Cobra let out a long, defeated sigh, running a hand over his face as the sheer exhaustion of the situation caught up with him. "Whatever. Fine," he muttered, shaking his head. "Whatever you want to do. I don't care anymore." After throwing his hands up in resignation, he turned on his heel and walked away, his heavy footsteps echoing down the corridor.
Vivi also let out a soft sigh, her eyes tracking the retreating back of her father until he disappeared from view. Turning her attention back toward Gojo, a shadow of anxiety crossed her face. Deep down, she couldn't help but feel a lingering sense of dread over the fact that a Celestial Dragon had actually been killed. It wasn't because she felt even an ounce of sympathy for Saint Jalmack—the man was a monster—but rather because she knew the harsh reality of the world. When a Celestial Dragon is killed, absolute chaos is guaranteed to follow.
And that chaos had already begun. First of all, news of this magnitude was something absolutely no one could have anticipated, and the way it was handling was completely unprecedented. It was definitely not the World Government's style to let the entire world find out about something as humiliating as the public execution of a Celestial Dragon. Normally, they would use all their power to cover it up and never allow such information to leak out. Yet, despite that, the World Economic Journal had boldly published the entire story across their front pages. To Vivi, this could only mean one terrifying thing: Big News Morgans and his newspaper had most probably slipped entirely out of the World Government's control.
Secondly, underneath all her political worries, her deep love for Gojo outweighed everything else. She could feel the profound pain he carried from losing his parents, and because of that bond, she stood by him and supported his actions unconditionally, even though he had just committed the ultimate taboo of murdering a god.
Shaking off the heavy thoughts, Vivi looked toward Gojo and offered a gentle smile. "You wait here," she said softly, gesturing to the bed. "I will go send someone to bring plenty of food for you."
With that, she left the room to give the orders. Soon enough, a massive dining table was wheeled into the chamber, absolutely piled high with a towering feast of roasted meats. The savory aroma filled the room, and Gojo didn't waste a single second. He immediately dug in, tearing through the platters with a ravenous hunger. Within a matter of moments, he had completely devoured every last bite, leaving nothing but a mountain of clean bones and empty platters behind. It was a terrifying display of an appetite that rivalled the monster trio, yet oddly enough, his stomach didn't swell up into a giant balloon the way Luffy's or other gluttonous characters' bodies usually did. Gojo deliberately used his precise control to digest the food instantly as he ate, converting the mass straight into energy to heal his broken bones.
Finally, after Gojo felt completely full from eating his fill, he leaned back against the headboard of his bed. While sitting there resting, he looked up at Vivi and asked, "By the way, when I was on Sabaody, I read in the news that Portgas D. Ace was captured and scheduled to be executed. What are the latest details on that? Like, are they going to delay it? After all, I just killed a Celestial Dragon, and that is a massive, world-shaking event. I seriously doubt they will want to continue with Ace's execution right now with all this chaos."
After hearing his question, Vivi shook her head, a grim expression taking hold of her features. "No, the execution is still fully scheduled to happen, and the timing hasn't been changed at all. In fact, because of what you did, it seems the World Government needs to push forward with this event even more. They realize that only after they publicly execute Ace will they be able to maintain their high and mighty persona. They need a massive display of absolute authority to help them restore their crumbling image in the eyes of the world."
Listening to Vivi's sharp deduction, Gojo wasn't surprised in the slightest; truth be told, he had been expecting a similar reaction from the higher-ups. He simply gave a slow nod, choosing not to say anything else on the matter. He leaned his head back, closing his eyes to drift back off to sleep, knowing that his body desperately needed the rest to recover at a faster pace.
Seeing him start to drift off, Vivi stepped closer to his bedside, her voice laced with quiet suspicion. "What are you planning to do?"
Gojo opened his eyes again, looking up at Vivi with a perfectly crafted expression of pure confusion. "What would I do? I'm going to do absolutely nothing. I'm just going to lie here, rest, and recover properly."
The moment Vivi heard that dismissive answer, she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. "Although I haven't spent an immense amount of time with you, from the time that I have spent with you, I know your behavior. There is definitely no such thing as an 'I am not going to do something' tone with you—especially not after what you just pulled."
Hearing her stubborn persistence, Gojo just shook his head slightly on the pillow and smiled. "You are just worrying way too much, Vivi. What could I possibly do? Nothing at all."
Vivi simply shook her head, letting out a soft sigh as she realized she wouldn't get a straight answer out of him. "Whatever you do, just promise me you won't put yourself in harm's way again, okay?" She lingered for a moment, looking at him with deep concern, before turning and leaving the room, closing the door softly behind her and leaving Gojo completely alone.
The moment the latch clicked shut, Gojo opened his eyes, staring out at the closed wooden gate. A small, confident smirk played on his lips as he muttered to the empty room, "I am definitely not going to put myself in harm's way again. On the contrary... everyone else should be the ones worried."
Days continued to pass in a quiet routine. It took almost a full week, but Gojo's incredible physiology finally allowed him to recover completely from his extensive injuries. Throughout all this time, he remained tucked away safely within the royal palace. Of course, while he stayed under their roof, it wasn't as if he was just living off the generosity or the money of King Cobra. Gojo had already paid the royal family a massive sum of around 50 million berries. This steep payment was not only a token of appreciation for them saving his life and giving him a safe place to heal, but also a deposit for the future; he planned on living in Alabasta for a very long time, which meant he would require an enormous amount of food and an absolute guarantee of secrecy, especially since he intended to train in secret without attracting any unwanted attention from the World Government.
To facilitate this, a perfect spot was chosen. There was a small, unoccupied oasis hidden away in the vast Alabasta desert, featuring a secluded, pristine lake. Gojo simply used his Limitless to teleport his entire ship directly into the waters of that hidden lake, which sat safely just 20 to 30 miles away from the capital city of Alubarna. Near the edge of the water, Gojo had requested a simple, modest wooden house to be constructed, and the palace workers had quickly built it for him.
Once it was ready, Gojo packed up and started living out there in the desert, using the isolated space to conduct his training. For the time being, he kept his daily training regimen to a strict minimum, focusing mostly on maintaining his form. After all, he knew what he was planning to pull off on the fast-approaching day of Ace's execution. He had decided that only after that massive event was over would he finally throw himself into a pure, hellish mode of extreme training to reach the next level.
So, Gojo lived quietly in that small desert cabin, passing the time in peace. Vivi would generally make the trip out from the capital herself, bringing along the massive quantities of food he required to keep his energy up. Soon enough, the quiet days bled into one another, the countdown neared its end, and the fateful day of Ace's execution finally arrived.
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