The divination had predicted the Sea Dragon would arrive, but in reality, both Emperor Vladimir and the Sea Dragon had come together.
This was extremely telling.
Bartholomew Kuma was no fool. Connecting this fact with what had happened earlier—how Vladimir had effortlessly nullified his Paw-Paw ability—he arrived at a terrifying conclusion.
The Captain of Phantom possessed the ability to completely negate the effects of Devil Fruits!
Even the Divination Fruit was rendered useless against him. Just imagining it sent a chill down his spine; such power was truly terrifying.
"Hahaha... I see how it is," the Sea Dragon chuckled deeply. "You people are certainly cautious and meticulous. Unfortunately, it's all rather meaningless. Abilities like divination, curses, altering the past... or anything similar—none of them will ever work on His Majesty, Emperor Vladimir."
Hearing this, Kuma nodded solemnly, mentally noting down this vital piece of intelligence to report to Dragon later.
"I understand. Please accept my apologies for my earlier offense. Now, let us proceed with greater speed!"
As he spoke, his wooden raft cut swiftly through the waves, surging forward at high speed.
The Sea Dragon merely flicked its tail and followed effortlessly, keeping pace with ease.
Two hours later, they sailed into a very special stretch of sea.
Outwardly, this area looked no different from anywhere else. However, the moment Kuma crossed a certain invisible boundary, his figure suddenly vanished into thin air.
The exact same thing happened to Vladimir and the Sea Dragon. It felt as though they had passed through some kind of powerful barrier or formation.
"Is this... an illusion technique?"
...
"Is this... an illusion technique?"
Passing through the invisible barrier, a massive ship came into view.
It flew no flags, but many figures could be seen moving back and forth across its deck.
"There is an Illusion-Illusion Fruit user aboard this vessel. They use their power to conceal the entire ship from sight," Bartholomew Kuma explained calmly.
"Is that so?" The Sea Dragon laughed softly. "The Revolutionary Army truly boasts a wealth of talents."
It wasn't long before the three of them arrived near the ship.
The crew members on deck had already noticed Vladimir's arrival and had gathered along the railing, watching him with expressions of curiosity and awe.
"Kuma, you're back."
"So this is the Sea Dragon, the Ruler of the Oceans... I heard he can grow up to ten thousand meters in length..."
"And this one... is he really... Emperor Vladimir?!"
Everyone's expression shifted into one of shock. With a bounty of 3,000,000,000 Berries, his image had been widely circulated alongside his wanted poster, making him instantly recognizable across the world.
They knew members of Phantom were coming today, but they had never expected the Captain himself to appear in person.
For a moment, silence fell over the deck; nobody dared to speak too loudly.
A man's reputation is like the shadow of a tree—it follows him wherever he goes.
These people were prepared to fight the Marines to the death if necessary, but none of them wanted to provoke the Captain of Phantom.
Vladimir wore his usual impassive expression, showing neither joy nor anger. He completely ignored the stares of the Revolutionary soldiers, leaped lightly from the Sea Dragon's head, and landed gracefully on the deck.
The moment his feet touched the ground, the door to the captain's quarters opened, and a tall man wearing a flowing green coat slowly stepped out.
Walking closely behind him was a young boy roughly ten years old, wearing a distinctive top hat fitted with protective goggles, with short golden hair and a noticeable gap where one of his front teeth was missing.
There was no mistaking his identity—this was Sabo.
"It is truly an honor... though I certainly did not expect that Emperor Vladimir himself would grace us with his presence," Monkey D. Dragon said as he stepped forward to welcome him.
As Dragon spoke, Kuma quietly leaned in and whispered a few words into his ear.
Although he spoke softly, his voice was unable to escape Vladimir's sharp hearing. He clearly heard Kuma reporting that Vladimir possessed the terrifying ability to completely negate Devil Fruit powers, and how the Divination Fruit had failed completely, its results seemingly erased by an invisible force the moment they tried to target him.
"I have come as agreed," Vladimir said calmly. "Shadow."
As he spoke, a wisp of black smoke rose from his chest, quickly coalescing into a solid, pitch-black humanoid figure.
"These are the goods you wished to purchase."
Shadow spoke in a deep, hollow voice. With a wave of his hand, he tore open a rift in space, reached deep into the dark dimension, and dragged out an old man.
Bound tightly by thick black chains, the old man was unceremoniously thrown onto the deck in front of everyone.
All eyes were fixed on the figure on the ground, filled with utter shock and disbelief.
"It really is... one of the Five Elders!"
"We were told it was true, but seeing it with my own eyes... it's unbelievable..."
"Phantom really are a bunch of lunatics! They dared to capture a Celestial Dragon of the highest order... and yet the World Government hasn't done anything about it?!"
"Haven't they? Didn't they issue a massive bounty on him? That was their response!"
The soldiers whispered among themselves, looking at the bound elder with a mixture of fear, curiosity, and admiration.
During his captivity, Vladimir had deliberately withheld food from him, and as a result, the old man was in an extremely weakened state. His face was pale and gaunt, his lips cracked and dry, and he looked barely alive, hanging onto consciousness by a thread.
Dragon observed him carefully for a moment before breaking into a smile. "Excellent. We accept the terms of this trade. Terry!"
"Understood."
A middle-aged man wearing a bear-shaped helmet and with a cigarette dangling from his mouth stepped forward in response. He took a large package from behind his back and tossed it onto the deck.
He untied the wrapping cloth to reveal the contents inside—several Devil Fruits, glowing with their unique, distinct patterns.
Vladimir glanced briefly at them, confirming that they were genuine. He then signaled Shadow with a slight nod.
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