.
"Truly ominous..."
Finally, she closed her eyes again, not directly seeking the source of this aura, intending to let the Gorosei gather some intelligence first before making a decision.
Although they hadn't officially met face-to-face, Nero and Imu both developed a strong sense of apprehension towards each other simultaneously.
Nero, like a traveler, blended into the Celestial Dragons' residence. With her aura completely restrained, she would be subconsciously ignored even if she walked right past someone.
Along the way, she gained a deeper understanding of the Celestial Dragons' existence, treating all life outside of themselves like trash.
Innumerable resources, supreme power, and treating these so-called slaves as less than servants.
Like a child pouring boiling water into an ant's nest, it was done as a matter of course, without much malice.
Since it was her first time, Nero had no particular goal, just wandering aimlessly.
Finally, she arrived at a place different from the others, like a mad scientist's laboratory.
Hundreds of cylindrical transparent glass cabinets, similar to nutrient pods, contained all sorts of strange creatures.
Humans with bizarre wings, their bodies deformed and twisted. Nero had some knowledge in this area; it appeared to be genetic splicing, but it seemed to have failed, and this person was about to die.
Like a horror exhibition, Nero's journey felt like walking through hell.
Thump! Thump-thump!!
A sudden noise was particularly jarring in the quiet room. Most people hearing this sound in such an environment would probably be scared to wet themselves.
But Nero clearly had a high tolerance for such things. Following the sound, she walked in one direction.
After a few steps, she saw a woman in one of the nutrient pods trying to smash the glass to escape.
This was the first conscious person Nero had seen in there. Driven by curiosity, she stopped to watch the struggling woman.
In a tank full of nutrient fluid, the woman couldn't exert much force, not to mention her neck, hands, and feet were all restrained.
The woman's face had several fine, scale-like gems, but their dull grey color wasn't very attractive.
Nero suddenly frowned, staring at the woman's abdomen. There, she sensed a life force.
This person was pregnant?
...[Comment Section:
Saw a review asking why the protagonist lost to Roger at the beginning?
And later lost to Whitebeard? Getting constantly owned???
I'm genuinely a bit confused. Could I have started by hanging Roger on the gallows? Then why would Imu be sitting on the throne?
As for Whitebeard, winning two out of three 1v3 fights, then collapsing from exhaustion – is that called losing?
If you ran three marathons without rest, won two, and ran out of energy on the third, does that mean you're not strong enough?
I'm writing a novel, not a list of dishes. Can I just instantly kill Roger, instantly kill Whitebeard, instantly kill Garp, instantly kill the Gorosei, instantly kill Imu???
There's a bottleneck in combat power. Otherwise, why would Shanks become one of the Four Emperors?
Wouldn't an old Whitebeard directly destroy a planet?
Those long-lived individuals in the World Government, could they contend with those cultivation immortals? No, according to this logic, even the cultivators would be wary; everyone breaks their limiters and their growth goes straight to MAX!
Immortal Emperor: You are terrifying beyond measure, you must not be allowed to live?]
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