"..."
Killer fell silent for a moment before letting out a helpless sigh.
"Sigh... you're right. Just be careful and stay alive."
"Hahahaha...!"
Excitement burned within Kid's eyes as a fierce grin spread across his face.
"Don't worry, brother! I won't die before achieving my ambitions! This world is getting more interesting by the day. How could I possibly accept some boring death?!"
On the other side of the Den Den Mushi, Killer, who was hiding with the crew near a secluded reef, grinned beneath his mask.
"Hmph, that's obvious."
Bang!
Kid slammed the hatch of the airship shut.
Vrooom!
With a violent tremor, the steel airship shot upward, piercing into the thick storm clouds as it headed toward the area that made even Kid instinctively uneasy.
Boom!!!
A deafening bolt of thunder exploded inside the clouds.
"Crap!"
In the next instant, the smoking airship dropped straight out of the lightning-filled sky as if it had completely lost power.
"Damn it!"
Kid's irritated roar echoed from inside the vessel as the airship shakily regained balance and climbed upward once more.
Hum~
This time, however, it obediently remained at low altitude, no longer daring to enter the thunderclouds again.
...
Boom!!!!
The clash unfolding nearby was an overwhelming visual spectacle.
Clang!!!
A massive bald man standing nearly four meters tall, his white wings spread behind him, swung his fist downward with a savage grin.
His attack collided directly against the fist of a petite horned girl wearing a blindfold.
Armament Haki crashed against Armament Haki with explosive force.
Boom!
At first glance, they appeared evenly matched.
But only the two of them knew how much strength they were actually suppressing.
Boom!!
Urouge, who had attempted a sneak attack, was blasted backward by a casual punch from the girl. He flipped several times through the air before barely dispersing the impact.
Thud!
He landed heavily, shattering the bluestone pavement beneath his feet.
"Hahahaha!"
Urouge grinned broadly as he glanced at his slightly trembling fist before looking toward the horned girl chewing on an oversized meat pie with visible disdain in her expression.
"Well fought. You're quite powerful, woman."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"A rare species like you would probably be highly valued by the Celestial Dragons. Were you raised as one of their attendants?"
Crunch, crunch...
Loki, who had been forcibly transformed into the appearance of a weak young girl by Shirogai's terrifying power, tore into the meat pie without restraint before finally glancing at Urouge.
"Idiot wing-man, are you talking to me?"
Though forced into a feminine form, Loki's gaze still carried the pride and arrogance of a giant prince as he sneered at the Sky Island pirate.
"A slave attendant of the Celestial Dragons? Those pieces of trash aren't even qualified to become my servants."
"Uh..."
Urouge's smile stiffened awkwardly.
"I meant you were their slave, not the other way around..."
"The Celestial Dragons?"
Loki curled his lip in disgust while casually stroking the pink squirrel on his shoulder.
"I wouldn't even accept them as slaves if they begged me."
Then his gaze shifted toward Urouge with open disdain.
"And a weak little insect like you doesn't deserve to exist in the world I'll destroy."
"Small and weak?"
Urouge's grin remained unchanged, though it looked somewhat stiff now.
"Hahaha! Then where did those top-tier women beside you go? Honestly, your looks aren't bad, but your figure is lacking. The woman leading all of you, now that's true perfection!"
"Fool, you're really looking for death."
Loki stared at him speechlessly.
"There are some people you absolutely cannot afford to provoke."
Inwardly, Loki had already sentenced Urouge to death.
Good grief.
This idiot actually directed his lust toward that monster?
Throughout the journey here, Loki had been thoroughly toyed with by Shirogai countless times.
Whether it was strength or Devil Fruit abilities, everything about that man was absurdly overwhelming.
Even Iron Thunder felt as light as a toy in Shirogai's hands.
Ragnar had practically been spun dizzy several times.
"Sadhu, sadhu~"
Urouge ignored Loki entirely and simply pressed his palms together with a hearty laugh.
"Hahaha! The moment I came here today, I had already cast aside thoughts of life and death. If I can witness true beauty before dying, then this life was worth living!"
"Is that so? Then good luck."
Loki casually pointed behind him.
"Your 'beauty' is standing right there. Try not to die too close to me, I don't want your blood splashing everywhere."
"Oh?"
Urouge turned around with a smile.
The moment he saw the figure standing behind him, his expression froze slightly.
A breathtakingly beautiful woman stood there quietly, her mere presence enough to captivate everyone nearby.
Urouge slowly pressed his palms together once more, almost as if offering thanks to heaven itself.
"Well fought, well fought. Woman, destiny truly brought us together."
"It wasn't destiny."
Shirogai smiled faintly while maintaining his feminine appearance.
"I allowed you to come to this island."
"..."
The smile on Urouge's face froze completely.
Seeking death.
He truly was seeking death.
Loki had not been exaggerating at all.
"Namo..."
After a long silence, Urouge suddenly sat down heavily before Shirogai.
"Amitabha..."
He closed his eyes and began softly chanting scriptures beneath his breath.
"Karma of the past becomes the fruit of today. When death comes, may it be a worthy harvest..."
"Why did this guy suddenly start chanting?"
Loki walked over curiously, circling around Urouge as if observing something strange.
"Oh, him?"
Shirogai smiled lightly.
"He's chanting for himself. In his mind, he's already dead."
"Oh? Chanting for yourself before death? That's pretty rare."
Loki nodded thoughtfully before speaking excitedly again.
"So, are you going to kill him? What method are you using this time?"
"I have no intention of killing him."
Shirogai shook his head slightly before glancing toward several figures approaching from the distance.
"In his own heart, he has already accepted death."
"Hiss... this Zen nonsense is impossible to understand."
Loki scratched his head irritably before gripping the pink hammer transformed from the squirrel on his shoulder.
"Why not just hand me the right to destroy the world already?"
He grinned enthusiastically.
"After the world is destroyed, it can simply be rebuilt again. Then you can carry out your ideas afterward."
"This world cannot be destroyed so easily."
A holy radiance appeared across Shirogai's flawless face, making everyone nearby instinctively stare at him in a daze.
For a brief moment, it truly felt as though a god had descended upon the mortal world.
"This woman..."
Capone Bege looked at Shirogai in astonishment.
He had traveled across countless seas, yet he had never seen a woman this beautiful.
Even Boa Hancock seemed slightly inferior in comparison.
"..."
Hawkins approached quietly before lowering his head respectfully.
"Lord God King, I have arrived for the banquet."
[The Empress] Upright.
[The Emperor] Upright.
[The Tower] Upright.
Every card pointed toward the same person.
Hawkins understood clearly.
The figure before him was not a woman.
This was someone who possessed enough power to overturn the entire world.
God King Shirogai.
And the coming war that would engulf the seas...
Would begin because of him.
As for Hawkins himself...
He was merely a pawn within Shirogai's hands.