The Clash of Supreme Wills
"Boom—!!!"
An aura of dark red energy, far more savage and utterly primal than anything seen in the arena before, erupted like a super-volcano that had been dormant for eons. This terrifying, universe-dominating power, driven purely by the "might makes right" philosophy and pure battle instincts, immediately swept through the entire underground laboratory.
On the other side, Satan Saint's eyes, which usually held a god-like indifference, instantly became cold and profound. An equally terrifying surge of Conqueror's Haki (Haoshoku Haki), yet filled with ill omens, evil, and absolute dominance, surged forward like a death wave from the abyssal depths of hell, meeting the dark red aura head-on.
Two vastly different, yet equally terrifying powers, both standing at the pinnacle of this world's strength , violently collided within the enclosed underground space.
There was no sound. No explosion.
Yet, the impact was an absolute force, far more devastating than any physical attack, because it struck directly at the spiritual and soulful levels. In that instant, whether it was the elite members of the Saiyan Guard still struggling to hold on, or the battle-hardened CP9 agents ... everyone's minds felt as if they were fiercely gripped and crushed by two invisible giant hands. They didn't even have time to scream before their eyes rolled back, foam frothed from their mouths, and they collapsed to the ground like boneless mud, completely losing consciousness.
Nico Robin and Monet, however, were firmly protected behind Takero's broad back, thus escaping harm. Even so, they could still clearly feel the terrifying pressure from the clash, a force that made their very souls tremble.
At the center of the clashing auras, Satan Saint's eyes, usually as still as an ancient well, narrowed slightly for the first time.
He felt... something was wrong.
The opponent's aura, though incredibly violent, seemed... to lack the stamina for a prolonged fight?
However, just as this thought arose in his mind —
Takero's face across from him suddenly showed an expression of "how interesting".
Immediately, his already extremely terrifying aura surged even more violently! If the previous aura was merely a tsunami capable of overturning the ocean , then this new surge was a world-ending meteor, capable of wiping an entire continent off the map!
"Boom—!!!"
Satan Saint's black-purple Haki, filled with ill omens and dominance , encountered its nemesis in the face of Takero's even more savage dark red energy wave. After barely half a second of stalemate, it was brutally crushed, torn, and submerged by the opponent's violent aura, like ripping apart a piece of cloth!
"Ugh!"
Satan Saint felt as if he had been struck hard! His spider-like lower body even slid back half a meter uncontrollably! He felt as if his will had been fiercely squeezed by an invisible giant hand!
He instantly calmed his mind.
'Damn... commoner!' he cursed inwardly. 'How could this guy's power... be so bizarre?!'
"No!" he thought. "I can't go head-to-head with him! I must... plan for the long term!"
The Unexpected Offer
His original strategy was to have Admiral Aokiji stall Takero outside , allowing Rob Lucci and the CP9 team to execute a lightning-fast assault on this secret laboratory, packing up all the research data and clones inside. Although this plan was simple, it was highly effective. The CP9 team had indeed proceeded smoothly, successfully bringing the situation under control.
But who would have thought that Aokiji, that useless Admiral, couldn't even buy a little time?
Satan Saint had previously made a detailed assessment of Takero's strength. While the opponent had defeated the aging Zephyr and the Admiral Kizaru, who only relied on his Logia Devil Fruit ability , that was only under the special circumstances of his "full moon transformation". Combining this with the intelligence that Kizaru was able to calmly deal with, and even briefly gain the upper hand against, Takero in his normal state during their first encounter ... Satan Saint had estimated that Takero's normal state strength was, at most, at the Admiral-level.
'But... it can't be that the opponent could grow to the point of easily crushing an Admiral in just a few short years, could he?!'
Thinking of this, Satan Saint immediately changed his approach. He slowly withdrew his ominous aura. His wrist, which had been cleanly severed by Takero's energy blast, rapidly regenerated and recovered at a visible speed amidst a strange swirl of black smoke.
A flicker of curiosity, however, crossed Takero's eyes.
At this moment, Satan Saint finally spoke again.
"Enough, kid," his voice returned to that high and mighty, god-like indifference. "This old man is not here today to engage in such meaningless verbal disputes with you. But rather... to discuss 'cooperation' with you."
"Cooperation?" Takero chuckled, his tone amused. "You said... you want to 'cooperate' with me?"
He looked amusedly at the old immortal who had just been yelling for a fight, intending to hear what other interesting nonsense would come out of his mouth.
"That's right," Satan Saint affirmed, even forcing out an expression that could be called "benevolent" on his always dignified old face. "Actually... our World Government is very curious about the 'Omni-Capsule' introduced by your 'Golden Group.' We hope to establish a long-term cooperative relationship with you and procure this miraculous item in large quantities."
He pointed to the unconscious CP9 members on the ground and said, without changing his expression, "As for them... they are merely reckless subordinates who misunderstood this old man's intentions."
Takero's face showed an expression of "Are you kidding me?"
Yet, Satan Saint, as a top politician, didn't blush at all. He continued in a seductive tone:
"Of course, besides these commercial collaborations, I personally am also very curious about the projects being researched in your laboratory. Perhaps, the World Government could engage in deeper cooperative research with you in this area?"
As the "God of Scientific Defense," he immediately saw the immense potential behind the clones in the cultivation tanks, a potential capable of overturning the world's war landscape! He thought of Takero's bizarre abilities and monstrous physical fitness...
'If... if such abilities could be integrated into his own "Pacifista" project... then, what kind of terrifying, perfect war weapons would be created?!''And then mass-produced... it would ensure that the World Government's supreme rule would be maintained permanently and unshakably! Achieving true, eternal... "peace"!'
For this, Satan Saint made a decision that went against his ancestors' principles!
"Takero," his voice became imbued with a captivating magic, like a "divine blessing". "If you can share these 'interesting' research materials with our World Government, then I, representing the World Government and the Celestial Dragons, can invite you..."
"...to move into the Holy Land Mary Geoise! And bestow upon you and your family the 'World Noble,' the Celestial Dragons's... supreme seat!"
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion