Aphrodite.
The goddess of love and beauty in Greek mythology.
When Jack the Ripper heard the name, his brow furrowed slightly, and a trace of disgust flickered in his eyes.
She was one of the gods who advocated the extermination of humanity.
To her, humans were nothing but despicable insects.
And yet—
Jack had to admit she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
Without question.
If the real Jack the Ripper had met Aphrodite—
He would have gone mad for her.
And then done everything in his power to kill her.
In the most brutal way imaginable.
"I'm not sure," Jack said softly.
"The gods choose their fighters without any pattern."
"They never took humanity seriously."
"So…"
"Who steps onto the stage depends entirely on their mood."
Before Ron could respond—
Rayleigh leaned forward with interest.
"That woman named Aphrodite… is she really that beautiful?"
Up until now, Rayleigh had never seen Ron inquire about an unfamiliar woman.
As a veteran navigator of life's highways—
He sensed something deeply suspicious.
Very suspicious.
"Mmm…"
"She's more beautiful than any woman here."
Jack slowly scanned the room, his gaze passing over every woman present before lowering his voice.
As a seasoned killer, he understood human nature well.
Especially women.
Whether or not a man was someone they liked—
The moment they heard him claim another woman was more beautiful, irritation would inevitably rise.
And sure enough—
Though Jack had lowered his voice—
Kesha, Liang Bing, Snow Empress, Tohru, and the others all caught it.
In Jack's right eye, their colors shifted.
The red of contentment turned instantly into blue displeasure.
In an instant—
Their gazes locked onto him.
A faint killing intent filled the air.
Jack's instincts flared.
He nearly dropped into a defensive stance.
"Young man~"
"When you speak, run it through your head first."
"You're finished now~"
Rayleigh grinned, enjoying the chaos.
"I can understand if you say that b*tch Kesha is ugly."
Liang Bing walked up with a bright smile.
"But if you say I'm not as pretty as someone else—"
"Now that, I simply can't accept."
"B*tch."
Kesha grabbed Liang Bing by the ear.
"Is it fun stepping on me to lift yourself up?"
Then she turned toward Jack.
"Little friend, before making such claims, you'd better have evidence."
"Otherwise…"
"We'll be very unhappy."
Tohru, Rem, and Yue Ying Xiaomeng nodded firmly beside her.
"I… understand."
Jack forced a bitter smile.
Ron stepped in to mediate.
"He didn't mean it."
"Don't make things difficult for him."
Only then did the women withdraw their pressure and return to drinking, chatting, and bickering.
At that moment—
Orochimaru brushed back his hair and asked in a deliberately soft tone:
"Jiraiya~"
"Do you think I'm prettier… or they are?"
Jiraiya spat out his drink instantly.
"Pfft—!"
The question short-circuited his brain so thoroughly he froze for several seconds.
When he finally recovered, he squeezed a single word through clenched teeth.
"Get lost!"
"Seems this body still isn't perfect enough."
"Otherwise…"
"I'd make you unable to look away, like in a pleasure district."
Orochimaru sighed while touching his cheek.
Jiraiya's fist tightened again.
What the hell.
Future Orochimaru being a clown was one thing.
Why was he becoming even more perverted?!
Recalling their past nights sharing rooms—
Jiraiya instinctively covered his backside.
Too dangerous.
...
After the laughter subsided, the tavern returned to its lively atmosphere.
"Those two sisters are interesting," Jack remarked.
"They clearly despise each other. They even speak of killing one another."
"But…"
"Why don't I see killing intent in them?"
"How should I put it…"
Ron lowered his voice.
"They have opposing ideals."
"But the older sister is a siscon."
In the near future—
Though Liang Bing would seemingly defeat Kesha by detonating a supernova and scattering her Holy Atoms across the universe—
That was only the surface.
On a deeper level—
Kesha won.
She laid down her burdens and chose to explore knowledge beyond her understanding.
At the highest level—
Kesha's consciousness permeated the universe, quietly observing her sister at all times.
And Liang Bing had no idea.
In short—
A chūnibyō siscon younger sister and an authoritarian siscon older sister, locked in tens of thousands of years of love and conflict.
"I see."
Jack nodded thoughtfully.
Just then—
The tavern doors were pushed open.
Sakazuki strode in, cigar clenched between his teeth.
He did not go to the bar immediately.
Instead, he approached Kesha.
"Queen Kesha. Sengoku is retiring. Soon, I will assume the position of Fleet Admiral."
Kesha exited her private communication and smiled faintly.
"Excellent."
"Then you'll have full authority to command the Marines."
"Cleanse the entire sea."
"Dye it red with blood."
"I look forward to that day."
"I will," Sakazuki replied gravely.
Afterward, he headed to the bar.
Rem quickly placed a bottle of Maotai before him.
"Your drink. Please enjoy."
Sakazuki nodded and took a long swig.
Then he exhaled heavily.
"Ron… you've planted quite a talent in the Marines."
Ron raised a brow.
"What did Xiao Zizai do?"
"Slaughtered surrendered pirates."
"Executed corrupt Marines without authorization."
"I can tolerate that. I can even cover it up."
Sakazuki drank again.
"But…"
"The worst part is this."
"He forged documents and entered Impel Down at night."
"Magellan and Hannyabal didn't think much of it and let him wander."
"By morning—"
"One hundred and twenty pirates were dead."
He laid several photographs on the counter.
Rayleigh glanced at them—
Then immediately rushed toward the restroom, covering his mouth.
The Holy Lord frowned.
"How is this any different from hell?"
Jack, however—
His eyes lit up.
"A genius…"
"The artistry in those killings is exquisite…"
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