Chapter 445: SVOP - 445

Chapter 445: SVOP: Chapter 445

"Speak."

"I hid them on Mauritius Island, in the New World," Blackbeard gritted out.

He was a true schemer — flexible enough to bend when necessary.

Faced with a threat to his life, it didn’t matter if he was beaten, humiliated, or forced to kneel and lick boots; he would yield without hesitation.

Aizen paused for a moment, searching his memory, then said, "Mauritius... that’s a forbidden zone, isn’t it? It lies at the very end of the New World’s sea lanes. It’s rumored that Laugh Tale is somewhere near there."

The New World was roughly divided into several major regions:

First were the Three Starter Islands, the entry point. Beyond that lay three main routes.

The waters ahead of these routes were controlled respectively by Shanks, Big Mom, and Kaido — or rather, by Lane now.

These three routes eventually converged deeper into the New World. That convergence zone was the territory of Whitebeard.

Beyond Whitebeard’s territory lay the most terrifying region of all: a place only the Pirate King Gol D. Roger had ever truly conquered. It was commonly known as the Death Zone.

No one could survive there for long. Even if you managed to enter, you couldn’t establish a foothold; it was simply unfit as a base of operations.

The very concept of weather didn’t exist there. Bizarre, surreal phenomena were an everyday occurrence.

Mauritius Island was considered one of the calmer spots within that region. At the very least, it didn’t suddenly float into the sky or sink beneath the waves.

There were no terrifying beasts roaming it, no seas of fire, and no eternal ice.

"You hid them there?" Aizen frowned slightly. "It is indeed close to Whitebeard’s territory... but why go so far?"

"After I killed the 4th Division Commander and stole the fruits, the entire Whitebeard Pirates were hunting me down. I had no choice but to flee that far... there was no plan, only desperation."

Blackbeard’s face was pale. "Only I know exactly where they are buried."

"Is that so?"

Aizen descended, stepping directly in front of Blackbeard. With a flash of steel—

SWISH!

Blackbeard stared in shock as his own arm flew through the air. A second later, a piercing scream tore from his throat.

He clutched his left shoulder, which was now nothing but a bleeding stump.

"If you kill me, you will never find those fruits!" he shrieked in terror.

"I have no interest in traveling all that way just to retrieve them," Aizen replied, flicking the blood from his blade with an indifferent gaze.

"I cut off your arm to punish you for the foolish thoughts you harbored just now. I will give you one chance to live. Within two months, bring all the fruits back to me. By then, I will send the Shadow Fiend to find you again. Do you understand?"

"...I understand! I will bring every single one! Just spare my life!"

Blackbeard suppressed the agony of his severed limb and nodded frantically.

Truth be told, he didn’t actually need that many fruits. Because of the unique nature of the Dark-Dark Fruit, he had far more direct and effective ways to expand his power.

He valued his life above all else. If Phantom wanted fifty fruits, he would happily hand them over to stay alive.

If he had known the Shadow Fiend could summon the First Mate so easily, he would never have dared to make a move — not even if he was given ten times the courage.

"Conduct yourself properly."

Aizen shook his head, then flicked his finger, sending a streak of fire toward the severed arm.

"Hadō #54 — Haien!"

A disc-shaped flame struck the limb precisely, incinerating it completely in an instant.

"Let’s go."

"As you command, Lord Aizen."

The Shadow Fiend nodded, casting a mocking glance at Blackbeard.

"You should be grateful I summoned Lord Aizen. If it had been Emperor Vladimir himself, you’d already be in your grave."

With that, both figures stepped into the Shadow Realm and vanished instantly.

---

Meanwhile, inside a church in that same town, former Admiral Aokiji stood before a priest, going through the motions of boring, meaningless prayers.

"They are gone."

The priest nodded, continuing to recite scriptures. "Your emotions are unsettled again, Aokiji."

"To think Phantom would return... and after only nine years," Aokiji said, hands in his pockets, looking completely unmotivated.

"How long do I have to keep doing this prayer routine?"

"Until you are strong enough to defeat me."

The priest chuckled softly. "Stay out of Phantom’s business. Otherwise, you will die and leave nothing behind. Those people... they are monsters from a higher dimension."

Far out in the waters surrounding Whole Cake Island, Vladimir floated above the surface.

He slowly opened his eyes and murmured softly to himself, "The debt from Big Mom is recovered. The fruits stolen by Blackbeard will be collected in two months. What remains are the 15 fruits Dragon owes for buying off the Five Elders, and the 75 fruits owed by the Saintess of that Divine Kingdom in Skypiea."

He decided to leave the Revolutionary Army’s debt for last and deal with the Saintess first.

Currently, Vladimir held 248 fruits. With the 50 just received from Charlotte Linlin, the total reached 298.

Once he resolved the matter with the Saintess, he would finally have enough to upgrade his main avatar to 6-Star!

"The only problem is... how do I get up there?"

Skypiea lay ten thousand meters above the sea, in the skies known as the White-White Sea.

For ordinary people, there were only two dangerous ways to reach it:

1. The Path of Life or Death: Ride a vertical ocean current straight up 7,000 meters to the White Sea, then travel further up to the White-White Sea. The result was binary: everyone survived, or everyone died.

2. Hot Air Balloons: Departing from the Red Line, using massive balloons to float up to 10,000 meters. Rumor said only one in three people survived this method. This technology was strictly controlled by the World Government.

"Forget it... I’ll just fly up myself."

Vladimir shook his head. With a thought, Raikou’s body flashed with white light and gradually transformed into a humanoid shape.

Six wings extended from his back. His entire being radiated sacred, holy brilliance. It was none other than the Divine Archangel.

"I haven’t used this avatar in a while... feels a bit unfamiliar."

He chuckled softly, then flapped his six wings, instantly entering a state of supersonic flight.

BOOM!

Waves surged violently on the sea surface as the Archangel turned into a beam of holy light and shot straight toward the heavens.

____________________

For more advance Chapters visit my patreon

patreon.com/kane45

Tier: 10$ Casual Reader - +20 Advance Chapter

20$ Intermediate Reader - +40 Advance Chapter

40$ Expert Reader - +80 Advance Chapter

Update: "Monday to Friday - Update 3 Chapters a Day"

"Saturday and Sunday - Off"