Chapter 403: SVOP - 403

Chapter 403: SVOP: Chapter 403

The Great Demon Lord stood alone against five of the Navy’s strongest figures, showing not the slightest trace of hesitation.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the Hero Garp, Chief Strategist Tsuru, Admiral Aokiji, and Admiral Akainu — all five joined forces to besiege him, yet none could gain the upper hand.

Of course, the Demon Lord could not defeat them either. Both sides were locked in a deadlock.

This was exactly the outcome Vladimir desired. If he had truly intended to wipe out the Navy, he would have come himself in his original form. Sending the Demon Lord served two purposes: first, to keep the organization Phantom from being directly implicated, and second, to simply stall the Navy’s movements.

Right now, the Demon Lord flapped his massive wings and hovered in mid-air, looking down coldly at the five below.

Crossing his arms, he thought to himself: "According to the futures revealed by the Star That Knows All, Sees All, the only way the Navy can turn the tide is if they use their National Treasure. So I must not press them too hard — otherwise, they might actually bring it out."

With that in mind, he laughed aloud. "The great Navy that claims to protect world peace... and this is all you have to show for it? Truly disappointing."

Sengoku’s face turned ashen with rage. "Hmph, Demon Lord! You are nowhere near as terrifying as you appeared in the Dream Realm. In the real world, your strength is at most equal to one of the Four Emperors. No wonder you are only a Supreme Commander of Phantom, and not their First Mate!"

"Hahaha... No need to beat around the bush trying to trick information out of me. I’ll tell you directly."

The Demon Lord grinned widely. "A long, long time ago, I was sealed away by Emperor Vladimir of Phantom. Even now, I have only managed to break three of my five seals — which is why I was merely a Supreme Commander. But the power of fear you five generate is incredibly rich. It won’t be long before I unlock the fourth seal as well! Hahaha!"

He was making it all up on the spot.

His only goal was to stall them. A fight like this would drag on without a clear winner anytime soon — especially since he was not in his Sea Dragon form, which would have allowed him to draw strength from the ocean itself.

And when it came to buying time, spinning a good story was the easiest way.

Hearing his words, all five Navy leaders grew solemn and wary.

Sengoku glanced at Vice Admiral Tsuru, and seeing her nod in agreement, asked gravely: "So you hold a grudge against Phantom?"

"Not Phantom — I have a grudge against Emperor Vladimir personally."

The Demon Lord let out a strange, mocking laugh. "Do you even know where all the members of Phantom come from? Why does every single one of them bear five layers of seals?"

"You know the answer?" Tsuru asked, unable to hold back her curiosity. "No — of course you do!"

"Are they all sealed by Emperor Vladimir?" Akainu frowned sharply.

The Demon Lord glanced at him and snorted. "Not completely brainless for a Red Dog. Let me explain it simply: every member of Phantom originates from a different era — all were the chosen protagonists of their time — only to be sealed away by Emperor Vladimir himself. Ten thousand years ago, I intended to destroy the entire world... and it was he who stopped and sealed me."

"Ten thousand years?!" Aokiji whispered in shock.

Measuring time in thousands of years was something that only existed in legends and myths to people of this era.

"Just who is this Emperor Vladimir?" Sengoku took a deep breath to steady his racing heart. "Where does he come from? And what is his ultimate goal?"

His rapid-fire questions betrayed the fear rising within him.

The Demon Lord threw his head back and laughed, the sound echoing across the entire naval base.

"I don’t know his real name. I cannot tell you his purpose — that is forbidden. As for where he comes from..."

Pausing, the Demon Lord raised his index finger and pointed straight up toward the heavens.

"Sky Island?!" Garp blinked in surprise.

"Sky Island?!" The Demon Lord looked at him with utter disdain. "What I mean is... his very existence transcends this dimension. Where do you think a being like that would originate from?"

He added mockingly, "With your limited mortal wisdom, do not even try to fathom the origins of a god. The mystery of Emperor Vladimir... is far beyond your ability to comprehend."

...

"The mystery of Emperor Vladimir... is far beyond your ability to comprehend."

The Demon Lord spoke with obvious contempt.

Even though it was all made up on the fly, he tried to make it sound as convincing as possible.

And when it came to the most important question — where Emperor Vladimir came from — it was best to leave them guessing for themselves.

Hearing this, Akainu’s expression turned grim and hostile. "Demon Lord! The way you speak does not sound like someone with a grudge against him at all. I believe barely a third of what you say!"

"Believe what you wish," the Demon Lord shrugged indifferently — and in truth, he didn’t care if they believed or not, since it was all a fabrication anyway.

"If you truly bear such hatred toward him," Akainu pressed further, "why refuse to reveal even where he comes from?"

"Such a foolish question."

The Demon Lord shook his head in pity. "The reason is simple: Emperor Vladimir is just that strong. I dare not speak his true name, nor reveal his origins — for the moment I do, he will sense it instantly. Emperor Vladimir... is too powerful."

Just how powerful is ’too powerful’?

The five naval leaders exchanged glances, secretly shaking their heads in doubt. Was it even possible that one could not speak another’s name without being detected?

But when they thought about it, Emperor Vladimir had only made a handful of public appearances: once to wipe out the Big Mom Pirates, and another time to storm the Holy Land and capture members of the Five Elders right from under their guard.

"He is clearly terrified of Emperor Vladimir," Sengoku said softly. "Even if he holds a grudge, he dares not speak carelessly."

Vice Admiral Tsuru shook her head. "Do not be so easily swayed. Have we forgotten what happened with the Lich King?"

"I know," Sengoku nodded. "Let me test him further."

Raising his voice, he challenged: "If you truly wish revenge against Emperor Vladimir, why not join forces with us and bring him down?"

"Hahaha... A pitiful attempt at trickery! You five cannot even defeat me — and you dream of defeating Emperor Vladimir? Sengoku, I hope your mind has not gone soft with age. Spare me such childish tests."

The Demon Lord laughed heartily. "You want to know how strong he is? Think of it this way: even if all ten Supreme Commanders of Phantom attacked him at once, they would barely last ten minutes."

Sengoku’s face paled, though he still refused to fully accept it. "If he is truly that powerful... why does he allow you to roam free, ignoring the orders of Phantom?"

"Hahaha! That is only because he does not have much ti—"

The Demon Lord answered instinctively, but immediately caught himself. He shot a sharp, warning glare at the five Navy officers.

Does not have much... what?

Sengoku narrowed his eyes and turned to Tsuru.

The Chief Strategist pondered briefly, then spoke: "Time. Either he does not have enough time, or his time is running out. Most likely the latter, or both."

"Explain your reasoning," Sengoku asked.

"If his story holds any truth," Tsuru replied quietly, "then Phantom is not a new organization. It may have appeared hundreds, even thousands of years ago. That much is implied by his earlier claim that every member comes from a different era."

"I see..."

"Which means," Tsuru continued, "that sooner or later, Phantom will vanish once again. We do not know why... but this aligns perfectly with what he almost said just now — that their time here is limited."

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