"First things first — time to collect more fruits!"
In the form of Gilgamesh, Vladimir left the auction grounds without making a sound.
To be honest, this transformation of the King of Heroes granted him immense combat power — all of it, of course, built upon his greatest treasure: the Gate of Babylon.
The Gate of Babylon takes the shape of a key that opens the "Golden City" — a vault containing every kind of treasure ever known.
In battle, it allows him to unleash weapons and noble phantasms from the treasury all at once, overwhelming enemies with a massive, wide-ranging assault.
However, there was one catch. The version Vladimir possessed was not quite the same as the true Gate of Babylon wielded by the real Gilgamesh.
To put it simply: every noble phantasm inside was a projection.
Well, not every one — at least two were genuine.
The first was the Golden Armor.
The second was the Golden Vimana Ark.
The difference between projections and real artifacts lay in their power. Projections were formed by condensed magical energy, so their strength was slightly lower compared to the originals.
This was especially true for Ea — The Sword That Split the Heavens. The true Ea held enough power to cleave the very world in two.
As a projection, it could never reach that level; at best, it would probably only be strong enough to destroy a small island.
Of course, Vladimir wouldn't know its true capabilities until he actually used it in combat.
"But that's not a big problem. I'm sure once I reach Four-Star or Five-Star rank, the real versions will unlock themselves."
Shaking off the thought, he focused his mind. Instantly, a massive golden ring of light appeared above his head.
From within it, the Golden Vimana Ark slowly emerged.
"Even as projections, they have their advantages. As long as I have enough magical energy, my weapons are limitless — I can summon as many as I want."
For example, he could hurl a hundred copies of Excalibur in a single attack!
Though the sword wasn't originally part of the King's collection, it appeared here as a projection anyway, since Vladimir already possessed the transformation of the King of Knights.
The same applied to other weapons: the Golden Disc from the Tsar form, Frostmourne from the Lich King, and Dragon Blood Kuniitsu from his own Emperor form.
Everything he owned was now available as a projection within the Gate.
"Either way, let's start collecting. To go from Three-Star to Four-Star, I'll need sixteen more fruits..."
With that goal in mind, he leaped lightly and landed aboard the golden vessel.
He walked to the throne at its center and sat down, then took control of the ship and flew away at high speed.
The Golden Vimana Ark moved with incredible swiftness. Even without pushing it to its absolute limit, it traveled like lightning and fire, crossing the entirety of District 1 in the blink of an eye.
...
Inside District 2
A massive land beast moved forward with heavy, thundering steps.
It resembled a crocodile but was nearly fifty meters long, walking on four thick limbs, its jaws lined with long, sharp fangs.
Perched upon its back were more than a hundred pirates.
At their head stood a short man wearing a gentleman's top hat, a cigarette clamped between his lips as he exhaled rings of smoke.
"Captain, something's flying toward us!" one of the pirates called out in a low voice.
The short man narrowed his eyes and looked in the direction pointed out.
At first, it looked like a tiny black dot on the horizon, but it grew larger rapidly — from a speck to the size of a fist in mere seconds.
"Is that an airship?" the captain frowned. "The Flying Ark belonging to the Delgado Clan?"
Before he finished speaking, the vessel drew even closer, becoming clearly visible to all.
Just then, the giant crocodile beneath them suddenly spoke in a deep voice: "Be careful, Captain Yiba — there is someone aboard that ship!"
The atmosphere turned tense. No one dared let their guard down.
The Sabaody Archipelago was currently swarming with powerful figures and monsters — it only took one wrong move to run into a deadly opponent.
SWOOSH!
Suddenly, the airship accelerated and blazed past like a streak of emerald light, appearing directly in front of them.
It seemed to defy all laws of physics, coming to a complete halt instantly as if it had never been moving at all — as though it had simply been floating there all along.
"Who goes there?!"
Captain Yiba called out loudly. "This is the territory of the Yiba Pirates!"
The great beast stopped walking, radiating caution as it sensed a dangerous aura approaching.
Everyone looked up. From the deck of the hovering golden ark came the sound of heavy footsteps — the distinct sound of someone wearing thick, heavy armor.
THUD... THUD... THUD...
At last, a figure shining with golden light stepped into view at the bow.
"You insolent wretches," Vladimir said, crossing his arms and gazing down at them from above.
"This King shall grant you one chance — hand over every single Devil Fruit you possess."
He looked over the group, his curiosity piqued especially by the massive crocodile-like beast beneath their feet.
Captain Yiba frowned and stepped forward. "Who are you, claiming to be 'King'... Several monarchs did attend the auction this time. Which nation do you rule?"
ROAR!
The great beast let out a deafening roar, a clear warning.
"You brute... how dare you snarl at this King? You must truly wish for death."
Vladimir raised an eyebrow and snapped his fingers softly.
Immediately, six golden rings of light appeared above his head. From each ring, a different weapon slowly extended outward.
____________________
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