It would still take some time for Fujitora to reach the North Blue.
With the Anywhere Door in hand, Luo Xing wasn't in a hurry.
Once Germa Kingdom sent word for help, it still wouldn't be too late for him to act.
Meanwhile—
King was gathering the Gifters stationed at Punk Hazard while familiarizing himself with his newly enhanced power.
As for Luo Xing—
he took this opportunity to visit the residence shared by:
MomousagiTashigiand Ain.
Inside the spacious courtyard—
Momousagi was currently sparring with Tashigi in swordsmanship.
Ever since Luo Xing had personally taught Tashigi hand-in-hand before—
her swordsmanship had improved at astonishing speed.
Gradually—
purely in terms of swordsmanship—
even Ain was no longer her match.
Momousagi's arrival gave Tashigi a brand-new goal to strive toward.
After all—
Momousagi was an Admiral Candidate.
Her strength surpassed even elite Marine Vice Admirals.
She stood only a small step away from the true monsters at the top of the world.
Although Tashigi had improved tremendously—
the gap between her and Momousagi was still immeasurable.
With a sharp shout—
Tashigi lunged forward like a swift leopard.
The instant she raised Shigure and slashed down—
Momousagi merely smiled softly.
Elegant.
Calm.
Composed.
Using only the sheath of Konpira—
she effortlessly blocked Tashigi's attack.
Tashigi refused to give up and continued attacking.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Dozens of consecutive strikes followed.
Yet every single one was casually deflected by Momousagi.
Panting heavily—
her body covered in sweat—
Tashigi finally deflated a little.
"Big Sister Momousagi..."
"You're way too strong!"
Momousagi's beautiful red lips curled into a smile.
"Little Tashigi..."
"If you want to defeat that man, this level is still far from enough."
"To be honest with you..."
"Even I don't have much room to resist in front of him."
And that truly was the case.
After all—
Chaton, whose strength was comparable to Momousagi's, had been killed by Luo Xing in a single slash.
Hearing that—
Tashigi's heart shook.
Immediately afterward—
a stubborn, unwilling expression appeared on her pretty face.
"That awful man may be strong..."
"But one day, I'll definitely defeat him!"
Stubborn as ever—
Tashigi absolutely refused to admit defeat to a pirate.
Ignoring her already exhausted body—
she suddenly raised Shigure once more and unleashed a sword wave.
A flying slash!
Being able to perform such an attack already qualified her as a true swordsman.
Momousagi's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Little Tashigi truly was determined.
Thinking about it carefully—
even someone far weaker than herself like Tashigi stubbornly resisted Luo Xing and refused to submit.
Yet strangely enough—
Momousagi herself had very little desire to resist.
There were many reasons for that.
As an Admiral Candidate—
Momousagi had long served beside Kong and frequently entered Mary Geoise.
She had witnessed far too much of the Celestial Dragons' ugliness.
And once she officially became an Admiral—
she would have to serve those same Celestial Dragons directly.
Momousagi found that deeply disgusting.
In truth—
she had never really wanted to become an Admiral.
Like Monkey D. Garp—
remaining a Vice Admiral her entire life would've been perfectly fine.
In short—
Momousagi despised the Celestial Dragons.
And she saw through the hypocrisy of the World Government very clearly.
The reason she remained with the Marines was mostly to repay the kindness of seniors like Kong and Tsuru.
But now—
since she had already been captured and removed from the Marines—
she no longer wished to return and continue acting as a watchdog for the Celestial Dragons.
Especially now that the Fleet Admiral was Sakazuki.
Momousagi didn't agree with Akainu's ideals either.
The Beasts Pirates were becoming more terrifying by the day.
No one could predict where the future of the world would ultimately head.
Momousagi wanted to witness it for herself.
Would the final victor be:
the Celestial Dragons, who ruled the world for eight hundred years?
Or would it be the Fifth Emperor—
Luo Xing—
whose intellect surpassed Vegapunk and whose Haki dominated the seas?
The world was destined to change.
The era itself was already shifting.
And Momousagi was looking forward to that future.
In that regard—
her thoughts were quite similar to Ain's.
Ain, as Zephyr's disciple, stayed beside Luo Xing because she wanted to witness the coming era on behalf of her teacher.
But there was one final reason why Momousagi's resistance was so weak.
A reason she could never let others know.
That was—
after witnessing Luo Xing's overwhelming dominance...
and after being held so closely by that heroic man for the first time in her life—
the heart she had sealed away for many years had quietly begun to stir.
Deep down—
Momousagi didn't actually dislike being close to Luo Xing.
On the contrary—
a small part of her even looked forward to it.
Naturally—
Momousagi would never tell Tashigi or Ain such embarrassing thoughts.
She drew Konpira and dispersed Tashigi's flying slash.
Just as she was about to speak—
the very man she had been thinking about suddenly appeared.
And directly behind Tashigi at that.
"Ah!"
Momousagi's lips parted slightly in surprise.
Ain, meanwhile, looked completely unsurprised.
This man always appeared out of nowhere anyway.
"If you want to defeat Momousagi, you're still far from it."
"Let me help you."
The man's voice sounded beside Tashigi's ear.
Tashigi's face instantly changed.
"Y-you... when did you get here?!"
Turning around hurriedly—
the man pressed against her back was naturally Luo Xing.
The next moment—
Tashigi instinctively raised her sword to stab him.
"Stay away from me!"
"I want to defeat you, not Big Sister Momousagi!"
But she couldn't even raise the blade properly.
Because both of her wrists had already been firmly grasped by Luo Xing's hands.
Luo Xing stepped forward and pressed closely against her body.
He could clearly feel the increasingly beautiful curves of her back and hips.
Leaning close to her reddened ear—
Luo Xing whispered:
"If you want to defeat me, then you'll first need to defeat Momousagi."
"Otherwise... you won't even have the slightest chance."
"Come."
"Like last time..."
"I'll teach you how to use the sword."
Tashigi's face turned completely crimson.
"D-don't!"
"I don't want a villain like you teaching me!"
"You definitely have bad intentions! Wuuuu!"
Last time—
naive Tashigi had genuinely believed Luo Xing was kindly teaching her swordsmanship hand-in-hand.
Who would've thought—
the moment the lesson ended—
the man immediately revealed his true colors and bullied her afterward?
Without even needing to think—
Tashigi knew this time would definitely be the same.
Embarrassed and furious—
she struggled desperately.
But beneath Luo Xing's control—
she was like a helpless child.
She couldn't exert even the slightest strength.
Her body could only move according to Luo Xing's guidance.
Tashigi started tearing up.
"Big Sister Momousagi!"
"Big Sister Ain!"
"Save me!"
Ain spread her hands helplessly.
Momousagi, meanwhile, found the scene strangely amusing.
Was this how the man always pursued women he liked?
霸道 yet oddly gentle at the same time.
Momousagi suddenly remembered the moment she herself had been captured by Luo Xing.
He had also forcefully pulled her into his embrace—
making resistance impossible.
Yet afterward—
his tone toward her had been unexpectedly gentle.
He had even promised to give her an Anywhere Door.
It was from that moment onward—
that Momousagi's heart had truly begun to waver.
Watching Luo Xing and Tashigi moving together almost like connected bodies as they approached—
Momousagi's beautiful eyes sparkled mischievously.
Her delicate lips curved upward as she teased:
"You're really going to fight me like that?"
"Doesn't this look a little strange?"
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