He unleashed his strongest attack, turning a single kick into a colossal foot that descended from the sky with overwhelming force, stomping straight down upon Broly.
In his Great Ape form, Broly was crushed instantly. His massive body collapsed under the impact, erupting into violent streams of demonic energy that scattered in all directions.
The terrifying demonic aura exploded outward, flooding the battlefield and saturating the air with Broly's dreadful presence. Thick blue mist spread everywhere, dense enough to block all vision and silence the battlefield in an eerie haze.
Only after the demonic mist slowly dissipated did the people begin to regain their senses.
Marco was the first to react. After a brief moment of disbelief, his face lit up with uncontrollable excitement.
"Ashveil… it's Ashveil… Ashveil isn't dead!"
As his voice rang out, more people opened their eyes. Realization struck them one after another, and soon the battlefield erupted into cheers.
Ashveil stood calmly in the sky, casually digging at his ear, his expression filled with obvious impatience.
"You people are way too loud," he said flatly.
"There's really no need to get this excited just because I showed up," he added, a faint, helpless smile tugging at his lips.
With a simple motion, Ashveil gently tossed Saitama off his shoulder and toward the ground.
"Get Saitama checked. He'll be fine."
For a moment, everyone froze. Then the cheers exploded even louder than before.
"Long live Ashveil!"
"Ashveil is the savior of the entire universe!"
"Mr. Ashveil, you're the most handsome!"
Voices overlapped endlessly, filling the sky with unrestrained celebration.
Ashveil merely shook his head with a soft sigh.
…
Three years later.
Ashveil lay leisurely in the forbidden zone once granted to him by the Whitebeard Pirates. He basked in the sunlight while calmly cutting into a perfectly cooked steak, his posture relaxed and unbothered.
Outside the residence, the sound of intense training echoed constantly.
Leading the drills was a bald man, followed closely by Hawkeye Mihawk, Diamond Jozu, Lu Bu from the Record of Ragnarok, Might Guy, and several others.
Ashveil frowned slightly.
He did not need protection. He never had. Yet these people insisted on acting as his personal guards.
At the very least, he had enforced one strict rule. The number of bodyguards was limited to eight. Otherwise, they would have driven him insane.
Just as he finished that thought, a knock sounded at the door.
"Ashveil-kun," a soft, respectful voice called, "Empress Hancock is here to clean."
Ashveil rubbed his temple.
Bodyguards were one thing. Now there were maids as well. Some handled cleaning, others delivered meals, and some even insisted on helping him change clothes.
Boa Hancock had taken responsibility for cleaning personally.
"Who's delivering the meal today?" Ashveil asked lazily. "Tatsumaki is definitely not suited for serving others. I already punished her by banning her from meal duty for a month."
Boa Hancock entered gracefully, her queenly composure flawless. Yet when she looked at Ashveil, her gaze softened in a way she showed no one else.
"Ashveil-kun," she replied gently, "from now on, the person serving you will change daily."
"Today, it will be Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Beauty from the Record of Ragnarok."
"Tomorrow will be Fubuki and Psykos. The day after that, Nami and Robin. Afterward, Tsunade and Mei Terumi."
Her tone remained calm, but her eyes swirled faintly as she spoke.
Ashveil let out a long sigh.
So many people. A different face every day.
It seemed his hope for a truly peaceful life was nothing more than a distant dream now.
___
Happy New Month