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Chapter 377: Maximizing the Scope: Buying a Ticket with Half the World
Inside the tavern, hundreds of pairs of eyes were glued to the black-robed figure approaching the counter. There was no sound of footsteps. The figure seemed to glide across the floor; with every inch she advanced, the gravity in the room felt a fraction heavier.
Even the habitually reckless Luffy was currently pinned down by Garp's massive hand, completely unable to move.
In that moment, an absurd illusion gripped everyone present. It felt as though it wasn't a person walking toward the counter, but an entire collapsing world!
"Gulp..." Doflamingo swallowed hard, cold sweat sliding down the rims of his sunglasses. Even from a dozen meters away, the soul-deep shuddering made the "Heavenly Yaksha" feel like he was suffocating.
Is that the god who has ruled these seas for eight hundred years?
Finally, Imu stopped at the counter. Her black robe, dark as the night sky, drifted without any wind, looking like the gateway to an abyss.
She didn't speak immediately. Instead, she used those eerie, ringed Rinnegan to silently stare at the white-haired youth in front of her. There was no killing intent in her gaze. It was just a high-and-mighty indifference, like someone looking down at an ant.
"I want that power," Imu finally spoke. Her voice was androgynous, carrying an ancient, ethereal echo that pierced straight to the eardrums. "That bald man's power. The power that broke the limiter, ignored all rules, and is strong enough to slaughter gods."
Her tone was calm. But beneath that calm hid a spine-chilling madness and greed. After witnessing Saitama's mountain-shattering punch, the master of the Empty Throne had thoroughly ripped off her facade of "order."
Since a power that transcended dimensions truly existed in this world, then it had to belong to "God"!
Behind the counter, Blake set down his coffee cup, producing a crisp clink.
Ding. In the deathly silent tavern, this slight noise was exceptionally jarring. Blake lifted his eyelids, lazily sizing up this "King of the World." There wasn't a shred of reverence on his face. Rather, he looked as if a remarkably fat sheep had just delivered itself to his doorstep.
"That bald guy's world?" Blake chuckled, lightly tapping his fingers against the wooden counter. "That kind of dungeon is incredibly dangerous. Red-Haired just got lucky he met a powerhouse who wasn't bald yet. If you're unlucky, dying right out of the gate is a common occurrence."
"Moreover..." Blake leaned forward slightly, his pitch-black eyes meeting Imu's Rinnegan head-on. A playful smirk curled his lips. "The entry ticket to that world is very expensive. Did you... bring enough money?"
Boom—!
Hearing those words, the Five Elders huddled in the corner nearly dropped to their knees in sheer terror.
That lunatic! He actually dared to ask Lord Imu if she brought enough money?! Did he not know who was standing in front of him?! That was the ruler of the entire world! All the wealth and all the gold beneath the heavens inherently belonged to her!
However, defying everyone's expectations, Imu wasn't angry. A faint ripple even flashed through her otherwise placid ringed pupil.
"Money?" Imu raised a hand, her pale, slender fingers lightly tapping the empty space.
Hum!
A pure black card materialized out of thin air. The card was forged from an unknown metal, completely devoid of any patterns, save for a single, archaic character for "Heaven" (Tian), radiating a heart-stopping aura.
"In here is half of the Heavenly Tribute accumulated over the past eight hundred years," Imu said, tossing the black card onto the counter as casually as if she were throwing away a piece of scrap paper. "Is this enough?"
Hss—!!!
A unified, sharp intake of breath echoed throughout the tavern.
Everyone's eyes nearly popped out of their skulls. Among them, a young woman who had apparently been lurking nearby the whole time suddenly made her presence known; her eyes instantly morphed into Beri symbols at the sight. Zoro instinctively reached out to restrain her, otherwise she likely would have lunged forward to snatch it.
Eight hundred years of... Heavenly Tribute?! And half of it at that?! Just how much money was that?! Trillions? Quadrillions? Quintillions?! That was enough wealth to fill the entire East Blue!
"For a single dungeon... she just threw down half the world's wealth?!" Shanks clutched his newly healed chest, staring at the black-robed back, his eyes brimming with absolute shock.
That was a true 'superpower' fueled by wealth! Compared to this entity, his hundred-million-Beri ticket felt like a beggar pleading for scraps!
"How straightforward!" Blake's eyes lit up, his hand slamming down on the black card. System notifications spammed his mind like crazy, the blindingly long string of zeros instantly lifting his mood to the absolute peak.
"Since the customer is so sincere, I suppose I shouldn't hold back."
Blake stood up and turned to the shelves behind him. His fingers dragged across rows of dimly glowing game cassettes. Bleach, Naruto, Jujutsu Kaisen, One Piece...
Finally, his finger stopped on a cassette emitting a dark golden light. The cartridge lacked a flashy cover. It simply displayed seven brilliantly glowing orange orbs, with a majestic divine dragon coiling through the starry cosmos in the background.
"Since you seek the power of gods, and since you want to know what true despair and true destruction look like," Blake said, a faint smile on his lips as he pulled the cassette free.
Smack. He slammed it onto the counter right in front of Imu.
"Then this world is tailor-made for you."
Imu looked down. For the first time, a trace of confusion appeared in her unflappable ringed pupil. "What is this?"
"A world... centered entirely around 'Combat Power'," Blake explained with a chuckle, holding up a finger. "In that world, the strike Red-Haired used to split the sky wouldn't even be enough to scratch an average grunt. Those so-called Ancient Weapons? They're nothing but a joke there. The people there can blow up planets with a flick of their fingers. The gods there can wipe out entire galaxies with a sneeze."
Blake paused intentionally, observing Imu's expression.
Just as expected. Hearing the words "blow up planets," Imu's pupils violently contracted to the size of pinpricks!
What kind of... terrifying concept was that?!
The "Mother Flame" she had spent so much effort developing was only capable of erasing a large island. But that world... could just blow up planets?!
"This... is exactly what I want!" For the first time, a violent fluctuation echoed in Imu's voice. It was extreme longing!
If she could obtain that kind of power... the so-called Joy Boy, the Will of D, the prophecies... they were all just dust!
"I want to go in," Imu snapped her head up, staring fixedly at Blake. "Now!"
"As you wish." Blake snapped his fingers.
[Advanced Custom Dungeon: Dragon Ball: Tenkaichi Budokai]
[Status: Activated!]
Hum—!!!
As Blake's voice faded, an unprecedentedly brilliant golden pillar of light erupted from the counter. The light was so blinding it pierced straight through the tavern's roof, shooting into the clouds!
The entirety of Foosha Village—and a large portion of the East Blue—was bathed in this sacred, terrifying golden glow in an instant!
"Is this... the gate leading to the domain of gods?" Imu reached out, her hand touching the pillar of light. Her body trembled uncontrollably. It was excitement, but also fear of the unknown.
But a second later, the hesitation in her eyes was replaced by absolute resolve. For that supreme power. For the eternal throne. She was going all in on this gamble!
Whoosh!
Under the shocked gazes of hundreds of people, the master of the Empty Throne, the black-robed figure who had ruled the world for eight centuries... stepped forward and vanished completely into the golden brilliance!
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