Perona cursed Luo Xing in her heart, calling him a shameless monster.
Grabbing her twin tails from behind—what was he treating her like, a little horse?!
Waaah… bad guy. Big bad guy!
She was such a cute, adorable girl, yet his "methods" were so rough—was he trying to get her killed?!
Perona stayed pressed down on the bed, burying her face in the pillow.
The little teddy bear she'd been holding between her legs earlier was now clutched tightly in her arms.
In her mind, she treated it like someone, and her long nails raked at it in a flurry—nearly plucking it bald.
Half an hour later…
Luo Xing left Perona's room.
With the Summit War at such a critical moment, he couldn't afford to linger like he usually did and waste half a day.
Besides—
Perona's body was far too slender, like a willow branch that looked as if it might snap with too much force.
Luo Xing couldn't bear to truly hurt her.
His expression was gentle, and his voice was even gentler as he spoke to Perona—who followed beside him, crying and sniffling:
"From now on, I'll take care of you forever."
Perona floated in midair.
Her real body had no strength left to walk, so she could only move by letting her spirit drift out.
She puffed her cheeks, lips pouting, and turned her head away stubbornly.
"Hmph. I don't believe you. All you know how to do is bully me!"
That pitiful-yet-bratty look only made Luo Xing like her more.
He really wanted to pull her into his arms again and tease her until she cried even louder.
Her high-pitched sobbing… was actually kind of pleasant to listen to.
But now wasn't the time.
Luo Xing cleared his throat and said seriously:
"I've always kept my word."
Perona still looked like a wronged little crybaby, cute and furious at the same time.
Soon, they arrived at the wide plaza of Thriller Bark.
Absalom (the Clear-Clear Fruit user), Dr. Hogback, and several thousand zombies were already waiting there.
The moment they saw Luo Xing, they dropped to one knee.
"Young Master!"
Luo Xing told them to rise, then glanced toward the enormous silhouette on the far right.
It stood over two hundred meters tall—larger even than Sanjuan Wolf.
It was Oars, transformed into a demonic giant after fusing Rob Lucci's shadow and dragon-level monster cells!
And Oars would be one of Luo Xing's most important forces in holding Sabaody—against the inevitable furious counterattack from the Navy and the World Government.
With a single order—
"Move out!"
Thriller Bark immediately set off at full speed for Sabaody.
The ship was far too massive—like an island itself—so it couldn't pass through an Anywhere Door.
Luo Xing had Absalom and Hogback lead the zombie army by sea, while he brought Perona's spirit body and returned to Sabaody through an Anywhere Door.
Perona's big round eyes went wide, and her small mouth opened so much it looked like she could swallow an egg.
So this was how he'd suddenly appeared in her room twice…
Once when he'd just invented the Anywhere Door, and once today.
It was because this strange door could cross vast distances instantly!
Ah—no, no, no… that was bad, really bad!
If he had a door like this, didn't it mean that no matter where he was, he could just appear in her room in an instant and bully her whenever he wanted?!
Perona's face fell immediately, and she drooped in despair.
Her future suddenly looked pitch-dark.
Like she would never escape that bad guy's "clutches" again…
Luo Xing didn't bother with Perona's spiraling thoughts.
Thanks to Zoro, Enel, and the others, Sabaody's remaining forces had been swept clean.
Even Dark King Rayleigh and Shakky—who had been living here in seclusion—had already left.
Only a small number of ordinary residents remained on Sabaody.
Luo Xing had no reason to harm them.
On the contrary, he calmly reassured them not to panic and informed them that Sabaody would now fall under the Beasts Pirates' protection.
After that, he had the residents gathered together and relocated toward the safest rear area of Sabaody.
Given Sabaody's strategic value, the Navy and the World Government would never allow it to remain in the Beasts Pirates' hands.
Otherwise—
wouldn't that be like letting the Beasts Pirates hold a blade against the World Government's heart?
Would the Five Elders, the mysterious Im-sama, and the Celestial Dragons ever be able to sleep again?
So after the Summit War ended, the Government and Navy would definitely launch a full-scale operation to reclaim Sabaody.
And when that happened—
a brutal battle was inevitable.
But Luo Xing had long prepared for this.
The prisoner army from Impel Down. Moria's zombie army.
Every one of them could fight ten men on the battlefield.
In terms of standard forces, Luo Xing wasn't afraid of the World Government.
And as for top-tier power…
he wasn't lacking there either.
Zoro, Enel, Shiryu, Jinbe, Pizarro, Devon, Vasco Shot, Sanjuan Wolf, Demon Oars—plus Luo Xing himself.
That made ten.
Not only that—Luo Xing had laid out his pieces across the New World as well.
On Punk Hazard, King the Wildfire held the line.
In Dressrosa, three members of the Flying Six—Who's-Who, Ulti, and Page One—could support him at any moment.
Those two war bases threatened Marineford's rear and ensured the Navy couldn't attack Sabaody without consequences.
All the hidden moves he'd planted long ago were finally coming into play.
Luo Xing was utterly unhurried.
He waited calmly for the enemy to come.
During the lull, he turned toward the large screen projected by an Image Den Den Mushi.
It showed the battle at Marineford.
With the arrival of the Whitebeard Pirates…
the Summit War had officially erupted in full.
Whitebeard—after eating a Senzu Bean—had clearly recovered a great deal.
The moment he appeared, after a brief exchange with Sengoku, he slammed both fists into the air.
Crack!
The atmosphere fractured, triggering a skyquake and a seaquake.
The resulting shockwaves stirred up colossal tsunamis, surging toward Marineford.
If those waves landed, Marineford would be flooded in an instant—half the fortress would be wiped out.
The massive tsunami made a hundred thousand Marines go pale.
Even the arrogant Warlords muttered that this was "monster-level" strength.
Navy hero Garp shouted:
"Whitebeard—Edward Newgate… that man possesses the power to destroy the world!"
Whoosh!
At the moment everyone held their breath—
a tall figure leapt from the Admiral seats into the sky and barked:
"Ice Age!"
Krrk-krrk-krrk—!
The tsunami froze instantly into a towering wall of ice.
That same figure landed at the harbor and froze the sea itself into thick, solid ice.
Only one person could do that—
Admiral Aokiji, the Ice-Ice Fruit user.
Seeing Aokiji act, Sengoku's aged eyes flashed with relief.
That was exactly why he'd kept Aokiji stationed here—to counter Whitebeard's tsunami.
Aokiji didn't disappoint.
A successor Sengoku had long favored… indeed.
Just as Sengoku was about to issue the order to attack—
the Den Den Mushi in his arms suddenly started ringing.
At a time like this, who was calling?
Sengoku didn't want to answer. Fighting the Whitebeard Pirates was the top priority. Everything else could wait.
But when he glanced down and saw the caller…
Momousagi.
Sengoku's heart instantly sank.
He knew this could only be about Impel Down.
About Fifth Emperor Luo Xing.
He clenched his jaw and answered anyway.
He couldn't afford not to know what was happening there.
And not long after the call connected—
Sengoku's face turned deathly pale.
His body swayed, and he nearly couldn't stay standing.
It wasn't that Sengoku's mental fortitude was weak.
It was that Momousagi's report was too horrifying:
Impel Down destroyed.
Magellan dead.
Shiryu defected.
All the prisoners either killed or turned into Luo Xing's subordinates.
And Luo Xing had even led those forces back to Sabaody… and taken it.
Each piece of news was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
Even Sengoku—normally unshakable—couldn't process it for a long moment.
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