"How can this be? The indestructible Red Line… torn open with such a massive gap?!"
Sengoku and the others stared at the endless rift, wide-eyed, their minds reeling.
They knew better than anyone how solid the Red Line was. Even if they unleashed every ounce of strength, they wouldn't leave so much as a scratch. Yet now, before their eyes, it looked as fragile as shredded paper.
The difference between them and the enemy was overwhelming.
"The Red Line…"
Even Im's expression darkened as he watched Rain's movements. A bad premonition coiled in his chest.
Don't tell me… he intends to use this against me?
The thought chilled him.
And the possibility only grew more real. If Rain used his power to expand a fragment of the Red Line into something as massive as before—then slammed it down to suppress him—even Im might not be able to withstand it.
"Are you ready?"
Rain twirled the marble in his fingers, smiling as he looked down at Im.
"…"
Im said nothing, but every muscle was taut, ready to counterattack at any instant.
"What speed!"
In a flash, Rain appeared high above Im. He tossed the marble down without hesitation.
The next moment, magic power erupted outward.
"Form Magic—Amplify!"
The fragment of the Red Line instantly expanded to its full size… then grew ten times larger under Rain's magic.
"Dodging is impossible. I'll have to resist it head-on."
Im raised both hands into claw-like shapes, thrusting them skyward.
"Form Magic!"
"Seal!" Rain's roar cracked across the sky.
"Lord Im…!"
The Gorosei froze, disbelief etched on their faces.
The one they revered as invincible—sealed, just like that?
"Run!"
Rain didn't wait. He shot skyward in a streak of light before Sengoku and the others could react.
"Move!"
Kaido and Dragon immediately followed his lead. Kaido shifted into his dragon form, grasping Rain and Dragon in his massive claws before rocketing away from the battlefield.
"Rain, what about him? Did you kill that guy?" Kaido asked as they fled, his voice tinged with curiosity.
"How could I?" Rain shook his head. "That technique only sealed him temporarily. It can't actually harm him. His strength is far too great."
"So that monster really is the foundation of the World Government?" Dragon muttered, frowning.
Rain's eyes narrowed. "No. More than that. I suspect he's the King of the Celestial Dragons—one of the original Twenty Kings."
"What?!"
Kaido and Dragon were both shaken.
Kaido was so stunned he forgot to keep flying—his enormous dragon body dropped like a stone.
"Hey, Kaido! Don't forget you're supposed to fly!" Rain shouted down.
"Oh, oh! Right!" Kaido scrambled to flap his wings, soaring back into the sky with a flustered snort.
"But wait—if he's truly one of the Twenty Kings, that means he's lived for more than 800 years?" Dragon frowned. "That shouldn't even be possible…"
"Otherwise, how do you explain it?" Rain replied sharply. "I cut out his heart—and within a minute, he fully recovered."
Dragon had no words.
"You've heard of the Ope Ope no Mi, haven't you?" Rain asked suddenly.
"The Operation Fruit? The Devil Fruit that makes its user the ultimate doctor?" Dragon responded immediately, recognizing it at once.
"I've never heard of it," Kaido muttered bluntly.
Of course. Unless it was a Zoan, Kaido never cared about Devil Fruits.
Rain exhaled slowly.
"The Ope Ope no Mi is valued at five billion berries."
"What?!" Dragon and Kaido roared together.
"Why would it be worth that much?" Dragon demanded, stunned.
"Because the Celestial Dragons are terrified of death, so they'll pay anything for it, right?" Dragon guessed aloud. It was the only explanation he could think of.
Rain shook his head.
"No. The true reason is in the fruit's ultimate ability."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Kaido frowned, suspicious.
"The Ope Ope no Mi's final technique…" Rain's eyes sharpened.
"…is the Immortality Operation. Eternal life."
"Immortality?!"
Kaido and Dragon both froze.
"Does eternal life… truly exist?" Dragon muttered, eyes clouded with doubt.
"Of course it does." Rain's answer came without hesitation.
Kaido growled and looked at Rain with squinted eyes. "And how the hell would you know that?"
Rain only smirked.
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