Chapter 439: SVOP - 439

Chapter 439: SVOP: Chapter 439

Blackbeard glared with his beady eyes, a ferocious glint flashing within them. "I am no traitor. From the very start, I joined Whitebeard solely for the sake of the Devil Fruits. I had no grudge against Thatch — in fact, I held him in high regard. But he stood in my way. Whitebeard entrusted all the fruits to his care... and that one fruit was in his possession too. I had no choice but to kill him."

"I have no patience for your nonsense. What do you want from me?" Heinel snorted coldly. "Keep talking rubbish and I’ll swallow you whole!"

"Zehahahahaha... Heinel, others may not know who you truly are, but I do!"

Blackbeard grinned widely, extending his right hand. "Why not form an alliance with me? Someone like you could never be satisfied with just being a Warlord. Join me! Now that Emperor Vladimir of Phantom has vanished from the world, there has never been a better opportunity than this! Don’t you agree... Noah D. Heinel?"

Vladimir hitched a ride and sailed with the Lycan Pirates toward Big Mom’s territory.

In the first few days, the pirates remained quite wary of him, but it didn’t take long before they grew familiar and relaxed around him.

Especially after Vladimir demonstrated his ability to summon lightning with a single roar — they were instantly filled with admiration and reverence, addressing him warmly as Lord Raikou at every turn.

Vladimir paid them little mind, quietly spending his time growing accustomed to the abilities of his new transformation.

At 3-star level, Raikou possessed three distinct powers:

1. Thunder Mastery: Simply put, it allowed complete control over lightning. He could even summon bolts from the sky to strike targets, somewhat similar to the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

2. Extreme Speed: This released the power stored within the dark purple thunderclouds on his back, stimulating and strengthening his body to unleash bursts of incredible speed.

3. Anti-Barrier: Better described as a Reflection Wall. Raikou could form a barrier in front of him that deflected both physical and elemental attacks. If an attack was too powerful to reflect fully, the barrier would still weaken its impact significantly. It was a supreme defensive ability.

Overall, this avatar wasn’t quite as powerful as the Sea Dragon — slightly weaker, roughly equal in strength to the Lich King.

Time flew by as Vladimir mastered his new form. Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

Eventually, the Lycan entered the waters controlled by Big Mom.

"Captain Eve, we’re approaching Whole Cake Island. Should we contact the Big Mom Pirates first?" a pirate asked, poking his head out from the crow’s nest.

During the journey, Vladimir had learned their names. The captain was Eve Torres, user of the Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Arctic Wolf. She possessed absolute immunity to cold and had once fought Admiral Aokiji, escaping from him with ease.

She was around thirty years old, yet looked no older than twenty-three or twenty-four.

She dressed boldly and revealingly — currently wearing only a short skirt and bikini top, with a silk scarf tied around her head. Her personality was bold and uninhibited.

Hearing the crewman’s call, Eve walked to the bow and gazed out over the sea.

"No need. They’ve already detected our intrusion. Everyone, prepare for battle! If conflict breaks out, survival is our first priority!"

At her words, Vladimir looked up slightly, narrowing his eyes toward the horizon. Even with his senses, he had only barely detected a pirate ship approaching from several nautical miles away.

"You have sharp eyes," Vladimir remarked approvingly.

"Of course! I possess the sense of smell of a wolf. Once I catch a scent, I remember it for a lifetime."

So it’s your nose... Vladimir realized.

Soon, all the pirates gathered and readied themselves for combat.

Fifteen minutes later, the two ships met face-to-face.

From the opposing vessel stepped a tall, handsome young man holding a rapier. He stood at the prow, pointing his sword directly at Vladimir and the others.

"Ship ahead! Halt immediately!" he called out loudly. "You are entering Big Mom’s waters! We are the New Kantenration Big Mom Pirates. I am the captain of this patrol ship — Charlotte Kanten!"

Charlotte Kanten?!

Vladimir was stunned. Wasn’t this the little boy who had been captured by the Nine-Tailed Fox years ago? Back then, they had used him as leverage to extort a huge payment from Charlotte Linlin.

Nine years... or to be precise, ten years had passed. The scrawny child had grown into such a handsome young man. It was almost unbelievable.

Standing nearby, Eve chuckled. "Charlotte Kanten! I am Eve Torres, Captain of the Lycan, under the Beast King Pirates. By order of the First Mate, we have come to meet Emperor Charlotte Linlin!"

"Captain of the Lycan?!"

Charlotte Kanten looked shocked. "You’re that Little She-Wolf from the Beast King crew?!"

She was quite famous — primarily because she was a female captain and an Arctic Wolf user. Other factions mockingly referred to her as the Little She-Wolf.

Hearing this title, a fierce glint instantly flashed in Eve’s eyes. "You little brat of the Charlotte family... go report our arrival to your commanders at once!"

"Who are you calling a brat?!" Kanten roared in anger. However, knowing full well how powerful she was, he wisely chose to back down.

"Follow me! Keep a distance of at least one thousand meters!"

He immediately ordered his men to turn the ship and led the way forward.

The Lycan followed closely behind.

"Hmph! Don’t let me run into you elsewhere!" Eve muttered furiously. "Next time, I’ll teach you a lesson you won’t forget!"

Vladimir shook his head, looking at her with disdain.

"What are you staring at?" Eve asked, annoyed.

"If it were me," Vladimir replied with a faint smile, "I’d have just slapped him out of the way. Whether it’s an Emperor’s crew or not... if they annoy me, I’ll crush them all the same."

"You’re something else..." Eve fell silent for a moment. "The Four Emperors are the four greatest powers in the New World. They clash constantly, yet none can truly defeat the other. Do you think you are Emperor Vladimir or something?"

"To tell you the truth... I actually am Emperor Vladimir," Vladimir joked with a grin.

"As if anyone would believe that!" Eve rolled her eyes. "What kind of man was the Emperor? He was an invincible existence who ruled an entire era. You’re just a thunder-tiger with a few tricks up your sleeve — you’re still light-years away from being on his level!"

She turned away to issue orders to her subordinates.

"No one believes me even when I speak the truth..." Vladimir sighed, yawning as he closed his eyes to rest.

However, a portion of his perception extended outward, firmly locking onto the patrol ship leading them ahead.

Honestly, he found it hard to believe that Big Mom had managed to regain her status as an Emperor. After he had crippled the Charlotte family so severely, what right did they have to return to the top?

He suspected there was another force supporting Charlotte Linlin from behind the scenes. Most likely, it involved yet another political marriage or alliance.

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